Midnight Only's 100 Essential Films of the Fantastic

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"An entirely subjective list of 100 essential fantasy films", as compiled by Jeff Kuykendall, editor of MidnightOnly.com.

"First off, this list is entirely personal. You will have 100 of your own. The intention is to draw a broad outline of fantasy films since the start of cinema in hopes that the reader might find some helpful recommendations. It’s an admittedly ludicrous endeavor to define 100 of the most essential of anything, which is why this is just “100 Essential Films of the Fantastic,” not the most essential. To pare this last down to 100, I found myself discarding many acknowledged classics, and holding tight to others for the sake of variety or my own passion for them."

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  1. 1 -

    Le voyage dans la lune

    1902 — a.k.a. A Trip to the Moon, in 14 top lists Check
  2. 2 -

    L'Inferno

    1911 — a.k.a. Dante's Inferno, in 5 top lists Check
  3. 3 -

    Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari

    1920 — a.k.a. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, in 30 top lists Check
  4. 4 -

    Häxan

    1922, in 17 top lists Check
  5. 5 -

    Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens

    1922 — a.k.a. Nosferatu, in 28 top lists Check
  6. 6 -

    The Thief of Bagdad

    1924, in 14 top lists Check
  7. 7 -

    Die Abenteuer des Prinzen Achmed

    1926 — a.k.a. The Adventures of Prince Achmed, in 13 top lists Check
  8. 8 -

    Faust: Eine deutsche Volkssage

    1926 — a.k.a. Faust, in 15 top lists Check
  9. 9 -

    Metropolis

    1927, in 36 top lists Check
  10. 10 -

    Dracula

    1931, in 11 top lists Check
  11. 11 -

    Chandu the Magician

    1932, in 0 top lists Check
  12. 12 -

    Island of Lost Souls

    1932, in 5 top lists Check
  13. 13 -

    King Kong

    1933, in 26 top lists Check
  14. 14 -

    Bride of Frankenstein

    1935, in 19 top lists Check
  15. 15 -

    Mad Love

    1935, in 2 top lists Check
  16. 16 -

    Vasilisa prekrasnaya

    1939 — a.k.a. Beautiful Vasilisa, in 0 top lists Check
  17. 17 -

    The Wizard of Oz

    1939, in 38 top lists Check
  18. 18 -

    Fantasia

    1940, in 20 top lists Check
  19. 19 -

    The Thief of Bagdad

    1940, in 13 top lists Check
  20. 20 -

    The Wolf Man

    1941, in 2 top lists Check
  21. 21 -

    Cat People

    1942, in 15 top lists Check
  22. 22 -

    La belle et la bête

    1946 — a.k.a. Beauty and the Beast, in 26 top lists Check
  23. 23 -

    A Matter of Life and Death

    1946, in 23 top lists Check
  24. 24 -

    Orphée

    1950 — a.k.a. Orpheus, in 18 top lists Check
  25. 25 -

    The Tales of Hoffmann

    1951, in 4 top lists Check
  26. 26 -

    The Maze

    1953, in 0 top lists Check
  27. 27 -

    Ugetsu monogatari

    1953 — a.k.a. Ugetsu, in 25 top lists Check
  28. 28 -

    The War of the Worlds

    1953, in 6 top lists Check
  29. 29 -

    Creature from the Black Lagoon

    1954, in 1 top list Check
  30. 30 -

    Gojira

    1954 — a.k.a. Godzilla, in 12 top lists Check
  31. 31 -

    Them!

    1954, in 3 top lists Check
  32. 32 -

    20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

    1954, in 1 top list Check
  33. 33 -

    Forbidden Planet

    1956, in 9 top lists Check
  34. 34 -

    Invasion of the Body Snatchers

    1956, in 19 top lists Check
  35. 35 -

    Night of the Demon

    1957 — a.k.a. Curse of the Demon, in 7 top lists Check
  36. 36 -

    Det sjunde inseglet

    1957 — a.k.a. The Seventh Seal, in 25 top lists Check
  37. 37 -

    Vynález zkázy

    1958 — a.k.a. Invention for Destruction, in 4 top lists Check
  38. 38 -

    Dracula

    1958 — a.k.a. Horror of Dracula, in 8 top lists Check
  39. 39 -

    The 7th Voyage of Sinbad

    1958, in 4 top lists Check
  40. 40 -

    Journey to the Center of the Earth

    1959, in 0 top lists Check
  41. 41 -

    The Time Machine

    1960, in 1 top list Check
  42. 42 -

    Baron Prásil

    1962 — a.k.a. The Fabulous Baron Munchausen, in 1 top list Check
  43. 43 -

    Mysterious Island

    1961, in 0 top lists Check
  44. 44 -

    El ángel exterminador

    1962 — a.k.a. The Exterminating Angel, in 19 top lists Check
  45. 45 -

    The Haunting

    1963, in 6 top lists Check
  46. 46 -

    Jason and the Argonauts

    1963, in 6 top lists Check
  47. 47 -

    La jetée

    1962 — a.k.a. La Jetée, in 19 top lists Check
  48. 48 -

    The Masque of the Red Death

    1964, in 3 top lists Check
  49. 49 -

    Giulietta degli spiriti

    1965 — a.k.a. Juliet of the Spirits, in 9 top lists Check
  50. 50 -

    Rekopis znaleziony w Saragossie

    1965 — a.k.a. The Saragossa Manuscript, in 8 top lists Check
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Last updated on Apr 23, 2015; source