Grab some popcorn, boils and ghouls. The horror season is upon us and with that, I will list my Top 15 "Go-To" Horror Films of the Haunting Season of 2016 in a nice, countdown fashion (NO SPECIFIC ORDER).
15. DRACULA (1931)
Bela Lugosi stars Count Dracula, a well-groomed gentleman creature of the night. If you have not seen this classic piece put out by Universal Pictures, it is a piece of cinematic goodness that will have you drinking blood. The first time in cinematic history where vampires are portrayed as debonair looking Hungarians. In Bram Stoker's book, they were described as very ugly creatures. Bela changed the face of vampires for years to come. Trade in the glitter of Twilight for the true grit of Carfax Abbey.
14. A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (1984)
One, Two, Freddy's comin' for you! Robert Englund stars as Freddy Kruger in Wes Craven's timeless classic. Legend has it, Wes got the idea by reading a newspaper article of people dying in their sleep due to their nightmares. "Freddy" happened to be the name of an old bully that picked on Wes. In 1984, I would say that it was a very creative, out of the norm slasher film that has stood the test of time, thus far. We have definitely not seen the end of Freddy, yet.
13. CHILD'S PLAY (1988)
This cute little guy is what (fictional) Chicago named "The Lakeshore Strangler." Well, at least in his human form. Charles Lee Ray (Brad Dourif), a voodoo-practicing serial killer was gunned down in a toy store and transformed himself by way of voodoo into the first thing he could grab.. a Good Guy doll. This movie horrified me as a child. It was truly a nightmare for any child that caught a glimpse of this monster of a toy. If you get a chance to check out the series' first three films, it has you peeking in the closet for a doll you never had and it reeks of late 80s/early 90s horror fun.
12. AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON (1981)
A highly underrated werewolf movie, "An American Werewolf In London" ruins the lives of two Americans backpacking through rural England. Jack (Griffin Dunne), gets mauled by a werewolf in the moors and David (David Naughton) gets sent to the hospital. Jack then approaches David in a rotting corpse form, and informs him that he will eventually have to take his own life to prevent hurting others, because he is a werewolf now, as well. Co-starring the lovely Jenny Agutter, this movie is a masterpiece for it's making and climactic plot.
11. PSYCHO (1960) 
A boy's best friend is his mother, and we can truly see love and devotion in Alfred Hitchcock's most horrific film, "Psycho." Janet Leigh stars Marion Crane, a bank teller who is in between a rock and a hard place and runs away with $40k of her boss' money. As she grows tired on the road, she stops at the Bates Motel on the side of the old highway where she meets Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins). Come to find out, Norman isn't exactly all Norman. He shares a personality with someone else. His mommy. A story inspired by the killings of Ed Gein, "Psycho" is the godfather of any modern day slasher and it is delivered in a lovely fashion, Hitchcock style.
10. HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES (2003)
Rob Zombie attempts to make a horror film for the first time, and this is what you get. This movie was gritty, grimy, uncomfortable, gory, and nasty in every which way you can think. If you can't deal with the above mentioned things, I would highly discourage you from seeing this movie. If you are game, by all means--watch and enjoy. Two couples end up with a flat tire near the house from Hell. Soon inside, they realize they have made a grave mistake and they fight for their lives against a group of sadistic maniacs. Starring Sheri Moon-Zombie, Bill Moseley and Sid Haig--this one will rock your world.
9. MOTEL HELL (1980)
"It takes all kinds of fritters to make Farmer Vincent's fritters!" This playful horror film is full of laughs and the cheese that the 80's were known for. Farmer Vincent (Rory Calhoun) and his sister, Ida (Nancy Parsons) kidnap unsuspected guests to use as the ingredients to their jerky. There is even a cameo from the legendary radio disk jockey, Wolfman Jack! This movie is a good one of the odd sorts and will be sure to have you laughing.
8. CREEPSHOW (1982)
What happens when you combine the horror masters, George A. Romero and Stephen King? You get "Creepshow," a horror anthology film that strongly represents the horror comics of the 1950's. This quirky amusement touches on several horror subjects that will take your mind for a ride- including comets, bugs and random furry monsters in crates. This is one for anyone who loves nostalgia.
7. THE EXORCIST (1973)
Noted as the scariest film of all time, "The Exorcist" shocked many back when it opened in theaters in 1973. The movie was banned in places, and some people were even pulled out of the theaters in stretchers. Today, we remember the amazing performances of Max von Sydow and Linda Blair as they still continue to horrify us in this classic. If you have not seen this movie, please do. It will have you doing crazy things like spinning your head in circles and puking split pea soup--and, well other unmentionable things.
6. LORDS OF SALEM (2012)
Many people hated this film. I loved it. I loved how dark and gloomy it made me feel. Based loosely off of the Salem Witch trials, "Lords of Salem" is an offbeat Rob Zombie film that doesn't share his usual feel for grit, but is more of a psychological horror. It you are familiar with the likes of "A Clockwork Orange," it is comparable in mind tactics that this blasphemous film pushes on you. Oh, and did I mention blasphemous? Yeah, if you cannot handle blasphemy, I wouldn't recommend this movie. Rob Zombie pushes buttons with this one. Did I mention the amazing cast? Judy Gleeson, Dee Wallace (I love her), and Meg Foster play friendly, yet so unfriendly roles in this witchy favorite of mine.
5. HALLOWEEN III: SEASON OF THE WITCH (1982)
Yes, you are reading that right. I said Halloween III. No, don't click out of this article. Listen, I love this movie. When you are beginning to watch it, forget that it was titled a "Halloween" movie. It has nothing to do with the other films in the series. Just think of it as "Season of the Witch" and let it go from there. It's a movie about masks and the dangers of them. Well... kind of. It deals with Celtic witches and their use of technology to play the ultimate prank: a deadly, sick prank dealing with children, snakes and bugs. If you have epilepsy, I would stay away from the parts in the film with the flashing magic pumpkin. Starring Tom Atkins, who is a badass. Proceed with an open mind.
4. THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE (1974)
This film will get under your skin. This backwoods gore fest will surely give you a fright. Bubba Sawyer, (Gunnar Hansen) also referred to as 'Leatherface' was inspired by the real life Serial Killer, Edward Theodore Gein. We watch as Leatherface mutilates and dismembers his victims one by one, feeding his family their flesh, and constructs elaborate pieces of furniture from their bones. The kicker, a beautifully hand stitched face mask, that he sawed off from the previous guests. We learn a few core lessons from this film. Keep your nose out of other peoples business and stay out of places you don't belong. You may just end up as somebody's face mask, or hanging on a hook somewhere.
3. TRICK 'R TREAT (2007)
2. HALLOWEEN (1978)
One of my all time favorite movies, in general: "Halloween" is the movie most synonymously thought of with the holiday of the same name. Makes sense, right? It is a tale of an escaped mental patient on Halloween night who is killing teenage babysitters in the town he was raised in, Haddonfield. It was the highest grossing independent film for it's time and was also John Carpenter's ultimate tribute to Alfred Hitchcock. John Carpenter hired Jamie Lee Curtis to star in the film partly due to her mother, Janet Leigh starring in "Psycho." This movie is a must see for anyone just getting interested in horror, of course part of me believes that no one on the face of this earth has not seen this movie. I know I'm wrong, but I just can't fathom it.
1. THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935)
Okay, so you are probably wondering why I completely skipped "Frankenstein" and went straight into "The Bride of Frankenstein". Well, it's easy. This movie, we actually get to see Boris Karloff ACT. He played an amazing role as the Monster in the first film, but he shows a ton of emotion and character in this movie. Anywho, James Whale continues the story of "Frankenstein" (a movie based off of the novel by Mary Shelley) with this follow up story that takes place directly after the ending of the first film. It stars the great Colin Clive as Dr. Henry Frankenstein, as well as his creation (played by Boris Karloff). As Henry has been put responsible for the deaths his creation has caused in the first film, he vows to his wife, Elizabeth (Valerie Hobson) that he will no longer fool with creating man from the dead. When he is approached by an old colleague, Dr. Pretorius (Ernest Thesiger), he is threatened with repercussions if he doesn't help him create a woman, the to-be mate for Frankenstein's monster from the first film. This film is the definition of classic. It highlights the heyday of Carl Laemmle's Universal Pictures and the horror it put out in the early 20th century. "Friend... GOOD."
Some other honorable mentions:
NOSFERATU
THE CONJURING
FRIGHT NIGHT
THEY LIVE
