Spook-fest 2016

The original monster king. Groundbreaking not only for the monster genre, but the entire art of cinema, pioneering many special effects techniques. Even after all these years, Kong is believable as a living, breathing being. A modern tragedy of a screenplay as Kong is captured, exploited, and eventually destroyed.

One of the first of the Universal Monsters films, it still holds strong as one of the best. Despite some extraneous scenes of stuffy dialogue, this is one to come back to year after year. Karloff's breakthrough role is obviously the big draw, though the performance of Colin Clive as Dr. Frankenstein and the classic horror style of the sets round out the enjoyability. Frankenstein's lab is particularly wonderful.
Also, praise to Jack Pierce for creating one of the most iconic monster faces ever.

Third in the Universal Frankenstein series, this one feels like a more solid, consistent film than the previous two, though not necessarily the best of the bunch (I would still lean towards Bride of Frankenstein for that honor). Still, this one should not be dismissed. Basil Rathbone gives a solid and often comedic performance as Wolf Frankenstein. Karloff returns as the monster, great as always, though the role is slightly smaller in this film. The real spotlight goes to Bela Lugosi as Ygor, a kind of living-dead man whose neck was broken on the gallows. Lugosi's madman persona is in full-swing here, a true showcase for his often overlooked talent as he outshines screen rival Karloff.

More of an understated entry in the Universal Horror line-up, again by James Whale, in which the title tells you all you need to know. If you love classic horror films, make sure to see this one. Karloff again impresses as a deaf-mute muscle-man who stalks about the shadows of The Old Dark House. Also noteworthy is Ernest Thesiger, who played Dr. Pretorious in Bride of Frankenstein.

A comedic whodunit, not to be confused with the 1930's Universal Black Cat. This one also feature Bela Lugosi, this time in the semi-comedic role of the caretaker I find the most enjoyable part of the film. The comedy of Hugh Herbert is also amusing. Not a must-see film, but still fun for a watch.

At times extremely campy (that song, ugh), at others a decent horror film with themes of teenage angst and rebellion. Michael Landon does a fine job as the teenage werewolf, bringing an animal fierceness to the part.

A Roger Corman film, the primary reason to see this is the ranging performance of Vincent Price, at first a man left broken and skittish by a life of horrors, and later in a more familiar madman role when he starts to believe he is his own father, an executioner. Cheesy, but fun. The scariest part is probably the corpse. You'll see...

An instant favorite, this low-budget horror classic thrills and compels from beginning to end and features some of the best black & white camerawork of any film I've seen. The centerpiece of the film, the abandoned theme park, is particularly beautiful to look at. The film is like a twisted, uncontrollable dream, sometimes nightmare, that you dwell on long after it's over.

Not your typical format, The Omen more about what is going to happen later than what happens in the actual film. The boy, Damien, is the son of Satan & Anti-Christ (hardly a spoiler) but he himself doesn't directly do anything evil. At one point he knocks his adoptive mother over a railing, but this seems to be more influenced by Damien's Satanic nanny. Mostly he's just a kid whose never caught a cold and for some reason can't get near a church.

It's what we discover about Damien and how he came to be that makes him scary. The rest of the films scares come from a sense of helplessness to stop any of this from happening. Anyone who gets in the way soon dies. Damien's nanny is particularly terrifying in her manipulative ways of protecting Damien from any danger, including his adoptive parents.

Also of note, Gregory Peck gives a dedicated performance and brings credibility to the sense of horror over the impending danger. Though not perfect, every horror fan should watch this film and form their own opinion.

Certainly one of the scariest films I've ever seen. Everything about it fills me with dread. Donald Sutherland in the lead role is the most commonly remembered part, but you'll never look at Leonard Nimoy the same. With great special effects to top it all off, I can't recommend this film enough to anyone looking for a good scare. This one will stay under your skin a while.

My personal favorite of the Friday the 13th films, Part IV was when Friday the 13th took the biggest step forward yet with the Jason character.

Brutal, disturbing, and not for everyone. *Trigger Warnings* Sexual assault, rape, necrophilia, to name a few. What makes this film the most horrifying is that it keeps a sense of realism, making it all seem possible, because these crimes do happen. Michael Rooker does a great job as the mass-murdering simpleton Henry, though the most repulsive character is his roommate and eventual sidekick Otis, whose acts of sexual perversion somewhat lessens the impact of Henry's murders on the audience.

Trigger warning: attempted rape scene.