We return again to our rare entry into the world of Top Ten lists.  These are the most frightening and effective horror films of all time, in my estimation, but most have survived from last year to this, so they must be doing something right.  Enough jibber-jabber, let’s count ‘em down!

9. The Fly (1986)

David Cronenberg is one of the bravest and most challenging directors who ever pointed a lens. His early work is incredible, from Shivers to Scanners, but in 1986 he let loose on the mainstream with his remake of the sci-fi classic The Fly. Rather than linger on some goofy fly-head, Cronenberg enlisted Chris Walas' team to deliver some of the goriest effects ever seen in a wide-release film. The desecration of the flesh has never been handled more directly, and with surprising tenderness, in film. The gore gags all work, sure, but the real star of this film is Jeff Goldblum who still makes us root for his humanity even as his body and mind betray him.

8. [REC]

The newest film on the list is also a fine reminder of how a movie that is simply scary can be so damn good. Forget the plot, though it's not bad, and a clean explanation of the infection. The first forty-five minutes are a slow, steady build to twenty of the most harrowing minutes in horror cinema. Directors Paco Plaza and Jaume Balaguero deliver over and over again in the last act. Quarantine is faithful, and a decent film on its own merits, but it loses some of that indescribable magic in translation. I'll end by quoting a friend I convinced to see the film, despite her aversion to subtitles: "I couldn't have handled it if it had gone on much longer. I couldn't breathe to scream."

7. The Haunting (1963)

It’s so difficult to get the Haunted House film just right, but Robert Wise did just that in 1963.  Based on the fantastic novel by Shirley Jackson, The Haunting of Hill House, this chiller manages to take  psychologically dense material and translate it seamlessly onto the big screen.  Wise, who had previously directed West Side Story, makes masterful use of lighting and angles to suggest more than he ever shows, and the movie manages to make Eleanor’s struggle to belong both sympathetic and pitiful.  Questions remain as to whether the haunting in The Haunting is real, or if it is all a manifestation of Eleanor’s need.  Stunning work.

3. The Exorcist: The Version You've Never Seen

Two points of possible controversy here, but so be it. I don't think this is the scariest movie of all time, but it's pretty damn scary or else it wouldn't be here. Likewise, I prefer the re-cut version over the original with the creepy additions of the subliminal Captain Howdys and the crabwalk. It just sings, baby, it sings. Though the religious elements don't typically stoke my coals, this movie is a brilliant example of subtlety making the horror that much more effective. There's not a wasted frame in either version, and the scares come fast and furious with an ending just obtuse enough to spur a whole new kind of discussion in the re-release.

4. Dawn of the Dead (1978)

The follow-up nightmare to Night of the Living Dead contains sharper satire, more desperate survivors and an epic scope that hasn't been achieved since. This is just the best zombie movie ever made, with a nice parade of characters inside and outside the mall to keep things lively. The anti-commercialism message may be more relevant today than it was at the time of filming (anyone remember Dubya telling us all to shop after 9/11?). I couldn't finish this movie the first time I saw it - it affected me that much. Even now, I walk away from this movie upon repeat viewings admiring the effort and cursing myself for putting myself through it again, even as I ponder how flimsy that front door looks.

2. Halloween (1978)

What do you say about this one? Inspirational to every horror director from then until now, John Carpenter's slasher film scared everyone who ever saw it. Somehow, the movie manages to be more than a teen slaughterhouse, instead borrowing more heavily from Hitchcock and asserting itself as more of a suspense film than a gore flick. The music may be the most appropriate score in film history, not only adding to the experience, but becoming a true character. When Laurie asks Dr. Loomis if that was, in fact, the Boogeyman, his response is chilling and perfect. Often imitated, never duplicated, this must be viewed annually to appreciate how good it still is after all these years.

Oh, Herbert West, how many teens have you scared and inspired on late-night viewings?  Very loosely adapted from a short story by H.P. Lovecraft, Re-Animator has reached cult status for its outrageous effects and infamous “head” scene.  But to dismiss it as a splatter film is to ignore the clever dialogue and one of the finest performances in horror history from Jeffrey Combs as the titular doctor toying with the secrets of life and death.  Re-Animator finds laughs in the goings-on, but don’t mistake being wry with irreverence.  Director Stuart Gordon would return to the well for From Beyond, but Re-Animator stands as a high-water mark for horror films of the ‘80s that knew how to serve up some wit with the blood.  Funny and repulsive in equal measures.

1. The Thing (1982)

Here we are. The scariest film of all time. Debate if you must, but John Carpenter took The Thing from Another World and the original story "Who Goes There?" and crafted a study in isolation and paranoia that has yet to be touched. The effects are astounding, even by today's standards (and would have been compromised by CGI), and only add to the notion that the creature lurking in our midst could be any of us. Kurt Russell's performance is astounding as the isolated-by-choice MacReady, surrounded by those he can no longer trust. The ambiguous ending leads one to believe that the horror is far from over, and is just bleak enough to make a viewer feel unsettled even after the credits roll. I never, ever tire of this movie and see some new touch Carpenter added upon every viewing. An incredible cast, a terrifying premise, and a psychological game with the audience that I enjoy playing every time.

So, there we are. We will do this list every Halloween, and I could change my mind at any time, so I look forward to revisiting my Top 10 next year. Agree or disagree, I'd love to hear your takes, so be sure and visit the forum... Happy Halloween everybody!

So, there we are. We do this every Halloween, and I could change my mind at any time, so I look forward to revisiting my Top 10 next year to see if the ones lost from last year make a reappearance. Agree or disagree, I'd love to hear your takes, so be sure and visit the forum... Happy Halloween everybody!

10. Re-Animator

5. Alien

No, this isn't science fiction, this is Lovecraftian horror in space. And it is scary as hell. One of the first horror films I saw as a kid, this one still gets me. The rapidly evolving predacious xenomorph picks off the crew one-by-one. But the real horror comes from the corporate greed that puts the lives of its employees below the value of this killing machine. Visionary on so many levels, Ridley Scott's film stands as a landmark of terrifying imagination. Special props to Scott for not cluing the actors in on the infamous chestburster, eliciting one of the best responses (from Veronica Cartwright) ever filmed.

6. Poltergeist

Tobe Hooper may have directed, but Steven Spielberg can be felt in every frame of this film. He's credited with both writer and story nods, as well as producer. This is his baby, and we all know it. From the creepy opening to the gamut of fears from clowns to corpses to good old-fashioned ghosts - this movie has it all but never feels jumbled. The ending has been a point of contention for some, but I loved it. Special nods to Zelda Rubinstein as a diminutive psychic guiding Carol Ann to the light and Beatrice Straight as an investigator who tries to calm the Freelings as they fight for the soul of their little girl. It plays equally well as family drama or horror film.