Everybody loves movies, right? I mean, I know that I do. Especially horror movies.

Horror movies hold a particular space in the Haunted House of my heart. 

Some of these movies, lurking around the corner, hiding under the staircase, have a reputation that they uphold as “one of the best scary movies.” 

Some of the scariest movies grow up and become franchises like Scream and Halloween.

This year, the Halloween franchise is ending its 44-year run with Halloween Ends. You know Halloween. Certainly, Halloween is one of the best examples of horror. 

The franchise opened the door (or bedroom window) to slasher Michael Myers.  

Myers, a male with no personality, no talking, no jokes, just stares at you (if you’re his next victim). This was one of the reasons why Myers was so iconic because he strikes fear into so many viewers’ hearts. Despite his temporary – or permanent? – retirement, Myers remains a legend.

Speaking of remains, you can’t talk about horror without conjuring up the “Creator of ‘Cujo’,” Mr. Stephen King, who for decades has been placing bodies into human and Pet Semataries.  Before people began to ask about “preferred pronouns,” King gave us IT. And IT was frightening.

Still, there is to me, the best of all of his horror movies, The Shining. This iconic movie is about a family of three who go to a hotel to enjoy themselves, but little do they know. it’ll be a night they’ll never forget. For all the wrong reasons. The villain in this movie is Jack Torrance, who is influenced by evil spirits in the hotel and attacks his own family. This movie really portrays domestic violence and how scary it could get. From The Shining to Get Out, there have always been horror movies that comment on social issues. 

Another older movie on my list of top horror movies perfect for Halloween is The Exorcist, known as an all-time classic to lots of horror fans. It’s about a young girl who is captured by an evil presence, and her mother is trying to rescue her by using Catholic rituals to get rid of the demons inside of her. This movie is simply outrageous, and out of the ordinary. This could be why or the reasons why it is so iconic to most people. It’s definitely a movie worth watching. This can make your head spin.

No countdown of the criminally cruel could be complete without Mr. Krueger. Friends call him Freddy. Or the visionary villain known as Jason Voorhees. These two are probably the most well-known and iconic of all horror genres. 

Jason is similar to Myers. Jason is scary because of his silence; his presence makes you wanna holler. Jason also has a long running franchise, from 1980 to 2009. A hockey mask wasn’t scary before, but ever since Jason has put it on, he will be the first thing that comes to mind. 

Krueger on the other hand – or the other claw – is different. Unlike the other terrors, he targets teens in their sleep. Krueger famously gave Johnny Depp his first bad experience with a pillow. He – Krueger not Depp (well…) – also has a long franchise, which started in 1984 and ended 2010. Freddy is a fan favorite because of his personality and comedy, and also because of how vicious his kills are.

My Top Five of Horror Films are: Halloween (Michael Myers), The Shining (Stephen King), The Exorcist (the devil), Friday the 13th (Jason Voorhees) and A Nightmare on Elm Street (Freddy Krueger).

If you want to be scared, these five are a treat that will do the trick.