Halloween is coming up, so here’s a look at some horror movie classics and some movies that will be coming out around this Halloween.
First, here’s a look at the really old classics for those who prefer the old ways. One option is the original movie based on the story of Dracula, titled Nosferatu (1922). Then, of course, comes Bela Lugosi’s Dracula (1931), still possibly the most famous rendition of the iconic vampire. The same year that Dracula released, Boris Karloff set the standard for movie monsters in Frankenstein (1931). Ten years later the lesser known, but still popular in its own right, The Wolf Man (1941) was unleashed on the public. Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960) gave viewers one of the greatest twist endings of all time. Rounding out the older classics is the zombie movie that set the groundwork for all others that followed, Night of the Living Dead (1968).
The early 1970s saw the release of what is possibly the most well-known horror movie out there: The Exorcist (1973). Then there’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), the movie that made people think twice before stopping in a strange town to ask for directions. The bluntly named Halloween (1978) then introduced audiences to Michael Myers. After that came two classics in one year: Friday the 13th (1980) and The Shining (1980). Two years later came Poltergeist (1982) and The Thing (1982). Rounding out this era of horror flicks was A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984).
The horror genre got off to a quick start in the 1990s when Anthony Hopkins stunned audiences with his performance as psychologist-turned-cannibal Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs (1991). In a new genre of horror movies came the ambitious found-footage film The Blair Witch Project (1999), which told the story of three teenagers missing in the woods. The iconic movie The Ring (2002) dared to scare audiences with a tormented little girl. Saw (2004) scared audiences with equal parts gore and horror, spawning a greatly successful film franchise. Then came Paranormal Activity (2007), which many consider a spiritual successor to Blair Witch Project.
Then we get the more recent movies that future generations may one day consider classics, such as Insidious (2010) and The Conjuring (2013). For a good scare from an underrated Netflix movie, check out The Babadook (2014).
There are plenty of upcoming films for audiences to get their scare fix. Coming to theaters October 14 is Jack Goes Home, about a man who travels home after his father is killed and discovers secrets of his families past. Additionally, coming October 21 is Ouija: Origin of Evil, a prequel to Ouija (2014) which depicts a widow and her two daughters who run a séance scam business together, but accidentally invite a true paranormal presence into their home.
Whichever of these is on the lineup this Halloween, just remember one thing: it’s not real, it’s just a movie…or is it?
