I am a big fan of horror movies. I don't favor the blood and guts slasher variety, but the Alfred Hitchcock suspense/mystery kind. Psycho is playing on the TCM channel as I write this, and it got me to thinking about which movies I would like to rent this weekend for the Halloween leadup. I would like to compile a list of some of the best horror films. Please share your favorites in the comments section, along with a short description of any films that are not well known, and the reason they are great films.
I will update this post periodically this week with some of my favorites. Here is a start:
Silver Bullet -- This movie is based on a Stephen King short story and it has it all -- humor, suspense, mystery and horror. Gary Busey is great as the alchoholic uncle of the hero of the story, a wheelchair bound boy (Corey Haim) who figures out what has been killing people in his small town.
The Lost Boys -- Another Corey Haim film, with the other Corey (Feldman), as well as Kiefer Sutherland, thrown in for good measure. The hippie grandfather is my favorite character, and the last line of the movie is the best. This is similar to Silver Bullet in that it is a mixture of humor and horror and was also made in the 80's.
The Birds -- One of my favorite Alfred Hitchcock movies. I watched this movie on television when I was a child and it really freaked me out. I have seen it many times since. It doesn't really freak me out anymore, but it is a great movie.
Jaws -- I have seen this movie many times and everytime I see it while channel surfing, I find myself watching it until the end. The book is great, too.
Rosemary's Baby -- I wouldn't call this one of my favorites, but it is one of the scariest movies I have ever seen. It gives me the creeps and if I see it while channel surfing I will usually avoid it like the plague so that I don't have nightmares.
The Omen -- Scary, scary, scary.
Update: Here is a good list with great commentary and this Yahoo list of top 100 horror movies is good, too, but does not include commentary.
Update 10/26: REALLY SCARY (link via Kitty).
Update 10/27: A really good kid movie is The Little Vampire. Another is Casper. We liked both of these enough that we bought the videos. Now I guess I need to get the DVD's.