by Chris Mohr |

“It’s Halloween, everyone’s entitled to one good scare,” (John Carpenter’s Halloween, 1978). The 21st century has brought out the worst in the horror film industry. Whether it is Rob Zombie’s horrific (no pun intended) remake of Halloween or

Twisted Pictures’ gorified Saw trilogy, nothing can compare to the masters of horror films.

Before I mention a few films that do it right, let me explain what not to do when making a horror movie. Film Making 101: Never remake a classic. Been there, done that. That’s all I have to say. Film Making 101: Cover yourself up. No one wants to see you screaming at the top of your lungs in the nude. Film Making 101: Is it really necessary for every other scene to have someone’s blood and guts oozing out of their body? It’s okay the first couple of times, but after that I’ll be in the bathroom.
Now on to the movies. Take John Carpenter’s Halloween for instance. Set in fictional Midwestern town of Haddonfield, Illinois, six-year-old Michael Myers murders is older sister. Fifteen years later, he escapes from a psychiatric hospital to murder Laurie Strode. The suspense of the movie with the addition of an absolute classic score, there’s no wonder the movie brought in 60 million worldwide.
The Exorcist. When a teenager is possessed by a mysterious entity, her mother seeks the help of two priests to save her daughter. Everyone remembers the pea soup and the spinning head. Along with the musical score of tubular bells, this film is sure to make you sleep with a nightlight.

“They’re here.” Tobe Hooper’s 1982 Poltergeist was nominated for three Academy Awards and won numerous awards for the scariest film ever made. Set in the California suburbs, the plot focuses a family whose home is invaded by ghosts that abduct the family’s youngest daughter into the afterlife.

Now let’s go way back to 1968’s George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead. Set in a Pennsylvania farmhouse, a group of people attempt to survive the night while the house is being attacked by zombies. Yes the film is in black and white, but it is one of those movies that you just have to watch every year.

I could go on and on listing off movies right and left but I am constrained to this so called 400 word limit that I am currently exceeding as we speak. So if you’re looking for a bloodcurdling horror flick, consider this list and keep this in mind:

“When there’s no more room in Hell, the dead will walk the earth,” (George A. Romero’s Dawn of the Dead, 1978)