A horror-movie blitz has descended upon us this year, and it's not over yet. So far during 2005 we've seen a sequel to The Ring, a re-make of The Amityville Horror and new attempts to scare us out of our wits in The Boogeyman, Cursed, Alone in the Dark and The Grudge. Coming soon are House of Wax, Red Eye, Land of the Dead, Dark Water and The Skeleton Key. There's no doubt about it -- most of us love to be frightened at the movies, which seems a good segue to my picks for films that should be honored as the scariest movies ever made. Here they are:     

The Shining (1978). Numerous memorable scenes come to mind, (redrum, all work and no play, man in the bunny suit) -- but they all add up to making this Jack Nicholson film one of the scariest movies of all time.

Silence of the Lambs (1971). The most visceral fear comes from one's own mind, and this movie is the king of the psychological thrillers.

Se7en (1995). So disturbing to the psyche it has its own rating category on Frank's Reel Reviews. I wonder if FedEx would really make that delivery!

King Kong (1933). Despite the flickering gorilla fur, this one frightened a whole generation of new moviegoers.

Psycho (1960). The most prominent representative of the genius of Alfred Hitchcock. Janet Leigh's shower scene is one of the most frightening movie scenes ever filmed.

The Ring (2002). A ringing phone scared me for days after seeing this one. A clean change of underwear anyone?

Halloween (1978). So scary it spawned no fewer than 8 direct sequels, not to mention numerous acknowledgements in other Hollywood productions.

Frankenstein (1931). Combines a beautifully simplistic tale with the potent topic of man vs. nature to create a horrific fairy-tale that continues to mesmerize more than seven decades after its release

Carrie (1976). Mixes telekinetic powers with our innate fear of being ridiculed to create a classic horror masterpiece.

Jaws (1975). Forced a whole generation to stay out of the water. Is it safe to go back yet?

Night of the Living Dead (1968). The Royal King Father of all zombie movies. That reminds me, I'm hungry.

Exorcist (1973). Made an entire generation of filmgoers afraid to order split pea soup ever again.

The Birds (1983). The film's tagline alone says it all: "Suspense and Shock Beyond Anything You Have Seen or Imagined!" Ooooo, scary!

The Blair Witch Project (1999). Although it turned out to be the biggest sham in filmmaking history, it was scary nonetheless.

The Changeling (1980). I'll never look at a wheelchair in the  same way again.

Friday the 13th (1980). Must be scarier than Halloween  because it spawned more sequels.

Signs (2002). Crop circles, Shyamalan and Aliens, Oh My!

Alien (1970). I'm extremely concerned now every time I get  indigestion. Aren't you?

(Article also posted on www.franksreelreviews.com.)