Horror films are one of the best selling film genres around, the only problem with that is there are more bad horror movies made than good horror movies. So, when a good horror film comes along, it needs to be celebrated. Here’s the Hub’s list of the best old school (pre-1990) horror films.

“The Exorcist” (1973)
Starring: Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Linda Blair
Directed by: William Friedkin
Plot: A teenage girl is possessed by a demon and her mother turns to two priests for help.
Number of sequels: Four (none are even close to the original)
What makes it one of the best: This is the ultimate horror experience because it has everything. It has gore (but doesn’t rely on it too much), it has genuine scares, it maintains a creepy and downright evil atmosphere and it’s expertly directed and acted. And, if you have the pleasure of seeing this movie in a theatre as I did with the re-release, this movie will scare you to the point of visually shaking. No cheap thrills in this one. BTW, this is also one of the only films ever to benefit from a director’s cut. Ton’s scarier than the original theatrical release.

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“Poltergeist” (1982)
Starring: Craig T. Nelson, JoBeth Williams, Heather O'Rourke
Directed by: Tobe Hooper
Plot: Angry spirits invade a family home in a California subdivision that was built on a graveyard.
Number of sequels: Two (and a remake planned for 2010)
What makes it one of the best: Floating toys, creepy clown dolls, a girl getting sucked into another dimension, trees coming to life and attacking, a man peeling the skin off of his face, sinister Amish looking ghosts, and more. This movie is textbook on what makes a horror movie work. If you have any kind of realistic or unrealistic fear — water, ghosts, trees, graveyards, steak — this movie will mess you up.

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“Evil Dead II” (1987)
Starring: Bruce Campbell, Sarah Berry, Dan Hicks
Directed by: Sam Raimi
Plot: The sole survivor from the first movie and a bunch of strangers fight off the evil demons in a remote cabin.
Number of sequels: One sequel (“Army of Darkness”), three video games, one remake scheduled slated for 2010 and another sequel (Evil Dead IV) rumored @ IMDb for 2011
What makes it one of the best: Bruce Campbell. That’s really all you need though. Despite my love, deep love, for horror films, I am not a fan of Evil Dead. Like other cheapo films shot in the woods (“The Blair Witch Project,” etc) by first time directors, “Evil Dead” looks cheap, and it hurts it. “Evil Dead II,” which is almost like a shot-for-shot remake of the original 1981 film, looks better. Plus Campbell’s character is better, the effects are better, the gore is gorier, the scares are scarier … in other words, it’s a much-improved film. Not to say “Evil Dead” doesn’t have its place, it was a great start. But “Evil Dead II” put the nail in the coffin. Now, as far as those rumors go about a remake and a sequel, Sam Raimi is apparently on board to direct. “Evil Dead IV” is “in development” according to IMDb. That doesn’t mean squat.

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“A Nightmare on Elm Street” (1984)
Starring: Heather Langenkamp, Robert Englund, John Saxon
Directed by: Wes Craven
Plot: A dead serial killer is haunting teens in their dreams
Number of sequels: Seven sequels, two TV shows, one video game and a remake on the way
What makes it one of the best: Out of all of the movies where teens are the victims of undefeatable evil foes, this is really the only one that works on a psychological level. Sure, this film spawned tons of sequels, inspired dozens of filmmakers to go into horror and so on, but even after 25 years, this film still has all the right thrills in all the right places. Not too many films can say that. Of course, the style du jour is to remake successful horror films, and this is no different. Will director Samuel Bayer and the new Freddy Krueger Jackie Earle Haley’s film pack the same punch?

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“Night of the Living Dead” (1968)
Starring: Duane Jones, Judith O'Dea, Karl Hardman
Directed by: George A. Romero
Plot: The dead have come back to life and they’re hungry for human flesh
Number of sequels: Five sequels, two remakes, one film rumored in development
What makes it one of the best: It’s so easy to epically fail with zombie movies. Zombies move slow, they pose no real immediate threat if you can mobilize, they’re relatively easy to kill, and so on. But George A. Romero really hit a nerve with this one. Shot in black and white this film looks a lot gorier than it actually is (fake blood used in this film was chocolate syrup, and nothing is scary about chocolate syrup), but Romero’s vision was truly terrifying. It also serves as an inspiration for countless filmmakers, not just in style but also as a business model. The film was shot for a mere $116,000 and is documented to have grossed more than $30 million worldwide. It’s also, unfortunately, a lesson of what not to do. The film lapsed into the public domain because the original distributor screwed up, neglecting to put proper copyright notice on the original print.

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And rounding out the top 10 are:
Hellraiser (1987)
Phantasm (1979)
The Shining (1980)
Halloween (1978(
Bride of Frankenstein (1935)