BY Sergio Garcia | SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR
1. “The Silence of the Lambs”
Ring a bell? No? Maybe this name might bring some memories: Dr. Hannibal Lecter. In an effort to catch a serial killer who’s been killing women in the U.S., FBI trainee Clarice Starling (played by Jodie Foster) seeks help from an incarcerated psychiatrist, Lecter (played by Anthony Hopkins). Known as “Buffalo Bill,” this serial killer not only kills his victims, he also skins them, making Lecter the perfect aid, for he was convicted of murder and cannibalism.
2. “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre”
“The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” is a series of movies that depict the unfortunate events of a group of friends who fall in the hands of a family of cannibals. The main character of the movies is “Leatherface,” whom you might remember as the big guy with the chain saw. The franchise has a total of seven movies and another one is expected to hit the big screen sometime this year. If you visit a haunted house this year, be on the lookout for that distinctive chain saw sound, for it might or might not be coming from one of the actors on stage.
3. “It”
If you are afraid of clowns, this movie might not be for you. Based on a horror novel by Stephen King, “It” follows the story of a demonic entity named “Pennywise” that takes the shape of a clown and hunts kids by exploiting their fears. King’s novel was published in 1986 and the story says that “It” hunts every three decades, so be careful this year.
4. “A Nightmare on Elm Street”
This movie probably ruined it for the all the people who had red sweaters with black stripes back in the ’80s. The antagonist is a sadistic serial killer who was burned to death on Elm Street, Freddy Krueger. Krueger haunts his victims in their sleep and kills them in a horrendous way. The thing is that if they die in a dream, they also die in real life. The teenagers in the movie avoid sleeping, for they know that as soon as they do, Krueger will try to kill them. I wonder if being haunted by Krueger might be a good excuse to sleep in class after a long night.
5. “The Exorcist”
Starring a zombie-looking, head-twisting, wall-climbing, demon-talking, long-distance vomiting, white-eyed possessed teenager, this movie has it all. The teen starts developing violent behavior when she begins playing with a Ouija board, so her mother seeks professional help. After psychiatric tests it is discovered that she is possessed by a demonic entity, thus deciding to perform an exorcism.
6. “Saw”
The seven-movie franchise is all about blood. The antagonist of the series communicates with his victims using a creepy marionette called “Billy the Puppet.” The name of the sadistic serial killer responsible for capturing and torturing his subjects is John Kramer, also known as Jigsaw. Every movie is different; however, all of them have one common plot, to “rehabilitate” people who, according to Jigsaw’s logic, don’t appreciate their life. These movies are full of mutilations, murder and blood, lots of blood.
7. “The Ring”
Having a total of two movies, “The Ring” is probably among the most popular horror movies out there. The plot is fairly simple: There’s a cursed tape that after watching, you die in seven days. The tape is full of surreal and horrid video fragments and images. As soon as the tape ends, you receive a phone call and as soon as you answer, a child whispers, “You will die in seven days,” and hangs up. You might think that this won’t happen nowadays, especially because VHS tapes have become obsolete; however, the franchise announced that a new sequel will be released sometime next year and according to the trailer, the video is transmitted via email.
