| 1. | Paranormal Activity - This film about a "real" haunted house might be a month too early, but hopefully that will give it time find a more wide release, because you HAVE to see this before Halloween. Paranormal Activity is an absolutely terrifying faux-documentary (think Blair Witch Project) that will having finally believing that horror movies can scare the living sh*t out of you again. |
| 2. | Scream 4 - Scre4m never takes itself too seriously, not only poking fun of the entire genre, but also cleverly mocking itself - and does so so well that it actually twists itself around into a refreshing, original serial killer drama that will thoroughly entertain you from start to finish. |
| 3. | Insidious - The first 80 minutes will have you slumped in your seat until you jump up screaming, but this film about a family's haunted house/son will disappoint in the final 20, and then fail to stick with you the moment it's ejected. |
| 4. | Orphan - The ending truly is the most shocking twist since The Sixth Sense, and the kid is just as creepy as Samara from The Ring. |
| 5. | Fright Night - Colin Farrell stars in this stylishly scary remake of the 1985 cult classic about a high school senior and his "bloody" strange new neighbor. |
| 6. | The Crazies - Now I know this isn't say much to the non-zombie fan, but this remake is probably one of the top 10 best zombie films ever - and for those for which this "doesn't mean" - The Crazies will have you jumping out off the edge of your seat more than a few times. |
| 7. | The Last Exorcism - This suspense/thriller possessed by a horror-movie will have you doubting your beliefs and reconsidering others. And though the demonic possession scenes are the best in nearly 30 years (since the original Exorcist) and the story leading up to the bizarre ending is truly unique and thoroughly suspenseful, The Last Exorcism will ultimately leave most movie-goers disappointed. |
| 8. | Piranha 3-D - If you are in the mood for a bloody, gnarly, laughable, b-movie horror film filled with naked ladies and over-the-top gore, this is your ticket. |
| 9. | Splice - Adrien Brody stars in this sci-fi-horror-thriller about scientists who tinker with DNA hybrids until something goes "terribly wrong" (as expected), but what comes next will pleasantly (and probably shockingly after seeing the laughable trailers) surprise you! |
| 10. | Let Me In - With no recognizable faces (as all great scary movies should), this film about a bullied boy who meets a young vampire girl is as good, if not better, than the original foreign film. |
| 11. | Shutter Island - A new Scorsese that's some of the same but a lot of new, including a lot of very artsy dripping red blood and falling black ash. Shutter Island has you double-taking and second-guessing every moment of every scene with every character, that suspense coupled with the Hitchcocky soundtrack creates a edge-of-your-seat thriller that is drawn out a little too long but ultimately worth your while in the end. |
| 12. | Human Centipede - This film about two American girls on a European road trip who find themselves alone at night when their car breaks down in the woods defies logic in every sense, but then again those die-hard horror fans that will like this are already used to that. |
| 13. | My Bloody Valentine 3D - A gory three-dimensional assault on your eyes with thrills and kills that will leave you watching out from under your 3-D glasses. |
| 14. | Drag Me To Hell - Scary as hell and full of fun, Sam Raimi’s Drag Me to Hell is a must-see, campy (not to be confused with Cabin Fever campy) and gory masterpiece. |
| 15. | A Perfect Getaway - A Perfect Getaway is a perfect campy b-movie horror film with an unpredictable act 3 twist and red herrings galore. |
| 16. | Final Destination 5 - If you loved the first two films in this gory franchise, you will be pleasantly surprised at this return to form. The creatively complex deaths in 3-D are reason enough to see-it in theaters, if you wait-for-it at home the lacking story between deaths might leave you wishing you were one of the ill-fated characters from the first act. |
| 17. | Passengers - Rent-it - This suspenseful drama about love and life starring Anne Hathaway will have your blanket pulled up just below your eyes. |
| 18. | Sorority Row - If you haven't seen the trailer (in other words, if you live in a log cabin with no TV or internet - but then how are you reading this?), this film might be worth catching in theaters - otherwise, wait for DVD. But either way, you'll be playing horror-movie he said, she said ("she's the killer... no he's the killer") the whole time and still never get it right. |
| 19. | Halloween II - While the film is not as good as Rob Zombie's first in the series, the violence is relentlessly brutal and will definitely have you jumping out of your seat. Ladies, prepare to scream. |
| 20. | Friday the 13th - This sequel remake is right in line with every other Friday the 13th and better than most of the new slasher/horror films. |
| 21. | Surveillance - An extremely gory thriller that does exactly as it intends to do, gives you chills and stirs your stomach to near nausea. It will leave you thinking the worst about people, fearing strangers, especially cops and authoritative figures. |
| 22. | Last House on the Left - The unrated version is as terrifying as it is nauseating in parts, but if you're on of the rare few looking for just that, it's as good as it gets. |
| 23. | The Collector - Fans of Saw (especially the original) will be more than pleasantly surprised with what they've done with this new suspenseful plot and horrifying story. |
| 24. | Jennifer's Body - A topless Megan Fox and R-rating will draw far too many movie-goers to this horror comedy with zero laughs and screams. |
| 25. | Paranormal Activity 2 - Even if you didn't see the first film in this terrifying low-budget horror series, this film about a haunted home will still entertain and scare. And though this prequel isn't quite as intense, it's actually better written and a more interesting plot. |