Slash, a founding member of Guns N’ Roses and renowned for his mastery on the guitar, is a huge admirer of the horror genre. He was introduced to the enchantment of cinema at a young age through the work of pioneering masters whose indelible experiments made a lasting influence on his developing creative senses.
When asked to choose some of his favorite horror films of all time, Slash selected masterpieces from filmmakers like Alfred Hitchcock, George A. Romero, William Friedkin, and many others. The best place to start watching horror movies if you’ve never seen one before is with Slash’s selection.
The famed singer claimed that his parents encouraged his love of horror movies. Slash claimed that his mother exposed him to all the 1950s and 1960s masterpieces because she loved the bizarre side-movie Hollywood. His parents took him to the theaters for all the new showings beginning in the 1970s.
Slash stated: “I think The Omen is the first one on my list. It was a movie that I saw when it came out. So I had to have been, I’m not sure, probably 8 or 9 years old or something like that. It’s Gregory Peck and Lee Remick. It is a major motion picture. It’s not like these little tiny things; it is a big production. But it’s really a great story, great characters.”
The Exorcist, according to Slash, was considerably hilarious than he had anticipated. The musician remarked:
“I’d read so many horrific reviews I was convinced it was going to be terrifying. But it wasn’t at all! Everyone in the cinema was laughing at some of the scary bits! But I suppose it would be a bit terrifying to some people.”
Slash’s favorite horror movies, check them out below:
- The Omen (1976)
- The Exorcist (1973)
- Dracula (1931)
- Alien (1979)
- King Kong (1933)
- The Night of the Living Dead (1968)
- Jaws (1975)
- The Strangers (2008)
- Psycho (1960)
- Let the Right One In (2008)
- Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
- The Thing (1982)
Slash called The Thing, directed by John Carpenter, “one of the most visually appealing and hair-raising horror movies of all time” in a conversation with Rolling Stone. Despite being more of a suspense, he also placed Steven Spielberg’s Jaws on his selection.
Slash clarified: “The next movie isn’t necessarily considered a horror movie. But you know, any movie involving a man-eating giant shark is pretty horrific to me, and that’s Jaws. So I think it is probably one of the most original blockbusters ever made.”