The BEST Halloween Movies Ever

It was a tough decision, I'll tell you. There are so many wonderfully creepy horror movies out there. For the lovers of gore, Eli Roth never fails to disappoint. For the fans of the supernatural, Stephen King is your man.

So what does a horror movie aficionado think is the best? Here is my list of the top 17 Scariest Movies to watch this Halloween weekend. Why 17? Because that's how I roll....and I couldn't stop at 10 or 15:



17. The Strangers - I could only watch it once. That's all I can say. Two lovers being stalked by psychopaths that have nothing better to do. This movie may not end well, you'll have to watch to find out.

15. Amityville Horror (1979)- Based on the true story of the Lutz family who would spend a mere 28 days in their new house before fleeing without any of their belongings. The scariest thing about this movie, is that it's based on a true story.

14. Scream - Wes Craven just knows how to make a scary movie. From the original Last House on the Left that even disturbed the actors on the set to Nightmare on Elm Street (next on the list), he knows how to capitalize on our most basic fear, being terrorized in your own home. Unlike, The Strangers, this killer has a motive, not that that helps.

13. Nightmare on Elm Street - One, two Freddy's comin' for you. Three, four better lock your door. If you're feeling tired, take a nap. If you're feeling sick, get some rest. Just don't do either of those things if you live on Elm street and your parents hunted down the local child molester and burned him alive. Because he'll be in your dreams waiting to take you out. Yikes. I'll pass. Thanks again, Wes Craven. Only Xanax can heal those scars.

12. High Tension - I originally thought about putting Texas Chainsaw Massacre into this slot, but this French film takes all of the twisted terror of TCM, and wraps it up in a nice bow. This is another one with a "holy shit" twist at the end.

11. The Exorcist - There have been many movies about demonic possession like The Exorcism of Emily Rose and Possession, but this was the original. Chris MacNeil's teenage daughter Regan begins communicating with a spirit named Captain Howdy. Seem harmless enough? It isn't. Another movie based on real events.

A filmgoer who saw the movie in 1974 during its original release fainted and broke his jaw on the seat in front of him. He then sued Warner Brothers and the filmmakers, claiming that the use of subliminal imagery in the film had caused him to pass out.

This one's enough to make a witch run to church.

10. Saw - The series has gotten out of hand, but this Se7en-esque original is definitely a must see before you die. Remember that game, "would you rather?" Imagine that game on steroids and mescaline.

9. The Fog (1980) - One of the scream queen, Jamie Lee Curtis' first films, it's what you don't see that's scary. Sure, it's a little dated, but when there's a knock at your door when the fog rolls in, you'll know what I mean.

8. Dead Silence - I tried to watch this one in New York while staying with a friend. The first 10 minutes scared us so badly we screamed and turned it off. Two 35 year old women, pathetic. Yet, I was intrigued. I watched it again a few months later, but I couldn't do it alone.

Beware the stare of Mary Shaw, she had no children only dolls. Creepy old recluse + ventriloquist dummy that has a life of it's own = movie watched through hands. Leigh Wannell and James Wan of Saw made this one. So, you get the drift. Even the movie poster is enough to give you nightmares.

7. Salem's Lot - Before Edward Cullen made teenage girls, swoon, vampires were something you DIDN'T want to run into. This movie based on a Stephen King novel falls into the "only watch during daylight" group of flicks. And, here's a little friendly advice, if you're a teenage boy and your best friend, now vampire, is hovering outside of your window wanting to be invited in, JUST SAY NO.

6. The Devil's Backbone - Guillermo Del Toro has a thing for orphanages and war. He also has a way of making ghostly little children so incredibly macabre you might just come unhinged. The subtitles of his movies take NOTHING away from the message, salience and terror.

5. Psycho - Alfred Hitchcock is by far, one of my favorite directors of all time. Every film he made was like walking through a museum of art; cinema stills that could stand on their own artistic genius.

No movie embodies Hitchcock's style more than Psycho. Only the master of suspense could have us rooting for the killer as Norman watches the car stop as it's sinking in the swamp.

The last five minutes of Psycho are some of the best in film history.

4. Paranormal Activity - this low-budget, independent supernatural thriller (wow that's a lot of adjectives) unsettled me to the core. So much so, that I actually STOPPED watching horror movies for a very long time. Soon after a couple moves into their new home in the suburbs, they begin to experience supernatural disturbances that they capture on video.

All I have to say is ewww. Beautifully horrifying.

3. The Changeling (1980) - This is not the movie where Angelina Jolie proclaims, "I want my son back!" No, George C. Scott portrays a man who becomes a recluse after losing his wife and daughter in an accident. He rents an old house that has it's own story, and it's trying to get his attention.

The simplicity of the story accentuates it's eeriness, but there is a plot twist that will play with your mind for days.

2. The Shining - Another one of those movies that's just unsettling. It's one I can only watch during the day. When Jack (Jack Nicholson) and his family head to an isolated hotel to keep an eye on it for the winter, they soon discover they're not alone. The evil is omnipresent, even residing within Jack.

There are so many disturbing images throughout the movie, it borders on the perverse. In the scenes where Tommy is riding his Big Wheel through the halls, there's a glimpse into one of the rooms that turns my stomach. I still fast forward through it to this day.... and it's not the scene you'd think. Ask me about it.

1. Halloween (1978) - Of course it's fitting because of the name, but there's a reason that Jamie Lee Curtis' first feature film launched her career. In 1963, 6-year old Michael Myers, dressed in a clown suit, murders his older sister.

15 years later, Michael escapes from Smith's Grove Sanitarium and returns to his hometown of Haddonfield, Illinois to satisfy his long suppressed urge to kill. He begins stalking the town's teenagers. Only Dr. Loomis, his psychiatrist knows just how dangerous Michael can be, but by the time anyone listens, the body count is mounting.

Halloween was shot in 21 days in April of 1978. Made on a budget of $320,000, it became the highest-grossing independent movie ever made at that time.

I know this list doesn't do horror movies justice. Seven, Silence of the Lambs, In the Mouth of Madness and Event Horizon aren't on here, for example. But the list above are those movies that cause insomnia for days or have you rethink what you watch at all. Sweet.

To Quench YOUR Thirst

I recommend drinking heavily during or after watching these movies as you'll need something to help you sleep.

Elk Creek Vineyards makes a Cabernet called Bone Dry Red that's got tones of cherry, chocolate and spices. Great fall flavors. They also have a Ghostly White Chardonnay.

So, between parties where there will be entirely too many dudes in Top Gun costumes and girls wearing the standard issue tramp uniform, pop in one of these scary's and celebrate the holidays.