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February 6th, 2010

Halloween is closing in and a lot of people out there are terrified of horror movies and hate the Halloween holiday because of those movies everywhere on television. Or perhaps your friends or family try to make you watch a movie that scares you through the roof and since then you have sworn off Halloween and scary movies.
Well let me tell you, I was the queen of chickens when it came to horror movies. When I was a child my father introduced me to Freddy Krueger and I used to be terrified to go to our basement at night. I used to run up those stairs so fast that I swear my feet never touched one step. But through the years I have found a way to help myself and some of my friends ease their way into the scariest film of all time. I’m not going to lie to you and tell you that you’ll like every scary movie you see after watching my list, there are a few on my list that I watched one time and said never ever again. But all in all they were stepping stones to at least tolerate and appreciate the horror movie genre.

Step 1: The Ghost and Mr. Chicken – Black and white, made in 1966 and staring Don Knotts as Luther Heggs is a man who is struggling with a dream to become a reporter. One night as he is walking past a rumored to be haunted Simmons mansion, he witnesses a murder and runs to the police station where said murder victim is quite alive, just a bit intoxicated. The town pursues to make fun of Heggs because of this incident and one of the newspaper editors challenges him to spend a night alone in the mansion. This classic movie has its things that go bump in the night as well as comedy to chase away the creepiness. This movie is number one in my books.

Step 2: The Blair Witch Project - Made in 1999 about three film students that end up missing while making a documentary about a legendary creature that is believed to haunt the woods near Burkittsville, Maryland. After a year of searching their bodies were never found, just shot footage that the students had taken. The entire movie is based on footage from what the three students had shot, weird symbols in the woods, strange noises, and dialog of their journey. This movie is a classic movie that just gives you chills of the possibility of truth behind the story. However, I wouldn’t deem it as a favorite.

Step 3: Dracula – Made in 1931 staring Bela Lugosi, as he plays an elegant Dracula who is hunted by famous vampire hunter Professor Van Helsing. Dracula is a classic horror film that is a must see to appreciate the history of the horror genre.

Step 4: The Curse of Frankenstein – Made in 1951, Baron Victor Frankenstein succeeds to his father's estate at a young age and is mentored by Paul Krempe. As Victor grows up, the two become great friends, and they eventually collaborate on the Baron's scientific experiments. Krempe withdraws when the nature of the endeavor becomes clear, but Victor remains intent on creating life. Dr. Frankenstein murders a Professor in order to use his brain for his creature; unfortunately, the creature is both dumb and violent. Frankenstein created a classic legacy.

Step 5: Night of the Living Dead – This movie, made in 1968, is one of the firsts of the zombie era. Bickering siblings at a rural Pennsylvania cemetery are attacked by murderous, trance like state, undead persons who are surrounding the premises. This movie has gory old fashioned special effects and was awarded two distinguished honors thirty years after the debut. Personally, I don’t like zombies.

Step 6: Interview with the Vampire – Personally, I loved this movie. Made in 1994, starring Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise, this is based on the novels of Anne Rice that she wrote in 1973. Lestat (Cruise) creates Louis (Pitt) into vampire form and had never really gotten along, centuries later Louis is interviewed and tells his life story and the trials and tribulations he went through being and still being a vampire. The story line is awesome and a real grabber of attention. There are only a few gory or unpleasant scenes in this movie.

Step 7: Queen of the Damned - This movie is awesome! Made in 2002 after the third book of The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice, this movie shows the story of how Lestat was made and how he lures the vampires out of their hiding places using modern day music and media. Lestat is determined to reveal that vampires exist. As he is doing that, the other ancient vampires are preparing for the confrontation of The Queen of all who are damned as she lays down her plans to create a new vampire order. This movie doesn’t rank to be scary, but it has all of the makings of Halloween criteria.

Step 8: The Haunting – Based on the novel The Haunting of Hill House and made in 1999, this movie will definitely cause you to give off a few screams and arouse your psyche. When Eleanor Vance joins a group to conduct an experiment in group fear and hysteria at the Hill House mansion, she learns that the house hid many mysteries. The Industrial revolution tycoon that built his house had murdered hundreds of his child workers, and the children’s spirits are restless and crying out to the group.

Step 9: Carrie – Ok boys and girls, this is where we start getting really scary. Based on a novel by Stephen King, and made in 1976, this movie will give you a lot to think about. Carrie is bullied at home by her mentally unstable Christian fundamentalist mother and is an outcast in her high school. Carrie gradually discovers that she has telekinetic powers and begins practicing them in private. After being humiliated at a school dance, Carrie unleashes her built up anger through her telekinetic powers and takes revenge on all.

Step 10: Poltergeist – Made in 1982, five year old Carol Anne begins communicating with benign ghosts via the television static. Later these ghosts end up using the TV as a portal into the house. As the movie goes on, Carol Anne is being perused by the ghosts personally and learns that it is the spirit of the Beast. The family invests time into different ways of coaxing and cleansing the ghosts away. This movie will raise the hairs on the back of your neck and make you question the static of your television set.

Step 11: The Sixth Sense - The line “I see dead people” became a popular catchphrase after the film's release in 1999 starring Bruce Willis and Haley Joel Osment. This is a story of a child psychologist who tries to help a troubled isolated boy that claims to communicate with ghosts and is clairvoyant. This movie is a very good psychological thriller that will leave you speechless.

Step 12: Hellraiser – A 1987 film surrounding themes of sadomasochism, torture, duress and fear. It took me two attempts to get through this movie. This movie presents a race of distorted human beings and the exploration of parallel existences where death can not occur. This new realm is full of experiments in pleasure and pain without the possibility of death.

Step 13: Thir13en Ghosts – I’m not referring to the one made in the 60’s, I am referring to the remake made in 2001. This guy builds a house, a mansion to be exact, full of movable glass walls inscribed with Latin charms or curses that hold 12 deadly spirits. Several people go into this failsafe house to tour it and learn that one of them is part of a plan to be sacrificed and be the 13th ghost to open the “Eye of Hell”. This movie is very scary and is gory. Thir13en Ghosts will make you want to see black and white blood again.

If you have gotten to this point in your horror movie watching stepping stones, congratulations! Only a few more to go until you witness the scariest movie ever made.

Step 14: Halloween – Made in 1978 and considered one of the most important and influential movies of the horror genre. Character name Michael Myers is an unstoppable psycho killer that wears a white painted mask. At six years old he killed his older sister on Halloween night and was locked into a mental institution then escapes years later to repeat his rampages. Prepare yourself, this one is a chiller.

Step 15: A Nightmare on Elm Street – Just for the record, strongly dislike Freddy Krueger. This movie was released in 1984 and focused on the fine line between the dream world and the real world. The main villain, Freddy Krueger exists in the dream world but can kill you in the real world. Trust me; watch this movie in the daylight.

Step 16: Friday the 13th – Made in 1980, this is one of the most popular so called slasher movies. Jason Voorhees drowned at his trip to summer camp; his mother seeks revenge, killing the teenagers and counselors. Years later a group of teenagers return to the camp for a reopening, not knowing Jason is lurking in the shadows for revenge. This is another movie I advise to have the sun shining through your windows for.

Step 17: Psycho – The 1960’s Hitchcock film is about a crazed serial killer. It’s a classic that can’t be described in any other words except frightening. Warning, take a shower before watching this movie.

Step 18: The Omen – This movie made in 1976 will keep you in suspense and scare the living daylights out of you. Damien, born with the birthmark of the Beast on his scalp, he is plagued by a series of supernatural forces and curses. This family is not aware that he is destined to be the Antichrist. Movies of demonic children are terrifying in my eyes.

Step 19: Child’s Play – Made in 1988 and will scare the heck out of any child and adult that has dolls. Chucky is a good guy doll that is used to transfer the soul of a toy store shooting victim. Using voodoo the soul is transferred… and the doll gets bought and becomes the friend of a young child named Andy who is under Chucky’s command for revenge.

Okay, if you have made it through all of those movies, you are ready for the scariest movie known to man.

Step 20: The Exorcist – Made in 1973 based off of a horror novel that was based off of a true story of a 1949 exorcism. The girl possessed by an evil force goes through a lengthy exorcism that tests the priests and the girl undergoes a series of physical and psychological changes. During the making of this movie and its prequels and sequels many strange incidents happened on the set as well as several deaths.

If you made it fully through Step 20, congratulations you can watch any horror movie that anyone puts in front of you to watch. If you chickened out, don’t worry about it, it’s not the end of the world… Or is it? Just kidding, I can almost guarantee that with the daylight and some popcorn and a friend, you will be able to get through all of these movies. So the next time on a dark and stormy Halloween night, when one of your friends puts one of these classics on, you can be cool and a cucumber. Happy Halloween!

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