Best classic horror films to watch for Halloween

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Halloween just cannot be Halloween without people watching at least one horror movie on the holiday.

Ever since “Psycho” hit the silver screen in 1960, hundreds of horror films have been released, with some of the most popular, and best ones, coming out in the 70s, 80s and 90s.

If you find yourself looking to watch one of these classics on Oct. 31, here are the best ones to choose from, divided by film type.

Vampires

A true vampire does not sparkle.

Rather, vampires are murderous beasts lusting for human blood.

One of the best vampire movies Hollywood has ever produced came in 1987 with the release of “The Lost Boys.” The film takes place in Santa Carla, California, where numerous people have mysteriously disappeared.

In the midst of the disappearances, Sam, Mike and their mother move in with Grandpa. Mike falls in with a dangerous crowd, who turn out to be vampires.

“The Lost Boys” employs many traditional aspects of vampires: their reflection disappears, they have long fingernails, sunlight injures them, a wooden stake can be one of the ways to defeat them, etc.

If you want to see a true vampire movie, this one is your best bet.

Slashers

Horror films often tend to be slasher films with lots of blood and gore as characters are killed. Many of these slashers inspire entire franchises, but often, the original film takes the cake.

Take “Psycho” for example. The film follows Marion Crane as she runs away after stealing $50,000 from her boss in order to be with her lover. She is able to get as far as the Bates Motel, where Norman Bates lives with his mother.

During the night, a mysterious figure stabs Marion to death and an investigation into her disappearance begins.

“Psycho” inspired the slasher genre and is truly a psychological film that makes the viewer think.

Another great slasher film is “Friday the 13th.” The first of the series was released in 1980. The film follows a group of teenagers refurbishing Camp Crystal Lake, where an unknown assailant murdered some counselors two decades earlier.

One by one, each of the counselors meet their fate at the hands of a seemingly invisible killer. When they finally reveal their identity, it’s not the average every day movie serial killer, who is typically a white male. Rather, it is a mother out for revenge.

Watch these two if you want to see a film with some blood, gore and a little using your brain along the way.

Series

Many horror films inspired sequels and entire franchises after the original. Three of the most prominent horror franchises are “Halloween,” “A Nightmare on Elm Street” and “Scream.”

The first “Halloween” was released in 1978 and tells the story of Michael Myers, who at the age of six murders his sister on Halloween night. Fifteen years later, Michael escapes and goes after his older sister Laurie Strode, stalking and killing several of her friends in order to get at her.

The best entries in the “Halloween” series are the original film, “Halloween II,” made in 1981, and “Halloween H20: 20 Years Later,” released in 1996.

Wes Craven introduced the world to Freddy Krueger in 1984 with the release of “A Nightmare on Elm Street.” Throughout the film, Freddy appears in teenagers’ dreams and kills them, which also kills them in reality.

The first film inspired six sequels and a remake in 2010. The ones to certainly watch are the original film and Wes Craven’s 1994 “New Nightmare,” which follows a fictional account of Heather Langenkamp, who played heroine Nancy in the first film.

One of the only horror series where each sequel is the same quality as the original is “Scream,” also directed by Craven. The first film in 1996 follows a series of murders in the fictional Woodsboro, California, with Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) being the ultimate target.

The best part of each “Scream” film is it pokes fun at different types of horror films. “Scream” makes fun of all horror films, “Scream 2” parodies sequels, “Scream 3” focuses on horror trilogies while “Scream 4” pokes fun at horror remakes. Each entry in the series is as good, funny and entertaining as the original, which is rare in a horror series.

Watch these films if you want to enjoy movies with the same antagonist going after the good guys.