Hollywood's Happily

Horrific Halloween

Halloween's around the corner. Few other holidays are so profoundly defined by the films that represent them. Sure, December's filled with timehonored classics like "Miracle on 34th Street" and "It's a Wonderful Life," but the Yuletide message is pretty much the same: Let's be kind and generous to our fellow man.

Halloween represents that other lofty cinematic ambition. Let's scare the pants off our fellow man. Less noble, perhaps, but far more entertaining. And for some, Oct. 31 is far less about Snickers and costumes than it is about choosing a suitable concoction of chilling, squirminducing films to celebrate the occasion.

Unlike Christmas, when we can actually enjoy an entire season of suitable films, Halloween's pretty much a onenight stand. (Trying to scare yourself silly on, say, Oct. 28 feels as emotionally unfulfilling as watching "A Christmas Story" on Dec. 27.) So, with that single evening's obsession in mind, here are my recommendations-depending, of course, on one's taste for the macabre-for Hollywood's Happily Horrific Halloween. (Film dates accompany those films that have been remade.)

For film buffs and horrorflick historians: These classics still hold up against the musty mirror of time: "Frankenstein" (1931) and 1935's even better "Bride of Frankenstein," in sequence, of course; "Cat People" (1942); and the underrated, little-seen (in the U.S.) British anthology "Dead of Night" (1945). Ah, nightmares!

For the meeker horror traditionalist: Prepare for morning mists, shadowed chills and unguarded moments. Oh, and hot showers: "The Haunting" (1963), "Psycho" (1960) and the Vincent Price classic "House on Haunted Hill" (1959).

For the bulletproof traditionalist (those with stronger stomachs and sturdier hearts): "The Amityville Horror" (1979), "The Exorcist" and "The Shining." In terms of sheer terror, one of the best hat-tricks available. There's a new, recut version of the original "Exorcist" available on DVD as well. It's supposedly even more horrific. Oh, boy.

For the psychologically intimidated: When nary a drop of blood is necessary to terrify: "The Other" (1972 and not to be confused with Nicole Kidman's "The Others," noted below for ghost-lovers), "Village of the Damned" (1960) and "The Innocents" (1961).

For the mirthfully macabre: If you like your bloodletting, bugcrawling and livingdead best buddies with a belly laugh, try these: "Thirteen Ghosts" (1982), "Scary Movie 4" (this one's the best of the clever franchise) and the tongue-in-cheek zombie classic "Shaun of the Dead."

And speaking of zombiephiles: "Night of the Living Dead" (1980-okay, yes, I liked the remake, with Patricia Tallman, better than George Romero's 1968 original. Diehard fans may disagree, but hey, find your own newspaper). Also, the intelligent "The Serpent and the Rainbow" and "28 Days Later." For traditionalists, if you can find 1943's "I Walked with a Zombie," rent it. It's got legs.

For those who enjoy subtitles: Sometimes, it takes a foreign eye to twist an American's soul. These are true horror classics in any language. "Les Diaboliques" (French, 1955), "Ju-On" (the original, far spookier Japanese version of "The Grudge") and the occultladen "Dark Waters" (Italian, 1994).

For those who love their terror "over the top": Kinda funny flicks, but in an icky way: "Dead Alive" (also known as "Braindead" and more blood frame-for-frame than any movie I've ever seen, amazingly directed by Hobbit-lover Peter Jackson); Clive Barker's "Hellraiser" (hey, get the boxed trilogy set!); and, my personal favorite, "Re-Animator," the story of what happens when you accidentally kill your girlfriend's father ... then bring him back to life.

For the paranoia prone: 'Tis not about the things that go bump in the night, but rather those things that go bump in the head. "Spider" (2002), "Repulsion" (1965, a lesser-known Roman Polanski/Catherine Deneuve masterpiece) and "Pi" (which is just too strange to describe).

For the ghost aficionado: "The Others" (2001), the 1962 cult classic "Carnival of Souls" and "The Sixth Sense." (Or, if you've seen the latter a halfdozen times already, try "Stir of Echoes" with Kevin Bacon. This commendable spooker came out the same year as "The Sixth Sense" but was sadly overwhelmed by the other's success.)

For older children not quite ready for "The Exorcist": "Creepshow" (1982); "The Mummy" (1999) and its sequel, "The Mummy Returns"; and "King Kong" (2005).

For littler kids (under 12): "E.T." (of course), "The Goonies" and "The Explorers" (1985). More outer space than true horror, but more digestible to younger psyches.

For the eccentric, terrorsavvy avantgardist: "Mulholland Drive" (David Lynch almost, but not quite, goes over the edge), the esoterically spooky "Dark City" and, of course, 1977's indescribable (Lynch again) "Eraserhead."

The best of the new millennia: "The Ring" (2002), "The Descent" (2005) and the original "Saw (2004). Fright for fright's sake-but, hey, it's Halloween.

For the slasher fanatic: For the record, I am not a fan of the slasher film, but these are more

arthouse intense than ketchupfactory gory. "Halloween" (the Jamie Lee Curtis original, 1972), Wes Craven's original (1984) "A Nightmare on Elm Street" and "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" (1974). Not even "The Exorcist" could top this, for my money, as the most exquisitely horrific film ever made. Tobe Hooper's classic original.

If all else fails: They eat your flesh, they suck your blood and, unseen by human eyes, they infiltrate your house. Silently, they breed in your bed at night, when all the lights are out. If nothing else on this list spooks you, try "The Unknown World." This NOVA special documents (with an itchy, twitchy reality) the millions of monstrous, microscopic creatures that actually live in your hair, on your skin and under your sheets. These monsters are real (and apparently content)-and they live with you forever. Boo!