Top 10 Horror Movies

Some audiences love a good comedy. For others, a movie's ability to terrify is the main attraction. Be it a creature feature, a haunting or a slasher flick, horror films chill our blood with a mix of the right music, perfect visual effect and the ability for a director and his cast to play on our innate fears. Here is a list of some of the scariest horror films sure to make your spine tingle and your heart pound. You can thank us at Halloween.

	10. The Ring (2002) A capable remake of the Japanese original Ringu, The Ring's success is its sharp editing and spooky premise, that of unconnected people dying within seven days of watching a certain videotape containing disconnected images of a mysterious lady, then a deserted meadow where a well sits housing the corpse of an evil young girl. One of the more ominous moments comes when the girl in question, named Samara, comes towards the camera and... and.... well, you ought to rent it. Purists looking to shop and compare can also watch the original, itself a decent terror flick.
	9. The Amityville Horror (1979) A chilling horror tale about a house filled with malevolent spirits, the film is based on the real-life story of the Lutz family, who moved into the titular house in Amityville, New York only to flee 28 days later having witnessed horrific events allegedly caused by evil in the house. Though the young homeowners are aware of their house's history (it's the site of a gruesome series of murders) they're not ready to believe the deeds to have permanently tainted the house. The film shows how wrong they are. Definitely one to watch with the lights on.
	8. An American Werewolf in London (1981) A hugely entertaining creature feature by American director John Landis and set in England, Werewolf tells the story of two backpackers, Jack and David, who get attacked by a large animal one night. One lives, one dies. When the dead backpacker returns to warn the survivor of his looming fate during the full moon, the poor sap doesn't believe him and does nothing. The movie's more spine-tingling moments come when the curse runs its course, causing David's body to reshape itself in startling transformation scenes. A great effect for the time, causing the audience to jump back in fear of this fanged killer.
	7. The Evil Dead (1981) Granted, this horror film does have comedic moments, but as the audience sees college students get possessed one after another by a demon, the film gives way to some pretty jumpy moments with gory scenes to follow. As the sequels followed, each film became a little sillier and a little less scary, but the first installment remains creepy. A great effort on both the cinematic and special effects levels, director Sam Raimi (who went on to direct the Spider-Man film series) and his team deserve much praise, as they had very little budget yet came up with a terrific end product. Evil Dead is now a cult hit (see the InMovies Cult Films list), and spawned a musical of the same name.
	6. Psycho (1960) Alfred Hitchcock's film is a fine example of how horror comes in all shapes and sizes. OK, so this film is more of a thriller than a horror but it still manages to instill a sense of dread as the audience witnesses cold-blooded murders occurring at the Bates Motel. With a shocking ending that caught millions by surprise, Psycho taught everyone that it's always important to listen to your mother.
	5. The Shining (1980) Stephen King's tale of a writer snowed in at a remote hotel for the winter veers towards the psychological, revealing the dark side within each of us. As some of the past traumas which occurred within the Overlook Hotel's walls start to find shape, the audience begins to feel more and more uncomfortable with the protagonist as the building's evil slowly affects the man's sanity. Jack Nicholson offers a sterling performance as Jack Torrance, which included a pivotal ax-and-door scene that ended up emblazoned on posters hung on dorm walls worldwide.
	4. Poltergeist (1982) This excellent haunted house film has long been the focus of the so-called "Poltergeist curse," since two of the female leads in the film, Dominique Dunne and Heather O'Rourke, died at very young ages. (Dunne was murdered by her boyfriend in 83, O'Rourke succumbed to medical complications in 88). Also, many had debated whether producer/writer Steven Spielberg had in fact directed this film (and not credited director Tobe Hooper), even though he had been contractually bound by his E.T. contract not to direct anything else during production. Regardless of who sat in the director's chair, Poltergeist left countless viewers afraid of what's under their beds, as well as deeply unsettled by clowns and cluttered toys.
	3. Jaws (1975) The brilliance of this film version of Peter Benchley's best-selling novel was Steven Spielberg's genius in mining the mass populace's fear of the unknown, in this case what might be waiting below the water line... especially if that something has large teeth and an appetite for humans. Roy Scheider heads the cast of this scary film, as a dangerous great white shark starts attacking swimmers along the shores of Amity, a fictitious New England resort town. Many may argue that Jaws may be more of a thriller than a horror film but all will agree it terrified millions out of the water in the summer of 1975.
	2. John Carpenter's The Thing (1982) An inventive creature film which relied on the audience's fear of creepy crawlies in enclosed dark spaces, The Thing scared the wits out of audiences in the summer of 1982, even though the film didn't perform very well at the box office (mainly due to being released at the same time as E.T.). With the villain of the piece being a parasitic alien life form capable of imitating anything or anyone. It doesn't take long for the limited cast of characters stranded at an Antarctic research station to slowly turn on each other, unsure of who – or what -- their fellow man might be. Note the incredibly repulsive creature effects by effects wizard Rob Bottin.
	1. The Exorcist (1973) Still the leading title on most people's scary films list, The Exorcist is the perfect example of how a filmmaker can masterfully weave together a worthwhile fright film, using a chilling soundtrack, an involved script and killer performances (no pun intended) from its cast. With young Linda Blair convincingly playing a young Georgetown girl who becomes possessed by a demon named Pazuzu, the film is both psychologically scarring as well as visually terrifying, courtesy of some disturbing makeup effects. Some viewers are familiar with the famous Mike Oldfield theme song, but the rest of us can easily recall the demonic visage of a deformed girl whose soul is at peril, lest she be saved by priests with issues of their own. Eating prior to this film is not recommended.