All hallowed classics

For some people, Halloween means dressing up the kids and driving

them door-to-door in a luxury SUV while they beg for penny candy. For

me, it means watching old scary movies until my eyes fall out of my

head.

Some of these flicks get shown on TV once in a while, but it’s

more fun to watch them uncut and without commercials. Turn off the

lights and crank up the surround sound. Here’s my top 10 picks for

Halloween:

Halloween (1978, directed by John Carpenter). This is the

original, with Jamie Lee Curits, Donald Pleasance and P.J. Soles.

It’s just not Halloween without this movie. A vicious killer escapes

from an asylum and kills unsuspecting teenagers. It spawned the ‘80s

craze for faceless slasher flicks.

Scream (1996, directed by Wes Craven). “Scream” flips the slasher

formula on its head. A faceless killer follows the rules of horror

movies while slaughtering high school students and faculty. It’s a

smart movie with a good sense of humor about itself. This one

features a cameo by Drew Barrymore and stars Neve Campbell, David

Arquette, Courteney Cox and Henry Winkler.

Night of the Living Dead (1968, directed by George Romero). I have

friends who are still afraid to watch this movie alone. A group of

people trapped in a rural farmhouse are surrounded by flesh-eating

zombies who have just risen from the grave. Despite a shoestring

budget and a cast of unknowns, this movie is so intense that it was

banned in many countries. Romero used a local butcher shop as a

source for props. If you’ve never seen it, you’re in for a treat. Bon

appetite.

Dracula (1931, directed by Tod Browning). This is the role that

made Bela Lugosi a household name. Loosely based on the Bram Stoker

novel, Count Dracula travels to London to get a bite to eat. This

movie goes back to a time when horror was about protecting the

innocent from an imaginary pure evil. A decade later, people learned

that pure evil wasn’t imaginary. It isn’t Halloween without Bela

Lugosi.

Psycho (1960, directed by Alfred Hitchcock). Forget the remakes

and sequels, this is the one that made people afraid to shower again.

Anthony Perkins plays an amateur taxidermist who runs a little motel

and has some serious issues with his mother. In addition to being a

horror classic, this is a visually innovative movie that pushed the

envelope in film production. Like “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and

“Silence of the Lambs,” “Psycho” is based on the antics of Wisconsin

serial killer Ed Gein. It’s funny how Wisconsin has a knack for

producing people like Ed Gein and Jeffery Dahmer. It must be the

cheese.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974, directed by Tobe Hooper). This

is one of the most notorious movies ever made, but by today’s horror

standards the gore is pretty tame. It’s proof that the most

frightening thing a filmmaker can do to you is let you create the

horror in your own mind. A group of people traveling in a van

encounter a happy-go-lucky family of psychopaths. As with all people

driving at the beginning of a horror movie, they never should have

left the main road. Be sure to order take-out ribs to eat while

watching this movie.

Evil Dead II (1987, directed by Sam Raimi). This is a rare example

of the sequel being better than the original. A guy and his friends

are trapped in the woods where spirits of the dead possess the

living. The original was so sappy that it became an unintentional

comedy. In this one, Sam Raimi decides to go ahead and deliberately

make you laugh so later he can pull the rug out from under you. It

proves again that great movies don’t need giant budgets.

Freaks (1932, directed by Tod Browning). This one is guaranteed to

freak you out (no pun intended -- okay, maybe a little). Set in a

traveling circus sideshow, the movie stars real people with misshapen

bodies. It was banned virtually worldwide after its original release.

One of the “normal” people has robbery and murder in her heart when

she learns that one of the “freaks” is rich. You won’t ever forget

the climax of this movie. Never mess with circus people!

The Exorcist (1973, directed by William Friedkin). A little girl

is possessed by the Devil, and her mother will do anything to fight

for her soul. The sound effects are freaky. This isn’t just a great

horror movie, it’s a great movie. A little trivia -- the story is

inspired by an incident that took place near Baltimore in 1949. Don’t

let that scare you. The incident itself is a laugh riot. The DVD

includes additional footage that was excluded from the original.

The Fly (1958, directed by Kurt Neumann; and 1986, directed by

David Cronenberg). This is a rare case where the original and the

remake are both great. Both are very different from each other and

creepy in their own way. The original features horror legend Vincent

Price. Anyone who had a younger sibling knew that imitating the voice

of the fly could send someone instantly crying to mom. The 1986

remake has amazing special effects and combines a tender love story

with graphic horror. When Geena Davis hugs Jeff Goldblum, everyone

gets the willies.

Other titles to think about:

Plan 9 from Outer Space (1956, directed by Ed Wood). Who says a

movie has to have good acting, a good script, continuity or decent

special effects or be visually interesting? If ever there was a night

to pay homage to Ed Wood, it’s Halloween. Don’t forget the angora.

Carrie (1976, directed by Brian De Palma). There’s no way the made

for TV remake can stand up to the original. Sissy Spacek is great as

Carrie, and so is Piper Laurie as her mom. Never bully a girl with

telekinetic powers.

The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988, directed by Wes Craven). This

is a carefully crafted piece of work with great special effects and

cool, scary voodoo stuff. The stories about what happened while

shooting the movie on location in Haiti are just as scary.

Return of the Living Dead (1985, directed by Dan O’Bannon). A

pretty hilarious sequel to “Night of the Living Dead” featuring

horror scream queen Linnea Quigley dancing on a tombstone.

An American Werewolf in London (1981, directed by John Landis). A

great horror/comedy about buddies, love and turning into a vicious

killer when the moon is full.