6. Halloween (1978)
The poster for the film read “The Night He Came Home,” giving the film a creepy feel before even seeing it. Having the film set in a small town, Haddonfield, Illinois, gave it a feel that this story could happen anywhere. John Carpenter’s career-making film, stars Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode, sister of Michael Myers. Myers escapes from a psychiatric ward and returns home to stalk his sister. The scenes of Myers stalking Strode in the film are some of the best. Again, a movie with not a lot of blood and guts, yet effective in delivering terror to viewers, Halloween is one of the top horror films of the genre. An honorable mention should also be given to Rob Zombie’s remake. I personally thought it was a great film. I thought it was a different take on the Carpenter’s original film, yet effective.
5. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
This is my favorite horror film of all-time. Wes Craven delivers a horror film that plays off the nightmares of teenagers. This film made many kids believe that the boogieman was real. I know that I was scared to look under my bed and inside my closet at night. Robert Englund may have become the most recognizable horror villain in film history with the Elm Street films. While the film is gory at times, Craven never resorts to an all-out gore fest in the film. The film looks at the link between dreams and reality, while also playing off the fears of teenagers. Craven’s film is smart, scary, and brutal at times. The first murder scene in the film is one of the scariest in the franchise. When Tina sees Freddy in the dark alley, I still get chills. A 2011 remake, was among one of the worst films of the year. No Craven or Englund attached to the film was probably a big reason the remake was such a stinker.