One of the best ways to spend a night out with friends, no matter your age, is to watch horror movies. A night of popcorn, screams, and laughter can be fun to entertain, especially if you have a great home theater system.
Many great classics have been re-released in high definition on Blu-ray Disc, but there are also many more available online, so you could even make a list, and let your friends pick on the night. Now there are many TVs with Internet access, so you can watch movies directly on TV. Or you can connect a projector to your computer and create your own mini theater in your living room.
These five movies are the perfect recipe for a great night of horror movies. It’s a selection of titles produced over the past 50 years that show that great horror never returns. Not only were these great scary movies, they were also just great movies, nominated for awards, and in many cases winning. While many may stick their noses at horror movies, these are five films that everyone should watch at least once.
The first movie to put on your list should be Alfred Hitchcock’s classic, Psycho. Made in 1960, it’s still chilling and shocking today, with a great performance from Anthony Perkins. Bates Motel is always worth a visit, unless of course you’re Janet Lee. Make no mistake, the remake starred Vince Vaughn as Norman Bates and it’s not nearly as scary. Psycho has been nominated for 4 Academy Awards.
In 1973, The Exorcist, directed by William Peter Blatty, was released on the big screen. Since then it’s been terrifying people all over the world, and this story of the possessed teen played by Linda Blair, who was nominated for an Academy Award for the role, is guaranteed to send chills down your spine. The Exorcist won two Academy Awards for Best Sound and Writing, and earned 8 other nominations.
Jaws, directed by Steven Spielberg in 1975, was an instant classic. Yes, it may not measure up to current technology, and Shark may be a bit cheesy, but it still makes people scream and jump just the same. It won three Academy Awards, including one for John Williams’ memorable original score.
Stephen King has been a master of horror writing for the better part of four decades, and choosing one of the movie adaptations of his books can always add up to a spooky night. Kathy Bates won an Academy Award in 1990 for her role as Annie Wilkes in Misery, a chilling story about an obsessed fan who saves a famous writer after a car accident.
With 6 Academy Award nominations in 1999, The Sixth Sense is a modern masterpiece. While many of his other films weren’t as great, M Night Shyamalan hits every note perfectly in this one. Haley Joel Osment delivers one of the best children’s performances ever as The Boy Who Sees Dead, brilliantly supported by Bruce Willis and Toni Collette.
If you haven’t seen these movies, grab them now, as they are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the horror genre. Of course, if you like horror, you’ll know that there are thousands of other movies out there, from Japanese classics to indie films.