My Top 10 Favorite Scary Movies

Halloween is fast approaching. I love this time of the year, and even though I'm a big, old, scaredy-cat, I love snuggling up with my blanket, some snacks, and watching my favorite horror movies. So, I've decided to compose a list of those movies that always cause me to jump at things that go bump in the night, as well as some that make me laugh more than be scared of them. Maybe you'll see a few of your faves. 

1. The original Halloween, not that crappy, poor excuse for a remake, by Rob Zombie. This movie is a classic. The little boy kills his sister, is sent away to the crazy house, escapes fifteen years later, and walks around, stalking the people of Haddonfield, while his psychiatrist stalks him. Michael never says anything, he just does that creepy breathing through his even creepier mask. There had been many nights where I've closed my eyes to go to sleep, only to pop them back open, after an image of Mike standing over me invaded my thoughts.

2. The three witches who prey on little children, so they can maintain their youth...it's cute and funny, and family-friendly. And we get to see Sarah-Jessica Parker playing someone other than the delusional, Carrie Bradshaw.

3. Self-explanatory. I mean, who over the age of 35 doesn't like Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the Peanuts gang? Linus foregoes trick-or-treating, and instead decides to wait for the Great Pumpkin to come, despite the ridicule from the others. 

4. Brandon Lee as Eric, and his fiancee are murdered the night before his wedding. He later rises from the grave, takes on the gothic persona of a crow (a super-natural avenger) and gets his revenge on all the thugs responsible for ending their lives. The fact that Brandon Lee was accidentally killed on set while filming the movie, only adds to the spookiness and darkness of the film, as they were still filming the movie, so special effects had to be used to finish the scenes that weren't completed. 

5. Eddie Murphy as a vampire can only mean one thing- hilarious. Max, Eddie's character, heads to New York to find a mate, which leads him to Angela Bassett (Rita), a police detective with lots of mental issues. In true Eddie Murphy fashion, he plays multiple characters. Besides Max, the vampire, he's also the blunt, Preacher Pauly, and another minor character, Guido, a mob-type idiot, all in an attempt to get close to Rita. This movies is far more funny than it is scary, but one of my favorites to go to when I want to watch a scary movie, but I'm not in the mood for all the gore and creepiness.

6. Michael Jackson's 13 minute-long video is like watching a short film. Michael and his girl go to the movies, she gets scared and wants to leave, so they do. You've seen the video. It's a classic, and the choreography Michael (after he turns into a zombie) and the other un-dead characters- who have risen from their graves- do in the middle of the street, while Michael's date watches in fear, is and always will be some of the best dancing ever. RIP Michael Jackson.

 7. Throwback to the 90's. This was one of those classic slasher movies. I can do without all of the crappy sequels that came after Scream 2, and the horrible remakes, which my daughter loves. Give me Neve Campbell kicking butt in the original, please. The killers creepy voice in the beginning, asking her, "What's your favorite scary movie," still resonates in my mind, and the mask- along with Michael Myer's mask- has cost me many nights of peaceful sleep.

8. "Barbara, they're coming to get you, Barbara."  Seems like Johnny got got, first. In a refreshing twist from the usual formula in horror movies, the black guy doesn't die first. He tries to control the zombie situation the best he can, while also trying to keep the rest of the people in the house they're trapped in, alive. After enduring the night from hell, it's not the zombies that kill him, but rather a trigger-happy cop, who saw movement, so he shot first, without bothering to find out if the guy was innocent. Sounds sadly familiar...as this still happens today.

9. Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates will never not be scary to me. I really don't care for the remake, with Vince Vaughn as Norman...he just never wowed me. But Anthony, he was Norman, personified. Beneath his seemingly good guy persona, Norman (who wouldn't hurt a fly) had some serious mental issues. His mother had verbally abused him, to the point of him killing her. After digging her body up from the grave and keeping her hidden in his house, he lives his life as his mentally ill mother, Norma...killing the bad women who stop at the motel to stay the night, because Norma has always instilled in him that women were bad. Creepy. 

10. I hate this damn dog. This is the reason why I will never own a dog. Leave it to Stephen King to take what is supposed to be man's best friend, and turn him into a murderous, disgusting, killer. Cujo gets rabies, then suddenly goes from friendly family pet, to a nasty, slobbering, dog, who stalks a woman and her son in her car. I always say, a gun would have taken care of Cujo, but then there wouldn't have been much of a movie.


So, there you have it, my top ten favorite scary movies. What's your favorite scary movie?