Want a good scare? Our staffs have you covered
MetroCreative
Ghosts, aliens and other monsters (human and inhuman) are on our staff’s lists of must-see scary movies this Halloween.
House on Haunted Hill, a Vincent Price classic from 1959, is among our staff’s recommended movies to check out this Halloween. Reporter Brad Hundt included it on our must-see list.
Associated Press
This undated handout photo provided by MGM Home Entertainment and the Library of Congress shows Anthony Hopkins as Dr. Hannibal “The Cannibal” Lecter in the 1991 film “Silence of the Lambs.”
Halloween is right around the corner, so it’s time to get ready for a good scare.
With thousands of movies to choose from, the helpful staffs at the Greene County Messenger, Herald-Standard, Observer-Reporter and The Almanac have you covered with our top watching choices.
From slasher flicks to psychological horror, and black-and-white classics to modern horror blockbusters, there’s something for everyone who wants to curl up and binge watch the day away … just don’t blame us if you have to sleep with the lights on.
”Halloween”
No one should celebrate Oct. 31 without its namesake movie. After killing his sister at the age of 6, Michael Myers is locked away in a sanitarium. Fifteen years later, he escapes … and returns to his hometown to terrorize a trio of unsuspecting babysitters. Simply put, this is the greatest horror movie ever made. From the creepy music score to the cinematography, from the unbearable build of suspense to the nail biting final chase, “Halloween” delivers the goods. The 1978 John Carpenter classic is essential viewing for Halloween … just be sure to lock your doors, because you never know when the Boogeyman is coming to get you! If guts and gore aren’t your thing, try the TV version which plays throughout the month as part of AMC’s FearFest. Several of the franchise’s sequels are also on AMC, but nothing beats the original.
(Steve Barrett)
”Silence of the Lambs”
In the 1991 award-winning thriller “The Silence of the Lambs,” there are two horror stories wrapped into one movie, with FBI trainee Clarice Starling trapped between them. It’s hard to tell which storyline is more frightening: the skin-idolizing serial killer Buffalo Bill living in his dungeon-like basement or the homicidal psychiatrist Dr. Hannibal Lecter, who forces us to look deep within ourselves while he stalks us from behind a Plexglas barrier. The cinematography makes the audience feel like we’re in the movie, whether we want to be there or not.
(Mike Jones)
”Phantasm”
For those of you who remember drive-in theaters, imagine the scene of a silver sphere flying across the big screen and drilling into someone’s skull. Mix in some zombie little people and a suitably creepy mortician, and you have “Phantasm,” a film made in 1979 for $300,000, which qualified as low-budget even back then. That was evident when I saw it at my local drive-in. But so was the fact that director Don Coscarelli used what he had to come up with one scary movie, albeit with some “adult” content that admittedly was appealing to this teenager in the ’70s.
(Harry Funk)
”Signs”
I’m the kind of person who fills a glass of water, takes one sip, forgets about it, then starts a new glass. This seemingly annoying character flaw was 100% validated after watching my first horror movie, “Signs,” starring Mel Gibson and Joaquin Phoenix. The 2002 film tells the story of how a broken family sticks together on their rural farm while faced with what appears to be a global alien invasion. Their faith in God, humanity and each other is called into question as they brace for their own confrontation with the extraterrestrials. The movie’s suspense left its impression on 12-year-old me. To this day, I strategically place cups of water throughout my residence, because you never know when a water-intolerant alien may drop by.
(Katie Anderson)
”The Babadook”
The 2014 Australian film is high on psychological horror, pitting a single mother against her 6-year-old son after she reads him the pop-up storybook “Mister Babadook.” The book conjures a shadowy man in a top hat who torments mother and son. They find that getting rid of the book won’t uninvite what they’ve brought into their home, and must figure out what Mister Babadook wants from them. The movie is unrated and available to stream on a variety of platforms.
(Jennifer Garofalo)
”Poltergeist”
Strange things begin to happen to the Freeling family after they move into a beautiful new home in an up-and-coming subdivision in California. Following the disappearance of their five-year-old daughter, Carol Ann, the family turns to a team of parapsychologists and eventually an exorcist for help. There are plenty of frights to be had before Pittsburgh-born actress Zelda Rubinstein is able to announce, “this house is clear.” This 1982 classic is rated PG and available to stream on Netflix.
(John Santa)
”Us”
A woman, who is haunted by a traumatic experience from her past at a fun house, accompanies her family on a seemingly normal trip to a California beach house. As night falls on the first night of their vacation, the family is met by a group of four mysterious strangers outside of their house. When they come face to face with the strangers, the family realizes the intruders are their doppelgangers and part of a mysterious phenomenon happening around the world. This 2019 movie directed by Jordan Peele is rated R.
(John Santa)
”The Birds”
Alfred J. Hitchcock’s 1963 classic scared the living daylights out of me when I watched it in black and white on the TV in our living room. It left me with a lifelong fear of birds flying over my head. It holds up well. The movie can be streamed for $3.99 at YouTube
(Scott Beveridge)
”Shaun of the Dead”
This 2004 movie is a slice of fried gold directed by Edgar Wright. It is the perfect balance of horror and humor while paying homage with witty references to the zombie movies that came before it. Roommates Shaun (Simon Pegg) and Ed (Nick Frost) stumble their way through a zombie infestation and must abandon their slacker ways — or at least try — to survive, protect their loved ones and make it to their favorite pub to ride out the apocalypse. Rated R.
(Mark Hofmann)
”The Thing”
The 1982 science fiction/horror film throws in elements of tension, paranoia and terror as a group of American researchers in Antarctica encounter a parasitic extraterrestrial life-form that assimilates, then imitates other organisms. Beyond the elements of horror already mentioned, the film has great, imaginative, gory and practical special effect that not only holds up to this day, but outshines most computerized effects. All of that and an ambiguous ending make it one of writer/director John Carpenter’s best movies. Rated-R.
(Mark Hofmann)
”Night of the Living Dead”
It’s not Halloween unless I watch the original zombie film shot around Pittsburgh that established the rules for what people know as modern zombie mythology. Although it was released in 1968, the film has aged well in terms of horror from disturbing death scenes to a shocking, heartbreaking ending. An advantage for viewers is the fact that the film is in the public domain and can be pretty much shown anywhere and watched online for free. Do yourself a favor and watch the movie in total darkness for maximum effect! The film is not rated.
(Mark Hofmann)
”House on Haunted Hill”
Vincent Price exudes plenty of his trademark silken menace in this 1959 offering that later became a staple of Saturday afternoon television. Price plays an eccentric millionaire who lures five people to his creepy abode with the promise that whoever stays until sunrise will be paid $10,000 (that would be $89,000 in today’s dollars). When each is given a handgun, you can assume that mayhem and plenty of twists will follow. “House on Haunted Hill” is the public domain, so it’s available on many streaming services and on YouTube.
(Brad Hundt)
”The Vanishing”
Skip the putrid 1993 Hollywood remake and go straight for the 1988 Dutch version of “The Vanishing,” a supremely unsettling psychological horror film. A man’s girlfriend disappears at a roadside rest area, and he obsesses about what might have happened to her for years. He finally meets her kidnapper, who promises to reveal what happened to her. The catch is, the man must first be sedated. Do not under any circumstances watch this before going to bed, because it will haunt your dreams. Available on Prime Video and on home video through the Criterion Collection.
(Brad Hundt)