1. Bride of Frankenstein (1934) - James Whale's classic version of Mary Shelley's novel, starring Boris Karloff as the iconic Creature. Differs significantly, but always delivers classic Halloween atmosphere.
2. Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) - Eye-candy in a big way. Francis Ford Coppola's version of Bram Stoker's novel (the ultimate Gothic novel) does differ--they almost always do, and understandably so--but still demands its annual due.
3. Nosferatu (1979) - A version yet further in keeping with the Dubliner's novel, directed by the greatest living filmmaker, Werner Herzog, and starring the inimitable Klaus Kinski as the repulsive Lord of Vampires.
4. Halloween (1979) - From the same notable year, John Carpenter's immortal indie classic about an extremely resilient guy who escapes an insane asylum one Halloween, wearing a messed-up William Shatner mask, silently intent on killing his sister.
5. Creepshow (1982) - One could just as easily substitute Hitchcock's Psycho, or The Silence of the Lambs, or The Omen, or Young Frankenstein, but this list honors Stephen King and George Romero's classic pulpy homage to EC Comics of the 1950s.
6. The Shining (1980) - Stephen King doesn't like the Stanley Kubrick masterpiece reputedly because of Jack Nicholson's performance, but what does he know? It's the fantastic film of a dad possessed by evil hotel spirits over an ancient Indian burial site trying to kill his son.
7. The Haunting (1963) - Robert Wise's version of the Shirley Jackson novel about another haunted house, this time beautifully suggested, very tastefully done and featuring Julie Harris.
8. Rosemary's Baby (1968) - Mia Farrow stars in Roman Polanski's remarkably faithful adaptation of the novel by Ira Levin about the birth of the Devil's child.
9. The Ninth Gate (1999) - Speak of the Devil, this amazing slice of Gothicism, also directed by Polanski, features Johnny Depp as a book detective looking for a book written by Lucifer.
10. Sleepy Hollow (1999) - Capping off the century, Tim Burton's own eye-candy, starring Depp as the eccentric Ichabod Crane, a constable sent to investigate murders in a backwoods community. Differs markedly from Washington Irving's classic story, yet still merit attention.
11. The Wolf Man (2010) - Featuring Benecio Del Toro and Anthony Hopkins in this terrific update of the 1940s version starring Lon Chaney, Jr.
12. The Fly (1986) - Another great Gothic re-make, this time of a 1950s B-movie about a fly and a guy who get together. Stars Jeff Goldblum as the underrated classic Brundlefly.
13. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931) - Long before the Fly, there was Hyde. Ultimate split-personality story about a good doctor (excellently played by Fredric March) who scientifically extracts his own repressed dark side in Victorian England with horrific results.
Stewart Kirby writes for
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