Halloween is here and it's time to go to the video store (or access your Netflix account) and rent some scary movies. Lacey's story featured many horror greats (several are in my top ten), but here are a few more I suggest seeing. Just a note: The impact of classics such as "Dracula," "Frankenstein," "The Wolf Man," "The Mummy" and "Night of the Living Dead" is uncalculable. While they are not scary enough to make this list, I feel they should be acknowledged.

As usual, there is a list of honorable mentions at the end. These films were given consideration for the top ten.

10. "Psycho" (1960)

When Robert Bloch wrote the novel that would lead to the creation of this film, he sculpted the character of Norman Bates after the very real life serial killer Ed Gein. Like Gein, Bates' mother abused him, shielded him from the rest of the world and taught him that sex and women were evil. With this demented backstory, Alfred Hitchcock directs a cinematic gem as Marion Crane checks in to the Bates Motel. After Crane hears Bates and his mother argue, chaos ensues. The acting is amazing, the shower scene is legendary, and this film is inherently better than every psycho killer flick that followed.

9. "Jacob's Ladder" (1990)

It's unnerving and unpredictable to say the least. Tim Robbins plays Jacob, a Vietnam POW who is suffering from hallucinations caused by a drug that was used experimentally on enemy soldiers. As we follow Jacob in his journey for answers, it is hard to tell what is and is not real. Therefore, we are kept in suspense the whole film. Are those kids really crawling on the ceiling? Is his girlfriend really making love to a demon? With several allusions to Hell, the Occult and Purgatory, "Jacob's Ladder" shakes your beliefs and notions of the Afterlife. Also, there is plenty of shock and suspense to go around.

8. "The Ring" (2002)

This is, by far, the best horror film of the decade. Director Gore Verbinski's use of disturbing imagery alone is brilliant. "The Ring" attacks your securities when it introduces the tape that will kill people a week after they watch it. It's hard to take because you watch the contents of the tape along with Rachael (Naomi Watts). The film then follows Rachael and her son as they uncover the origins of the tape. As they dig deeper and deeper, the occurences around them become less ordinary. And just when you think everything's resolved, BAM! The last 10-15 minutes of the film are stunningly frightening.

7. "Halloween" (1978)

"Halloween" is often mistaken for a slasher flick, but is more like a Hitchcock piece than the blood-splattered features that it inspired. The atmosphere, plot and murder scenes are simplistic, but that's why it hits home. And Michael Meyers is one of the most iconic characters in movie history. He's a relentless beast. He could be behind you right now. He'll kill anyone he encounters. He doesn't die. Oh, and bonus points for having the best theme song in the entire genre.

6. "A Nightmare on Elm Street" (1984)

You can run and hide from every villain, and chances are you'll be safe for a while. But Freddy Krueger attacks you where you can't escape: Your dreams. The first film is the best of the series. Freddy was still menacing (he transformed into a wisecracking comedian in sequels). In one film, the Boogey Man turned into a hideously burned, taunting, teen terrorizer.

5. "Poltergeist" (1982)

In my opinion, this is the greatest haunted house movie of all-time, and the mythology and occurences that surround the film make it even more terrifying (several cast members falling to tragic deaths, the use of real skeletons when filming, etc.). Steven Spielberg and Tobe Hooper teamed up for this movie which has many supernaturally bothersome things happen to the Freeling family.

4. "Carrie" (1976)

"Carrie" is awesome for so many reasons. First, Sissy Spacek is remarkable in the the role of Carrie. Carrie is emotionally vulnerable and Spacek does a great job of making the audience feel how she feels. Her mom is an insanely over-religious wacko who takes Carrie down a notch any time she thinks her daughter has sinned. The whole film, Carrie puts up with more and more until, finally, she snaps. The scene is one of the most memorable and unsettling of all-time. And the end is pretty good too.

3. "The Shining" (1980)

Who's the monster: Jack Torrance or the Overlook Hotel? As the Torrance family inhabits the high mountain hotel for the winter, more and more freaky events happen. Jack starts to lose his mind and the entire family starts seeing ghosts. Whereas most of the films on this list have one or two memorable moments, this one has more than a handful. Stanley Kubrick created a chilling masterpiece when he directed and wrote the screenplay for this film.

2. "Audition" (1999)

The last 30-40 minutes of "Audition" are maybe the most disturbing I've ever seen. Stories about ghosts, demons, monsters and supernatural events are all scary, but none of them compare to a woman's scorn. Especially one who likes to torture men in such gruesome fashion. The first hour or so, Asami is so sweet and innocent. That changes in an instant. Since the film is Japanese, there aren't a lot of Americans who have seen it. I don't want to give any of the plot away, but I'll tell you this: If "Saw" bothered you in the slightest, you might not want to watch "Audition."

1. "The Exorcist" (1973)

In late 1973, movie-goers were lined up for blocks to see "The Exorcist." It was based on a true story. People were known to become sick watching it. Many fainted and more cried in fear. There were even reports of people having to be institutionalized after watching it. Many of the scenes, including the spider-walk and one featuring the placement of a crucifix, were in the film for shock value. Ultimately, however, the story is about the battle of Good and Evil, Heaven and Hell, God and Satan. The battlefield is the bedroom of one very unfortunate little girl named Reagan. Her body is possessed by the demon Pazuzu who physically deforms and defames her every chance he gets. And the things he says using Reagan as a vessel are just about as bad. The reason it's so scary is that it makes the Devil real again. It makes you question your faith. What other movie can say it does that?

Honorable Mentions:

• "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" (1974) - Its raw production contributes to the creepiness of the eccentric Hewitt family.
• "The Thing" (1982) - This John Carpenter film is a captivating tale about scientists being terrorized by a shape-shifting alien.
• "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" (2005) - An exorcism story that is more breathtakingly realistic than "The Exorcist."
• "The Omen" (1976) - Little Damien bears the Number of the Beast and tragic deaths continue to occur around him. You know what that means.
• "Freaks" (1932) - The movie's sideshow performers were so terrifying that this film was banned in the U.K. for thirty years.
• "Rosemary's Baby" (1968) - Two scenes make this film stand out: The conception of Rosemary's baby and the ending.
• "The Blair Witch Project" (1999) - The last scene of the film will linger in your mind for a while.
• "Pet Sematary" (1989) - Stephen King himself wrote the screenplay. It will make you think twice about burying your pet in the backyard.
• "Hellraiser" (1987) - Combine S&M and horror, and you have a winner.
• "Nosferatu" (1922) - This silent classic is the best vampire film I've ever seen. Max Schreck's performance as Graf Orlok can only be described as eerie.
• "Phantasm" (1979) - Visions of The Tall Man behind my bed keep me up all night.
• "Suspiria" (1977) - This Dario Argento flick opened the door for gorey horror films like "Saw" and "Hostel."
• "The Descent" (2005) - Make sure to watch this one in the dark. There is a lot of build-up, but a big payoff.
• "It" (1990) - It was made for TV, but if you have any kind of fear of clowns, this will automatically be #1 on your list.
• "The Haunting" (1963) - The black and white makes this film unsettling. It scares psychologically, rather than with blood or special effects.
• "The Evil Dead" (1981) - It's a graphic low-budget cult classic; a smashmouth horror film, if you will.
• "Child's Play" (1988) - I was four when I saw part of it. I had a My Buddy doll that looked like Chucky. I was never the same.

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