Maybe you've seen 'em; maybe you haven't. Either way, here's a quick list of great horror films ready for Halloween viewing.
The Shining : "Heeere's Johnnny!" Based on Stephen King's novel, Stanley Kubrick's classic stars Jack Nicholson in one of his most famous roles. Lawnmower Man and Misery are two other King classics translated to film. Can't believe we're missing Cujo! (It's on it's way.)
Low budget, schlock-fest thrillers and cult masterpieces include Carnival of Souls (1962), Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956), Night of the Living Dead (1968), Dawn of the Dead (1978), Evil Dead (1982; translated nicely to blu-ray), Army of Darkness (1992), and John Carpenter's The Thing (1982). Zombieland (2009), the hilarious Shaun of the Dead, and 28 Days Later (2002) also fit nicely into this grouping.
For scary mixed with a cup of sci-fi, try Ghostbusters (Who you gonna call?), King Kong (RKO classic or the Peter Jackson remake), Planet of the Apes (1968 vs. the unfortunate 2001 version), Alien, or the recent space monster thriller, Cloverfield.
The crazed neighbor/girlfriend/roommate genre is inarguably best represented by Hitchcock's classic, Psycho. Also try Clint Eastwood's unsettling Play Misty for Me or Single White Female and its recent remake, The Roommate. Rosemary's Baby (satanic cult) and Let the Right One In (vampire cult) round out the list of neighbor films with a common theme: moving-is-useless.
On the paranormal front, the Amityville Horror held up well. Also try Paranormal Activity, Signs, Sixth Sense, or The Ring/Ring II, two death cabin in the woods thrillers.
Deliverance, Silence of the Lambs, The Exorcist, and Jaws... need we say more?
Don't forget 1922's Nosferatu, F.W. Murnau’s classic and highly influential silent film. It's the granddaddy of Dracula films and though decades removed from the magical world of special effects, creepy... creepy... creepy.
