Halloween Six-Pack: Films that will scare your pants off

Tis the witching season.

Halloween is upon us and you are looking for movies that will scare your pants off.

Forget slasher movies. Unstoppable killers such as Jason from the "Friday the 13th" franchise just aren't scary.

Zombie movies are fun, but they mostly feature gore, which may be nasty and messy but it really isn't scary.

Giant creature movies are another genre that just doesn't scare us. Some are better than others such as "Them" about giant ants, but it comes up short in the terror department. Others are just plain silly including "Night of the Lepus" about giant bunnies ravaging a Southwestern community. C'mon. Giant bunnies? At least the giant grasshoppers in "Beginning of the End" were attacking Chicago.

Monster movies also aren't very scary. Frankenstein, Dracula, the Mummy and the Wolfman may be classic monsters, but they don't make us shake in our theater seats.

Horror movies come in all shapes and sizes, but here are six, all available on video and DVD, that should send chills down your spine in time for Halloween.

"Frailty" (2001) -- Bill Paxton stars and directs this film filled with twists and turns about a man and his sons on a mission from God to kill demons only they can see. Other stars include Matthew McConaughey, Powers Boothe and Missy Crider.

"Psycho" (1960) -- Alfred Hitchcock's masterpiece about a woman (Janet Leigh) who steals thousands of dollars from her boss and then checks in to the Bates Motel. Leigh reportedly said the movie's famous shower scene so unnerved her she was unable to ever again take a shower. Other stars include Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles, John Gavin and Martin Balsam. It was remade in color a few years ago but the original is better.

"Halloween" (1978) -- Director John Carpenter kick-started the slasher craze with this film about a killer who returns to his home town on Halloween after escaping from a mental hospital in downstate Illinois. The theme music is absolutely haunting. Stars include Jamie Lee Curtis, Donald Pleasence, Nancy Loomis and P.J. Soles. The film inspired several sequels, and Rob Zombie has resurrected the franchise with his own twisted take on Michael Meyers and company.

"The Exorcist" (1973) -- William Friedkin delivers one of the scariest films ever about a young girl (Linda Blair) possessed by a demon and the Catholic priests who arrive to rescue her soul. Other stars include Ellen Burstyn, Lee J. Cobb, Jason Miller and Max von Sydow. A couple of sequels followed this version.

"The Haunting" (1963) -- There's not a single headless body or ounce of blood squirted in this film about three people and a psychic researcher who spend some time in a haunted house and rile up the spirits within. Stars include Julia Harris, Claire Bloom, Russ Tamblyn and Richard Johnson. Avoid the crappy remake that came out a few years ago.

"The Omen" (1976) -- Gregory Peck is the new U.S. ambassador to Great Britain who discovers that his son may indeed be the anti-Christ of biblical prophecy. Other stars include Lee Remick and David Warner.
It also inspired several sequels and was remade a few years ago. Stick with the original.

'Twilight Zone' celebrates 50th anniversary

Who knew in 1959 that the "Twilight Zone," a show that creator Rod Serling had a devil of time getting on the air, would turn into one of the medium's greatest and lasting success stories?

Now, half a century later, episodes are shown nightly on the SyFy Channel, which also hosts an annual marathon every New Year's Eve.

A couple of Christmases ago, I bought my brother a book called the "Twilight Zone Companion." The book has all kinds of information about the show such as a listing of episodes, their stars and the date it first aired. He said it was one of the best presents he ever got.

I used to work with a fellow named Tony Baranek, who claims to have every episode on tape. Every now and again we'd start discussing the show. One night I think we talked about the show for hours.

Few shows from that era are still popular today. A big part of that is today's generation doesn't generally embrace movies and TV shows that aren't shown in color, and shows from that era were filmed in black and white. It didn't make a lot of sense filming TV in color since nobody had color televisions in the 1950s and early 1960s.

"Twilight Zone" has stood the test of time. That's probably due to great writing, great acting and a haunting theme song.

 Everyone has a favorite episode. Most people probably have several favorites. All of the show's 156 episodes are available on video and DVD. Here are six of my favorites. If you have a favorite you'd like to share, post a comment here or on Facebook.

"Time Enough at Last" (Nov. 20, 1959) -- Burgess Meredith, who appears in four episodes, stars as a henpecked bank teller whose habit of lunching in the bank's vault saves him from a nuclear attack. This episode has probably the finest ending of them all.

"To Serve Man" (March 2, 1962) -- Lloyd Bochner stars in this episode about a race of giants that arrives on Earth and puts an end to war and hunger. As he's about to embark on a visit to their planet, Bochner finds out their true reason for coming to our planet. Richard Kiel co-stars as the alien leader (seen in photo above).

"People Are the Same All Over" (March 25, 1960) -- Roddy McDowall stars in this episode about an astronaut's fears that the people on another planet will be radically different from people on Earth.

"King Nine Will Not Return" (Sept. 30, 1960) -- Robert Cummings stars as a World War II pilot stranded alone in the North African desert with his crashed bomber. Or is he? This episode is the first to feature the familiar theme song and Rod Serling's on-camera narration.

"The Night of the Meek" (Dec. 23, 1960) -- Art Carney stars as a department store Santa fired for being drunk who gets once last chance at redemption.

"The 7th is Made Up of Phantoms" (Dec. 6, 1963) -- Three members of a National Guard tank unit start seeing and hearing strange things when they find themselves at the site where George Custer's 7th Cavalry was annihilated by the Sioux.

Watch "Twilight Zone" for free at:

http://www.cbs.com/classics/the_twilight_zone/

http://www.fancast.com/tv/The-Twilight-Zone/97525/full-episodes