Night of the Living Dead

Some horror starts with a creak on the stairs. Night of the Living Dead gives us people trapped in a farmhouse while flesh-eating corpses attack. That is the problem, and quite enough of one. If your ideal film night involves a safe sofa and nobody knocking at the door, this might make the sofa feel less safe than usual.

The threat is immediate and physical, but the farmhouse makes it feel close as well. There are people inside, danger outside, and little room to get away from it. It is one for anyone who likes their horror tense and contained, with the frightening part right on the doorstep. I would keep a light on if that helps. The lamp has never judged anyone.

There is a reason to know this film beyond its frightening set-up. Its creatures are called ghouls, yet they helped popularise the kind of zombie that became familiar in horror. That makes it a good choice for a night when you want to see a film that shaped the genre and still have something properly scary to watch. Make your tea first. A sudden trip to the kitchen sounds considerably less appealing once the farmhouse is under attack.