Believe it or not, we are only two weeks from Halloween, which means we are halfway though the 20 horror movies to watch this October. Every Friday this month, I will be bringing you five horror movies, in four categories, presented in no particular order. Gear up and grab your chainsaws, silver bullets, wooden stakes and dynamite time bombs.

Essential

“Evil Dead 2” (1987)
Dr. Raymond Knowby must have slept through a very important anthropology lesson- if you find “The Book of the Dead,” don’t read its contents out loud in a creepy old cabin in the middle of the woods. All hell breaks loose, but thankfully Ash (played by B-movie superstar Bruce Campbell) is there to save the day. After being forced to self-amputate, Ash replaces his hand with a gas-powered chainsaw that he uses to fight off the demons in the cabin. This sequel is considered by most as a reboot on the series, so you won’t be missing out if you haven’t seen the original “Evil Dead.” Sam Raimi directs this cult classic that is chock-full of over the top action and Three Stooges inspired humor. Groovy.

Tricky Trivia: The undead Henrietta is played by Sam Raimi’s brother, Ted.


Essential
“An American Werewolf in London” (1981)
Waking up naked in a cage at the zoo, without memory of getting there, has happened to the best of us. Funny thing is, college student David Kessler wasn’t out getting wasted the night before- he was out killing people as a werewolf. The friend who was killed the night David was initially turned into the monster returns from the dead to beg him to kill himself before another full moon rises. This is not an easy thing to ask, especially since he just fell in love with a young English nurse a few days prior. Oh, what’s a werewolf to do? This movie arguably has the best transmogrification scene ever and will have you liking lycanthropy.

Tricky Trivia: Director John Landis was also the man behind the camera of “Animal House” and Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” video.


From The Vault

“Village of the Damned” (1960)
In England, an entire town’s population unexplainably falls asleep and wakes up not recalling what had happened (sound familiar, ABC execs?). A few women give birth nine months later to kids who look like siblings, are super smart and can make you do their bidding with their hypno-eyes. They soon use their powers to cause havoc and death in the town. Can they be stopped before they take over the world? As if little kids with English accents weren’t creepy enough on their own, it’s always a good idea to steer clear of Kirstie Alley movies, and the 1995 remake is no exception to the rule.

Tricky Trivia: The project was shelved during production for three years by MGM because of the controversial topic of immaculate conception.


So Bad It’s (maybe) Good

“Halloween III: Season of the Witch” (1982)
Ahh, nothing like throwing in a Halloween movie to see Michael Myers stalk and slash his victims. Wait, what? No Michael Myers? That’s right, the big bad villain in this strange installment is a corporation called Silver Shamrock. Its deadly weapon: Halloween masks. The only one who can save the children from a terrible fate is Dr. Daniel Challis and his moustache of justice. Maybe it’s the terrible acting, or maybe it’s the catchy Silver Shamrock jingle, but this movie plays in my house every October. I wonder what Rob Zombie would do with this source material.

Tricky Trivia: Sorry, I lied. Michael Myers is actually in this movie for about five seconds on a television in a bar. Ooo, scary.


You May Have Missed

“Let The Right One In” (2008)
This Swedish film is easily the best vampire flick in a very long time (sorry, Twilight fans) and has 56 awards to show for it. Oskar is a 12-year-old boy who is constantly bullied and dreams of getting revenge. He befriends Eli, a new girl to his apartment complex, and starts to fall in love with her. The problem is, she’s a 200-year-old bloodsucker perpetually stuck in her twelve-year-old self’s body. An intriguing story with incredible acting and directing to give it full justice. The DVD includes subtitles or an English-dubbed track that is actually good. This is easily the best horror movie of the decade. See this movie. I cannot stress this enough.

Tricky Trivia: The title is named after the Morrissey song “Let The Right One Slip In.”

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