Around this time of year, I really love to watch scary movies.  I don’t care if they’re good or bad, old or new, popular or not, I just love the RUSH of being scared!  This month I’ve watched at least a dozen scary movies, and I’m starting to consider myself somewhat of an aficionado.  So, just in time for Halloween, here is a list of my own personal favorite scary movies:

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The Ring. Dreamworks.
The Ring. Dreamworks.
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#5 - The Ring.  It’s based off of a Japanese horror filmed named Ringu, The Ring has a good deal of TERRIFYING IMAGES as well as a plotline that is somewhat outlandish without insulting the viewers’ sensibilities.  I also appreciate their use of the videotape format and the VCR, the most horrifying media-format of all!  Also if you own this movie on videotape like I do, it is doubly scary, as the packaging leads you to think the tape you purchased is the same one featured in the movie…  Take THAT, DVD!

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Psycho. Universal.
Psycho. Universal.
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#4 - Psycho: Let me be very clear, I’m referring to the Alfred Hitchcock film from 1960, NOT the 1998 remake with Vince Vaughn (although I don’t find the remake to be all that bad).  The “Master of Suspense” toys with your head and takes you on a journey of an unsuspecting psychopath, his business, and his mother.  The sound effects, the shower scene, the insanity…  This movie will definitely make you uncomfortable!

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Saw. Lions Gate.
Saw. Lions Gate.
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#3 - Saw: I had no idea what I was getting myself into when my college roommates and I (one of which even had a girlfriend!) went to go see Saw in theaters during the 2004 Halloween season!  This movie is great at engrossing you in the story because during every “trap,” you’re constantly thinking about what you would do in that situation.  So, when a man contemplates sawing off his own leg, you as the viewer will contemplate whether or not you could do it.  You can feel the rust on the saw grind against the exposed bone of your leg as you’re sitting in your seat because you’ve already given it so much thought internally.  And, without spoiling anything for people who haven’t seen it, I consider “the reveal” to be one of the all-time great moments in cinema history!  Saw is a rare example of a great modern-day horror movie!

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Paranormal Activity. Paramount.
Paranormal Activity. Paramount.
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#2 – Paranormal Activity: Another example of an instant classic from this generation.  Made for something like $20,000, this movie will make you scared in your own home.  This movie has a cast and crew of only a handful of people, is shot by a handheld camera, and is more successful at freaking somebody out than ANY Hollywood blockbuster!  An uncommon case of a movie that is actually more terrifying to watch at home than in the theater, Paranormal Activity should not be missed!  I haven’t seen the fourth one yet, but I can attest that the first three are all really good…  Just watch them in order.  Don’t jump in and start with the third or fourth one.

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The Shining. Warner Home Video.
The Shining. Warner Home Video.
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#1 – The Shining: I first noticed this movie when the ABC network made a 6-hour television miniseries based on this movie in the mid-90s (which actually isn’t as bad as you may think, if you can get your hands on a copy).  I watched the show as 13-year-old eighth-grader and really liked the story it told.  That next Halloween, I rented the original 1980 Stanley Kubrick film, and it scared the life out of me.  I was absolutely unnerved for the entire two-and-a-half hours.  Watching this family unravel and lose their minds is such a memorable and rewarding experience.  For my money, The Shining is the best horror experience in the history of film.

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