Periodically I will list my top 10 list for films in certain genres. These films are my favorite of the genre and not necessarily the best reviewed, but I don’t care if people disagree.

Since it’s the first day of October, I guess it’s time to get in the Halloween spirit. Below is my top 10 list for best horror films.

10. The Ring- Watching this movie 90 times since it came out has lessened the scariness of the film, but it’s still a great film. The weirdness of the video when you first see it and the manner people’s bodies are found after a visit from the little girl are very freaky. Always wondered what would happen if you smashed the tv screen before she came out of it, or didn’t own any television or computer screens?

9. Night of the Living Dead (1968)- A classic Romero zombie movies. Personally, I love zombie movies, but it’s hard to find good ones. This one is a classic and probably would be terrifying if I saw it in the 60’s. It’s not very scary now, but still very well done. The scene where the little girl kills her mother in the basement still gives me the chills.

8. Amityville Horror (1979)- The 1979 version is much creepier and closer to the supposed “true story,” than the newer version. It has some classic horror scenes that remind me of “The Exorcist.” Plus, there is just a grittiness to 70’s horror movies that I love.

7. Halloween- The only slasher movie I can really enjoy and watch multiple times. There is just genius in this film and some great scares. The Rob Zombie doesn’t even come close to the original, though it does have a cool soundtrack.

6. Dawn of The Dead (2004)- Like I said before, I love zombie movies. This is the only one of the Romero re-makes that were cleverly done and a lot of fun to watch. The opening scenes are also pretty creepy, zombie children are messed up.

5. 28 Weeks Later- The sequel isn’t as good as the original, but this is still an incredible movie and scary. These zombies don’t mess around. They are all like zombie versions of Usain Bolt, not the old slow clumsy kind. Also, the opening scene in this movie is classic.

4. Exorcism of Emily Rose- This “true story” is nothing like the actual true story, but is scarier. There are many terrifying scenes in this movie, from the boyfriend waking up to Emily contorted on the floor, to her screaming talking many different languages in a barn.

3. 28 Days Later- This zombie flick revitalized the zombie movie genre, giving it new life. This is a zombie movie that will actually scare you. The soundtrack is also pretty creepy.

2. The Shining- A classic. One of the few Stephen King novel turned movie that are actually good (sorry, Sometimes They Come Back… Again). Jack Nicholson is the perfect crazy person. Some of the images are truly disturbing and terrifying. The scene when Nicholson goes into the room and the woman comes out of the tub is one of the scariest scenes ever.

1. The Exorcist- Don’t really have to say much about why this is number 1. If you watch it you know. Incredibly scary, especially for movies that came out in 1973. When I was little I loved horror movies, I used to watch Jason, Chucky, Freddy, and a bunch of other bad 80’s horror films all by myself at night, from the time I was 4 to 6. My parents naturally thought something might be wrong with me. One day my father came home with “The Exorcist,” and said to me, “let’s see how much you love scary movies after you watch this.” I maybe made it 25 minutes. I never fully watched this movie again until I was 14.