Halloween is next Friday, so it’s time for a scary movie list. It consists of the first 12 horror films that popped into my head. The only research was for the poster collage and the trailers. The surrealists called it automatic writing; I call it winging it.
I reposted the Vincent Price Dozen last Sunday, so there aren’t any of his movies on the list. But he’s here in spirit:
My taste in scary movies runs to psychological horror. Blood splatter is NOT my jam. Who do you think I am: Dexter?
The list is arranged in chronological order. I’ve kept it brief, some of the dozen are among the most famous in the genre. I do, however, throw in a few sleepers near the end.
Enough with the preliminaries. On with the show, this is it.
Son Of Frankenstein: I adore the Universal monster movies, especially the Frankenstein series. This is my favorite of the films with Boris Karloff as the monster.
The Wolf Man: This movie makes me howl with delight. What’s not to love about a film with Claude Rains slumming with Bela Lugosi and Creighton Chaney?
The Body Snatcher: I dig Boris Karloff and the films of Val Lewton. This is one of 3 films they made together. It was a match made in scary movie heaven or is that hell?
The Mummy: In a word: Preposterous. It’s ridiculous fun, muddy mummy and all. Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee really send me. Does that make me Sam Cooke reincarnated? Obviously not.
Psycho is one of my all-time favorite films. I’ve seen it more times than any other movie on the list. Hell, I’ve even watched Bates Motel twice. That makes me a Bates buff. I’m certainly a Hitchcock superfan. Good evening.
The Exorcist: I’m an atheist who doesn’t believe in demons or exorcism but I dig this movie. It still made me jump the last time I saw it.
The Omen: I was a hardcore film snob dismissive of horror movies when The Omen was released. I wondered if Gregory Peck and Lee Remick were slumming. They were not: It was all in the script. The zoo scene still makes me scream like a baboon.
Poltergeist is a haunted house movie on steroids. It will scare your pants off, so you might want to leave them on the hanger…
Sinister: I’m an admirer of the psychological horror films made by Blumhouse. Sinister is one of the best examples. What’s not to love about anything with Ethan Hawke?
Split: M. Night Shyamalan. Say no more.
Hereditary: The best horror films revolve around families. Toni Colette gives another great performance as she shimmies up the family tree in this truly disturbing film.
The Manor: Another Blumhouse movie. It’s set in an assisted living facility and features a phenomenal performance by Barbara Hershey. I remember when she was a hippie chick and changed her last name to Seagull. Mercifully, that didn’t last but her talent endured.
That concludes our half-baked baker’s dozen.
What’s an Adrastos listicle without some lagniappe? I think some comic relief is in order.
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein: The OG Jersey boys also encounter Dracula and the Wolf Man. It’s the best of their mashup movies.
Young Frankenstein: An obvious choice for a listicle that begins with Son Of Frankenstein. Some of the best gags in this Mel Brooks classic are inspired by that film.
This list makes no pretense to be comprehensive. Feel free to share your favorites in the comments. I don’t scare easily or is that easy? Let’s ask Tom Petty and Mudcrutch. They get the last word.
