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SALT LAKE CITY -- It’s the perfect time of year to pop in the kind of movie that will have you checking under the bed before you go to sleep at night — not a family-friendly film that borders on spooky, but a honest-to-goodness scary movie that makes you nervous to go to the bathroom alone.
There are classic horror films that deserve to be mentioned for being exceptionally creepy. Those who have never accidentally walked in on their parents watching “The Exorcist” sleep better than the rest of us. And movies like “Psycho” and “Night of the Living Dead” still give movie lovers a good scare, decades after they were made. They blazed a trail for five more current movies that will give you the heebie-jeebies.
Scared to death: "The Ring"
With innocent children tainted by evil, urban legends, cryptic visuals and chilling plot twists, “The Ring” manages to follow the recipe for a great horror movie while being completely original at the same time.
A remake of a popular Japanese horror film, it’s the story of an urban legend connected to a video tape that leaves its viewers “scared to death” within seven days of watching it. A reporter, played by Naomi Watts, investigates the deaths with the help of her young son who provides ominous clues to the mystery behind the ring.
"The Ring" is rated PG-13 for some strong language and disturbing images.
Supernatural Suspense: "What Lies Beneath"
If you’re not a fan of gore but you enjoy suspense, “What Lies Beneath” should be on your list of movies to watch this Halloween.
"What Lies Beneath” is the story of a couple, played by Michelle Pfeiffer and Harrison Ford, plagued by the ghost of a woman trying to make herself heard from beyond the grave. With excellent performances by Pfeiffer and Ford, this movie keeps you on the edge of your seat until the very end when the title’s double entendre is made known.
This film is rated PG-13 for sensuality, some strong language and violence. As horror movies go, "What Lies Beneath" is on the mild side, but it's heavy on the mystery and will make you jump out of your seat more than once.
Horrified by a haunting: "Paranormal Activity"
“Paranormal Activity” is a haunted-house thriller that picks up where “Poltergeist” left off.
Shot documentary style with surveillance camera footage of heart-palpitating spookiness, it chronicles a young couple in their San Diego, California home. Katie insists evil spirits have followed her into her new house, and her husband, Micah, decides to catch it all on film.
“Paranormal Activity” gives off a realistic vibe in the style of “The Blair Witch Project,” leaving you wondering what, if any, of the footage is real. It might make you think twice before you buy your next home.
This film is rated R for strong language and intense scenes. It should not be watched by any children!
Rattled by a remake: "Dawn of the Dead"
“Dawn of the Dead” is really a guilty pleasure among horror films. No, it’s not realistic. No, die hard fans of the original film won’t think it’s as great as Geeorge Romero’s 1978 classsic. But it has zombies! In an age where vampires and werewolves have been romanticized, it’s refreshing to see a monster be a monster. There’s no way to make a zombie look sexy…even if he sparkles.
“Dawn of the Dead” is the story of an apocalyptic virus that causes the citizens of Milwaukee to turn into the undead. The few people left alive escape to the safest place imaginable- a shopping mall.
A great cast, including Mekhi Phifer and Sarah Polley, makes the absurd plot believable and frightening.
Full of violence, bloodshed and narrow escapes, “Dawn of the Dead” will make your blood run cold. Some strong but brief sexual content, nudity and strong language also contribute to it's R rating. Like "Paranormal Activity," keep the kids away from this one.
Screams in the night: "Scream"
What makes Wes Craven’s film, “Scream,” so perfect for Halloween, is that it pays respect to all the great horror films that came before it.
Originally advertised with Drew Barrymore on billboards and commercials, she only appears in the first 15 minutes of the film in a very memorable cameo as a babysitter hunted by a killer, reminiscent of familiar scary folklore. Neve Campbell stars in this thriller about a group of teens terrorized by a masked murderer that follows the rules of classic horror movies.
Satirical and suspenseful, “Scream” pokes fun at the rules of scary movies within its own plot. “There are certain rules that one must abide by in order to successfully survive a horror movie. For instance, No. 1, you can never have sex. No. 2, you can never drink or do drugs. The sin factor! It's a sin. It's an extension of No. 1. And No. 3, never, ever, ever under any circumstances say, ‘I'll be right back.’ Because you won't be back.”
Edited versions of "Scream" can normally be found on television around this time of year, but the original movie is rated R for multiple uses of profanity, violence and gore.
Nicole Pollard currently resides in Canyon Country, Calif.
