Friday's 13

It's nice to know that I'm not the only one that gets a little Halloween obsessed when October rolls around each year, as witnessed by the following 13 scary movie lists that would give even Jason Voorhees a sleepless night:

- Rotten Tomatoes' "50 Best-Reviewed Horror Movies": Surprisingly diverse, running the gamut of movie history from silents to slashers. Welcome inclusions: The Descent, Fright Night, Shadow of the Vampire. Could have done without: The Blair Witch Project. Number 1 with a shower stall: Psycho.

- MatchFlick's "Top 10 Horror Movie Characters": As could be expected, only two heroes (Laurie Strode, Ash) amongst all the villains. A bit top heavy on the Mount Rushmore of modern horror (Freddy, Jason, Leatherface and Michael), all of whom are ranked higher then Norman Bates. What's up with that? Number 1 with a Shatner mask: Michael Myers.

- Cinematical's "Best Horror Movies You Haven't Seen Yet": Frightful film fest faves, coming soon to a theater or video store near you.

- Cinematical's "Cool Horror Films of the 80's": Most of these seven spookathons from the decade of greed are on the mark (Return of the Living Dead, The Lost Boys, even The Blob remake), but dude: The Fog instead of A Nightmare on Elm Street? Totally bogus.

- Screenhead's "The 10 Most Sublimely Scary Scenes in Cinema": As is the norm these days with most movie fansites, this one is heavily waited to more modern films (the oldest is 1973's The Exorcist), but you can't deny the creep factor of, say, the Pale Man from Pan's Labyrinth. Number 1 with a video tape: Ringu.

- Times Online's "The 13 Most Terrifying Movie Scenes Ever": Actually, it only goes to 11 (It and Duel are technically TV movies). Smart enough to recognize the childhood terrors of The Wizard of Oz, yet somehow includes Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, scary in a whole other way. Number 1 with a big axe: The Shining.

- Cinematical's "Movie Tricks and Treats for Kids" and "Scary Movies for the Wimpy": These two are pretty much interchangeable, proven by the fact that Ghostbusters is included on both.

- Cinematical's "Horror Sub-Genres": Convenient list of the best of each, perfect if you're in the mood for a "creepy little kid" movie (i.e.: Village of the Damned) or a lesbian vampire flick (uh, how could you leave off The Hunger?).

- The First Church of Mutterhals' "The Coolest Serial Killers of Film": Exactly what you would expect with a title like that. Props for including some oldies (Peeping Tom, If ...) and Christian Bale's Patrick Bateman (cool and sexy), but isn't it jumping the gun to include Michael Myers circa, oh, a month ago?

- Cinematical's "Great Books About Horror Movies": Best title: Shock! Horror!: Astounding Artwork from the Video Nasty Era.

- Cinematical's "Worst Stephen King Adaptations": OK, I get The Lawnmower Man and Children of the Corn, but what is The Shawshank Redemption doing here? The author seems more put off by the film's ubiquitousness and popularity then the film itself.

- And finally: Boston.com's "Top 50 Scary Movies of All Time": Legitimacy is questionable when they include Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 at all (granted, they left off the original), let alone rank it ahead of Freaks. Still, manages a mix of the classic (The War of the Worlds) to the cult (Erasherhead). Number 1 with a spider-legged, antennae-sprouting decapitated head: The Thing.

Links via RottonTomatoes.com, MatchFlick.com, Cinematical.com, Screenhead.com, Entertainment.TimesOnline.co.uk, TheFirstChurchOfMutterhals.blogspot.com and Boston.com.