Halloween movies to terrify even the bravest soul

By Saurabh Muzumdar

For a thrilling night of spooks without the fright of seeing your neighbor in a skintight and revealing costume, stay in the comfort of your own home this Halloween.

If you're intent on keeping the celebrations indoors, or if you need a little distraction after that crucial midterm, consider renting a creepy flick to keep the festivities even more thrilling.

Some directors have made their names synonymous with horror. Some have used horror as a way of changing things up to show their artistic versatility.

A list of directors to watch out for when looking for exceptionally scary movies are: Stanley Kubrick, Alfred Hitchcock, M. Night Shyamalan, Eli Roth and Peter Jackson.

Check out a few of the following fear flicks:

"Rosemary's Baby" (1968) -- The plot is a bit audacious, portraying the devil on earth, but Roman Polanski ("Chinatown," "The Pianist") wrote the screenplay, and it's a classic.

"Dawn of the Dead" (2004) -- There are lots of zombies and lots of action in this film, but the scariest part of the movie is the end, so wait for the credits. For a work of pure comedic genius and a few scares, check out its parody, "Shawn of the Dead."

"A Nightmare on Elm Street" (1984) -- This movie introduces Freddy and his claws, and boy is he a piece of work. Johnny Depp stars in the movie, and he gets swallowed by his bed. Enough said.

"Saw" (2004) -- The film gets into psychological territory as a man named Jigsaw completely abandons all ethical behavior. All five of the Saw movies are worth seeing.

"Session 9" (2001) -- A cleaning crew working in an abandoned mental hospital is an obvious recipe for fright. This flick was actually shot at a hospital in Massachusetts.

"Se7en" (1995) -- Blood, guts and a fat corpse are enough to get you thinking about the world we live in. Beware: this thriller is psychologically scarring.

"The Silence of the Lambs" (1991) -- Lecter vs. Starling, Buffalo Bill with his night vision goggles and a lot of blood make up this classic movie. More than just scary, this movie was legitimately good. Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster won Oscars for their performances.

"Jesus Camp" (2006) -- This documentary is religious fanaticism in motion -- very scary. One line from the film sums it up: "Harry Potter is a warlock and an enemy of God."

"The Sixth Sense" (1999) -- This movie, about a boy who sees dead people, won Haley Joel Osment an Oscar nomination and introduced us to M. Night Shyamalan's unique film style.

"Jaws" (1975) -- It's hard to say what is scarier, the shark or the soundtrack. Put them together and you have a lethal combination. This one's a sheer horror classic, and definitely one of Spielberg's finest.

"The Exorcist" (1973) -- Spinning heads and buckets of vomit are just the tip of the iceberg in this horror film. This movie has a cult following and, in many polls, has been voted the scariest movie of all time.

Don't watch it alone.

"The Shining" (1980) -- Stanley Kubrick's creation is set in a haunted hotel. Jack Nicholson walking the hallways with an axe and that demented look on his face will give you nightmares.

"Halloween" (1978) -- You couldn't pick a better time to watch it, and you have definitely heard the theme song before.

"The Ring" (2002) -- Naomi Watts steals the show in this movie. You will vicariously feel her fear. This film, a remake of a Japanese movie, is intense. Just thinking about the scene when the girl jumps out of the screen gives me goose bumps.

Aside from all these classic thrillers, the scariest movie I have ever seen is "Shutter."

If you want to watch it, watch the Thai version, not the English version. That movie scared the bejeezus out of me, but I loved every moment of it.

Honorable mention goes to all the movies based on Stephen King novels.

King breathes horror, and the movies based on his books are a testament to his brilliant imagination.

Contact Saurabh Muzumdar at smuzumdar@scu.edu.