Top Classic Scary Movies for the Fall Months (2012)
_________________________________________________________________________
Related Articles
50 Movies and Counting...
FALL TIME FUN!
Summer is coming to an end, and autumn is right around the corner -- with dark cozy nights in the forecast, and halloween on the way, everyone's looking for those good scary movies to watch. Well fire up the chimney, make yourself a warm cup of coffee (or apple cider) and get comfortable!
TOO SCARY 2 WATCH now presents a list of classic Horror films (arranged by year) that we believe are perfect for the autumn months, and halloween time!
When we say "classic" we are referring to scary movies that are at least 20 years old, and with so many great Classic Horror films on the market, we couldn't possibly include them all, so we've done our best to include a variety of different classic horror movies (along with several cult horror films and psychological thrillers), emphasizing the ones we believe are most suitable for the fall/winter months ... with a few exceptions of course.
Psycho, Night of the Living Dead, The Exorcist, Friday the 13th and more!
When we say "classic" we are referring to scary movies that are at least 20 years old, and with so many great Classic Horror films on the market, we couldn't possibly include them all, so we've done our best to include a variety of different classic horror movies (along with several cult horror films and psychological thrillers), emphasizing the ones we believe are most suitable for the fall/winter months ... with a few exceptions of course.
Want More Classic Horror - Check out some of our other lists?
Proceed to Best 50's Horror Movies - (1950-1959)
Proceed to Best 60's Horror Movies - (1960-1969)
Proceed to Best 70's Horror Movies - (1970-1979)
Proceed to Best 80's Horror Movies - (1980-1989)
________________________________________________________________________
Disclaimer
Not all of the movies on the list, in our opinion, are good movies, but were chosen to be included for a variety of different reasons.
Thanks and enjoy!
________________________________________________________________________
1. Dracula (1931)
Bela Lugosi turns in a landmark horror performance in this 1931 adaptation of Bram Stoker's classic vampire novel. Revisit Transylvania for the eerie mood created by spectacular cinematography and Lugosi's oft-copied take on the infamous Dracula. Dwight Frye as Renfield also helps define the grotesque and sniveling sidekick role.
Directors: Tom Browning, Karl Freund
Approved
75 mins
2. Frankenstein (1931)
Boris Karloff stars as the screen's most memorable monster in what many consider to be the greatest horror film ever made. Dr. Frankenstein (Colin Clive) dares to tamper with life and death by creating a human monster (Karloff) out of lifeless body parts. It's director James Whale's adaptation of the Mary Shelley novel blended with Karloff's compassionate portrayal of a creature groping for identity that makes Frankenstein a masterpiece not only of the genre, but for all time.
Director: James Whale
Not-Rated
70 mins
________________________________________________________________________
3. M (1931)
German-American director Fritz Lang presents his first "talkie" -- and cinema's first serial killer -- in this 1931 classic whose central villain was later used in Nazi propaganda films to illustrate the evils of sexual deviance. Propelled by a compulsion he can't control, plump pedophile Hans Beckert (Peter Lorre) escapes the eye of the law -- but not the wrath of the Berlin underworld being blamed for his crimes. Otto Wernicke co-stars.
Director: Fritz Lang
Not-Rated
117 mins
________________________________________________________________________
4. Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
One of the most popular horror classics of all time and an acclaimed sequel to the original Frankenstein. The legendary Boris Karloff reprises his role as the screen's most understood monster who now longs for a mate of his own. Colin Clive is back as the overly ambitious Dr. Frankenstein, who creates the ill-faed bride (Elsa Lanchester). Directed by the original's James Whale (hislast horror film) and featuring a haunting musical score, The Bride of Frankenstein ranks as one of the finest films not only of the genre, but for all time.
Director: James Whale
Not-Rated
75 mins
________________________________________________________________________
5. The Thing from Another World (1951)
According to many film fanatics, The Thing belongs in the pantheon of science fiction classics. This celluloid chronicle follows a team of scientists and researchers who discover an unclassifiable creature frozen in a block of ice. When the ice thaws, it unleashes a powerful, destructive creature that's bent on annihilating everything in its path.
Directors: Christian Nyby, Howard Hawks
TV-PG
87 mins
________________________________________________________________________
6. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
Evil-intentioned extraterrestrials capable of replicating humans and assuming their identities invade the sleepy California hamlet of Santa Mira. It's up to the local doctor to sound the alarm and almost single-handedly battle the alien forces.
Director: Don Siegel
Approved
80 mins
________________________________________________________________________
7. House on Haunted Hill (1959)
Millionaire Frederick Loren offers five people $10,000 to stay a night in a remote haunted house, giving each of them a loaded gun as a "party favor." Throughout the night, they're terrorized by skeletons, disembodied heads and other grisly apparitions. Will any of the guests survive to win the prize? Or will the house scare them to death? The legendary Vincent Price stars in one of director William Castle's most famous chillers.
Director: William Castle
Not -Rated
75 mins
________________________________________________________________________
8. Eyes Without a Face (1960)
Les yeux sans visage (original title)
A plastic surgeon (Pierre Brasseur) becomes obsessed with making things right after his daughter Christiane's (Edith Scob) face is terribly disfigured in a car accident that he caused. Overcome with guilt, Dr. Genessier and his vicious nurse, Louise (Alida Valli), concoct a plan to give Christiane her face back by kidnapping young girls and removing their faces ... and then grafting them onto Christiane's.
Director: Georges Franju
Unrated
88 mins
________________________________________________________________________
9. Psycho (1960)
When larcenous real estate clerk Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) goes on the lam with a wad of cash and hopes of starting a new life, she ends up at the notorious Bates Motel, where twitchy manager Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) cares for his housebound mother. The place seems quirky but fine … until Marion decides to take a shower. Director Alfred Hitchcock's Oscar-nominated shocker has been terrifying viewers for decades -- and for good reason.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Unrated
108 mins
________________________________________________________________________
10. Village of the Damned (1960)
In the English village of Midwich, the blond-haired, glowing-eyed children of uncertain paternity prove to have frightening powers.
Director: Wolf Rilla
Unrated
77 mins
11. The Birds (1963)
Chic socialite Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren) enjoys a passing flirtation with an eligible attorney (Rod Taylor) in a San Francisco pet shop and, on an impulse, follows him to his hometown bearing a gift of lovebirds. But upon her arrival, the bird population runs amok. Suddenly, the townsfolk face a massive avian onslaught, with the feathered fiends inexplicably attacking people all over Bodega Bay.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
PG-13
120 mins
________________________________________________________________________
12. Black Sabbath (1963)
I tre volti della paura (original title)
In this 1963 trilogy of chilling tales, a beautiful woman's ex-lover terrorizes her, a father returns home a vampire, and a ghost haunts a nurse. The vampire story -- probably the most famous of the three -- stars a poignant Boris Karloff, who also plays host for the anthology. Italian horror impresario Mario Bava served as writer, director and cinematographer for the film, and composer Les Baxter serves up the martini-soaked lounge score.
Directors: Mario Bava, Salvatore Billitteri
Not-Rated
95 mins
________________________________________________________________________
13. The Haunting (1963)
Three people are recruited by a paranormal investigator to help uncover the secrets of Hill House, a mansion overwhelmed by spirits of its former residents in this classic horror flick based on The Haunting of Hill House, a novel by Shirley Jackson. As the guests delve deeper into the home's past, they are seduced further into its sinister web. Julie Harris, Ronald Adam, Claire Bloom, Lois Maxwell and Russ Tamblyn star.
Director: Robert Wise
Unrated
112 mins
________________________________________________________________________
14. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
As dead bodies inexplicably return to life and feast on human flesh, young Barbara (Judith O'Dea) joins a group of survivors in a farmhouse hoping to protect themselves from the hordes of advancing zombies. But soon enough, only one person remains. Writer-director George A. Romero's low-budget horror classic continues to inspire heebie-jeebies, in part because of the randomness of the zombies' targets.
Director: George A. Romero
Unrated
96 mins
________________________________________________________________________
15. Rosemary's Baby (1968)
Rosemary Woodhouse (Mia Farrow), the young wife of a struggling actor (John Cassavetes), is thrilled to find out she's pregnant. But the larger her belly grows, the more certain she becomes that her unborn child is in serious danger. Perhaps there's something sinister behind the odd enthusiasm her eccentric neighbors (Sidney Blackmer and Ruth Gordon, in an Oscar-winning performance) have for her welfare. Or perhaps it's all in her mind.
Director: Roman Polanski
R-Rated
136 mins
________________________________________________________________________
16. Tales from the Crypt (1972)
When a sightseeing trip leads them astray, a group of tourists (including the glamorous Joan Collins) find themselves lost in an underground labyrinth where they come face to face with a monk (Ralph Richardson) who foretells their futures. Freddie Francis directs this vintage horror classic based on the chilling stories of William M. Gaines and Al Feldstein, a film not to be confused with the long-running HBO anthology series.
Director: Freddie Francis
PG
92 mins
________________________________________________________________________
17. The Exorcist (1973)
When movie actress Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn) begins to suspect that an evil spirit is possessing her young daughter, Regan (Linda Blair), she calls in two priests (Max von Sydow and Jason Miller) to try and exorcise the demon against frightening and formidable odds. Writer William Peter Blatty scored an Academy Award for his big-screen adaptation of his own novel; the film also won an Oscar for Best Sound.
Director: William Friedkin
R-Rated
121 mins
________________________________________________________________________
18. Black Christmas (1974)
Terror reigns inside a sorority house a few days before Christmas break as a series of menacing phone calls -- and the discovery of a dead girl's body -- transform yuletide cheer into fear. Margot Kidder, Olivia Hussey and Andrea Martin ("SCTV") co-star as just a few of the petrified sisters at the mercy of an unseen stalker in this 1970s horror gem from director Robert Clark, who told a much happier holiday tale with his 1983 classic, A Christmas Story.
Director: Bob Clark
R-Rated
97 mins
________________________________________________________________________
19. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
Director Tobe Hooper's horror classic is a gruesome reminder that a movie need not be complicated to scare the daylights out of viewers. Sally (Marilyn Burns), her wheelchair-bound brother (Paul A. Partain) and their friends travel to a vandalized graveyard to see if their grandfather's remains are intact. En route, they come upon chainsaw-wielding maniac Leatherface (Gunnar Hansen), and it's a fight to the bloody death between good and evil.
Director: Tobe Hooper
R-Rated
84 mins
________________________________________________________________________
20. Carrie (1976)
Carrie (Sissy Spacek) may be ostracized, but the shy teen has the ability to move objects with her mind. So when the high school "in crowd" torments her with a sick joke at the prom, she lashes out with devastating -- and deadly -- power. William Katt (of television's "The Greatest American Hero") co-stars as the object of Carrie's affection in director Brian De Palma's deft adaptation of Stephen King's first novel.
Director: Brian De Palma
Writer: Stephen King
R-Rated
97 mins
________________________________________________________________________
21. The Omen (1976)
Robert (Gregory Peck) and Katherine (Lee Remick) Thorn raise a boy, Damien (Harvey Stephens), in place of their stillborn infant, and all is well until it is foretold that Damien is the spawn of the devil. Soon, Robert is pitted against the forces of Hell and must make a fateful decision. Richard Donner directs; Billie Whitelaw, David Warner, Patrick Troughton and Martin Benson co-star in this classic scary tale.
Director: Richard Donner
R-Rated
110 mins
________________________________________________________________________
22. The Sentinel (1977)
Model Alison Parker (Cristina Raines) gets a great deal on a Brooklyn, N.Y., apartment -- but there's just one catch: It's also the gateway to Hell, and she's on the invite list. Universal's answer to The Exorcist features special makeup effects by Dick Smith and a stellar supporting cast: Chris Sarandon, Burgess Meredith, Jose Ferrer, Sylvia Miles, John Carradine, Christopher Walken, Jeff Goldblum, Ava Gardner and Tom Berenger.
Director: Michael Winner
R-Rated
91 mins
________________________________________________________________________
23. Suspiria (1977)
This horror gem follows Susan (Jessica Harper), a naïve young American girl whose talents have brought her to an illustrious European ballet school. But once she gets there, she realizes there's something strange going on as she's faced with a cluster of freaky happenings, from a shower of maggots to poison in her food. What she soon learns is that the school has been a meeting place for witches for many years.
Director: Dario Argento
R-Rated
93 mins
________________________________________________________________________
24. Dawn of the Dead (1978)
Picking up where Night of the Living Dead left off, this classic horror flick from director George A. Romero begins with an undead army of flesh-eating zombies taking over every major city in the United States. Running for their lives, Peter (Ken Foree), Roger (Scott H. Reiniger), Stephen (David Emge) and Frances (Gaylen Ross) find refuge in a remote shopping mall, only to discover they have to fight a motorcycle gang, too.
Director: George A. Remero
Unrated
128 mins
________________________________________________________________________
25. Halloween (1978)
Michael Myers, who just escaped from a mental hospital, goes on a murderous rampage on Halloween night after returning to his hometown of Haddonfield, Ill. Inexplicably, his prize victim seems to be babysitter Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis). Psychiatrist Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasence) is on a mission to stop Myers in this slasher classic, which John Carpenter co-writes and directs. Nancy Kyes and Charles Cyphers co-star.
Director: John Carpenter
R-Rated
91 mins
________________________________________________________________________
26. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
San Francisco biologist Elizabeth Driscoll (Brooke Adams) turns to health inspector Matthew Bennell (Donald Sutherland) for help when her live-in beau begins acting odd -- and distant. Matthew and Elizabeth notice that suddenly almost everyone around them has become impassive. When their friends discover a developing doppelgänger in their commercial mud baths, the foursome realizes an alien invasion is under way. Can they stop it?
Director: Philip Kaufman
PG
115 mins
________________________________________________________________________
27. Alien (1979)
Ridley Scott's sci-fi horror classic stars Sigourney Weaver as Ripley, a tough-as-nails warrant officer who stares down one of the most terrifying movie monsters of all time: a bloodthirsty alien that stalks and eviscerates its prey. As the deadly creature winds its way through the air shafts of the spacecraft Nostramo, the crew members consider deploying the ship's escape shuttle … but there's only room for four people.
Director: Ridley Scott
R-Rated
117 mins
________________________________________________________________________
28. The Amityville Horror (1979)
This 1979 chiller is based on the reportedly true story of George Lutz (James Brolin) and his wife, Kathleen (Margot Kidder), who move into their Long Island dream house with their children. But the Lutz's lives turn into a hellish nightmare as the legacy of a murder committed on the premises gradually affects the family. Even the priest they call in, Father Delaney (Rod Steiger), cannot exorcise the demonic presence from the home.
Director: Stuart Rosenberg
R-Rated
119 mins
________________________________________________________________________
29. Phantasm (1979)
Often considered one of the icons of 1970s independent horror cinema, director Don Coscarelli's classic nail-biter follows two boys who, in pursuit of an odd-looking grave robber, may wind up as the newest members of a freshly dead slave race. Jody (Bill Thornbury) and Mike (A. Michael Baldwin) discover that the creature (Angus Scrimm) stealing cadavers walks the earth but lives in the afterworld -- and that it needs more corpses.
Director: Don Coscarelli
R-Rated
88 mins
________________________________________________________________________
30. Salem's Lot (1979)
When author Ben Mears (David Soul) returns to his New England hometown of Jerusalem's Lot to write his new book, he becomes disturbed by the behavior of the townspeople, particularly new resident and antiques dealer Mr. Straker (James Mason). After Straker's partner, the vampire Mr. Barlow, arrives in Salem's Lot, he soon begins to convert the townsfolk into an army of the undead. Tobe Hooper directs this story based on Stephen King's novel.
Director: Tobe Hooper
Writer: Stephen King
PG
183 mins
________________________________________________________________________
31. When a Stranger Calls (1979)
A petrified baby-sitter, a relentlessly ringing telephone and whispered threats set the stage for this suspense-packed, hair-raising chiller. A string of menacing phone calls unnerves baby-sitter Jill Johnson (Carol Kane). When a compulsive shamus (Charles Durning) enters the scene to nab the caller -- a deranged killer -- Jill thinks all is well. But seven years later, the maniac returns to ruthlessly torment Jill, who's now a wife and mother.
Director: Fred Walton
R-Rated
97 mins
________________________________________________________________________
32. The Changeling (1980)
When composer John Russell (George C. Scott) loses his wife and daughter in a car wreck, he seeks solace by renting a secluded estate outside Seattle. But the mansion is haunted by the presence of a child who died there more than 80 years ago. Now, Russell must find out who that child was -- and why there seems to be a cover-up about his existence. Peter Medak directs this chilling horror classic that inspired visual elements in other films.
Director: Peter Medak
R-Rated
115 mins
________________________________________________________________________
33. The Fog (1980)
While an old, weather-beaten fisherman tells a ghost story to fascinated children huddled by a campfire, a piece of driftwood in a child's hands begins to glow, and an eerie fog envelops the seaside community of Antonio Bay. From its midst emerges demonic victims of a century-old shipwreck seeking revenge on the small town. Director John Carpenter's follow-up to his breakout film, Halloween, stars Jamie Lee Curtis and Janet Leigh.
Director: John Carpenter
R-Rated
91 mins
________________________________________________________________________
34. Friday the 13th (1980)
Twenty years after several mysterious deaths shut it down, Camp Crystal Lake reopens -- but the place clearly hasn't shaken its "death curse," as a deranged killer terrorizes the teen counselors in this original version of the classic slasher flick. Gruesome makeup and effects, a nubile cast (including a young Kevin Bacon) and an iconic villain make this horror film a genre-defining classic for the ages.
Director: Sean S. Cunningham
R-Rated
95 mins
________________________________________________________________________
35. The Shining (1980)
On the wagon and out of lucrative work thanks to his alcoholism and family troubles, aspiring novelist Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) accepts a position as the off-season custodian at an elegant but eerie hotel so he can write undisturbed. But shortly after Jack, his wife (Shelley Duvall) and his young son (Danny Lloyd) settle in, the ominous hotel begins to wield its sinister power in this chilling horror classic helmed by Stanley Kubrick.
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Writer: Stephen King
R-Rated
143 mins
________________________________________________________________________
36. An American Werewolf in London (1981)
John Landis writes and directs this bloody yet black humor-injected thriller that tells the story of American backpacker David (David Naughton), who, after surviving a vicious werewolf attack that left his friend, Jack (Griffin Dunne), dead, becomes a murderous werewolf himself. Prowling the streets of London, David learns that his living-dead victims will wander in limbo until he is dead. This film garnered an Oscar for Best Makeup.
Director: John Landis
R-Rated
97 mins
________________________________________________________________________
37. The Evil Dead (1981)
During an unplanned stop at a remote cabin deep within the woods, a group of teens falls prey to a mysterious supernatural force. As his pals become possessed and turn into flesh-eating zombies, Ash (Bruce Campbell) struggles to keep his cool and save his own skin. Written and directed by Sam Raimi, this special effects-laden, low-budget cult classic co-stars Theresa Tilly, Betsy Baker and Ellen Sandweiss.
Director: Sam Raimi
Not-Rated
85 mins
________________________________________________________________________
38. The Howling (1981)
After a traumatic experience at work, TV reporter Karen White (Dee Wallace) checks into a plush California resort called The Colony to rest. Yet, on her
