10. The Exorcist (1973)
Based on the novel by William Peter Blatty, The Exorcist tells the story of Regan, a 12-year-old girl who is possessed and displays odd, supernatural powers. Heads will spin, and then some. The Exorcist is worth watching, even if just for the beautifully eerie theme music.
9. The Shining (1980)
Also based on a novel – this one by the world-famous Stephen King – The Shining follows a family staying at an isolated hotel for the winter. Things start to turn ugly when supernatural presences begin to influence the patriarch of the family – Jack Torrence – in a violent and frightening way.
8. Carrie (1976)
“Take Carrie to the prom – I dare you!” Another horror classic by Stephen King about a nerdy teen who gets pushed too far by her abusive peers and finally cracks on prom night. What her peers do not realize is that Carrie has telekinetic powers, which she uses to seek her violent revenge.
7. Poltergeist (1982)
Coining one of the most popular horror-movie catch phrases – “They’re heeeeeere” – Poltergeist recounts the tale of a family living in what they think is a typical pre-fab suburban home. Little do they know that the house is actually infested with countless supernatural beings, who kidnap little Carol Anne through the television.
6. House on Haunted Hill (1959/1999)
Whether you choose to watch the original Vincent Price version, or the 1999 remake starring the illustrious Geoffrey Rush, House on Haunted Hill is a thrill – the owner of a haunted mansion challenges a group of strangers to spend the night at his house for a monetary prize. But will anyone survive to reap the reward?
5. The Evil Dead (1981)
Halloween would not be complete without Bruce Campbell, who brings an entertaining mix of horror and hilarity to any film he stars in. In The Evil Dead, Ash and his four friends decide to vacation at a cabin in the middle of the woods, where they accidentally release the demons who have been trapped within it for years.
4. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
In the summer of 1974, a group of friends take a road trip to visit their grandfather’s grave. After picking up an alarmingly odd hitchhiker, they are forced to stop for gas, but instead encounter Leatherface, a chainsaw-wielding murderer, and his family of cannibalistic killers. Horror ensues.
3. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
The film that started the classic Romero trilogy (Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead). Radiation from a fallen satellite brings the dead back to life, and they return with an insatiable hunger for human flesh. As a result of the zombie epidemic, a group of strangers seek refuge in a farmhouse together.
2. Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
Newly engaged and out on a road trip, Brad Majors and Janet Weiss find themselves in a broken down car just down the street from the castle of Dr. Frank-N-Furter, a scientist and self proclaimed “Sweet Transvestite”. More musical that horror, The Rocky Horror Picture Show is entertaining from beginning to end, and is often broadcast on television numerous times throughout October.
1. Halloween (1978)
The quintessential Halloween movie. Jamie Lee Curtis plays Laurie Strode, an all-American good girl who is unaware that her past links her to the masked serial killer, Michael Myers. This year, Michael is back with a vengeance, and Laurie has to fight the ultimate horror-movie fight to save both herself and the children she is babysitting, with the help of Dr. Sam Loomis.
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