As many of you have heard, I am a BIG fan of Halloween! Since I was a little kid, I’ve loved monsters and, as an adult, my build-up to Halloween includes watching horror movies. Over the years, I've become a horror movie connoisseur. What makes a great horror movie? It depends on what you’re in the mood for. Some movies make you jump, others make you squirm. Some have you rooting for the antagonist with nefarious intentions. Admittedly, good acting is one attribute absent from the typical horror movie, but if you’re looking for Oscar worthy performances, go watch Glitter!
Below is a list of some of my favorite horror movies, in no particular order. Maybe you could turn out the lights some Saturday night, have some popcorn and check them out… if you dare!
- Night of the Living Dead (1968) – George Romero’s original classic about flesh eating zombies and a handful of people trapped in a house in rural PA. I first saw this on Halloween night in sixth or seventh grade after trick-or-treating and sleeping over at a friend’s house who also loved monsters. As an adult, it has become a tradition to watch it on Halloween night.
- American Werewolf in London (1981) – Great atmosphere in this one, and some good humor mixed in with the gore. It has special effects that were state of the art for its time and still don’t look bad today.
- Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992) – You can’t go wrong with a Dracula movie from any era, but I picked this one for the Gothic setting and Anthony Hopkins’ performance as Dr. Van Helsing. I’m sorry to burst your bubbles, but the Twilight movies do not qualify as “real” vampire or werewolf movies.
- Halloween (1978) – Considered the original “slasher” film and featuring Michael Myers, there isn’t too much actual “slashing” in it (the same can’t be said for the Rob Zombie remake). This is just plain scary no matter how many times you’ve seen it.
- Trick or Treat (2007) – I saw this one last year and it was an instant classic perfect for the holiday! The movie is made up of four individual short stories taking place on Halloween night that all end up being inter-related. If you’re a fan of True Blood, you'll notice Anna Paquin, who stars in one of the stories.
- Honorable Mentions: Evil Dead, Friday the 13th series and Sleepy Hollow
I hate scary movies and being scared. If I watch one I am terrified to walk to my car at night for fear of the monsters coming to get me. Very mature, I know.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you Katie! Jim has been trying to get me into horror flicks for years, but it hasn't happened yet. I promised him that I'll watch Trick or Treat tonight since Sookie from True Blood is in it. I may go running upstairs and hide beneath the covers after 5 minutes!
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