If you and your friends are looking for something cinematic to compliment an October evening, the following three horror flicks are my personal recommendations. 

1. “Village of the Damned” (1960)

With an efficient 77-minute run time, this British film takes place in the small town of Midwich following the miraculous conceptions of twelve psychopathic children who all possess a single telepathic hive consciousness. “Village of the Damned” opens with every resident of the aforementioned town falling unconscious one day, after which many of the women in the town, including some virgins, discover that they have become pregnant. As the highly intelligent offspring reach adolescence, local authorities come to discover that similar incidents have begun to occur across the globe and that in each case the children had to be destroyed. I recommend this film to anyone who thinks kids are kind of creepy.

2. “Creepshow” (1982)

This film was directed by George Romero and written by Stephen King. It pays homage to the EC horror comics of the 1950’s that inspired both men from an early age. I’d even go so far as to describe the film as a love letter to that campy, gratuitously violent brand of horror. “Creepshow” is an anthology, broken up into five chilling tales that are all of a pretty high caliber. 

The first story, “Father’s Day,” is about the murdered patriarch of a wealthy elitist family who returns from the grave to wreak deadly havoc on his living relatives. After you watch this episode, you’ll never forget the words, “I want my cake, Bedelia!” 

In the second story, “The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill,” Stephen King himself plays a not too intelligent farmer who discovers a crashed meteorite on his land one evening and ends up… well, he ends up growing, I guess you could say. 

In the third story, “Something to Tide You Over,” Leslie Nielson plays a bitter husband who takes revenge on the man who cuckolded him by burying the cheating scoundrel up to his neck on the beach just before high tide. 

In the fourth episode, “The Crate,” an unlucky janitor awakes a bloodthirsty creature while cleaning out a university basement. This tale is as much of a marital comedy about a professor and his nagging wife as it is a horror story about a terrifying monster with a taste for human flesh. It is by far the goriest of the five parts. 

In the final episode, “They’re Creeping Up on You,” the story follows a sadistic business mogul who fortifies himself in a completely germ-free apartment that slowly becomes overrun by a hellish infestation of roaches.

The film’s overall aesthetic is vastly enriched by the comic book inspired illustrations of the great Bernie Wrightson. This has to be one of the most fun and underrated horror films I’ve ever seen. At times it’s hilarious and corny, but I think you’ll agree that “Creepshow” definitely earns its R rating.

3. John Carpenter’s “The Thing” (1982)

This cult classic is not only one my favorite horror films but also one of one of my top 80’s films in general. This action thriller burns slowly throughout the first half hour of its run time, but if you hang on, you’ll definitely be rewarded. The film follows a doomed team of scientists who are stranded in a remote Arctic research base when a shapeshifting, extraterrestrial organism infects the base and goes on a murderous rampage. 

The film is probably most famous for its incredible special effects, which include a human head sprouting spider legs and running amuck. If you like body horror, “The Thing” is a must watch. There’s a healthy dose of gunplay, flame throwers, extreme violence, and mystery; so, if you’re ever looking for something to watch with your little brother, this is the movie. But just make sure you go into this one on an empty stomach.

1982 was clearly a good year for horror.