So I decided to have some fun this October and watch a horror film every day for the thirty days leading up to Halloween. And I’ve decided to share my thoughts on each film here on the blog. Maybe you’ll find a new film to watch, maybe I’ll save you from watching a bad one. I’m not a huge horror movie fan, but of all of the thousands of horror movies that have been made, there are certainly some very good ones, hoping my choices pan out to be good ones.

1. The Exorcist (1973) – For me this is the original horror flick. Sure there were certainly other horror movies before this one, but this was my most vivid memory. The film came out when I was nine, I didn’t see it til some time later. But my mom went to see it in the theater, I remember because she made a fateful dinner choice that night, she made split pea soup.

I hadn’t seen the Exorcist in a really long time and the first thing that struck me watching it was the incredible cinematography in the beginning of the film, the scenes shot in Iraq, those initial scenes were filmed by Billy Williams and are truly spectacular. This is a great film, great cast, great direction, and at the time it was released unbelievable shock value. This film is a legitimate R rated film, there are scenes that absolutely shouldn’t be seen by children. A great way to start my horror movie journey.

2. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) – This movie terrified me when it came out and watching it now, I have no idea why. I really didn’t remember as much about it as I thought, it’s badly acted and written and features Johnny Depp in his first role. A tad bit of nostalgia but I’d skip it for something else.

3. Don’t look now (1973) – I picked this movie for two reasons, first it’s on every list of great horror movies and secondly, I’ve never seen it. The movie is best known for the controversial sex scene with Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie, scandalous by 1973 standards, fifty years later, not so much. It’s a well shot film, and it’s one of those film school, film critic loved films. So, as usual for those type of films, it’s a bit boring, not really all that scary. It’s known for recurring themes and the psychological aspects of the film. If you’re really into technical film and dissecting and analyzing movies, it’s a good one, if not, it’s more than a bit slow.

4. The Babadook (2014) – Another movie on all of the best horror movie lists. This film starts slow and for the first half it’s a pretty typical set up for a horror film. You think you know where this one is going and honestly I was on my phone a bit playing out the string. Then it started to ramp up, then it kicked into high gear and turned into a bit of a twisting roller coaster. While this movie didn’t necessarily scare me, it is a very unique and well made horror film, definitely worth checking out and definitely intense.

5. Hereditary (2018) – I was really looking forward to this one, I’d heard it was fantastic, it’s on a bunch of best horror lists and it stars Toni Collette who I absolutely love. What a damn disappointment! Honestly, it’s disjointed and frankly kind of boring. It’s a huge pass recommendation from me.

6. Jeepers Creepers (2001) – I freakin love this movie, I remember the first time I saw it, I found it to be really intense, it helped that it was during a bout of insomnia and I first watched it at about 3AM, but it got to me the first time. I like this movie because it has a coherent story, does a nice job of foreshadowing and plays every horror trope. There’s some jump cuts, scary car sequences, dead bodies, a crazy cat lady, a crazy psychic lady, weird townspeople, disbelieving cops, a high school urban legend and a seriously freaking creepy monster. If you’re looking for an enjoyable horror film, this should definitely be on the list.

7. Poltergeist (1982) – How could I not love this film, it came out my senior year of high school, it’s got a great cast, great performances and the cutest, creepiest little girl in film history, “their heeeeeeeere…” Throw in an old built over cemetery and the perfect actresses in all of horror films, Zelda Rubinstein. And finally of course, the Poltergeist series of films is centered around the creepiest dude in all of film, my namesake, Reverend Kane.