[Alex Apple]

OK, so I've held off on this one, but here's my list (in order) of where to start. Obviously I'm basing it on movies we've got on the review site, and there are a number of movies I haven't seen yet (including, shamefully, A Tale of Two Sisters), but FWIW here it is:

1) Battle Royale. It's a close-run thing, but as I veer towards the action genre than horror, it's my choice. Emotionally resonant, thrilling and philosophical, all at the same time.

2) Ring. Where it all started in many ways, a natural classic, and imitated so many times now you need to see the original first.

3) Kairo. Absolutely essential philosophical horror, almost existentialist.

4) Zatoichi (Kitano). A useful introduction to the samurai genre. Violent yet tender.

5) Uzumaki. So damn weird - not really a horror movie per se, but a true classic and a great illustration of how to handle the transition from manga to live action.

6) Suicide Circle. Why so low down the list? Well, despite being a bona fide classic, for neophytes it's always going to be a difficult movie and as such would only disappoint if it appeared higher up. If you can cope with the weirdness of Uzumaki, Suicide Circle is the natural next step.

7) Ichi The Killer. Welcome to the wonderful world of Miike with the finest, most stylish entry in his catalogue.

8) Nine Souls. Toshiaki Toyoda is still an emerging talent but to date this is his masterpiece, and will provide a welcome respite from the layers of gore in the last couple of entries.

9) Dark Water / Dark Water remake. A bit of a cheat here, but watch the original first for a blast of classic J-Horror and then take in the far more subtle, more character-driven remake.

10) Wild Zero. If you've got this far, by now you might need some outright fun, and this is the still the funnest movie I've seen in a long time.

Bear in mind I haven't even seen every movie we've got reviewed on the site, so may be a bit limited... :help: