Jonathan Rigby

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In getting these films together, I put aside any objective notions of ‘greatness’, which are impossible to establish anyway. I just recalled some of the titles that made the most powerful impact on me when first viewing them. I tend to write about horror films; not exclusively, but quite a bit. And I notice that, even when these choices aren’t out-and-out horror, they still lean towards the ghoulish, and the view of life in them is pretty grim. That terrible line from Onibaba springs to mind: “Rest in peace in this hole…” As does another from Orphée: “We had to return them to their swamp.” Well, what can I say? There are lots of life-affirming films out there, full of joy and light and ecstasy – and there are plenty of that kind that I admire. But somehow none of them made it onto this list. Darkness has its delights, too.