Halloween means many things to many people. To some, it is an ancient pagan celebration. To others, it’s a chance to extort candy from local homeowners. And to many others, it’s a time to watch the most frightening films Hollywood has to offer. For the latter group, here is a list of local video stores’ suggestions for what movies to pick up this Halloween.

Silverstar Video
Clerk Brian Rojears suggested “Re-Animator,” a 1985 film starring Jeffrey Combs and Bruce Abbott.
“It has a weird, off-the-wall sense of humor,” he said.
“Of course, you have to see ‘Night of the Living Dead,’” he added, referring to the 1968 George Romero zombie film that spawned two sequels and a 1990 remake.
“That one is just a classic,” he said.
Rojears also recommended “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” a 1974 Tobe Hooper-directed independent film, and John Landis’ 1981 movie “An American Werewolf in London,” starring David Naughton and Griffin Dunne.

Hollywood Video
Clerk Jared Prophet had a theory about what can frighten people.
“Something that really makes a good horror film is a sense of isolation, and a good example of that would be ‘The Thing,’” Prophet said, speaking of the 1982 John Carpenter remake of “The Thing From Another World.”
“‘The Thing’ had a definite sense of paranoia and desperation in it. It works well in the film,” Prophet said. “Also, any horror film about ascientist is a good bet.”

Prophet also suggested “Gremlins,” the 1984 Joe Dante-directed film that stars Zach Galligan.
“That one had certain rules the characters had to follow to stop the creatures. You break the rules, you pay the consequences,” Prophet said. And for more adventure-oriented horror, Prophet recommended the 1999 version of “The Mummy,” starring Brendan Fraser.
“That one wasn’t anything resembling scary, but it was certainly entertaining and a really good adventure film,” he said.

Flicks & Pics
“‘Evil Dead 2’ is a good one for Halloween night,” manager Tammy Deppert said about the 1987 film starring Bruce Campbell and directed by Sam Raimi. “That one was violent, of course, but it was funny as well.”
Deppert also suggested some more family-oriented fare.
“All the Simpsons’ ‘Trick or Treehouse’ specials have been in high demand this year. So has the television special ‘It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown,’” Deppert said. “Also, any of the old horror-comedies, like ‘Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein’ would be good if you want something for kids.”
For families, Deppert also suggested 1988’s “Lady in White,” a PG-13-rated ghost story directed by Frank LaLoggia.
But many people seem to go for the more traditional fright-fest. For them, Deppert recommended “Halloween,” a 1978 horror classic that inspired no less than six sequels (with another due in March 2002, according to the Internet Movie Database, imdb.com) and a legion of imitators.
“That one is very easy to incorporate into Halloween night, and it’s actually scary rather than just violent, unlike most slasher films,” Deppert said.
She also suggested some more recent releases, such as Tim Burton’s 1999 film “Sleepy Hollow,” which stars Johnny Depp and Christina Ricci.
“That was probably one of the most visually well-made films I’ve seen in a long time, and the cast was great,” Deppert said.