The Avengers has a staggering number of main characters – including Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Thor, Black Widow, Hawkeye and Nick Fury. Despite the ensemble cast, every character has the opportunity to deliver a laundry list of one-liners and kick a little alien ass.

One of the standout characters in The Avengers is Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk. Ruffalo – who starred in David Fincher’s Zodiac – brings a soft-spoken brilliance to the role of Bruce Banner. Choosing to deliver punchlines with his fists, he’s is also responsible for some of the film’s funnier moments.

And, yes, The Avengers is very funny. Director Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel and Firefly) is no stranger to comedy. Dr Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog – an online musical starring Neil Patrick Harris as a low rent super-villain attempting to join the Evil League of Evil – is testament to his keen sense of humour and comic timing.

It’s not just his humour that made Whedon the ideal choice to direct The Avengers. His first feature, Serenity, demonstrated a real talent for directing an ensemble film filled with witty one-liners and complex action sequences. In the final act of The Avengers, Whedon has created an ambitious action sequence filled with over-the-top superhero carnage that, until now, has only been seen in the pages of comic books.

A decent superhero film also needs a decent score. Most of our emotional engagement with a film comes from its music. This is particularly the case with superhero films. Richard Donner’s Superman wouldn’t pack the same kryptonian wallop if it didn’t feature John William’s evocative and heroic score. Just about every successful superhero film since – including Kick-Ass, Unbreakable and X2 – has also featured a brilliant soundtrack. Although Alan Silvestri’s score for Captain America: The First Avenger lacked a memorable theme, his score for The Avengers manages to hit the right emotional notes.

In the last few weeks, Peter Berg’s Battleship has been described as a ‘popcorn flick’. In this case, ‘popcorn’ is clearly some kind of euphemism. The Avengers, however, is the real deal. A popcorn flick demonstrating that engaging characters and witty dialogue will always eclipse mindless action.

The slew of outlandish spooks that hang out with Bannister are worth the price of admission alone. The Judge is a decaying lawmaker who looks like he’s just dropped in from the set of a Western except that his entire body is badly decayed and he has to put his jaw back into place every now and again. “They don’t call me the hanging judge for nothin!” he quips. When Bannister turns up at a graveyard, he’s greeted by the psychoic Sergeant Hiles who clearly has utter distaste for the private detective. “My tour of duty runs another eighty-five years!” he yells. “There’s a piece of dirt up here with your name on it, Bannister! I’m waitin’ for you, you little maggot!” Despite the memorable characterisation of these supernatural characters, it’s the eccentric Special Agent Milton Dammers who steals the show. Dammers is played by horror veteran Jeffrey Combs who has starred in a string of blood soaked splatter flicks including Re-Animator and Necronomicon. His performance in The Frighteners is sheer brilliance, bringing a great deal of humour and kookiness to his portrayal of the paranoid, deeply disturbed agent. “It started with the phenomenal writing,” recalls Combs in an interview with Horror Asylum. “Most of it is there. The look was something that Peter and I arrived at together. The black eyes were his idea. The hair cut was mine. It was a truly collaborative and instinctual joy to come up with that character with Peter.”

The production design is also brilliant. The climax of the movie occurs in a truly creepy, rundown hospital. The sets provide the perfect backdrop for the film’s descent into darkness. The design of the reaper is also memorable, bearing more than a passing similarity to the Ring Wraiths which appeared in The Lord of the Rings.

The Frighteners proves that, in the hands of a skilled director, horror and comedy are a perfect match. Although the film has moments of levity, it’s the surreal and macabre moments that really stand out. The Frighteners works its way to a satisfying and thrilling conclusion that’s not to be missed.

Best Quote: “I’m ’bout to go like Jesse on you’re ass. I’m goin’ to find me some other black ghosts and then organize a march. The African American Apparition Coalition. The A-double AC. And I’m gonna tell you something, Frank. It ain’t nothing worse than a bunch of pissed off brothers that’s already dead.”

Sidney Prescott – the film’s virtuous heroine who is haunted by the murder of her mother – is the next character to be plagued by the ghost-faced psychopath. Although Neve Campbell puts in a sincere performance, it’s David Arquette that steals the show as Dwight ‘Dewey’ Riley, the hapless deputy left to protect Sidney and her friends. Arquette delivers a brilliantly goofy performance. Nevertheless, it’s the small details that Wes Craven uses to develop his character that stand out. Early in the film when Dewey is sitting at his desk in the police station, we notice a pair of plastic handcuffs, a toy police car, fake gun and box of doughnuts sitting on his desk which subtly help to develop this character. As they’re leaving the station, in a moment of brilliant comic timing, Dewey pleads with his sister, “What did mom tell you? When I wear this badge, you treat me like an officer of the law.” Later in the film, when his hard-boiled superior officer smokes a cigarette, Dewey is eating an ice-cream. Moments like this make him a truly memorable character.

Scream was one of the first postmodern slasher flicks. Screenwriter Kevin Williamson consciously plays around with the conventions of the genre, making reference to a range of classic horror flicks including Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween and Friday the Thirteenth. Randy’s spiel towards the end of the film is particularly memorable: “There are certain rules that one must abide by in order to survive a horror movie. First, you can never drink or do drugs. Second, you can never have sex. Big no-no. It’s a sin. It’s an extension of number one. And last, you can never, ever, ever under any circumstances say “I’ll be right back,” Cause you won’t be back.”

If the aliens were hideous, green blobs with tentacles and Communist Party stick pins asking for directions to Washington DC, they’d be easy to identify: unfortunately, apart from their detachment and lack of emotion, the aliens in Invasion of the Body Snatchers are just like regular people.

For this reason, Invasion of the Body Snatchers will leave you feeling uneasy: the aliens are among us and they could be anyone. In a chilling monologue, one of the characters explains what happens when you become assimilated: “Less than a month ago, Santa Mira was like any other town. People with nothing but problems. Then, out of the sky came a solution. Seeds drifting through space for years took root in a farmer’s field. From the seeds came pods which had the power to reproduce themselves in the exact likeness of any form of life. Your new bodies are growing in there. They’re taking you over cell for cell, atom for atom. There is no pain. Suddenly, while you’re asleep, they’ll absorb your minds, your memories and you’re reborn into an untroubled world. Tomorrow you’ll be one of us. There’s no need for love. Love. Desire. Ambition. Faith. Without them, life is so simple, believe me.”

Perhaps one of the most disturbing scenes is when Bennell is forced to destroy several pod people – who have taken the likeness of himself and his girlfriend – with a pitchfork. Another scene that never fails to give me the creeps is when hundreds of the aliens emerge from the street and silently congregate to distribute pods throughout the country. Although fears that one morning you could awake in a world where ‘everyone is the same’ doesn’t strike a note of panic with contemporary audiences, Invasion of the Body Snatchers remains a chilling exercise in horror.

Best line: “Look, you fools. You’re in danger. Can’t you see? They’re after you. They’re after all of us. Our wives, our children, everyone. They’re here already. YOU’RE NEXT!”

Casting aside, what makes The Mummy a brilliant horror film? When the rival archaeologists start investigating the ruins at Hamanaptra – dark, claustrophobic tunnels filled with booby traps and flesh eating scarab beetles – the atmosphere is truly creepy. I can remember giving a shudder of revulsion when the diggers are sandblasted by the pressurized salt acid. Watching the Warden run through the tunnels screaming as a scarab beetle burrows into his flesh is simultaneously disturbing and hilarious. This is definitely one of those film that you have to see with a girl who’s easily scared by horror movies. It’s not going to completely freak her out – thus implying that you’re a sick, twisted bastard – but it’s just scary enough to make her clutch your arm during the scary parts. Or so I’ve been told.

The success of a creature feature can often be gauged by the realism of its boogyman. This is where The Mummy excels. Gone are the bandages that we normally associate with mummies. Imhotep is a sticky, gooey, decomposing corpse that feeds off living flesh and gradually becomes more complete as the movie progresses. O’Connell’s initial reaction to The Mummy is a brilliant feat of comic timing. When the Mummy escapes its tomb, Sommer’s vision of the apocalypse is particularly chilling: fire fills the sky, water runs red with blood and hordes of plague victims roam the streets.

The Mummy is a fun and scary contemporary reworking of the traditional mummy story. Who would have thought that archaeology could be so much fun?

Best line: Hey, Beni! Looks to me like you’re on the wrong side of the river.

Worst line: The curse…beware the curse!

Aside from the conversations between Lector and Starling – which were the most engaging parts of Thomas Harris’ novel – the film boasts some very atmospheric and disturbing set pieces. Most notable among these is when Starling explores the self-storage container early in the film. The use of lighting, music and sound is truly masterful. Fortunately, Starling is not one to lose her head.

One of the most chilling moments in the film is when Lector’s finger brushes against Starling’s hand. Sir Anthony Hopkins should have received an Academy Award for Best Performance from An Index Finger in a Motion Picture. Who would have thought that a digit could be so ominous? His eventual escape is executed with Hitchcockian grandeur. The editing towards the climax of the film is also particularly impressive. Demme manages to throw the audience a cinematic red herring. The film deservingly won Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Screenplay. Despite the passage of time, The Silence of the Lambs remains an extremely terrifying horror film.

Best line: “You know what you look like to me, with your good bag and your cheap shoes? You look like a rube. A well scrubbed, hustling rube with a little taste. Good nutrition has given you some length of bone, but you’re not more than one generation from poor white trash, are you, Agent Starling? And that accent you’ve tried so desperately to shed? Pure West Virginia. What’s your father, dear? Is he a coal miner? Does he stink of the lamp? You know how quickly the boys found you. All those tedious sticky fumblings in the back seats of cars, while you could only dream of getting out, getting anywhere, getting all the way to the FBI.”

Worst line: We need an address and a physical description.

Creature features aren’t all that effective if you don’t give a damn about the folks being eaten alive. Fortunately, the film boasts an endearing and eclectic bunch of characters. Kevin Bacon is brilliant as rough diamond Valentine McKee whose ends up falling for beautiful geologist Rhonda LeBeck. Nothing like a brush with giant, bloodthirsty worms to incite passion, hey. Burt and Heather Gummer – a couple of survivalist whose cache of weapons would make most third world dictatorships feel inadequate – also make the film worthwhile. One of the most memorable scenes is when a graboid bursts into their basement. After dispatching the creature, Burt quips, “Guess you broke into the wrong God damn rec room, didn’t ya!”

There are more than a few memorable scenes in the film, however, the film’s finest moment occurs when the characters blow up one of the creatures. Their jubilation is short lived as they’re showered in orange blood and chunks of flesh. Also of note is the climax. This was one of those scenes that I remember vividly from my childhood (almost on par with Doctor Emmett Brown trying to reconnect the power cable before the lightning struck and Marty hit eighty-eight miles per hour). Tremors is one of those rare feel good movies where you know that a whole bunch of people are going to die horribly but you’ll be out of your seat cheering when the last ugly, sonofabitch monster is reduced to a gooey pile of mush. I can think of a dozen films that would be improved by the presence of graboids. Gigli, for instance. Just imagine one of these nasty critters emerging from the soil to consume Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez at a critical moment in the film. Then again, not even the presence of giant flesh eating worms could improve that film.

Although the film spawned a number of sequels, none of them lived up to the sheer brilliance of the original movie. Tremors is, without question, terrific schlock.

Best line: “I think I have a plan. Why don’t we throw a bomb the way we want to go and then when it goes off, we run like goddamn bastards! “

Larry’s first transformation is a piece of cinematic history. With horror, Larry begins to realise that he’s transforming into a werewolf. His legs become immensely hairy and his toes transform into razor-sharp claws. The special effects, though rudimentary, add to the horror Larry experiences as he transforms into the beast. Fully transformed, Larry begins roaming the mist-shrouded forest where he tears apart an unsuspecting gravedigger.

The screenplay was written by Curt Siodmak, the writer of Donovan’s Brain and I Walked with a Zombie. Of The Wolman, he notes: “I did a lot for the American family life. I scared the little kids so much that they stayed in bed and the parents could play bridge. But these stories also have a deep atavistic meaning. They appeal to our hidden basic instincts which we remember subconsciously since the time our forefathers lives in caves. Man wanted to identify himself with the strongest animal he feared. The wolf was the most dangerous animal in Europe at that time. So, there was the Tigerman in India, the Snakeman in the Pacific.”

The Wolf Man features wonderfully atmospheric cinematography and exceptionally melodramatic music. This is one of those classic movies that you have to watch in the dark with a big box of popcorn. You’ll laugh at the primitive special effects but enjoy the fact that it still manages to create a palpable and unsettling sense of fear.

Best line:  Even a man, who is pure in heart and says his prayers by night, may become a wolf when the wolf bane blooms. And the autumn moon is bright.

Ash Davies, the author of The PhotoGuides Guide to Photography, has made a name for himself with a YouTube channel providing clear and polished Adobe Photoshop tutorials. Although The PhotoGuides Guide to Photography is his first foray into print, it reflects the care and depth-of-thought that has made his YouTube videos so popular.

Mastering the technical side of photography is only a small part of learning how to take great photos. Another strength of the book is its emphasis on tips and tricks – everything from photographing sunsets and waterfalls to creating panoramas. Beginners are able to move quickly from mastering the basics to experimenting with their own photography.

The PhotoGuides Guide to Photography is a great companion for students discovering the world of digital photography. It would make an ideal text for a photography class, providing a lot of opportunities for students to develop their skills. Its main strength is that it’s concise. Students won’t be overwhelmed with information. Picking up a DSLR for the first time can be a little daunting, you don’t need a dry or complex textbook making matters worse. As a photography teacher, this book would make an excellent starting point, providing a basis for students to begin experimenting with their cameras.

Although The PhotoGuides Guide to Photography does a good job of clearly explaining basic concepts, students will still need to be taught the idiosyncrasies of their camera. This is not a replacement for the camera’s manual. Once they’ve figured out which button to press, however, that’s when The PhotoGuides Guide to Photography starts to shine. There are a number of chapters dealing with concepts that first time photographers will find incredibly exciting – including light graffiti, bokeh and how to create fake wide angles. It’s probably wise to skip the section on ‘camera tossing’. Students have difficultly holding onto cameras at the best of times, let alone deliberately throwing them around!

It’s important to remember that The PhotoGuides Guide to Photography is a primer. While there are some terrific ideas for exploration and creativity, advanced students will quickly start looking for other resources to fire their imagination. The book’s strength is its brevity and it make a great, no-nonsense guide to photography for absolute beginners.

The PhotoGuides Guide to Photography costs AUD $19 and can be purchased directly from the PhotoGuides website. Bulk discounts are available for education customers.