I am what many might call a pansy when it comes to horror movies. Most movies are scary for me, whether they involve monsters, serial killers, ghosts or demonic children. I love watching them and love being scared, but I was even terrified when Bambi's mother was shot.

Whether horror is your favorite genre or not, there are some movies that you have to see. And you have to see them on Halloween. Of course, there's only a two-year period from age 14 to 16 when people watch movies all Halloween, and now everyone is drunk on Fourth Avenue by nightfall. But take a break in the afternoon tomorrow, turn off all the lights and pop in the DVD or VCR of a classic horror movie. Perhaps one of these will do.

photo courtesy of warner bros. If nothing else, the 1973 horror classic, "The Exorcist" proved there's nothing scarier than watching a girl's head spin while she tells you, "Your mother sucks cocks in Hell."

"The Exorcist"

(1973; William Friedkin)

Fright Level: A movie that's been ruined for many people by cable network sensors, "The Exorcist" can be very creepy if you get to see it without commercials. A little girl is possessed and an exorcist from the Catholic Church is called upon to get the demon out of her. As soon as the Church gets involved in any horror movie, I start to get the shakes. I think I'm afraid of God.

Gore Level: Only a little killing and only a little gore. Yet many scenes are quite disturbing, including when the little girl gets a knife and ... I don't know if we can describe it in the paper. But I can assure you it's more disturbing than when she yacks the split pea soup.

photo courtesy of dreamworks skg "The Ring" is one of the scariest films to come out in the last couple of years. Beautiful, eerie cinematography takes the place of gore.

"The Ring"

(2002; Gore Verbinski)

Fright Level: This is the scariest movie of the new decade. Adapted from Japan's "Ringu," the movie involves a deadly videotape that somehow causes death seven days after you watch it. It sounds absolutely stupid, but it's not. Like "The Exorcist," there's a creepy little girl involved. And she's got powers! I am seriously scared of creepy little girls. And FYI, they're making a sequel to this one.

Gore Level: It's more psychological than a straight blood fest. But there's some obligatory killin', and the face that the afflicted make when dead is rather disturbing. And the little girl, did I mention she was creepy?

"Rosemary's Baby"

(1968; Roman Polanski)

Fright Level: Understated frights, but a beautiful film nonetheless. Rosemary and her husband get friendly with their odd neighbors. A woman in the building dies, Rosemary's dreams get weird and she gets pregnant. The neighbors seem to care too much about the pregnancy and her husband seems to care too much about the neighbors. Rosemary's suspicion of her elderly neighbors heightens when a friend gives her a book on the occult.

Gore Level: There isn't any murder and there aren't scenes that make you feel too nauseous. There's some sort of beast in dream sequences and "Hail Satan!" is chanted, so it's got that going for it ...

"Poltergeist"

(1982; Tobe Hooper and Steven Spielberg)

Fright Level: Spielberg directs only blockbusters now, while Hooper does crap like "Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2." While their careers have gone in different directions since their collaboration, they made one of the best ghost movies ever. A family's new house seems to have a horde of ghosts. The ghosts appear friendly when they play harmless tricks in the beginning, but then they terrorize the family and kidnap the daughter.

Gore Level: A scary, but mostly unseen, supernatural monster means a lack of blood. But the house shakes and ... well, there's not much gore.

photo courtesy of warner bros. Creepy twins, rivers of blood, and a gore-soaked axe make Jack Nicholson a very scary boy in "The Shining."

"The Shining"

(1980; Stanley Kubrick)

Fright Level: Wow. Some really awesome directors have contributed in scaring the crap out of me. Here, Kubrick adapts the Stephen King novel about a family that has to look after the haunted Overlook Hotel during the winter season. But it's not even the ghosts that are the scariest. While big name stars don't usually make horror films, Jack Nicholson gives a chilling performance as the loony father.

Gore Level: There are little girl ghosts in this one, too. But they're twins! Lots of blood and many disturbing images including lead actress Shelley Duvall - who looks like a heroin junkie.

"Scream"

(1996; Wes Craven)

Fright Level: We all know the drill with "Scream" and the sequels. Part parody of the horror genre and part stylized slasher flick, Wes Craven creates a fun film that has an equal amount of scares and laughs. If you remember the original, Drew Barrymore gets killed right away, reporters and cops swarm the high school and everyone in a group of friends looks a little suspicious.

Gore Level: Lots of stabbing and even a garage door killing scene. They show just enough gore to make it affecting, but leave out anything that would make it cheesy and campy. For similar slasher-type results, see "Nightmare on Elm Street," "Halloween" and, if you have time, "Friday the 13th."

Lost Highway

(1997; David Lynch)

Fright Level: I don't know if David Lynch movies are supposed to be particularly frightening, but the dark nature of all his films makes me hide my eyes. In my opinion, this is his most terrifying. Filled with freaky sexuality, unexplained videotapes and an eerie mystery man, this story is the nightmare of lead character Fred Madison (Bill Pullman). It's surreal, doesn't make any sense and showcases Marilyn Manson.

Gore Level: This one works with complicated, haunting images rather than decapitation, blood and guts.