Hollywood horror films you must not miss

It is that time of the year again, where you take out those scary costumes, accessories and dress your ghostly best because Halloween or All Hallows Eve has donned upon us. With the ancient Celtic festival soon catching up in urban India, you can expect friends, family and acquaintances dressing like the dead and hitting the hippest parties in town. However, if dressing up and heavy make-up isn’t your thing, we’d be a bowl of popcorn and a line of horror flicks will surely get you in the “spirit”.
Here’s a line up of the best horror films of all time that you must not miss.

First up on this list of scare fests, is the 2017 hit ‘IT’. Returning to the big screen 27 years after making its debut on the small screen is the demonic shape-shifting demonic clown who lives in the sewers. Adapted from the Stephen King novel, the film follows a group of bullied children who encounter the demonic entity, who is known to return every 27 years to feed on the fears of children. The bone-chilling yet endearing adaptation stays true to the novel while possibly invoking Coulrophobia - the fear of clowns - in a whole new generation.
If you want to see your worst nightmares unfold right before your eyes, this film is a must watch.

There has never been a list of top horror films that did not include the ‘The Exorcist’. The 1973 film adapted from the William Peter Blatty novel by the same name, not only gives you an education in exorcisms and possession but also effectively sends shivers down your spine. Directed by William Friedkin, the film follows the story of a little girl whose imaginary friend turns out to be the Devil himself. With CGI effects that even this age of technology fails to produce, this thoroughly frightening has the viewer playing a shivering spectator as two exorcists try to bring back the little girl and banish the demon taken possession of her body.

Perhaps the most iconic horror films that ever graced the screens, ‘The Shining’ has found admirers in fans and critics alike. If the lines, “Come play with us...” ring a bell, then this film must be on your watch list. Directed by Stanley Kubrick and adapted from the Stephen King novel, the 1980 masterpiece follows a family who heads to an isolated hotel for the holidays where an evil entity influences the father played by Jack Nicholson into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from the past and of the future.
What makes this film special is its unsettling vibe that permeates throughout the film.

The supernatural horror film ‘The Ring’ adapted from the Japanese film by the same name which in turn was derived from a novel by Koji Suzuki, is one of the most popular films of the genre the world over. The story that had everyone reduced to a whimpering mess, follows a journalist who investigates a mysterious videotape which seems to cause the death of anyone in seven days of viewing it. The success of the flick greenlit a number of spinoffs and the franchise was revisited with the 2017 film ‘Rings’.

The scampi B-movie style horror film 'The Evil Dead' has now achieved cult status. The 1981 horror film directed by Sam Raimi, follows five friends who travel to an isolated cabin in the woods, where after playing an audiotape, release a legion of flesh-possessing demons. The relentless nature of the film combined with extreme gore makes this a film, not for the weak-hearted.