Behind The Screams

Even when you've outgrown trick or treating, costume parties and carving pumpkins, there's one Halloween tradition that never gets old......scaring yourself silly. This year, haunt your own house with our collection of hair-raising horror films and books and get ready to "be afraid...be very afraid!"

Michael and Freddy and Leatherface...oh my!

If you spot a child walking around in a pale white mask and you think "Michael Jackson" instead of "Michael Myers," you need to brush up on some spooky classics. Check out a few of our favorites and remember, not all little old ladies are innocent...

Halloween (1978) Directed by John Carpenter

Considered the birth of the slasher film, Halloween is responsible for countless B-movie offshoots and Jamie Lee Curtis, who made her big screen debut as a young babysitter stalked by an escaped mental patient on a killing spree.

Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) Directed by Wes Craven

Not only does Craven's original Nightmare introduce 80s icon Freddy Krueger, a razor-gloved demon who attacks while you sleep, but it also shows a young Johnny Depp get eaten by his bed...sweet dreams!

Psycho (1960) Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

You may never shower again after seeing this Hitchcock classic about a young woman who checks into the eerie Bates Motel and encounters the worst mama's boy in history.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) Directed by Tobe Hooper

So iconic a copy of it rests in the MoMa, this horrifying film introduced the world to Leatherface, a chainsaw-toting maniac who wears a mask stitched out of human skin.

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

Skip the painful film The Haunting and go straight to the source for this story of four paranormal experts lured to a possessed house. Jackson's writing style is so chilling, you may start to think the house is driving you insane.

"They're here!"

There are countless "scary" movies out there, but in the real world none of us would be all that terrified of a knife-wielding doll we could drop kick (sorry Chucky). For a veritable nightmare, check out these eerie choices, but don't blame us if you're caught sleeping with the lights on.

Event Horizon (1997) Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson

Not as famous as Alien but every bit as terrifying, this space chiller about a rescue crew sent to investigate a mysterious ship will definitely have you covering your eyes (hey, it's better than ripping them out of their sockets like one crewman does!)

28 Days Later (2002) Directed by Danny Boyle

A zombie walking at a snail's pace isn't too scary, but if you take that zombie, infect him with "rage" and have him jump out at you from freakish angles, then you have 28 Days Later, one of the creepiest films in recent history.

Poltergeist (1982) Directed by Tobe Hooper

Not all ghosts are friendly like Casper, just ask the Freeling family who are at first amused by a group of prankster ghouls until their games turn deadly. Released just a week before E.T., this eerie film reveals the dark side of writer Steven Spielberg.

Rosemary's Baby (1968) Directed by Roman Polanski

A film that is terrifying without gimmicks or gore, Rosemary's Baby is a psychological thriller about a woman driven mad by the belief that she is carrying Satan's child...talk about a deadbeat dad!

The Shining by Stephen King

Any book or movie by "The Master of Horror" is bound to be scary, but this page-turner come Jack Nicholson flick about a man who turns on his family at the ill-fated Overlook Hotel, is one of the most chilling stories of all time.

- Alexandra Calamari

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