Need something on DVD and Blu-ray to spook you this Halloween? Then look no further than these classics from one of the greatest movie studios in horror history…
A Nightmare of Elm Street
The Film: Don’t even think about falling asleep. It’ll be murder.
The Icon: Ol’ frazzle chops himself, Freddy Kruger (Robert Englund). Does a lovely line in lethal gardening gloves.
Best Scare: The opening scene – as Freddy chases down the doomed Tina – is still as terrifying as anything committed to film.
Legendary Line: “One, two, Freddy’s coming for you…”
Horror Legacy: An entire generation has never slept soundly since.
The Exorcist
The Film: Potty mouth cherub gets the devil inside her.
The Icon: Regan (Linda Blair), the head-spinning, pea soup-spewing pubescent from hell. With a little help from demon Pazazu.
Best Scare: Elevating bed anyone? Regan’s mother Chris (Ellen Burstyn) investigating noises in the attic is a masterclass in jump scare tension, too.
Legendary Line: “You mother sucks –” well, you know the rest.
Horror Legacy: A film with near-mythological status, epitomizing the once-fascinating notion of a film so scary it had to be banned.
Friday the 13th
The Film: A group of teens hang out at Camp Crystal Lake, having sex and smoking dope. Never a good idea.
The Icon: Not Jason – not yet, anyway – but his dear old nutcase mother, Mrs Voorhees (Betsy Palmer).
Best Scare: Jason jumps out of the lake to surprise the films’ only survivor.
Legendary Line: “You see, Jason is my son and today was his birthday…”
Horror Legacy: Pretty much the entire slasher genre. Plus, big sales of hockey masks at this time of year.
Poltergeist
The Film: Crafty ghosts make a mess then suck a little girl into the TV.
The Icon: You can’t see the buggers. That’s what makes them so scary.
Best Scare: Clown doll comes alive and goes absolutely berserk in the bedroom. The stuff of actual nightmares.
Legendary Line: “They’re here!”
Horror Legacy: Children don’t sit quite so close to the television set anymore. Or look under the bed, for that matter.
The Shining
The Film: Hide your axes everyone, Dad’s gone mental.
The Icon: Heeeeeeerrrrrrreeeee’s Johnny! OK, his name’s actually Jack Torrance (or Nicholson, depending on your preference) but you know what we mean.
Best Scare: Those twins. Every single time.
Legendary Line: “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” Indeed.
Horror Legacy: Not only has every horror director since tried to recapture its creeping tension, but no one dare be being left alone in a hotel anymore.
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