Top 10 horror movies, according to Dayton director Henrique Couto 

• 1. Night of the Demons (1988): "Absolutely necessary"

  Source: "Night of Demons" (1988)

  Couto: The "Night of the Demons" is an absolutely necessary for Halloween. It’s a funny movie, a scary movie and it’s all revolved around the holiday of Halloween, which just goes further to perfectly set the fall holiday."

   

• 2. Halloween (1978): "It never gets old"

  Source: "Halloween" (1978)

  Couto: "This is a classic. As the name implies, it’s a film about Halloween, taking place on Halloween. Even if everyone has seen it, it never gets old and is never too old to pop in when the leaves change colors. The atmosphere, the iconic music and seeing the characters running around in their costumes is sure to get you into that fall mindset."

• 3. Trick r' Treat (2007): "Traditions and stories"

  
  Source: "Trick r' Treat"
  
  Couto: "'Trick r’ Treat' is a great one because it is a horror movie that takes place around the Halloween season and is literally about Halloween. It’s about the traditions and stories that brought about all of the holidays that have molded together to become modern Halloween. You end up with five scary stories in this movie that all meld together in the end about one fictional town in Ohio."

• 4. Murder Party (2007): "Chock full of laughs"

  Source: "Murder Party" (2007)

  Couto: "This is the funniest one on the list. It’s probably one of the funniest movies about horror and Halloween that you could ever see. This is the one to put on if you kind of need to shake some of the willies from the other movies you’ve watched. You will not stop laughing from the moment you start watching it. It’s got blood, it’s got costumes, it’s got everything you could want -- and most importantly, it’s chock full of laughs." 

   

• 5. Halloween 3: Season of the Witch (1982): "A must-watch"

  Source: "Halloween 3: Season of the Witch"

  Couto: "I felt the need to put 'Halloween 3' on its own, because it is such a different film from the films that feature Michael Myers. 'Halloween 3' does not feature Michael Myers. 'Halloween 3' is about a devious mask-making company that has evil plans for world domination, and every single scene in 'Halloween 3' is just flavored for the season – every single scene is leading up to Halloween. I feel it’s a must-watch movie separate from the Michael Myers movies."

   

• 6. Dark Night of the Scarecrow (1981): "Will seep into your soul and leave you uncomfortable"

  Source: "Dark Night of the Scarecrow" (1981)

  Couto: "'Dark Night of the Scarecrow' is probably the most chilling movie on my list. This is a made-for-TV movie from the beginning of the 80s. The tone of the film will seep into your soul and leave you uncomfortable. It’s quite tame because it was made in the beginning of the 80s, so there is not a lot of blood and there is not a lot of violence, but there is an atmosphere that make you feel a chill and need to grab another pumpkin spice latte or something. It’s a very spooky, chilling movie and if you can hunt down a copy, I recommend not watching it at home alone. I’ve shown it to people before and they’ve said to me ‘I don’t know why, but I am really uneasy right now.’ It’s a very spooky movie. Back in those days, TV movies were a bit different. They were a lot scarier because there were only about four channels. So if people didn’t like it, they didn’t have a lot of other options. That one came out recently because so many people made an outcry for it to come out on DVD – so many people remember that it terrified them when they were kids."

   

• 7. Ginger Snaps (2000): "An absolute classic"

  
  Source: "Ginger Snaps" (2000)

  Couto: "'Ginger Snaps' was a movie that redefined the 'werewolf movie,’ and for good reason. It took a look at high school cliques going through the changes of life and puberty and combined it with becoming a bloodthirsty wolf monster, which to me made perfect sense. It’s a great story about two sisters surviving the changes of life, but not the changes you usually deal with. It is very scary, but it also has a lot of humor and it’s just an absolute classic."

   

• 8. Ernest Scared Stupid (1991): "Goofs, chills, spills and thrills"

  Source: "Ernest Scared Stupid" (1991)

  Couto: "I couldn’t NOT include 'Ernest Scared Stupid' on my top 10 list. When I think of Halloween, I immediately think of the monsters in this movie. So this is the perfect thing to put on to lighten up the mood. This is the movie to watch while you are giving out candy to trick-or-treaters. It’s Ernest -- I mean, what more could you want? It’s got goofs, chills, thrills and spills—everything you would want. 

   

• 9. Satan's Little Helper (2004): "A pitch black comedy"

  Source: "Satan's Little Helper" (2004)

  Couto: "'Satan’s Little Helper' is a great example of truly pitch black comedy in a horror movie. There is a very cut-and-dry part of this movie where a little boy befriends Satan – a man in a Satan costume, who he thinks is playing tricks instead of treats. It turns out he might even be worse than the devil, because he’s actually killing people and this little boy is assisting the serial killer in taking out an entire town. It’s just like I said -- pitch black humor with lots and lots of Halloween-themed things. It takes place on Halloween night, which will definitely get you in the spirit. 

   

• 10. The Fear: Resurrection (1999): "Pure Gouda & pure Pepper Jack"

  Source: "The Fear: Resurrection" (1999)

  Couto: "I have a very interesting relationship with 'The Fear: Resurrection.' This movie is not necessarily what I would call a ‘good film,’ but it is a film that I watch every single year in October. This is one that amped all the way up in cheesiness. There is no denying it. It’s about a group of kids who have a masquerade party out in the middle of the woods at this guy’s grandparent’s house – which makes no sense, because why would you have a masquerade party with only five people? I encourage you to ignore all that just to note that the evil monster in it is a human size wooden statue, and it plays on everyone’s fears. The movie is just pure Gouda and pure Pepper Jack. For some reason every time I put it in, I can feel fall has arrived. So I can’t NOT recommend this movie in good consciousness."
  
   

  HONORABLE MENTIONS:

  Halloween 2, 4, 5, 6, and 7:
  "Every single Halloween sequel is flavored for Halloween, so you can’t go wrong."

  Night of the Demons 2 and 3:
   "Great sequels to my number one. They all take place no Halloween and they each have something special in them that everyone can enjoy."

  Jack-O:
   "This is a film about a ghost with a Jack O'Lantern for a head who kills people. There is no more needed to be said."

  Mischief Night (2014):
   "It’s brand-new as of last year. It’s really great and entertaining. It also takes place on Halloween night."