My favorite holiday without a doubt is Halloween. Scaring people, dressing up in costumes, eating candy, it’s all good in my book. Unfortunately for us, Halloween this year falls on a Thursday- which means most of us won’t be able to take part in Halloween festivities on October 31st, due to having class the next morning and such (please contain your laughter). So, what I thought I should do as the resident movie expert is create a guide of great movies to watch on Halloween night with some friends, and still get to bed at a reasonable hour and be present to class the next day (I told you to contain your laughter).

Picking a movie for Halloween is a little more complicated then it seems on the surface. Naturally, a “dark and scary” movie is appropriate for the night, but with so many films fitting that bill, I figured I’d help you pick one.

As you’d imagine, I have a vigorous movie watching schedule planned for the entire week of Halloween, so here are the movies I’ll be watching, in no particular order the entire week leading up to Halloween.

Oh, and before you start to criticize, I should warn you, I have a very distinct taste in horror movies, as I do with all my movies. Some of the movies from the list below will be scary, some will be musical, and some just plain disgusting. However, all are strange in their own way and hold a special, scary place somewhere in my heart. I promise that any of them are great choices for that special night of terror!

Here we go.

“The Rocky Horror Picture Show”

-My Halloween tradition, I’ve watched this movie on Halloween night for the past few years. It’s crazy, cooky fun. Say what you want, but I have all the songs on my iPod, and know all the dance moves by heart. Guilty pleasure? Maybe, but you can’t argue with fun, and a movie about a transvestite from outer space? Come on, that’s just good cinema.

“The Exorcist”

– What I consider to be the scariest movie I’ve ever seen (pause for an uproar of “Come on Eddie, it’s not that scary!”), it’s just not Halloween without it. The little girl creeps me out, she’s so innocent, and yet the things she says and does are so disgustingly perverted and evil, you have to be scared. Plus, there is something so mesmerizing about a little girl violently vomiting on a priest.

“The Shining”

-What I consider to be the second scariest movie I’ve ever seen, again, it’s just not Halloween without it. As i’m sure you can tell by now if you’ve read even a few of my articles, I love Jack Nicholson, and this is Jack at his creepy, freaky best. What happens when the person you’re supposed to trust most is trying to kill you? You get one hell of a  great movie, that’s what happens.

“Sweeney Todd”

-Much like The Rocky Horror Picture Show, this movie isn’t exactly scary, but does make my list every year. Also like TRHPS, I have every song to this movie on my iPod. It’s just so catchy and good, plus, I can never say no to my girl, Helena Bonham Carter.

“The Human Centipede: First Sequence”

-I’m sure with a few of you, my credit as a movie critic has just evaporated. I can’t help it. I enjoy this movie. It’s so disgusting. It’s so messed up. It’s so wrong; I just can’t help it. Watch it with friends as a joke, like I did the first time, and it will be fun.

“The Human Centipede: Full Sequence”

-I’m sure with the rest of you, my credit as a movie critic has just evaporated, but again I say, I CAN’T HELP IT. Just when you thought it couldn’t be any worse, it does! Take the centipede and add a psychotic scary man, and boom! You’ve done it again, and freaked us out when we thought we had seen everything. (And in case you’re wondering, yes, they are making a third one, and yes, I can’t wait, reports say there will be 300 people in this centipede.)

“Sleepy Hollow”

-Another Tim Burton, Johnny Depp movie on the list, Sleepy Hollow again isn’t particularly scary, more dark and creepy, but still a lot of fun. It’s a good starter for those of you who want to watch a scary movie on Halloween, but still want to get to sleep that night.

“Alien“

-Not only is it one of my favorite Halloween movies, it’s one of my favorite movies of all time.  Trust me, I could go on for hours and hours about this movie (as I did in a previous Out Of My Element post). The movie invented the horror Sci-fi genre, and if that wasn’t enough, I promise you’ll be freaked out when you learn how chestbursters are born, and where xzenomrphs like to hide.

“Psycho“

-This is where I begin to rebuild the damage I did with a few of you moments ago when I suggested “Human Centipede.” Who can resist a classic? Arguably Alfred Hitchcock’s best film, and there are many great ones to compete with, “Psycho” pretty much defined suspense in horror movies. The famous shower scene is a classic, and a great source of some Halloween movie enjoyment.

“The Birds”

-Another Alfred Hitchcock movie, “The Birds“ is what you’d think it’s about. Birds. Birds that kill people. I’m sure it sounds ridiculous, but don’t count it out until you’ve seen it. You’ll be pleasantly surprised by how scary it is.

“Teeth”

-Oops. There goes my credibility again. Yes, this is a movie about a girl with evil genitalia, but if you don’t think this movie is scary, you’re crazy. I don’t think I’ve cringed so much in a movie before, or since. This movie is definitely not for the faint of heart, I’d suggest googling it before you watch it, so you know what you’re getting into.

“IT”

-Based off of the Steven King novel by the same name, and starring Tim Curry as Penywise the clown (Tim Curry also plays Dr. Frankenfurter, the transvestite in TRHPS), this movie could be a real nightmare for some of you. Personally clowns and spiders don’t scare me at all, but if they do scare you, good luck. You’re going to need it.

“Silence of the Lambs”

-This movie is home to one of the greatest movie characters of all time. Hannibal the cannibal Lecter. Another one of my favorite all time movies, I know it’s not traditionally put on Halloween lists, but hey, this is me, my movie selections are always a little uncouth. Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter is incredibly unsettling and will make your skin crawl, but the real scary character is Buffalo Bill played by Ted Levine. HE KILLS WOMEN AND MAKES SUITS OUT OF THEIR SKIN, come on, that’s terrifying.

And that’s where my list will conclude. I figured I’d settle on 13, after all, it would take to long to write 666 movie reviews. Some of the movies are legitimately scary, some are fun, some are creepy, and some are just weird. I guarantee there’s one to thoroughly creep you out, and what better time to do it then Halloween?