Here we go! We’re glad you could join us for the newest edition of the Play Your Way Network’s Top 5 countdown! This week we explore the ever loved and hated genre, Horror. We had a frighteningly good time putting this list together.

Even if you aren’t a fan of scary movies it’s amazing how many you may have seen in your life. Without further adieu, on to our honorable mentions(HM)! This week we decided to add more to the honorable mentions because there are just so many good ones that deserve to be, well, mentioned. And as I sit here at 1 a.m. writing about horror movies I’m getting more anxious.

In no particular order:

HM#1 Psycho (1960)

HM#2 Get Out (2017)

HM#3 The Strangers (2008)

HM#4 Saw (2004)

HM#5 Se7en (1995)

HM#6 Insidious (2010)

HM#7 Dawn of the Dead (1979)

HM#8 IT (1990 & 2017)

4

HM#9 Friday the 13th (1980)

HM#10 The Devil’s Rejects (2005)

So, yes there are a few more HM’s than usual but like we said, a lot of movies that helped push the boundaries for the genre. And now for the main event!

#5. The Shining (1980)

Performance’s that will last multiple lifetimes. That is what Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall gave us in The Shining. This 1980 film adaptation of Stephen King’s literary work changed what people thought about the horror genre. People still talk today about hidden meanings held within. So, thank you Johnny for being here!

#4. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
(Special Mention to the 2010 release)

A Nightmare on Elm Street was the movie that literally kept us up at night. We didn’t want to fall asleep and risk being visited by the nightmare himself, Freddy Krueger. A horror villain that has stood the test of time. One of the big bads, when one thinks of horror movie villains, is Freddy. A Nightmare on Elm Street is here to stay. 1…2..Freddy’s coming for you.

#3. Paranormal Activity

I say that the movies on this list changed the genre in some way or another. Paranormal Activity drew inspiration from the Blair Witch Project (1999) but then blows away what you knew about conventional horror movies and then sits you down and shows you something else. Upon its release, Paranormal Activity felt so real to many people because of how it was made-portrayed as a real life occurrence. Paranormal Activity all but deserves to be on any person’s list of best horror movies.

#2. Alien (1979)

I know what some of you may be thinking. “Ian! This is a sci-fi movie!”. True but Alien was always meant to be a scary movie. And be honest with yourself, no sci-fi movie ever scared you like this did. After this movie came out who else did you want on your squad? Sigourney Weaver that’s who. Alien showed us the true horror of being in the middle of nowhere against an enemy that was ruthless beyond anything you could imagine. The face-huggers? Come on, now.

#1. Halloween (1978)
(Special Mention to the 2007 release)

The famous Michael Myers(character not the actor) takes our top spot. This movie is terrifying. Michael Myers, everything about him as a villain screams horror, petrification, and sheer bed-wetting terror. And he does it all without speaking a word. How do you fight what you can’t kill. When you throw everything you have at him and nothing stops him.Halloween also claims our top spot due to the realness of the situations. Just the feeling that in a neighborhood there could be someone peering through your window is MORE than enough to make me anxious, much less chase me with a knife. He’s almost like a non-speaking Solomon Grundy that slashes people rather than all the stuff that Solomon Grundy does. Either way, Halloween has left an impact that cannot be forgotten or overlooked. I know it freaks me out but every year I watch the franchise on AMC during October. It has that kind of special impact.

Thanks, friends, for joining us! We’ll see you next time and keep Playing Life Your Way!