It's cold.  It's dark.  Halloween is just a scream away.  'Tis the season for a few good fright flicks.  Horror is, in many ways, a revolution.  Its themes challenge (even if in a very small way) the rules by which civilization is based i.e. murder, fidelity, security etc.  Here lies my personal list of holiday scares whittled down over years of semi-intense scrutiny.  So, turn off the lights, lock the doors, and welcome fear back into your lives.  After all, it's just for one night.  Right?

 10.)  The Shining (1980)

 Why:  It brought respect back to ghost stories.

Steven King came to hate director Stanley Kubrick for this movie.  King felt that the manner in which his work was executed by the controversial filmmaker destroyed the core of the novel – one that concentrates more on the house being a metaphor for the main character's descent into alcoholism rather than it merely being haunted.  Well, I've read King's "The Shining," and quite frankly, it's a longwinded nap-igniter.  Don't trust me; watch the miniseries.

No, instead of religiously abiding by the source material, Kubrick decided to take the best elements from King's work and construct one of the most inventive and effective ghost stories of all time. 

 9.)  The Evil Dead (1981) 

Why:  It showed that fear and humor go hand in hand.

  Simply suggesting that humor and fear are very much related brings almost immediate cries of rebuttal.  Never could something so enjoyable be compared to an experience often considered repulsive in retrospect.  Yet, upon closer inspection, the two are intractably connected.  Humor is fear without consequence.  Have you ever noticed amongst a crowd how the sudden pop-up scare is followed by relieved laughter?  It's no coincidence.

"Evil Dead" is well aware of this relationship and takes full advantage of its potential.  Within the confines of a two-hour gore tour de force (including possession and botanical rape) are some of the most cathartic laughs to be had within the medium of film.  This one's not to be missed.

 8.)  When a Stranger Calls (1979)

 Why:  It made an urban legend reality.

  We've all heard the story:  a babysitter, left in charge of children within a large and unfamiliar residence, receives a series of phone calls that eventually turn out to be coming from inside the house.  Now, imagine making a two-hour movie based solely on such a legend.  Well, it's been done; quite some time ago, in fact.  And I doubt that the product will ever be topped.

Starring Carol Kane as the aforementioned babysitter, "When a Stranger Calls" follows the events surrounding this not-so-unbelievable occurrence from both the perspective of the victim and the perpetrator.  Twisted, engaging, and deeply disturbing, "Stranger" is at the top of the suspense pile.

 7.)  The Blair Witch Project (1999)

 Why: It reminded us that we don't have to see the monster.

  I'm sure there will be a modicum of backlash for this one, but "The Blair Witch Project" is simply one of the finest pieces of fear fiction ever forged.  Reminiscent more of a campfire tale than a orchestrated movie, "Blair Witch" touches upon the core of some very universal traumas; whether it be fear of death, fear of disfigurement, fear of the unknown, or simply fear of dislocation, "Blair Witch" is a master of suggestion. 

And while I'm sure film students around the country are still bitter about not beating Mr. Sanchez to the punch, there is no denying that budget played a small part in the effectiveness of the final product.  The dismal capital may have, in fact, assisted in creating a far more inventive and primal experience.  

 6.)  Alien (1979)

 Why:  It introduced sci-fi geeks to fear. 

  When this film was first released, many theatres actually edited the celluloid so as to omit any "unusually upsetting segments."  The pivotal "chest-burster" scene is now the stuff of infamy.  "Alien" fuses science fiction wonder with deep-seated dread so expertly that we almost forget how old the picture actually is. 

To this day, an American audience resists drawn-out suspense in favor of quick and pleasurable "boo" scares.  "Alien" shows us that such a tendency is perhaps a move in the wrong direction.

The "Alien" series took a very different turn with its first sequel, and without sure footing as to where to go next, the line never truly found its voice as clearly as it had with the original.  For best results, go to the source.

5.)  The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

 Why:  It introduced the world to the twenty-minute scream.

  Before this picture, I was very much a firm believer in watching horror movies at night.  I simply didn't feel as though any film intended to scare would have the same effect in broad daylight.  "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" proved me wrong.

I witnessed this warped chunk of pseudo-fiction on September 13, 1998; I date I can remember as vividly as a car wreck.  The viewing seared itself upon my brain in a manner that I can only venture to say was a good thing.  It certainly meant that college professor turned director Tobe Hoope had done his job. 

4.)  Psycho (1960)

 Why:  It killed the heroine in the first thirty minutes.

Hitchcock is the undisputed king of fear on film.  Many horror directors to this day emulate his methods and idiosyncrasies (i.e. Sam Raimi, Gore Verbinski).  "Psycho," however, marked a huge departure for the movie great.  Most critics of the time believed that Hitchcock had lost his mind; that he was throwing years of work away in exchange for a flawed experiment.  Today, those critics are dead and unaccounted for while Hitchcock remains deeply emblazoned throughout film history.

"Psycho" broke nearly every movie convention of the time (i.e. killing off the heroine, making the killer the main character, sympathizing with the crime etc.) and made it work.  That's called redefining a genre, sucka.  Deal with it. 

3.)  The Exorcist (1973)

 hy:  It made a generation reconsider God.

  When director William Friedkin told Warner Brothers executives that he wanted to make a picture about a possessed girl, they jumped at the idea.  When Warner Brothers executives came to the set and witnessed what "possessed" entailed, they became less enthusiastic.  At one point, police were even brought in to ensure the safety of actress Linda Blair due to allegations of child abuse.

"The Exorcist" opened to a nation of stunned audiences, many of whom called for the film's immediate removal.  In a survey conducted by the Gallop board in 1975, 8% of new (five years or less) churchgoers cited "The Exorcist" as a major catalyst.

And God said to Adam, thall shall make movies to worship me.  And it was good. 

 2.)  Night of the Living Dead (1968)

 Why:  It made horror movies scary.

  Before 1968, most "scary" movies really weren't all that scary.  These were the years of the Cold War, where no one wanted genuine social commentary for the threat of global annihilation seemed, at the moment, quite real.  Instead, you had your Corman pictures that featured this week's giant ant or that week's dish-soap monster.

And then came Romero's little shot in the dark, "Night of the Living Dead," and the face of horror changed dramatically.  Meant as a metaphor for the savagery of America's quiet fight with the Russians, "Night" brought an alarming amount of realism and docu-drama to an otherwise fantastical situation.  

1.)  Halloween (1978)

 Why:  It's the quintessential horror flick.

  Originally intended as a sequel to the little-known Canadian horror film, "Black Christmas," "Halloween" officially began the "slasher" movement of the 1980's.  Led by Jamie Lee Curtis, a babysitter stalked by the boogeyman, "Halloween" plays out like a demented slumber party where participants think of the most gruesome, yet frighteningly possible ways to die in modern suburbia.

Michael Myers, the blank-faced pursuer, staples on the perfect image for urban fear: a homogenization of everyday relationships to the point of anonymous and unknown intentions.  And so, a neighborhood designed for the express purpose of safety becomes a butcher block for those unaccounted variables.   

Comment on this story...