Halloween is coming up, and since you're no doubt too old for Trick-or-Treating, you'll want to kick back at home and watch a few scary movies. Instead of focusing more on blood and gore than horror, try out a few classic picks that are more likely to freak you out and frighten you with some good old fashioned scare tactics rather than just plain gross you out.
With a lot of recent flicks like Saw and Hostel focusing more on gore than horror, you may not be sure exactly what to look for this Halloween. Here are a few classic scary flicks that are likely to frighten the daylights right out of you.
PSYCHO
Alfred Hitchcock's original classic, based on the novel by Robert Bloch, may be more of a suspense thriller than a horror film, but in many ways it was the precursor to the slasher genre by having a killer who wore a disguise. As Norman Bates, Anthony Perkins gives a chilling performance as a man who appears normal but then turns out to have some obvious issues. Who can beat that classic shower scene with Janet Leigh being stabbed to death, accompanied by the now famous violin score? Even if you've seen it before, this old classic is still guaranteed to send serious chills up your spine.
HALLOWEEN
It may not have been the first of its kind, and even the original version of Black Christmas beats it by having the story center around a holiday, but as far as many fans are concerned, John Carpenter's original 1978 classic is by far the definitive slasher film. And for good reason. From his initial murder of his sister at the start of the film to his hunt for Laurie Strode at the climax, Michael Myers set the standard for a slasher: masked, silent and unstoppable. Sure, it has probably the least amount of blood for a slasher flick, but who needs gore when you have excellent timing combined with an awesome musical score? Very appropriately, this is one that you have to watch every Halloween.
THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE
Take your pick of either Tobe Hooper's original 1974 classic or the 2003 remake because both are equally good films to watch. Following the same plot (a group of teens traveling through Texas run into a family of cannibals, one of whom wields a chainsaw and wears a mask of human skin) and although there are some differences, both films make great use of all the horror elements and provide some great scares. The original isn't quite as bloody as some make it out to be, but it still has its terrifying moments such as the sudden appearances of Leatherface before he makes a kill. The remake is rather bloody, although tame by today's standards (especially the prequel that followed it), and has some great performances by R. Lee Emery and Jessica Biel. Besides that, who can beat a film that has a villain going by the name of “Leatherface”?
THE FOG
Forget the newer remake that starred Tom Welling. It may have provided some good special effects, but the revisions to the plot made little sense. Stick to John Carpenter's original about a town besieged by a mysterious fog containing the very vengeful ghosts of a sailing crew murdered by the town's founders. This version keeps it simple, and the ghosts look more frightening when seen in shadow. And the cool part? This is the first time Janet Leigh and Jamie Lee Curtis (mother and daughter for those who don't know) were in the same movie together, 18 years before Halloween: H2O!
NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD
Zombie flicks as we know them, owe it all to this little number directed by George Romero. It's not as gory as his later zombie films (the scene where a group of zombies feed on the burned remains of some poor humans following a car wreck is as bad as it gets), but it did set up the basic formula. You know, the dead rise mysteriously, start attacking and eating people, and one group of survivors try to fend some off while trapped in a farmhouse. You just can't beat a classic like this, especially since it gave us one of the best stalker lines in cinema: “They're coming to get you, Barbara.”
DAWN OF THE DEAD (2004)
I had my doubts when I heard they were doing this remake, but I convinced myself to go see it and was actually impressed. Unlike the original (a follow-up to Night of the Living Dead), Zack Snyder's remake is a stand-alone story showing what happens to a group of zombie apocalypse survivors trapped inside a mall surrounded by killer ghouls. Probably the best update to this film is the characterization of the zombies; instead of lumbering around, they actually run after their victims, giving further reason to get away ASAP. While there is some blood and gore (which is to be expected), compared to Romero's recent Land of the Dead, it's all rather tame.
THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT
Getting lost in the woods can be scary enough. Getting lost in the woods while being hunted by the legendary witch you were making a documentary about is a lot worse. Some folks may rip on it, but The Blair Witch Project is very much one of the best horror films ever made. Made documentary-style (so much so that folks actually took it seriously), this film capitalizes on using what can't be seen in order to make both the protagonists and the audience wonder just what the heck is going on out there. Some will complain about not being able to see the title character, but if you ask me, that's what makes it even creepier.
