When Kathleen Strecker called to ask me to write an article about my top five scariest movies, I thought, Oh, that will be fun, says Neal Cummings, owner of Video Horizons. And fun it was, but it was not easy at all. Is it whats considered by critics to be the scariest films, or by the average person, or publications like Entertainment Weekly? I concluded that the only way to seriously write this piece was to list the ones that truly scared me … that had an influence on me as I watched it. This explains how classic horror flicks like Halloween, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Exorcist didnt make my list.

War of the Worlds (1953)

Make no mistake this is the original 1953 version, not the lifeless Spielberg 2005 version. If you are older than 50, like I am, you will understand this pick. Coming from the novel by H.G. Wells, the original radio broadcast of this story on Halloween night in 1938 by Orson Welles caused mass hysteria despite warnings that it was a fictional story. The movie, made by the great director George Pal, gave me my first cinematic fright growing up. The idea of aliens invading our planet made this young boy sleep with the lights on for a week.  Brilliant design work on the alien ships, incredible sound effects, sharp, vivid colors and one of the best cinematic screams of all time make this film a true gem.

The Birds

How can you not pick one of Alfred Hitchcocks films as one of the scariest of all time? But which one? For me, its The Birds. Younger viewers may not understand this one. No special effects or CGI make the first half of this film seem slow. But that is the strength of this film. Before the age of computer-generated effects, Hitchcock built his suspense with his editing, camera angles, character development and lack of music. The scene in the phone booth as Tippi Hedren witnesses the carnage around her from the bird attacks and car crashes as we hear nothing is spellbinding. To this day, if I see large flocks of birds fly close by, I think of this film, and feel the fear.

The Omen

Following the heels of the success of The Exorcist, The Omen tells the story of the son of Satan being born from a mysterious pregnancy and given to a U.S. ambassador and his wife in Italy. Where The Exorcist goes out of its way to shock the audience, The Omen keeps its discipline and is all the better for it. Director Richard Donner brings shock moments where theyre needed, like the revelation of the priest after the fire, the scene in the cemetery and the lorry accident at Megiddo. Gregory Peck and Lee Remick are outstanding. And what about that dog?!

The Shining

Right from the beginning, as we contemplate the car going to the hotel from those stunning aerial shots, deeply inside us we know that something in this film, somehow, sometime is going to go wrong. Jack Nicholsons powerful performance as the mad father and husband is as over the top as it is brilliant. Shelly Duvall is also a standout. Stanley Kubricks direction is pure excellence, giving the whole film a cold and atmospheric look, creating an unbearable sense of paranoia and terror. Indelible moments in cinema: Heres Johnny! REDRUM, the halls of blood, the maze and the elevator scene all make this film one of the most unforgettable, chilling and profoundly frightening films in history.

Alien

My pick for the scariest movie of all time is Alien. A seven-man crew en route to Earth on board a huge space freighter makes contact with an alien life form. What makes Alien so great is the constant feel of uneasiness. The dark atmosphere is overwhelming … gothic, claustrophobic and sometimes baroque. The use of light and dark is beyond description, the use of sound is as creepy as it gets. The innovative design of the alien has transformed movie aliens ever since with no CGI! Dripping and slimy, the scariest monster in history because it is a ruthless, soulless parasite completely devoid of any human or civilized traits … acid instead of blood … jaws inside jaws. Sigourney Weaver is our first real believable female hero. And who can forget the dinner scene!