Staff recommends: lights, camera, action, boo!

**The original poster for 1922’s *Nosferatu*.**
Artist unknown.

The Sentry‘s favorite scary movies

It’s that time of year: the leaves are falling, the pumpkins are getting carved, and people are looking for a good scare. With only a week left until Halloween, The Sentry has rounded seven of the best and most original horror films, ranging from Silver Screen monsters to cult classics and everything in between.

Despite nearly a hundred years passing since The Phantom of the Opera (1925), Nosferatu (1922), and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) flickered into existence, they are still some of the best films to watch during October because an unnerving element these films captured was lost as talkies became more popular.
— Taelar Johansen

In a genre that’s not usually political, Under the Shadow (2016), set in post-revolution Tehran, follows an Iranian woman, Shideh, and her young daughter as they’re haunted by a spirit inhabiting their apartment. The film also explores Shideh’s frustrations with government restrictions and her inability to continue her career.
— Samantha Register

The Lost Boys is a fabulously peculiar film. Taking place in the “Murder Capital of the World,” Michael (Jason Patric) and Sam (Corey Haim) are introduced to an outlandish vampire biker gang that fills the shoes of the quintessential 80’s aesthetic. The Lost Boys eloquently conceives a sinister yet comedic love story that puts contemporary vampire films to shame.
— Kennedy Erhart

The Silence of the Lambs is the ultimate suspense thriller for the Halloween season. FBI cadet Clarice Starling works to prove herself in a male-dominant career field by tracking down an active serial killer through interviewing cannibal Hannibal Lecter. This film pairs perfectly with liver and a nice Chianti.
— Amanda Blackman

Suspiria (1977) follows a young American girl attending a dance academy in Germany in the wake of a mysterious murder. She slowly uncovers a secret witch cult within the walls of the institute. Though fans of the modern horror film will be underwhelmed by the special effects, Suspiria’s plot and framing result in a captivating and paranoia inducing classic. Films such as Black Swan, The Shape of Water, and Herzog’s Nosferatu the Vampyre all take their cues from this cinematic masterpiece.
— Alec Witthohn