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20 cult-classic horror flicks to watch this Halloween

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Click through to discover our top 20 classic horror flicks

‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’ – This ’80s teen horror vehicle boasts a frightening premise – being murdered in your sleep, and an equally disturbing killer – the burnt, metal clawed Freddy Krueger.

‘Carrie’ – Forget the 2013 revamp starring Chloe Grace Moretz, the 1976 original opens with one doozie of a girls’ locker room scene and finishes with one explosive and hellish bang. High school bullying on steroids.

‘Candyman’ – Way to make bees terrifying – this ’92 flick plays on the ‘Bloody Mary’ legend with a vengeful spirit (with a bloody hook for a hand) who can be summoned by repeating his name three times in front of a mirror.

‘Child's Play’ – A possessed doll that comes alive to terrorise people might seem innocuous at first, but the murderous Chucky sure frightened the pants off kids (and a fair few adults) in its day.

‘Halloween’ – Featuring yet another masked serial killer –Michael Myers – the success of the original (starring a young Jamie Lee Curtis) spawned ten more films in the franchise.

‘Hostel’ – Warning: this will turn you off strange Eastern European hostels (and random travel hookups) for life. Gory and twisted, it leaves an unsavoury taste in your mouth.

‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’ – This slasher horror flick is worth a revisit for the ’90 teen dream casting alone: hello, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Freddy Prinze Jr. and Ryan Phillippe.

‘It’ – Any person with a serious clown phobia should stridently avoid this Stephen King-penned tale brought to life. Of course, with all the clown madness happening now, it’s so on trend it hurts.

‘Poltergeist’ – Ever wondered if your home appliances were turning on you? Then don’t watch this 1982 paranormal spookfest because it will terrify you. Based on the true story of the Enfield haunting, it also inspired the 2016 film ‘The Conjuring 2’.

‘Rosemary's Baby’ – Is Mia Farrow carrying the devil’s spawn? That’s the central question of Roman Polanski’s 1968 intense psychological thriller.

‘Scream’¬ – “What’s your favourite scary movie?” Thanks to a smart script poking fun at horror movie clichés and an iconic Drew Barrymore cameo, this ’90s classic has surprisingly stood the test of time. We love how meta it is.

‘Sleepy Hollow’ – Tim Burton’s 1999 thriller is typically moody in style, eccentric in tone… and features a lotta beheadings. Bonus: it stars Johnny Depp and Christina Ricci as star-crossed lovers.

‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ – It’s not hard to see why this tale of cannibalism (and a chainsaw-wielding masked madman) was banned in many countries after its 1974 release.

‘The Blair Witch Project’ – With a killer marketing plan, this hyped up faux doco was kind of a bore 95 per cent of the time, but the psychologically unsettling ending paid off (sort of). Of course, it was up for a remake this year but do yourself a favour and watch the original.

‘The Exorcist’ – From head spinning to projectile vomit and, ahem, interesting use of a crucifix, the demonic possession of a 12 year old girl is hard to forget. A true classic of the genre.

‘The Human Centipede’ – The controversial story of a deranged doctor who kidnaps three people and joins them surgically from mouth to rear was critically panned and its sickening sequel was (understandably) nearly banned. Watch at your own risk.

. ‘The Ring’ – Kudos to the Japanese classic where this originates, but the US remake starring Naomi Watts is just as creepy. You’ll never look at static on the television screen the same again. And THAT little girl with the hair? *Shudder*

‘The Shining’ – Stephen King loathed the film version of his book, but Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of a frustrated writer going crazy inside a deserted hotel is Jack Nicholson at his deranged finest. And don’t get us started on the freaky twins…

‘The Sixth Sense’ – A chilling “I see dead people” tale with a major twist that no one (back in 1999) saw coming. Unfortunately, once you find out, it’s difficult to watch again.

‘Wolf Creek’ – No Aussie can say that the outback doesn’t make for a seriously freaky setting, especially when there’s a deranged bushman on the loose (modelled after real-like serial killers Ivan Milat and Bradley John Murdoch.) And really, no Aussie wants to go camping after watching this either.

How many of these fright night classics have you ticked off?

From cheesy '80s horror flicks starring a young Johnny Depp (A Nightmare on Elm Street) and '70s prototypes that terrified your parents (The Exorcist and Carrie) to bona fide teenage slumber party hits (Scream) - we've selected 20 pop culture films to scare you into Halloween mode this weekend. Admittedly, it's not a definitive list (who's got time for that?) and open to many arguments and additions (ahem, The Conjuring and its sequel), but we think it's a pretty decent start.

A word of warning though, if you're prone to skittishness, definitely don't watch these spine-chillers alone and/or in the dark...