It is officially October, even though it does not quite feel like it yet. By this time I am usually neck deep in horror films and documentaries about horror films. I guess what I am saying is like horror movies, but not just horror movies I also always looked forward to the Halloween episodes of TV shows; I guess that will be a different list. Here five of my favorite horror films.

Last House on the Left (1972) Wes Craven’s first time at the director’s chair. I am not even sure why I would list this film. It just feels wrong to watch. Every couple of years I mess up and watch it then I am horrified at myself for even owning this movie. It is a raw unflinching look at society’s depravity and man’s inhumanity to man. If you really want an old school, early 70’s, look at how modern horror developed this is where you have to start.

Cabin in the Woods (20112) I love this satirical look at horror films. This movie seeks to explain why, in America, groups of teens continually put themselves in needlessly dangerous situations. There is an evil organization that is trying to keep the ancients from rising up and destroying the world by sacrificing young adults. That is really it. It is a job like any other. It is a ritual like any other. The humor here plays, as it does in Whedon verse, from the reality of the situation. Just that little twist to reality that Whedon does so well has taken the cabin in the woods genre to an entirely new art form.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) That’s right I went with the remake, but hear me out. The original is so dated at this point that it hardly provides the scares anymore. It has almost turned into a slasher version of Rocky Horror Picture Show. We know exactly where the jumps are, and lets face that is all that is left in the original are jumps. The remake came out in 2003 and somehow adds a creep factor. This movie is far creepier to sit through. It really grabs you and puts you into it; from the beginning scene with Jessica Biel helping the old man who has agreed to let her use the phone in his house to R. Lee Ermy’s uncomfortable portrayal of small town sheriff. There is more here than,,, well chainsaw massacring; there is heart. That is not something you see in these kinds of movies very often.

Friday the 13th (1980) One of my first horror experiences I still love this movie to this day. The even pace killing off of characters, the surprise and gruesome nature of the killings, and of course that twist reveal about the killer what is not o love about this film. It has everything you could want from a slasher film. It sets the tone for all 80’s slasher movies that follow. Then there is the added scare that the waterfront of childhood summer camp closely resembled the water front of camp Crystal Lake, as I am sure most waterfronts did. The suspense of not know who the killer was all the way to the end of the movie was a first for me. To think that all this killing was done by Jason’s mother really through me. I still enjoy watching this movie.

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) Back to the absolute master of horror, Wes Craven. This is at the top of my list for the simple twist on the idea. As a kid when you were scared how did you get away from the boogie man? Simple pull the blanket over your head and go to sleep. We all know no boogey man can penetrate a sheet and once a sleep nothing bad can happen, right? Well not anymore. Now Mr. Craven has taken our last refuge and turned the boogey man loose. Nowhere is safe as Freddy Krueger has proven he can not only exist in the dream world but can also manifest in the real world. This one still scares me all these years later. I will watch it late at not in my dark and quiet house and suddenly I am a little kid again jumping at every sound I hear wondering if I remembered to lock the doors.

These are only five of my favorite horror films. I can’t say they are my top five because that would be like picking your favorite child. It would just be wrong. Did I forget one you really like? Let me know in the comments section. As always be sure to vote in the poll.