What would Halloween be without scary movies? But so many choices! Do you go with the silent classics from the '20s ("Nosferatu," "The Phantom of the Opera") or the iconic monster films from the '30s ("Dracula," "Frankenstein") and '40s ("The Wolf Man")? How about some sci-fi chillers from the '50s ("The Thing") or shockers from the '60s ("Night of the Living Dead")? Concentrating on films of more recent vintage, Will Fernandez and Hadley Hauser offer their picks for a Halloween marathon frightfest. Note: Films are listed in chronological order.

"The Exorcist"
Rated R, directed by William Friedkin, 1973
Little girls are truly scary human beings, but mix in a satanic demon taking over that young girl's body, and you have a recipe for destruction. In this horror classic, Regan MacNeil (played by Linda Blair) is a 12-year-old girl possessed by an evil spirit. Her mom (Ellen Burstyn, most recently seen in "W." as Barbara Bush, the president's mother) does everything she can to get her little girl back, even persuading a Catholic priest to perform an exorcism. Definitely worth a watch just so you can see some of the most famous moments in film history, including a 180-head spin, the spraying of pea soup on a priest, and a very demented spider walk down a tower of stairs. (Summary by WF)

"Carrie"
Rated R, directed by Brian De Palma, 1976
Ever had the feeling like you were an outsider, someone who is constantly made fun of? You have no idea. In this adaption of the Stephen King book of the same title, we follow the life of Carrie (Sissy Spacek), a high school outsider who just so happens to have telekinetic powers. An angry teenager + the ability to destroy things at her every whim = total chaos. Especially when prom rolls around and Carrie wins prom queen, falling into a trap that the school, and the audiences who watch it, will never forget. (Summary by WF)

"Friday the 13th"
Rated R, directed by Sean S. Cunningham, 1980
These few camp counselors are in for a very unfortunate summer. One of the most menacing murderers in film history, Jason Voorhees, is introduced in this first installment of a franchise that spawned 10 more movies from 1981 to 2003, plus a TV series, novels, comic books, and video games. Somebody is taking out the unsuspecting young counselors at Camp Crystal Lake, who are there to reopen the camp many years after it was shut down following a drowning and two murders. They should have listened to the superstition about the spirit of a drowned boy in the lake and realized that things are abandoned for a reason. Halloween is not complete without a little Jason. (Summary by WF)

"A Nightmare on Elm Street"
Rated R, directed by Wes Craven, 1984
One of the scariest murderers of all time, Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) gets his start in this classic film. When I first saw this I was speechless and never wanted to fall asleep again. The story starts with a young girl, Tina Gray (Amanda Wyss), having dreams of a menacing man with razorblades on his right hand who is following her and hurting her. When she wakes up, she has the same injuries in real life that she had in the dream. Freddy had supposedly died a decade before and killed many young children. This is just the start of the beast that can enter into your dreams and kill you while you sleep. Good luck sleeping after this one. (Summary by WF)

"It"
Made for TV, directed by Tommy Lee Wallace, 1990
The fear of clowns is real. In a little town in Maine, seven nerdy kids ("The Lucky Seven") do battle with a killer clown called Pennywise (Tim Curry), whose seemingly supernatural powers also earns him the title "It." The kids defeat the clown, but there's a problem: The clown re-emerges every 30 years, and his only victims are children. When "It" returns three decades later, the now middled-aged remnants of The Lucky Seven must find a way to finally defeat this incredibly horrifying clown once and for all. You will never think of clowns the same way. In case the Maine setting didn't give it away, this made-for-TV film is based on a novel by Stephen King. (Summary by WF)

"The Silence of The Lambs"
Rated R, directed by Jonathan Demme, 1991
Brains, liver, hands, and kidneys all are a delectable treat for one Dr. Hannibal Lecter. A genius of a movie, winning five Oscars, including Best Picture, "Silence of the Lambs" follows the tale of a young FBI agent (Jodie Foster) who seeks advice from Hannibal the Cannibal in order to get into the mind of a serial killer, "Buffalo Bill." Truly scary for both psychological and bloody reasons, the film features incredible acting by Sir Anthony Hopkins that will give you nightmares for weeks. (Summary by WF)

"What Lies Beneath"
Rated PG-13, directed by Robert Zemeckis, 2000
This movie's main character, Claire Spencer (Michelle Pfeiffer), thinks she is going crazy. Her daughter has recently left for college, her husband (Harrison Ford) is at work all day, and she has to get used to a brand new house all by herself. As she spends more time there, she becomes increasingly certain that the house is haunted, and that it's not just in her mind, even when the people she knows lean toward that conclusion. Drawing on the fear of being alone, this movie revisits the old theme of a young life being cut short and then returning to expose the crime. Highlights: doors opening unprompted, a message in the fog of the bathroom mirror, someone else's reflection in your bath water. Added bonus: Michelle Pfeiffer has a very convincing "scared face." (Summary by HH)

"The Ring"
Rated PG-13, directed by Gore Verbinski, 2002
Disclaimer: Only watch this movie if you want to die in seven days. Not really, but this plot device is the defining angle of "The Ring." When four teenagers die after watching a short, surrealistic videotape, a reporter (Naomi Watts) tracks it down to find out if the deaths were merely a coincidence. "The Ring" counts down her seven days of increasingly desperate sleuthing. The tape in question is a choppy collection of disturbing images reminiscent of the 1929 art film "Un Chein Andalou." In fact, "The Ring" might have tried too hard to tie up all of the loose images presented in the tape. The movie would have been scarier if some of the images went unexplained. "The Ring" throws a lot at you in terms of plot (the video, an island, a rampaging horse, a psychotic girl, and a ring?) — and it would have worked just as well if it had focused on one or two of these elements. Still, it's worth a look because of its jolting imagery. (Summary by HH)

"The Village"
Rated PG-13, directed by M. Night Shyamalan, 2004
"The Village" didn't get very good reviews, but I liked it. A small, close-knit community resides in a village that is surrounded by thick woods. We find out early on that the villagers believe that there are creatures in the woods that prevent humans from ever wandering through. At the center of the action is Joaquin Phoenix and Bryce Dallas Howard. Stealing the show is Adrien Brody, who plays the part of a disturbed young man. One of my favorite scenes is his giddy reaction to the wailing cries that come from the woods. I won't tell you the ending, but it hinges on the ambiguity of the movie's setting and time period to heighten the impact of its climax. (Summary by HH)

"Saw"
Rated R, directed by James Wan, 2004
"Saw" is not about trying to scare you but about making you think: What would you do to stay alive? Jigsaw (Tobin Bell), the murderer named for the puzzles he puts his victims through and the calling card he leaves, captures two men and chains them up inside an abandoned bathroom and gives them six minutes to kill each other or they both die. Like many of the films on this list, "Saw" turned into a lucrative franchise, with the fifth movie in the series released just a week ago, grossing $30 million. For what it's worth, only "High School Musical 3" ($42 million) made more money last weekend.(Summary by WF)

"The Devil's Rejects"
Rated R, directed by Rob Zombie, 2005
Think of "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" mixed with a hillbilly reunion, and that's what you get with this horror film by Rob Zombie. A truly breathtaking movie, it tells the story of the Firefly family. Though psychotic and murderous, the family members are well developed as characters. I might be going out on a limb by saying that the way Zombie portrays them makes me feel compassion for these killers. But just because the film is well made doesn't mean it holds back. One truly scarring scene would be Otis (Bill Moseley) and Baby (Sheri Moon Zombie) Firefly holding up a family in a rundown motel room, killing each one in front of the other. Truly a masterpiece of horror. (Summary by WF)

"Hostel"
Rated R, directed by Eli Roth, 2006
My mom always told me to find someone who would challenge me and not just sit there looking pretty. Apparently these three backpackers did not get that message. They decide to follow some scantily clad women, but little do they know they have fallen into one of the most disgusting traps of all time. They are now in a world where rich businessmen pay to kill other people however they want with whatever they want. This movie is not for anyone who will cringe at the sight of blood, because this movie is full of it with no chance at holding back. (Summary by WF)