Great Horror Movies For Halloween

So it is that time of year again; that special time where more than one kind of spirit is in the air. Halloween is my favorite time of year for the simple reason that everyone openly accepts all things ghoulish and horrifying. It is a time that we all can revel in the simple pleasures of blood sacrifice, the dark arts, and, best of all, Satan. So, to make your Halloween that much more terrifying, I have compiled a list of some classic and truly fear-inducing movies that will guarantee the kind of nightmares that are roused by damp sheets.

Halloween (1978) This movie is the one that started it all. It not only set the tone for the next decade (perhaps longer) of horror movies, but it spawned the popular 80’s slasher flicks like Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street. Directed by none other than John Carpenter, this is the difinitive Halloween movie – a true classic.

Zombie Strippers (2008) Ok, so this movie doesn’t exactly fit with the whole “scare the shit out of you” theme, but who could resist a zombie flick with Jenna Jameson and Robert Englund? This is one of my favorite movies actually, and even though it is more of a gore-comedy, it still has merit. A team of special forces is deceived into eradicating virally-induced zombies bred for combat, but, when one of the infected soldiers escapes to a strip club, the blood-drenched nudity and flesh consumption begins. Fun for the whole family!

Trick’r’Treat (2007) This movie had a release date of September 2007 but was pushed back over two years until this October, so this movie is as current as it gets. Weaving four tales of terror occurring on Halloween night, director Micheal Dougherty uses somewhat cliche premises in a fresh and clever way that is not only entertaining, but nostalgic too.

Hellraiser (1987) Written and directed by horror master Clive Barker, this film explores masochism in such a dark and creepy, but also intelligent, way. Even before I was old enough to understand what the movie was really about, it was still my favourite just for the sheer...evilness, of it.

Dawn of the Dead (1978) If you have not seen this movie, then you clearly have not begun to experience the true essence of the horror genre. In this follow-up to the acclaimed Night of the Living Dead, George A. Romero brings the Zombie outbreak into the city and follows a group of survivors that find refuge in a shopping mall. I watched this movie when I was so young that I can only sparsely remember scenes from it (aside from the head explosion and the confusing viscera-ripping scene), but I remember that it was definitely a landmark film for Zombies.

More recommended scary fun: House on Haunted Hill (1959) Candyman (1992) From Beyond (1986) The Thing (1983)
Evil Dead (1981) Halloween: Curse of Michael Myers (1995)