5 Movies For Halloween

By Rob Christopher in Arts & Entertainment on Oct 29, 2009 5:40PM

On Halloween, there are those of us who like to get dressed up and go to parties. And there are those of us who like to stay home curled up with a mug of hot cider and watch scary movies. We know who we are. A new Scorsese list got us thinking about what movies we would recommend. Here are five:

1. Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986)
We've only seen this once. We may never need to see it again. John McNaughton's deeply disturbing tale has less in the way of gore than most horror movies, but its Chicago location filming and gritty low budget texture heightens the impact. Like us, after seeing this movie you may avoid Lower Wacker Drive for the rest of your life.

2. Tales from the Crypt (1972)
Years before the HBO series, this surprisingly stylish British anthology movie riffed on the old E.C. Comics. The stellar early-70's British cast includes Joan Collins, Peter Cushing, Patrick Magee, and Sir Ralph Richardson as the Crypt-Keeper. One of the movie's highlights involves twin walls of razor blades.

3. The Host (2006)
Toxic waste creates a tentacled river beast in this monster movie par excellence. South Korea's all-time box office champ is a bloody riff on Godzilla with a dark sense of humor.

4. The Tingler (1959)
Scientist Vincent Price discovers that fear creates a worm-like creature which tightens its grip on the victim's spine, and the only way to subdue the parasite is by screaming. In order to study the creature's effects he drops some LSD to frighten himself. Really. The 40th Anniversary DVD has a beautiful anamorphic transfer that's definitely worth a look.

5. Stuck (2007)
Ever since seeing it at CIFF a few years ago, we've championed Chicago-born Stuart Gordon's grisly suspense thriller. For pedestrians like us, at the mercy of motorists who only seem vaguely aware of our presence as we cross the street, it's the ultimate horror tale.

What horror movies do you like?