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7. Hostel – Eli Roth is by far one of the sickest directors in horror in recent years. Using actual events as the premise, Hostel follows three friends as they backpack across Europe. After being led to Slavakia with the hopes of getting laid in true horror fashion, the friends settle in at a hostel, only to realize too late that they’ve been sent here to by knocked off one by one by bored business men who’ve paid to torture and kill them. Though the torture scenes leave little to be imagined, the ending will have you cheering with excitement.

6. Day of the Dead – In my opinion, this is one of the best zombie films of all time, rivaled only by Romero’s earlier works. A cast of civilians, doctors and military men find shelter in an old bunker and only come up to the surface for necessary supplies. Before long, lines are drawn and sides are taken, and you realize that zombies may not be the only threat, as humans become each other’s worst enemies. Romero proves once again why he is the father of the zombie genre.

5. Halloween – The magic of a horror film is finding a connection with the audience and manipulating it to the fullest extent. When John Carpenter was approached to do a story about a babysitter, he took every one's childhood fear of the bogeyman and exploited it, making for one of the most terrifying slasher films of all time. Surprisingly, there is little blood in Halloween, but the clever use of light and shadow, along with Carpenter’s original score, has position this film in my top picks for all time best horror films. It’s also spawned dozens of copycats throughout the years, further cementing it’s position as one of the most successful horror films in history.

4. The Exorcist – Surprisingly, this film never scared me much growing up, but I used to love playing it around my sister and Catholic friends who were deathly afraid of the green pea-spuing Regan. What I found fascination more than anything was the special effects, which to this day still stand up to the best FX work. For fans of the series, there is now an ultimate box set available, which contains the six films, if you count the extended version of the original and the alternate version of the prequel that was completely redone, leaving two different versions. This is one classic series worth checking out again and again.

3. High Tension – If you like French food, then you’ll love this deliciously bloody French horror film. When friends take a weekend trip to the country to do some studying, a night on the farm turns into a deadly escapade, leaving two girls fighting each other for their lives. This is by far one of the most graphically horrific films I’ve ever viewed, and while the twist at the end is somewhat expected, the blood and gore makes it all worth it. If this film doesn’t make you tense, well then, you’re probably already dead. Make sure to pickup the unrated edition for extra gore cut from the original theatrical release in America.

2. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre – Using documentary-style cinematography, the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre is one of the best horror films of all time. Despite being labeled as one of the bloodiest films, the movie actually shows very little. Instead, Hooper uses basic fear elements to draw the audience in. Adding to the suspense is the fact that the film is based on actual events.

1. Audition – All of us have had a bad date at some point in our lives, but few of us have ended a relationship with having our foot sawed off with a metal wire. Audition is the story of a widower who, after seven years of being single, tries to find a new wife by holding an audition. He meets Yamazaki Asami, a former dancer who looks innocent enough, but soon shows her true nature. While the first three quarters of the film are relatively tame, the director, Takashi Miike builds the tension to a climatic frenzy, paying off in one of the most graphic torture scenes ever caught on film.