If your idea of a good horror film for Halloween is one where well scrubbed teenagers are killed one by one by whackos in masks rampaging through the woods wielding nasty metallic pointy things, this is not the list for you.

 The following is a top 10 list of horror films from a national poll.  The participants were a mixture of film critics, movie-buffs and general horror aficionados who were asked what they considered to be the scariest movies of all time.  The list is made up of all films that somehow made a huge impact at the time of their initial release.  Admittedly, there are a few here that surprised me, but on reflection, they’re all worthy of attention, and, yes, they’re scary.

So, are we ready? Drum roll please.  Coming in at number….

 

10.  The Bride of Frankenstein   (1935)

Proving that sequels can sometimes be better than the original, four years after Boris Karloff’s Frankenstein was released came the sequel, The Bride of Frankenstein, directed by James Whale.  It not only scared a nation, it also did better at the box-office and was a critical success.  It’s also very funny, depending on your point of view, but that’s how James Whale intended it to be.

 

  1. Night of the Living Dead  (1968)

 It cost a mere $114,000 to make, peanuts in the world of movies, and continues to bring in revenue.  Director George A. Romero made the ultimate zombie movie loosely based on the novel I Am Legend, which eventually went on to be the basis for Charlton Heston’s The Omega Man.  At the time of release the film was considered to be, frankly, disgusting, and yet in the world of horror, it’s a classic.  It’s also amazing to think that the graphic moments of violence that shocked everyone in 1968 can now be seen in even more detail every week on TV’s The Walking Dead.

 

8. Deliverance  (1972)

Admittedly, this is the one I never expected to see on a Halloween list, but there’s no denying that Deliverance is creepy, scary and truly horrifying. Made in 1972 by director John Boorman, the story of those regular guys floating up the river in two canoes and what happened to them at the hands of a couple of locals is the stuff of nightmares.  It’s also a truly great American movie.

 

  1. The Shining  (1980)

 It was based on the scariest book I’ve ever read, and for many, the novel was the problem.  For fans, Stephen King’s book was so good that no film could possibly live up to the printed word, so when Stanley Kubrick made his own version of what happened in the Overlook Hotel, it disappointed en masse.  And yet, today, The Shining has taken on a life of its own, and, boy, does it scare, even if it’s not the novel.  

 

  1. Alien  (1979)

 In space no one can hear you scream, but in movie theatres they were heard loud and clear. As directed by Ridley Scott, the impact of the original remains as powerful as ever.  The James Cameron sequel was fun, but that was more war in space than horror, plus the remaining films in the series could never come close to the impact of the original.  I envy those who have yet to see Alien.  You’re in for a scary treat.

 

  1. Jaws  (1975)

 It changed everything.  Steven Spielberg’s Jaws altered the way films are released around the country and is today considered the first of the event films.  Many are surprised to think that Jaws would be considered a horror film, but when you think of it, besides the jumps, the thrills, the scares and the horror of seeing that head through the hole in the hull, Jaws is truly the ultimate monster movie.  It’s also a masterpiece.

 

4. The Silence of the Lambs  (1991)

Jonathan Demme’s film horrified a nation, and with good reason.  From the moment Jodie Foster’s FBI agent set foot in the basement that housed Hannibal Lechter, hearts in theatres everywhere started beating furiously and never stopped until the final fade out.  It also made Anthony Hopkins a star on a scale he had never before enjoyed. A genuinely frightening film.

 

  1. Psycho  (1960)

There’s a whole generation of movie fans who think of Alfred Hitchcock as a horror director.  He’s not.  He made thrillers, but two films, The Birds and Psycho had such an impact on fans it’s no wonder he’s often saddled with that title.  Psycho changed all kinds of story-telling rules, but to great effect.  And isn’t that final shot of Anthony Perkins looking up at the camera one of the creepiest sights in the history of cinema?

 

2. Dawn of the Dead (1978)

It’s a great zombie film, though I’m surprised it came in at number two.  The film had basically the same effect as Romero’s first foray into zombieland, Night of the Living Dead, with one major exception: Dawn was in color, and that made all the gross-out difference.  It spawned a fairly decent remake a few years back, but if you’ve never seen either, the original is the one to go for.  And yes, it’s gross.

 

  1. The Exorcist  (1973)

 No surprise here.  The Exorcist is not only a scary film it’s also an extremely well made one, and undoubtedly the best of its kind.  William Friedkin made a superb horror film with an unsurpassed sense of urgency the grips you and never lets go.  The power of this film is that the real scares come later, when you’re home, alone and you start looking up at the ceiling and you wonder… what on earth just made that noise up there?  You have been warned.

Happy Halloween!