Countdown To Halloween....

As I prepared for my annual October Horror filmfest I decided to pick the movies I would be watching in advance and then went a step further and organized them in descending order (I got a lot of free time, folks).  But being a horror fiend, I had trouble whittling it down to only 31 movies in 31 nights.  So I even have an "honorable mention" top 10, which didn't quite make the cut.  Here they are, also in descending order...

10. SWEENY TODD   2007
Tim Burton's bloody adaptation of the stage play is helped by a strong cast, but would be a good time either way, as the material is right up his alley.
9. 28 DAYS LATER   2002
Danny Boyle re-invented the Zombie film with supercharged, rage fueled non-zombies and a stellar cast.
8. THE 'BURBS   1989
Joe Dante's light-hearted dark comedy (is that possible?) hits all the right notes as Tom Hanks and his bumbling neighbors try to figure out if the newest residents are murderers.
7. NIGHT OF THE CREEPS   1986
Fred Dekker throws everything but the kitchen sink into this Horror/Sci-Fi amalgam that clearly (and heavily) influenced James Gunn's Slither.
6. THE LOST BOYS   1987
Vampire. Jack. Bauer.*
5. THE CONJURING   2013
Not much new ground is covered here as a family is terrorized by "vengeful spirits", but the performances are top notch across the board and James Wan knows how to dial up the tension and exactly where to place his camera.
4. HATCHET 2   2010
Adam Green's new breed of Slasher peaks in this gore-soaked middle chapter of the refreshingly not-so-serious and well made Hatchet series featuring Horror legend Kane Hodder as Victor Crowley.
3. DAWN OF THE DEAD   2004
Likely taking a cue from 28 Days Later, Zack Snyder ramps up the zombies to speed freak levels and lets his tale of survivors hold up in a mall plays out like an exhilarating and terrifying action flick.
2. DEAD ALIVE   1992
Peter Jackson's splatter-fest has plenty of heart to go with the absurd zombie killing, rat smashing, puss consuming, and kung-fu ass kicking (for The Lord!).
1. SAW   2004
James Wan and Leigh Wannell crafted an original tale of twisted morality that, sadly, spawned the awful torture porn sub-genre.


*- Also, the Corey's in their prime!