1.) Psycho (1960) dir. Alfred Hitchcock
You’ve never seen a mama’s boy like Norman Bates. Starring the lovely Janet Leigh and the creepy-but-still-kind-of-handsome Anthony Perkins, Psycho is a standout in Hitchcock’s superb collection of horror movies that don’t need to resort to gory bloodbaths in order to make that chilling impact. (Although the infamous shower scene is more than a little bit graphic.)
Where can I see it? – For those looking for Halloween plans this weekend, the Coolidge Corner Theatre is screening Psycho as part of its 13th Annual Halloween Horror Movie Marathon starting midnight on Oct. 26. Psycho is also available for purchase or rental on both iTunes and Amazon Instant Video but BEWARE of the 1998 Gus Van Sant remake. If you start the film and you see Vince Vaughn, something is wrong.
2.) Paranormal Activity (2007) dir. Oren Peli
The “found footage” style that has become an exhausting scary movie trope in the past few years still seems fresh in Paranormal Activity. The superb camera work and the decent acting combine to take advantage of the horror of the unseen and make even the most everyday actions horrifying. When – after we’re introduced to a couple that thinks their house is haunted – we see the seemingly-possessed wife get up in the middle of the night to simply stand over her sleeping husband, it’s more terrifying than any number of ghouls or ghosts.
Where can I see it? – Paranormal Activity is available for rent and purchase on iTunes and Amazon Instant Video. For those Netflix users, the third and the fourth installments are available to stream but you’re always taking a risk with a sequel.
3.) Carrie (1976) dir. Brian de Palma
Before you see the Kimberly Peirce remake starring Chloe Grace Moretz, see the original starring Sissy Spacek. If anything, this frightening tale of a telekinetic high school girl who lashes out against her teenage tormentors after they push her too far will make you feel a lot better about your own high school experience.
Where can I see it? – Carrie is available for streaming on Netflix, as well as on iTunes and Amazon Instant Video for rent or for purchase.
4.) 28 Days Later (2003) dir. Danny Boyle – Finally! A zombie movie with braaaaaains! (Get it? Zombies? Brains?) Directed by the genius behind Slumdog Millionaire and Trainspotting, 28 Days Later follows the deadly outbreak of the rage virus after a group of activists release infected chimpanzees. The film follows the saga of Jim (Cillian Murphy), who wakes up in a hospital bed to an abandoned and destroyed London and must piece together what has happened while fighting for his life. Packed with political commentary as well as some good, old-fashioned brain munching, 28 Days Later has something for everyone!
Where can I see it? – 28 Days Later can be purchased or rented from Amazon Instant Video and iTunes.
5.) The Evil Dead (1981) dir. Sam Raimi
The Evil Dead is not for the faint of heart. Now a cult classic, the film follows five college kids to a remote, ramshackle cabin. Once there, the group stumbles upon and subsequently reads from the “Book of the Dead,” which, as one may logically assume, leads to demonic possession – the only cure being bodily dismemberment. The Evil Dead is chock full of gore and buckets of fake blood and, though the whole film was shot on a shoestring budget, it’s all alarmingly realistic.
Where can I see it? – The Evil Dead is available on iTunes and Amazon Instant Video, and also for streaming on Netflix but only until Nov. 1 so act quickly! The campier sequel is also streaming on Netflix for those who just can’t get enough demonic possession. Fede Alvarez also released a remake last spring that is said to be even gorier than the original, so watch at your own risk.
6.) Halloween (1978) dir. John Carpenter – The slasher film has been a Halloween staple for years now, and one of the ones who did it first (and best) is Halloween. Michael Myers, with his simple but disturbing white mask and dead eyes, is one of the most terrifying and also the most realistic slasher movie killers. The film is riddled with jump-out-of-your-seat scares and builds to a quintessential nightmarish ending that leaves an ellipsis at the end of all the bloodshed. Whether that ellipsis was indicating a whopping ten sequels is up to you to decide.
Where can I see it? – Halloween is available for rent or purchase on iTunes. Like so many other horror films, however, this film has a 2007 Rob Zombie remake that promises to be a lot bloodier than its predecessor. Choose wisely!
7.) The Conjuring (2013) dir. James Wan
Based on a true story about a New England family in the 1970s that starts to have paranormal episodes in their home, The Conjuring takes everything you might know about haunted house/possession movies and throws it out the window. Diving immediately into the action, the film leaves much of the horror off screen, allowing the viewer’s imagination to run wild. And the horror that is shown? Bone-chilling.
Where can I see it? – You can only buy The Conjuring from iTunes or Amazon Instant Video as of now, but it should become available to rent at a later date.
8.) The Shining (1980) dir. Stanley Kubrick – Based on a Stephen King novel, The Shining shows just how dangerous a little bit of boredom and isolation can be. Writer Jack Torrence (played by the actually insane Jack Nicholson) agrees to look after the secluded Overlook Hotel with his wife and psychic son and, with the help of some spirits in the hotel, begins to devolve into a murderous psychosis. Focusing less on blood and gore, The Shining is psychologically unsettling, leaving the viewer with a deeply disturbing ending that’s true meaning is still hotly debated even today.
Where can I see it? – The Shining is available for rent or purchase on iTunes and Amazon Instant Video. And for those who are intrigued by the ambiguity in the film, a documentary on fan theories about many of the visual clues in The Shining titled Room 237 is available for streaming on Netflix.