The Not-So Chosen One: Zombies and werewolves and vampires, oh my!

By: Shaun Boutwell

Posted: 10/27/05

10/27/05 - Some might say that Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year, but I beg to differ.

Putting up a fake evergreen tree and getting presents in December is great and everything, but if I had to choose between that or dressing up in Halloween costumes and having some good old-fashioned hijinks with friends, I'd have to choose the latter.

Perhaps a more important reason, however, is the whole atmosphere of All Hallows Eve. The trees are bare, the weather is cold and windy and the days are shorter. All of these factors create the perfect setting one should be immersed in when getting into the Halloween spirit and watching a horror movie.

Now I'm a huge horror movie fan and I watch them year round, but there is nothing better than popping an old favorite into my DVD player toward the end of October and soaking it all in. It's heaven I tell you.

So given my background, I feel like I would be committing a grave injustice if I didn't impart my divine wisdom in these matters for those of you who are horror movie deficient. In order to do so, I will provide you with what I consider to be the definitive list of classic horror movies that one should see to celebrate Halloween. I could have easily made a top 20, or a top 50 list for that matter, but there is only so much time between now and the 31st, so I'll cut everyone a break.

With that said, here are the Holy Grail of horror movies, the cream of the crop, the top 10 list I consider to be required viewing for Halloween.

10. The Beyond (1981) - Although this film may be the least-known on the list, that shouldn't prevent you from checking out Italian director Lucio Fulci's supernatural zombie gore-fest. What the movie lacks in plot it more than makes up for with its surreal, dreamlike atmosphere and soundtrack. Creative death scenes, many of which deal with Fulci's eye fetish (those who have had the pleasure of seeing Zombie can attest to it), include death by spiders, acid and a shotgun blast to a young girl's head. Yes, you heard right. A little girl gets her head blown off. You even see her cute little brains.

9. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) - One of director Wes Craven's most popular films (and arguably one of his best, behind The Last House on the Left and The Hills Have Eyes), ANOES introduces us to the infamous Freddy Krueger, the child murderer who is killed by angry parents but comes back to terrorize kids in their dreams. Featuring a truly terrifying concept (imagine not being able to sleep for fear of being killed) and a mean-spirited villain who manages to be both scary and funny, it is no wonder that the movie spawned six sequels (seven, if you count Freddy Vs. Jason) and is ingrained in the hearts and minds of many horror fans.

8. The Evil Dead (1981) - While the majority of the college circuit has only heard of the third movie in the franchise, Army of Darkness, The Evil Dead is one of the most innovative low-budget horror movies ever. Sam Raimi's directorial debut tells the tale of five young adults (one of which is Ash, played by B-movie star Bruce Campbell) who spend their vacation at a cabin in the middle of the woods. When one of them reads from the Book of the Dead that they find in the basement, all hell breaks loose with very bloody results. One of the more unique moments in the film: a demonically possessed tree has sex with a girl. Gives new meaning to the term "getting wood," don't you think?

7. Fright Night (1985) - This modern-day take on the classic vampire tale relies on its strong cast of characters, tight plot, and memorable 80s soundtrack (especially during the night club scene). When teenager Charley Brewster finds out his next-door neighbor is a creature of the night, he realizes that only washed-up TV star Peter Vincent can help him save the day before it is too late. The movie boasts one of the most charming, sexually charged vampire villains of the decade, Jerry Dandrige (played by the always suave Chris Sarandon).

6. The Thing (1982) - John Carpenter's claustrophobic thriller features groundbreaking special makeup effects by Rob Bottin and an all-star cast (Kurt Russell and Keith David, to name a few). When an alien life form starts taking over members of a scientific expedition in Antarctica, the tension and paranoid begin to run so thick you can almost cut it with a knife. For a film made before CGI, not enough can be said about how truly awe-inspiring Bottin's effects work is, especially in the scenes when the alien takes over the dogs' bodies, and when one unlucky guy's head separates from his body.

5. The Shining (1980) - Although differing from Stephen King's novel, Stanley Kubrick's vision for the most part follows the source material. Anyone who hasn't heard the famous lines, "Heeere's Johnny!" or "Redrum!" has been living under a rock. In what is arguably one of his best performances, Jack Nicholson perfectly conveys the progression from a normal loving husband/father to a murderous lunatic. All work and no play would make me a very dull boy too. And you can't help but get chills when you see the images of the two twin girls in the hotel hallway or the wave of blood coming out of the elevator, in fact I dare you not to.

4. An American Werewolf in London (1981) - No other werewolf movie has managed to combine the elements of horror and comedy quite like director John Landis' classic take on lycanthropes did. The film features a soundtrack with the word "moon" in every song (Van Morrison's "Moondance" being one of my personal favorites) and a werewolf transformation sequence that earned special makeup effects artist Rick Baker an Academy Award. And in what other movie are you going to have the pleasure of seeing a werewolf unleash his bloodlust at a porno theatre in Piccadilly Circus? The answer is nowhere, my friend.

3. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) - Not only is Tobe Hooper responsible for introducing the world to Leatherface, one of the most popular and well-known horror icons of all time, but his low-budget film about a group of unlucky teenagers crossing paths with a murderous cannibal clan has inspired countless films following it, most recently House of 1000 Corpses, The Devil's Rejects and Wrong Turn. The sheer insanity of the last 10 minutes of the movie is reason alone to check out this classic. So do it, or face the wrath of a chainsaw-wielding maniac.

2. Night of the Living Dead (1968) - All four of legendary director George Romero's Dead films should be on this list (the others being Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead, and this summer's Land of the Dead), but to make things fair, we'll focus on the one that started it all. The film not only manages to scare you, but also provides the viewer with razor-sharp social commentary to think about long after the film is over. Its influences can be seen in every Italian zombie film, as well as England's Shaun of the Dead, and even the United States' House of the Dead and 28 Days Later. Chances are if you haven't seen a Romero zombie movie, you aren't a horror movie fan.

And now ladies and gentlemen, what you have all been waiting for... (Drum roll, please)

1. Halloween (1978) - So just how many good things are there to say about this film? For starters, it is one of the pioneers of the slasher genre and resulted in countless copycats (the Friday the 13th franchise probably being the biggest) throughout the 80s and even today, with Scream. John Carpenter's unforgettable soundtrack is impossible to get out of your head, and his masterful direction is even better. Perhaps the biggest compliment one can give this movie is that it is downright scary, in every sense of the word. Carpenter shows us that you don't need to see one drop of blood in order to get you to jump out of your seat and hide under your bed covers. How many movies made these days can boast that?