Ten Movies to Get You into the Halloween Spirit

As Halloween is quickly approaching, I want to share a compilation of what I consider to be ten horror, suspense, or gory films that will get you into the Halloween spirit. These movies aren't necessarily from the "horror" genre, but they all contain either a commentary on the dark side of the human spirit, supernatural elements, creepiness factor, or just provided a few laughs at the expense of unsuspecting corpses.

10. Re-Animator (1985)
Based on a story by H.P. Lovecraft, this film is a must-see for fans of campy horror. Herbert West is a self-centered, creepy medical student who has been doing "groundbreaking" research on "reanimating" the dead, hence the title. Dan, a classmate who is desperate for money, allows Herbert to rent a room in his home to the disapproval of his girlfriend Meg. Turns out Meg's gut feeling was right on because once Herbert learns that his syringe of neon green fluid can bring the dead back to life it all goes downhill for the three and pretty much everyone else around them. This movie is gory, hilarious, and the "head" scene will leave you laughing uncomfortably.

9. A Tale of Two Sisters (2004)
If you don't like subtitles, then this isn't the movie for you. However, by skipping it you'll be missing out one of the greatest psychological thrillers I have ever seen. Su-mi and Su-yeon are two young sisters who return home from a hospitalization after their mother's death. Strange and horrifying things are going on in the house which seem to involve the step-mother, who was the mother's former nurse. The girls seem to reach out to their father for help, but to no avail. In the end, the sisters have to take matters into their own hands and confront the terror. Or do they? In order to fully grasp the twist at the end, you may need to watch this movie a few times.

8. Burial Ground: The Nights of Terror (1986)
This is a must see for any fan of Italian horror or zombies. If what you're looking for is award-worthy acting and fancy special effects, you should look elsewhere, but the quality only adds to the movie's appeal. A professor exploring a crypt accidentally unleashes a gaggle of flesh-eating, maggot-faced zombies into the countryside. It just so happens that the professor had invited a few couples to his home to share the discovery of the crypt, but he never gets to meet them-or warn them. The movie features Peter Bark-one of the creepiest looking "children" ever to appear on screen.

7. Cemetery Man (1996)
Based on the Italian comic Dylan Dog, Rupert Everett plays Francesco Dellamorte, a groundskeeper at a cemetery where the dead don't stay buried for very long. Dellamorte and his dim-witted assistant (Gnagi) have the tireless task of getting rid of the zombies. Dellamorte falls in love with a widow, and then things begin to get sticky after she has her own encounter with a zombie. This movie covers a wide range of topics including impotence, love, zombies, friendship, life and death, and severed head romances. I laughed, I felt a little verklempt at times, and...well-I laughed some more.

6. Halloween (1978)
I enjoyed John Carpenter's vision of the Michael Myers murders much better than Rob Zombie's more recent take, but then again I'm not usually a fan of remakes. Carpenter's low-budget (but tastefully done) film features plenty of point of view shots as well as a moving camera, which makes the viewer feel somewhat unsettled and unstable. We watch as Michael, freshly escaped from the mental hospital and wearing his signature white mask, stalks and kills his victims, and while we know that the deaths are brutal, Carpenter doesn't use much gore, as sometimes our own imaginations are more terrifying than anything put on screen. Many of the victims are engaging in how should I phrase it- young love/fornication. Laurie, played by Jamie Lee Curtis, is portrayed as pure and goes through the majority of the movie unscathed. Dr. Loomis practically steals the show as the doctor so consumed with the Myers case that he almost seems to go mad himself.

5. The Amityville Horror (1979)
This film was based on a book about the events of the 1974 DeFeo murders at 112 Ocean Avenue in Amityville, New York. We've all heard the story by now. The son kills his entire family while they are asleep and the house is eventually sold. The Lutz family bought the house and only lived in it 28 days before fleeing, allegedly from evil within the house itself. I've read that one member of the Lutz family has admitted that this was a hoax to make money. I personally don't care if the reports of the house harboring evil spirits is true or false, this movie creeps the you-know-what out of me. First, there's the whole Catholic church aspect. The matriarch calls on a local priest repeatedly for help. She's noticed that her husband appears to be descending into madness since moving into the new house as well as some other problems indicative of impending doom. These include swarms of flies inside, a mysterious black substance in the toilets, a ghost pig, doors slamming for no reason, and -oh yes- a possible portal to Hell in the basement. The priest himself even comes under attack by a spirit that isn't happy that he's trying to bless and pray within the dwelling.

4. Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
Tobe Hooper's film provides us with a gritty, grimy look at what happens to five teenagers who end up in the territory of a family of seemingly mentally-challenged, backwoods cannibals. This movie also touches on some of the societal issues going on in 1974 such as Vietnam and machines replacing human workers. You know you're about to meet some twisted individuals after the teens pick up the hitchhiker who worked at the slaughterhouse, and it only gets more macabre with each encounter. Bones hanging on twine, floating chicken feathers, upholstery made from once-living creatures, sausages of mysterious origins, and of course Leatherface wielding a chainsaw all lend to the fear of this family. It might make you just who is living next door.

3. Suspiria (1977)
"Suzy Banyon decided to perfect her ballet studies in the most famous school of dance in Europe. She chose the celebrated Academy of Freiburg. One day at 9:00 in the morning she left Kennedy Airport and arrived in Germany at 10:40 PM local time..."
Directed by Dario Argento, this fairy tale for adults follows Suzy as she slowly learns that the ballet school is involved in witchcraft and the occult. This Italian masterpiece provides terrifying atmosphere through an assault of vivid colors and dizzying sound effects, such as the heavy breathing of the Mother of Sighs, the haunting score by Goblin, and imagery such as the use of vibrant jewel-tones throughout the sets, rain and thunderstorms, and a woman falling through a stained glass window (to name one example).

2. The Exorcist (1973)
Sweet little Regan has been possessed by a demon. It started with a seizure, then came levitation and superhuman strength, and the ability to curse in the voice of a demonic male. When the doctors can't explain what's going on with Regan, it's suggested the mother turn to the Catholic church. Meanwhile, other strange things are happening, such as beds shaking violently, the mysterious death of someone asked to babysit Regan, and other sounds that suggest there might be a demon on the loose. The battle between the priest and the demon is horrifying. We see a crucifix put into a blasphemous position, a little girl crab-walking and spitting up what looks like green pea soup, and unnatural twisting of the head. Oh, the profanity! This is doubly scary if you've ever witnessed people who believe in demonic possession try to cast those demons out.

1. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Not necessarily the most scary zombie movie, but definitely one of the best zombie movies, George Romero's Night of the Living Dead leaves you with a sense of dread that you don't experience in many of today's films. During a visit to a rural cemetery, Barbara's brother Johnny teases, "They're coming to get you, Barbara," only to be attacked by a zombie himself. Confused and frightened, Barbara flees from the undead to what seems to be an empty farmhouse. She is joined by Ben, who is also running away from a zombie attack. While Ben is resourceful and calm, Barbara is catatonic. Ben boards up the house and locates a radio on which they find out that mass murders are being committed by ghouls who have risen from the dead, possibly as the result of radiation from a space probe in the atmosphere. Other people have been hiding in the cellar, including a couple and their daughter, who has already been bitten. As the group tries to fend off the zombies, it becomes clear that there are power struggles going on and arguments arise as they try to decide how to save themselves. They seem to have no chance against the zombies or against themselves. When the police and a posse of shotgun-carrying locals arrives on the scene, the one survivor emerges from the farmhouse only to be mistaken for a zombie, as the men have been ordered to kill all moving targets.