THE DECADE DOZENS: MY FAVOURITE HALLOWEEN MOVIES FOR EACH DECADE FROM THE TWENTIES TO THE NOUGHTIES. An exercise suggested to me was to list my 12 favourite scary movies from each decade starting with the silent 1920s. Some decades were MUCH harder than others (and not the ones you might expect) but I've managed to do it. I've winnowed them down to the 12 I'd most prefer watching for some tasty Halloween viewing. I only really fudged on one movie; the TV movie THE DARK ANGEL was actually made in 1987 but it wasn't shown in this country until 1991 so I placed it in the 90s. So there. Nuffin' you can do about it! So let's get down to it.

THE TWENTIES

1. THE GOLEM (1920)
2. DR. JEKYLL & MR. HYDE (1920)
3. THE PHANTOM CARRIAGE (1921)
4. HAXAN aka WITCHCRAFT THROUGH THE AGES (1922)
5. NOSFERATU (1922)
6. WAXWORKS (1924)
7. THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (1925)
8. THE MONSTER (1925)
9. THE BAT (1926)
10. THE MAGICIAN (1926)
11. THE CAT AND THE CANARY (1927)
12. WEST OF ZANZIBAR (1928)

THE THIRTIES

1. THE BAT WHISPERS (1930)
2. DRACULA (1931)
3. FRANKENSTEIN (1931)
4. SVENGALI (1931)
5. DR. JEKYLL & MR. HYDE (1931)
6. THE OLD DARK HOUSE (1932)
7. THE MUMMY (1932)
8. KING KONG (1933)
9. THE INVISIBLE MAN (1933)
10. THE BLACK CAT (1934)
11. BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935)
12. SON OF FRANKENSTEIN (1939)

THE FORTIES

1. THE WOLF MAN (1941)
2. CAT PEOPLE (1942)
3. I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE (1943)
4. THE LEOPARD MAN (1943)
5. THE SEVENTH VICTIM (1943)
6. SON OF DRACULA (1943)
7. RETURN OF THE VAMPIRE (1944)
8. THE UNINVITED (1944)
9. CURSE OF THE CAT PEOPLE (1944)
10. FOG ISLAND (1945)
11. DEAD OF NIGHT (1945)
12. ABBOTT & COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN (1948)

THE FIFTIES

1. THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD (1951)
2. WAR OF THE WORLDS (1953)
3. CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON (1954)
4. THEM! (1954)
5. INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1956)
6. THE MOLE PEOPLE (1956)
7. NIGHT OF THE DEMON (1957)
8. QUATERMASS II: ENEMY FROM SPACE (1957)
9. HORROR OF DRACULA (1958)
10. THE BLOB (1958)
11. HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL (1959)

THE SIXTIES

1. PSYCHO (1960)
2. HOUSE OF USHER (1960)
3. CITY OF THE DEAD (1960)
4. THE INNOCENTS (1961)
5. THE HAUNTING (1963)
6. THE COMEDY OF TERRORS (1963)
7. CASTLE OF BLOOD (1964)
8. THE GORGON (1964)
9. DR. TERROR'S HOUSE OF HORRORS (1965)
10. PLANET OF THE VAMPIRES (1965)
11. ROSEMARY'S BABY (1968)
12. NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968)

THE SEVENTIES

1. THE DUNWICH HORROR (1970)
2. HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS (1970)
3. THE NIGHT STALKER (1972)
4. DRACULA A.D. 1972 (1972)
5. LEGEND OF HELL HOUSE (1973)
6. THE EXORCIST (1973)
7. FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE (1974)
8. DEEP RED (1975)
9. HALLOWEEN (1978)
10. DAWN OF THE DEAD (1978)
11. ALIEN (1979)
12. SALEM'S LOT (1979)

THE EIGHTIES

1. THE FOG (1980)
2. THE SHINING (1980)
3. AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON (1981)
4. THE EVIL DEAD (1981)
5. THE THING (1982)
6. RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD (1985)
7. THE RE-ANIMATOR (1985)
8. HORRIBLE HORROR (1986)
9. THE LOST BOYS (1987)
10. THE SERPENT AND THE RAINBOW (1988)
11. KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE (1988)
12. LAIR OF THE WHITE WORM (1988)

THE NINETIES

1. THE DARK ANGEL (1991 US Release)
2. THE RESURRECTED (1992)
3. GHOSTWATCH (1992)
4. BLOODSTONE: SUBSPECIES II (1993)
5. ED WOOD (1994)
6. IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS (1994)
7. CEMETERY MAN (1994)
8. RINGU (1998)
9. OUT OF MIND: THE STORIES OF H.P. LOVECRAFT (1998)
10. THE SIXTH SENSE (1999)
11. HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL (1999)
12. THE NINTH GATE (1999)

THE NOUGHTIES

1. WILD ZERO (2000)
2. JU-ON (2000)
3. THIRTEEN GHOSTS (2001)
4. DAGON (2001)
5. 28 DAYS LATER (2002)
6. SHAUN OF THE DEAD (2004)
7. SLITHER (2006)
8. THE MIST (2007)
9. LET THE RIGHT ONE IN (2008)
10. DORIAN GRAY (2009)
11. ZOMBIELAND (2009)
12. DEAD SNOW (2009)