Halloween is the perfect time of year to watch your favorite scary, gory, and all around creepy movies, but what are the truly scariest movies out there?
In honor of the ghoul-tastic holiday, TheWrap spoke with several legends of the horror genre to find out what movies will be keeping them up with the lights on this year.
Check out each horror star’s list and why they like each film below.
Kane Hodder (“Jason X,” “Jason Goes to Hell”)
-“The Exorcist” (1973) — “Best horror movie of all time! Untouched subject matter at the time. By the time you reached the theatre, you were already scared.”
-“The Shining” (1980)– “I would like to say one word: Nicholson!”
-“Poltergeist” (1982)– This started my interest in the paranormal world and inspired me to form the Hollywood Ghost Hunters.
-“Frankenstein” (1931)– “I patterned Jason in “Friday the 13th” (somewhat) after this character
-“The Birds” (1963– “The first movie that scared me as a kid.”
Bill Moseley (“Texas Chainsaw Masscare 2,” “House of 1000 Corpses,” “Devil’s Rejects)
-“Night of the Living Dead” (1968)– “The first of the ‘modern’ horror films I saw as a youth scared me as a story and captivated me as a brilliant vessel of scathing social commentary. George Romero really is the godfather of the modern horror movie. Casting an African American as Ben, the movie’s stalwart & resourceful hero, was a master stroke.”
-“Texas Chainsaw Massacre” (1974)– “Scared the crap out of me when i first saw it on the tail end of a double bill featuring Bruce Lee’s ‘Enter the Dragon’ at the old Paramount Theater in Boston’s Combat Zone back in the summer of ’76. The fear finally left me when I joined the Sawyer family as Choptop in the spring of 1986!”
–“Ghost of Frankenstein” (1942) — “Bela Lugosi steals the show as Igor, Dr. Frankenstein’s not-so-trustworthy assistant. Moody, wonderful sets, score & cinematography, but the non-Dracula Bela is the standout here!”
-“Carnival of Souls” (1962) — “A B&W indy gift from Herk Harvey by way of Lawrence, Kansas, and Salt Lake City, Carnival stars the oddly fetching Candace Hilligoss as a church organist who is stalked by a strange & frightening fellow with black rings around his eyes. Climax at SLC’s old Saltair Pavilion. Spooky, scary, cheesy- how would you like to be locked in a department store changing room and no one can hear you scream?!”
Michael Berryman (“The Hills Have Eyes,” “The Devil’s Rejects”)
-“The Hitcher” (1986)– “Captivating and very intense”
-“Silence of the Lambs” (1991)– “Disturbing and eerie.”
-“Dracula” (1992)– “Dreamscape, omnipresent, mystifying”
-“The Hill’s Have Eyes” (1977)–“Gritty, honest, in your face.”
-“The Exorcist” (1973)– “Got on my knees and prayed with a conscious effort!”
Allison Tolman, star of FX’s “Fargo” and Legendary’s Horror Comedy “Krampus”
-“The Descent” (2005)– “Surprisingly feminist ass-kicking shit show.”
-“The Babadook” (2014)–“A perfect combo of psychological and literal horror and Essie Davis is the KWEEN.”
-“The Orphanage” ( (scary that melts into heartbreak is the best you guys).
Colin Geddes, TIFF Midnight Madness Programmer and Lead Curator of Horror Streaming Service Shudder
“An American Werewolf in London” (1981)– “Rick Baker’s Oscar award-winning transformation certainly is one of the main attractions of the film, but I am always struck by our hero’s loss of control and helplessness in the situation. Plus, the best double nightmare sequence featuring Nazi werewolves!”
R.A. Mihailoff (“Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III”)
-“Freaks” (1932)– “This is the inspiration for the TV show ‘American Horror Story.’”
-“Carnival of Souls” (1962)– “Very atmospheric and spooky.”
-“Theatre of Blood” (1973)– “How can you go wrong with camping horror revolving around Shakespeare?”
-“Night of the Living Dead” (1968)– “First modern classic horror film ever. Created a genre still thriving today.”
-“Texas Chainsaw Massacre” (1974)– “Another game changer in modern horror”