Finding A Good Horror Movie Can Be Scariest Part

The task of finding a horror movie that is actually scary can be, uh, frightening … what with so many titles to choose from and so few worth your money or your time.

Horror movies are popular year around, but particularly so as we near Halloween. The following list is an attempt to help set guidelines for sifting through the massive body of horror movies for those interested in being truly scared.

Avoid sequels, especially if they venture into the dangerous 7’s and 8’s, where the movie producers felt obligated to explain the inexplicable chain of resurrections that kept their series going, often resorting to the dreaded “evil/demonic forces” plot device (used in “The Final Friday the 13th,” “Freddy’s Dead” and “Halloween 6”).

Still, the first episodes of each of these series are pretty scary and well done. The first “Nightmare on Elm Street” is interesting for its prestardom casting of Johnny Depp, who dies a particularly gruesome death on a water bed, and the original “Friday the 13th” features a young Kevin Bacon facing death by arrow.

Beware of summer camp/sorority house horror movies because they tend to manipulate the libido, not the mind, with their brazen amounts of nude women. This approach is seldom, if ever, scary. It’s merely appealing to sexually infantile teen males.

Flat out ignore killer insect/animal/ clown horror movies as you will continually be disappointed (a noteworthy exception is the horrific first installment of “Jaws”).

Look to the classics like “Dracula,” “Frankenstein” and “Phantom of the Opera” if you’re in search of real cinematic quality. Avoid any horror film from the desolate late ‘70s/early ‘80s, for I have yet to see one from this time period that isn’t just horrible.

Look for movies that rely on the psychology of horror vs. the shock factor of gore. This quality is found in many of the famous cult classics like “Dracula” (with Bela Lugosi), “Frankenstein” and “Nosseratu,” an early silent vampire movie. You’ll also find it in more contemporary films, like “The Exorcist,” “The Shining,” and “Silence of the Lambs.”

True horror is rooted in the mind, for this is where the possibilities of terror are endless. This is the advantage the old classics have over more modern attempts at fright. If you prefer gore, look for a combination of the two (like in “Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” “Hellraiser” and “Scarecrows”). Even if gore is your thing, it gets boring without a story or an interesting gimmick behind it.

Pick movies with believable dialogue and character development. Movies like “Rosemary’s Baby” and “Gothic” combine these elements to weave interesting and frightening stories.

Refrain from overtly moralistic or religious horror movies unless they have some innovative quirk that differentiates them from the pack. Some good bets are the already mentioned “Exorcist,” “The Church” and “The Prophecy,” now showing at the Fox.

Abstain from horror movies that dabble in the comedic realm; they tend to fall into a cliched, very stupid and unfunny rut. Their failure is especially evident in the later installments of “Nightmare on Elm Street,” where the messy mixture of blood and comedy serves neither, leaving a boring package.

A few movies get away with this blend, however, such as “Evil Dead,” “Bad Taste” and “Dead Alive.”

Venture into nonsensical horror movies that make it a point to not explain themselves; they can be refreshing and occasionally frightening. An example is the wonderfully absurd “Phantasm” movies, which bask in vagueness for most of the series.

This is why many sequels lack the charm of their predecessors. Their producers feel the need to analyze and explain mysterious and wholly unrealistic events that made such films horrific or deliciously gruesome in the first place.

Finally, look for atmospheric direction and photography, not to mention horror films with good scores that can actually set the scene of true horror.

Classic horror films like George Romero’s “Night of the Living Dead” and “Psycho” achieve their frightful greatness partly through these means.

Good luck in your research, and happy Sam Hain.