Creepy Classics Old and New

The Shining (1980) is Stanley Kubrick's intense, gothic horror film and haunted house masterpiece. The stylish film distances itself from the Stephen King novel on which it is based and in the process creates a whole new genre of horror. With the help of co-writer Diane Johnson, Kubrick dismisses the more typical blood-letting and gore of modern horror films and builds terror upon much more subtle motifs. As in most of his films, he pushes the limits of genre, creating a groundbreaking thriller about a man going mad, aspiring writing Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson), while serving as an off-season caretaker of the isolated, snowbound Overlook Hotel with his family: wife Wendy (Shelley Duvall) and son Danny (Danny Lloyd). The family soon becomes entranced by a "psychic photograph" of a series of historic murders committed there. The film's title refers to the paranormal abilities possessed by the Overlook Hotel's head cook, Halloran, and the young boy. Kubrick expands the original plot, slows the pace of the narrative, puts together a disturbing soundtrack, and films much of the gothic horror scenes in broad daylight, building up two hours of intense anticipation for one unforgettable final moment. -Sadia Latifi

It's hard to be scared by a fat man. Alfred Hithcock, not too slim himself, lives up to his title of master of suspense by being able to make anyone scared of pretty much anything he wants: birds, creepy mothers, or in the case of the 1954 classic, Rear Window, the fat guy across the street. Using the full potential of perspective, Rear Window tells the story of a wheelchair-bound bachelor played by Jimmy Stewart who spends his days staring out his window witnessing his neighbors' daily lives. The audience can only see what Stewart can see, and as a murder mystery unfolds, is left as unsure and terrified as he is. Combine this classic suspenseful plot with a love story between Stewart and Grace Kelly and the quintessential thriller is born. This movie is a fantastic Halloween treat, especially for those bored with the gloom and gore of slasher films. -Jeff Petriello

Dario Argento's Deep Red is kind of like Annie Hall. Woody Allen's movies may all look alike, they may all sound alike, and after repeated viewings, they may all meld into a giant ball of east-coast existential angst, but if you want his neurosis at its very best, it's not Hollywood Ending that you'll likely be hunting for. Argento's canon works much the same way; penetrating visuals, insane twists, and a general lack of coherency are all pretty much standard. If you are looking for definitive Argento, though, look no further than Deep Red. Executed with Argento's flair for detached dialogue and non sequitur story progressions, Deep Red's plot finds a musician's attempts to solve a murder thwarted as lead after lead fall victim to a psychopath who eerily remains one step ahead. This is all highly irrelevant to the actual viewing experience, which, rendered in a paradigmatic sweep of stylized hyper-violence and set to the ominous sounds of the Goblins, creates a sense of terror that is so deep and primordial that it exists on a level that can only properly be called spiritual. -Andrew Flynn

In Eyes Wide Shut, Tom Cruise plays a doctor who stumbles across a masked cabal dedicated to sex, eventually joining their ranks with his wife (Nicole Kidman) in the hope of resolving their own sexual issues. One of the most frightening aspects of the film is that Cruise reveals himself to be a talented actor who, with Kidman and Sydney Pollack, delivers a great performance that penetrates the viewer in an extremely personal and haunting manner. Perhaps Kubrick, who eerily died four days after presenting the final cut of the film to Warner Brothers, haunts the film itself. The myriad references to Kubrick's own work certainly feel like ghostly vestiges of the departed director resurrected by the power of cinema. If you remain unconvinced that Eyes Wide Shut is perfect for Halloween, consider this: what embodies the Halloween spirit better than wearing masks and having sex? -Michael Dinerstein