The camp, the trash and the ugly

>> The Mirror's top-10 list of Halloween video rentals

by MATTHEW HAYS

1. Psycho (1960) Hitchcock's classic transvestite serial killer tale keeps getting better with age. Sadly, this film marked star Anthony Perkins for life; he was simply so brilliant as Norman Bates that no one could ever forget it.

2. The Bad Seed (1956) Haunting film version of Maxwell Anderson's popular stage play about a mother's revelation that her daughter is an amoral killer. This is a cult favourite; Patty McCormack, who played the evil child, was deservedly nominated for an Oscar. A precursor to the child-as-evil Exorcist and Omen movies.

3. I Saw What You Did (1965) William Castle's hilarious stalker movie, an important warning for teens about the dangers of crank calling. Two young girls phone up strangers and whisper the title of the movie. One of their prankees happens to have just murdered Joan Crawford, and he's out to get them next!

4. Halloween (1978), Scream (1996). The perfect double feature. Though Halloween has been derided, it's an entirely solid suspense flick and it isn't director/writer John Carpenter's fault that it set off a barrage of bad imitations. Scream is the best horror movie to come along in years, a cross between Halloween and Clueless and a striking parody/pastiche of the slasher film.

5. I Drink Your Blood (1970) After some innocent townsfolk have been horribly mistreated by a band of nomadic hippies, a young boy decides to take revenge by selling them rabies-infected meat pies. Rock-bottom production values, dreadful dialogue--and don't miss the attack of the rabid construction workers!

6. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) Don Siegel's chilling metaphor for McCarthyism still manages to freak me out, but I grew up in Alberta so I can relate. Two remakes later and the original still stands tall as the best of the lot.

7. Last House on the Left (1972,), The Hills Have Eyes (1977) Based loosely on Bergman's Virgin Spring, Last House is the tale of a family's revenge after their daughter and her friend are brutally raped and murdered. The Hills Have Eyes is the ultradisturbing depiction of a family's descent into madness after they're attacked by mutant hillbillies. Wes Craven at his sickest.

8. Freaks (1932) Todd Browning's blunt depiction of actual circus freaks caused a sensation (the film was disowned by the studio and censored for decades) and inspired numerous artists, including photographer Diane Arbus, made famous in the '60s by her similar portraits of real circus freaks, midgets and the mentally challenged.

9. The Fly (1958 and 1986) Double feature (half of which fills my Can-con quota). With Vincent Price and David Cronenberg packed into one evening, where can you go wrong?

10. Child's Play and sequels (1988, '90, '91) Okay, so this little doll is ridiculously cheesy. But admit it: there is something scary about toys coming to life, and Chucky's dialogue is too rich to be dismissed ("Don't fuck with the Chuck!"). Chucky cultists are still impatiently awaiting Child's Play 4.