With Halloween upon us, I want to share with you my favorite horror movies. There are many horror films I love, but these are the cream of the crop. Happy Halloween!

Wes Craven’s New Nightmare

I’m a huge fan of the late, great Wes Craven and his most famous film: A Nightmare on Elm Street. While I love the original Freddy film and its sequels, my favorite among them all is the seventh entry in this franchise: Wes Craven’s New Nightmare. Following the abysmal Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare, Wes felt the need to return to the Elm Street series so his legendary character could receive a proper sendoff. What makes this film my top pick? The acting is phenomenal, the premise is brilliant and the score is perfect. In my eyes, it’s a flawless film – and it served as the inspiration for Wes’ second most popular horror franchise: Scream.

Halloween

The original Halloween is as suspenseful as it gets. It’s a frightening tale of suburban horror that is unparalleled. Nothing has matched it and nothing ever will – even Rob Zombie’s terrible remakes. The music is haunting, and Michael Myers stoic and silent presence was incredibly disconcerting. Last but not least, Donald Pleasence was brilliant in this film and its sequels. His acting was believable and memorable. You can’t ask for much more.

Hellraiser

The first time I saw this film, I didn’t like it. I thought the special effects were lame and that the story was confusing. Of course, at the time I was much younger. Upon viewing it a second time, I realized how brilliant it was. It tapped into taboo subjects, the supernatural and it was much darker than most horror films at the time. Add to this a fantastic villain, a tremendous score and a phenomenal performance by stage-actress-extraordinaire Claire Higgins, and you have the makings of a horror classic.

28 Days Later

I remember the first time I saw this wonderful film. The atmospheric nature of the way it was shot completely grabbed my attention. It made me wonder, “What if I was in his shoes?” I also remember being startled the first time I saw the rabid and  fast-moving infected people attacking the protagonist. It was a taste of what was to come a few years later when The Walking Dead became a worldwide phenomenon. If you haven’t seen this movie and you enjoy the Resident Evil video games or zombie movies/TV shows, you owe it to yourself to check this out. It’s a remarkable film.