An ode to All Hallow's Eve

Well, it's that time again. Pumpkins are being sold all over town, the candy industry is preparing for its biggest day of the season and somewhere a posse of young hoodlums is compiling a stash of toilet paper and fresh grade-A eggs. Yes, it's time for everyone's favorite holiday, Halloween. Ever since I was little, I have always enjoyed this festive holiday. I mean, as a kid, how could you not like it? It's the only day in the year (that I know of) where children are expected to eat as much white-sugar-laced treats as possible, encouraged to knock on the doors of perfect strangers and then ask them for food and trained to scare as many people as possible, including those younger than you. These days Halloween has changed. Sure we still dress up in our silly costumes, but the candy we used to hoard and trade with our friends has transformed into cheap beer and fluorescent-colored mixed drinks served in red plastic cups. Now this change did come gradually (and in many ways is welcomed); however, there is one part of Halloween that will never die -- the power of a good scare. While some prefer the sights and sounds of a good old-fashioned haunted house, I turn to movies for my fix. I like the adrenaline rush you get when you first see a successful scary movie. However, the key word here is "successful," as there are many horror movies that just aren't scary. Often solid horror films are killed by lack of a good storyline, butchered by the critics or do not even make it to the theaters. However, the good ones go down in history and are the ones that we remember the most. So I felt it would be appropriate to compile a list of the good, the bad and the ugly side of scary movies. THE GOOD:
1. The Alfred Hitchcock Line-up: No list of horror movies would be complete without the grand master of fear himself. While most people have seen or know the key parts of "Psycho," it is the other Hitchcock classics that helped to start this genre of film. Movies like "Vertigo" and the wonderful "Rear Window," don't rely on fancy effects or over-the-top gore for their scares. Instead these films tell interesting stories that are psychologically frightening. 2. "Wait Until Dark": This is another classic thriller that is often overlooked. This 1967 masterpiece stars Audrey Hepburn as a blind woman who has to fend off a group of criminals looking for something in her apartment. The movie is a non-stop thrill ride that should not be missed. 3. "Halloween" and "Nightmare On Elm Street": While both films were followed by a series of awful sequels, they helped start the "slasher" genre of horror movies, launched the careers of both Jamie Lee Curtis ("Halloween") and Johnny Depp ("Nightmare,") and are both pretty scary. 4. "The Exorcist": It's a shame that so many people find this movie more amusing than scary. I remember first seeing this when I was younger and freaking out. The creepy music combined with the great performance by Linda Blair makes this tale of possession an instant classic. 5. "The Shining" & "Misery": There are a dozen or so Stephen King film adaptations of his horror novels, but these two stand out as his finest in my mind. I recently caught "The Shining" on the IU movie channel and was reminded of the brilliance that Stanley Kubrick brought to this "cabin fever" thriller. 6. "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" (1974): This is definitely a love/hate film. The low-budget look combined with gritty cinematography, eerie sound effects, Texas setting and the fact that it was loosely based on real-life events makes this one creepy film. The recent 2003 remake had an interesting look to it, but featured a stupid plot and bad acting. 7. Some Other Gems: "28 Days Later," "Suspiria," "Night of the Living Dead (1968,)" "Seven," "Sixth Sense," "Candyman," "Alien" and "The Silence of the Lambs." THE BAD:
1. "Friday the 13th" saga: I think there are about 50 of these movies, and while I haven't seen the majority of them, I was not impressed by the first three. Call me what you want, but I think Jason is fairly boring. 2. Sorry Chucky: This horror series still baffles me. The original "Child's Play" spawned four ridiculous sequels, including the long-awaited fifth installment, "The Seed of Chucky," which answers the question on everyone's mind: can maniacal children's dolls make babies? The Ugly:
1. "Leprechaun": This is the worst of the worst. Since the first film, which starred a young Jennifer Aniston, the vengeful Leprechaun searched for his gold in Las Vegas, outer space and most recently "on the streets" in installments five and six, which I believe use the slogan "Lep in the hood, up to no good." These films are the epitome of bad horror and should be avoided at all costs. There you have it. So wherever you are on Oct. 31 don't forget that it's Halloween. Everyone's entitled to a good scare.