Alien

Might just be the best horror film ever made. Its a treacherous film that only reveals itself very slowly. Who is the real protagonist of the film only becomes clear about 2/3 into the film. It's also one of the smartest uses of genre tropes. The first half of the film is almost purely science fiction, with all the iconography that belongs to that genre. It's a masterclass in slow-burn mystery and suspense, and complete with an intriguing, mystery-inducing score and calm cinematography. The second half is pure horror and extremely stressful, claustrophobic and fast-paced, complete with Dutch angles, handheld, jump scares and screeching strings in the score. The dirty, moist and most of all organic art direction and sound design, as well as very down-to-earth acting and character definition, makes the film feel incredibly real, and almost documentary-like. Oh, and then there's the absolutely genius monster design that remind us of a lot of things that belong in the id, and the strong undercurrent of sexual assault, which hits even harder in a film with very little distinction between the genders of its characters. Absolutely disgusting through and through. Also a genius move to make the alien design similar to the spaceship design. It can hide everywhere... And the theme of cold capitalism caring more about money than lives, effectively adds to the feeling of helplessness. All in all, it's a very intense experience and an extremely intelligent film. 10/10