House (Japan) (1977)

House is perhaps the strangest horror film I have seen. The plot concerns a group of young girls at a haunted house whose furniture attacks them. Filmed in lush colors with less than dazzling special effects, this is far from being a standard horror film. Anyone looking for a more adventurous Halloween film, who isn't afraid to step outside the box of horror film conventions will enjoy this off-the-beaten-path classic of Japanese cinema.

Gore Rating:
7/10

Scare Rating:
7/10

Overall Rating:
8/10

Halloween (1978) (USA)

Halloween is truly an American horror classics. Eighteen years after Alfred Hitchcock's influential masterpiece, Psycho, this film took the premise of the psychotic serial killer and reinvented it into the Slasher film. A young Jamie Lee Curtis stars as a girl who is stalked by infamous killer, Michael Myers. Legendary director John Carpenter made this iconic film, whose style would be imitated in such films as Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and many others.

Gore Rating:
7/10

Scare Rating:
7/10

Overall Rating:
8/10

Nosferatu (1922) (Germany)

Nosferatu was the first film to introduce the most legendary of all horror icons, Dracula. After being originally written by Bram Stoker, Dracula was adapted to film in this silent classic from 1922. Although the film quality has faded over the years, this film is still terrifying just short of a century later. Anyone looking for a more classic approach to halloween should try this film.

Gore Rating:
0/10

Scare Rating:
7/10

Overall Rating:
7/10

Slumber Party Massacre (1982) (USA)

Slumber Party Massacre is one of the cheesiest horror films ever made. From the Pizza man arriving dead to the drill wielding psycho, Slumber Party Massacre delivers the classic cult slasher feel like no other film can. Filled with scenes of screaming high school girls, this film will thrill anyone who loves Piranha or similar movies. The plotlessness and completely ridiculous screenplay may make some viewers who favor more high brow works thoroughly frustrated.

Gore Rating:
9/10

Scare Rating:
6/10

Overall Rating:
5/10

Onibaba (1965) (Japan)

Onibaba is among the most interesting horror films I have ever seen. The story is about a recently widowed woman who begins to have relations with her late husband's best friend, only to be haunted later by her mother in law. The film is mainly shot at night in very tall grass, making for some spectacular cinematography. The nightmarish scenes of frenzied running through the dark field are stunningly horrific.This film is a little off the beaten path. In fact, unless you're a Japanese film buff, you've probably never heard of it. That aside, it's well worth the hunt to find this gem.

Gore Rating:
4/10

Scare Rating:
7/10

Overall Rating:
9/10

Halloween Horror Films

For Halloween, I will be posting about various horror movies, from horror classics to foreign horror films to cult films. I will introduce and rate the films based on scariness, gore, and overall quality.