A group of Confederate soldiers rob a bank and then hide out in a haunted plantation. The movie establishes a good atmosphere of dread, and features some quality scares. It's hampered a bit by ghosts with, at best, inconsistent rules/powers. But the production design is quite good for an independent period film, and the movie's hugely overqualified cast includes Henry Thomas, Patrick Fugit, Isaiah Washington, Mark Boone Junior and Michael Shannon.
24. Vanishing on 7th Street (2010)
The first of two Brad Anderson (The Machinist, Transsiberian) movies that will appear in this list. The shadows have come alive and wiped out most of the world, while a group of survivors (including Hayden Christensen, Thandie Newton and John Leguizamo) try to stay in the light for protection. The first hour is incredibly atmospheric and scary, particularly an early scene with Leguizamo when the shadows first attack in a mall's movie theater. Sadly the film sputters out in the end, it's characters suddenly making a series of terrible decisions that go against all logic. But the terrifying first hour is easily enough to earn a place on the list.
23. Outpost (2008)
Ray Stevenson (Punisher: War Zone, HBO's Rome) leads a group of mercenaries who discover an abandoned Nazi bunker that isn't as abandoned as they think. The film's best sequences involve investigating the bunker's labyrinth of underground corridors, with most shots being lit by a single flashlight beam. Once the movie turns into a battle between the mercenaries and Nazi zombie-ghost things (the explanation is a bit hazy)(also that's not really a spoiler, since the setup pretty much guarantees that undead Nazis will show up sooner or later), the movie loses all of its suspense. But the last act does still work as an action movie, so it's not all bad.
22. Carriers (2009)
A post-biological-apocalypse road movie about a quartet of young survivors led by Star Trek's Chris Pine, which also includes Piper Perabo (Coyote Ugly), Lou Taylor Pucci (Thumbsucker) and TV's Emily Van Camp (Everwood, Brothers and Sisters, Revenge). A highly contagious disease has decimated the human population and Pine's group is slowly making their way to the west coast in search of safety. During their journey they encounter desperate survivors, crazed doctors, and biohazard agents who try to contain the disease by any means necessary. As the movie grows increasingly hopeless, it becomes a little bit of a slog to watch. But it's suspensefully directed and Pine makes a charismatic lead.
21. Undead (2004)
A fun, fast-paced Aussie zombie/alien/disease action/horror/sci-fi indie movie directed by the Spierig Brothers (the underrated Daybreakers), featuring decent CGI effects that the brothers rendered on their home PC. There are zombies, and aliens, and crazy guns, and spurs, and...y'know what, just watch the trailer. You'll get the idea.
