Horror movies have been around for decades, and they play a key role in the entertainment industry. Whether it’s a paranormal spirit, knife-wielding psycho, some creature thirsty for blood, or even a tornado of sharks, horror movies have never failed to capture our imagination and attention.

Our generation has been exposed to many of the latest modern horror movies, which feature demons and paranormal apparitions. These films include The Conjuring, the Paranormal Activity franchise, Insidious, The Blair Witch Project, and others of similar content. But, kids these days are forgetting about the classics that fueled the nightmares of the eighties and nineties. They look at The Purge and Saw as slasher films, but haven’t even begun to scratch the surface of the cult classics that old souls and horror fanatics know and love. I’m not saying these are bad movies, but most of the paranormal movies you see today are just R-rated versions of Scooby-Doo with a cliff-hanger ending instead of a pulling the mask off of Old Man Jenkins.

That’s why I’ve decided to compile a list of the best horror movies you need to watch in preparation of Halloween. Disclaimer: most of these films are rated R.

• Halloween: John Carpenter’s 1978 classic is a staple in horror history. On Halloween in Haddonfield, Illinois, 1963, Michael Myers murdered his sister, Judith Myers, and was sent to a mental asylum. Fifteen years later, Michael returns to Haddonfield the night before Halloween. The only person who knows about Michael’s return is his therapist Dr. Loomis. This film kicked off the spree of horror that would, after its release, pour out of the eighties.

• A Nightmare on Elm St.: You’ll never want to fall asleep after witnessing Nancy Thompson and her friends being terrorized in their dreams by Freddy Krueger. Nancy has to think fast to protect herself from the seemingly inevitable road that her friends have taken and cannot turn back on.

• Scream: No, not Scream Queens or the MTV series. I’m talking about the original. Sidney Prescott has not only mysteriously lost her mother, but her and her friends are being stalked by an unknown killer. To escape “ghost face”, Sidney and her friends must play the game, following the rules of horror movies.

• The Evil Dead: Five friends take a vacation to a spooky cabin in the woods. Besides it’s looks, the cabin is fairly normal… Or so they think. As the friends explore the cabin further, they unknowingly release demons that have the ability to possess anyone within their reach. If you like this movie, there are two other sequels, and STARS is planning to release season two of Ash V. Evil Dead soon!
• The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Sally, her paraplegic brother, and three other friends plan to visit the grave of the sibling’s grandfather in Texas. After picking up a mysterious hitchhiker, their trip goes downhill from there. Sally and her friends must escape the clutches of a cannibalistic, psychopath family. This movie continues to terrorize and make me sick to this day. 

• Friday the 13th: A killer is roaming the woods of a camp site where a drowning happened years before. The camp is being reopened by a group of camp counselors who have no idea what this assailant wants or why they are coming for them, but they are soon to find out!

• The Silence of the Lambs: An FBI Cadet straight out of training relies on a devious cannibal, for information on another killer on the loose who skins his victims. Cunning and psychotic, Dr. Hannibal Lecter, toys with Clarice, who plays along with his mind games to find Buffalo Bill in this bone-chilling mysterious masterpiece of film.

• The Fly: Jeff Goldblum plays the role of a scientist who is working on a device that will teleport you from one place to the next instantly by transmitting matter through space. His experiment goes horribly wrong when he tests it out himself and a fly is caught in the test. The scientist gets mutated with the fly and must adapt to his changing body while also keeping in mind what a journalist, (played by Geena Davis) whom he has had a romantic relationship with, needs. This tragic love story bleeds into the category of sci- fi, but is still guaranteed to keep you up at night.

• Alien: Another horror/sci-fi film that is incredible, especially given the time it was created. A deep-space mining crew aboard the USCSS Nostromo is woken up from hyper sleep to investigate a distress call. The call is from an abandoned spacecraft where one of the crew is attacked by an unknown life form. The crew aboard brings this member back, breaking the quarantine rules, and dealing with the consequences. This who-dies-next film is a sure to keep you feeling uneasy and fearful throughout its near-two-hour duration.

• The Strangers: This is one of the more recent films on this list, but is definitely worth watching. A young couple are staying in a vacation home in the middle of nowhere, and experience pure terror as they play into the hands of three unknown killers. The masked frighteners force the couple to question whether or not they are capable of making it out of this deceptive game. What I thought was purely terrifying in this movie was the silence, that makes your stomach churn, and ensues a scene of carnage.

These movies will not only scare you, but will also give you an appreciation of the entertainment brought to you from the horror genre. Have fun with this list. And, after your binge of horror-flicks, remember that it’s important to keep in mind… With Halloween right around the corner… Anything could be!