American Psycho (2000)

A wealthy New York City investment banking executive, Patrick Bateman, hides his alternate psychopathic ego from his co-workers and friends as he delves deeper into his violent, hedonistic fantasies.

I remember back in high school, I had a discussion with my mother about this movie.  Since we're both fans of horror, I was convinced she needed to watch it.  She had other ideas.  She had heard stories from her friends about how insanely messed up the book was, and refused to watch it in consequence.

Eventually I won out and got her to check it out, and in the end she highly enjoyed it.  Which really told me something.

See, I am convinced that people are nearly impossible to convince.  About anything.  If someone doesn't think they're going to enjoy something, for whatever reason, then there is like a 99.9% chance they won't at the end of the day.  Their mind was already made up.  Even if they should, they'll do enough mental gymnastics to ensure it stays that way.  It's just the way we seem to be.

But in rare cases, the item in question is so good, that it overpowers that instinct.

That's the case with the film version of American Psycho.  It's too entertaining to not enjoy.  It's impossible. 

Even if you do have visions of the book, and of prostitutes being fed alive to rats.

Session 9 (2001)

Tensions rise within an asbestos cleaning crew as they work in an abandoned mental hospital with a horrific past that seems to be coming back.

Maybe the most effective "haunted house" movie of all time.  Certainly in the running.  I first heard about this movie a million years ago (on the IGN boards, of all places), but I don't remember how I watched it.  It feels like that was too long ago for Netflix, so I must have found it a video store (for the younger readers, that used to be a thing).

And I was instantly sold.  I went out and bought it on DVD not long after, and the instant Shout announced it on blu ray I pre-ordered that as well.

Does it have replay value?  Yes.  But a lot of the value is in the initial viewing.  I suggest you don't read anything about it beforehand.

Dog Soldiers (2002)

A routine military exercise turns into a nightmare in the Scottish wilderness.

Neil Marshall's first appearance on this list.

Long ago, after watching The Descent, I looked around online and found a lot of recommendations for Marshall's earlier film, Dog Soldiers.  So I went out that very night to buy a copy.  And lo and behold, what I found had some of the worst box art in the history of cinema.  I mean, just look at this bastard:

Jesus.

But I stifled the urge to vomit, and bought it anyway.

And goddamn did the movie end up being awesome.  It also might be the first true werewolf movie to appear on this list (someone check me on that).  Which may just mean it's the greatest werewolf movie of all time.  Think about that.