With the season of All Hallow’s Eve upon us, one is often tempted to wander in the direction of the darker side of cinema. Aside from the usual classics (John Carpenter’s Halloween, Night of the Living Dead, The Exorcist and so on), there are a few other hidden gems lurking in the murky crevices in the annals of film you might want to seek out (as well as a few you should overlook). This year, why not step out of the norm and discover a new Halloween tradition?

Now, personally, when sitting down to watch a horror film, the last thing I want to see is 90 minutes of jump scares. Nor do I want to see non-stop blood and guts just for the sake of gore. To me, the best horror films are not the ones where a variety of boogeymen jump out from behind things and lurch at people (though there’s certainly nothing wrong with that when done right). When I give a scary movie my time, I desire something that really digs its rusty hooks into the most sensitive areas of my psyche. I want to feel unsafe while watching it, as if I don’t fully trust where the maker of it is taking me. It’s a feeling I used to get while watching many a horror film in my youth and one which is fewer and further between these days as I grow more desensitized to the material being presented to me. So, nowadays, I actually love when I’m watching a movie and think to myself, “I can’t believe they’re going this far.” If I’m still thinking about the film several days later, still mulling it over, perturbed, bothered, or fascinated, for better or worse, that’s a win for the director in my book. Something memorable. A movie can be fantastic or a movie can be horrid, but to me, there’s no greater crime in cinema than a film that’s ultimately forgettable.

With that all said, here are three of my recommendations (and three to snub):

“À l’intérieur” (‘Inside’ 2007)

Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury’s assault on the senses is a ruthless adrenaline rush (once it gets going) which makes the majority of so-called “horror” films coming out of Hollywood (and the rest of the world) look downright tame by comparison. Violent beyond words, gruesome, absolutely relentless and pitiless to the viewer, it’s like a roller-coaster ride into the cruelest regions of Hell as a grieving pregnant woman tries to protect her baby from an armed intruder intent on abducting the unborn child by any means necessary. Give this one a try if you have the nerves for it.

“Antichrist” (2009)

Falling loosely, but firmly, into the horror genre is Lars (“Melancholia”) von Trier’s dense psychological mind game which begins poetically, but slowly builds to one of the most genuinely creepy finales in any movie of recent memory. Traumatized by the death of their young child, a couple retreats to a cabin in the woods to work through their grief, only to be confronted by forces unknown. To say it’s not as typical as it sounds is to call the Grand Canyon a little hole. Be warned, however, that at least one scene will have male viewers crossing their legs and wincing, followed soon after by an equally leg-crossing scene for the ladies. Keep that in mind. Have a look, but don’t expect to forget it any time soon.

“The Midnight Meat Train” (2008)

This sorely-overlooked gem from the mind of Clive (“Hellraiser”) Barker and director by Ryûhei (“Versus”) Kitamura (making his English-language debut) might possibly be the best adaptation of Barker’s work yet. A pre-“Hangover” Bradley Cooper finds himself intrigued by a NYC butcher whom he begins following (and photographing) night after night ... which leads him into a macabre world he cannot possibly fathom. Bloody and nightmarish, with a finale which is, to put it mildly, wholly unconventional, “The Midnight Meat Train” is one of the best horror films of the last several years and is long overdue in finding an audience (or cult following).

Honorable mention:

“Trick ‘r Treat” (2007)

Quite possibly the ‘Halloweeniest’ film I’ve ever seen. Every frame simply oozes with the spirit of the season — and creates, in my opinion, a wonderful new horror icon in “Sam,” a malevolent trick or treater who doesn’t take kindly to those who do not follow the ancient rules of the holiday. Four separate stories all set on the same Halloween night intersect (think “Pulp Fiction,” horror-style.) A lot of fun. Don’t miss it.

Now for a few which found their audience, but probably shouldn’t have.

“Halloween” (2007)

Apparently, Rob Zombie felt that what was missing from John Carpenter’s masterful original were unlikable characters, a supposed boogeyman with far too much motivation, an unhealthy dose of trailer park hillbilly scuzz, and a total lack of suspense or fear. This made money on name recognition alone, as I can hardly imagine anyone actually liking it. At times repetitively repugnant, but for the most part laughably nonsensical, it’s a complete insult to the 1978 classic (and a slap in the face to its fans). People say the sequel is worse, which is hard to imagine. I’ve had enemas more pleasant. If you haven’t already, skip it.

“Paranormal Activity” (2007)

Whereas “The Blair Witch Project” built on a sense of dread not just by having the protagonists facing a supernatural threat, but also possible starvation and exposure, “Activity” thinks that a lamp moving slightly after 45 minutes of blandness is a payoff. A fright show without any frights; add to that main characters who make enough bad decisions to warrant them a top spot at the Darwin Awards, it continues to inexplicably churn out sequels every year, but I’ve personally been more scared when I’ve found a spider in my room.

“The Human Centipede” (2010)

All concept, no payoff. Routine in the extreme, there’s virtually nothing to distinguish this film from the myriad other bad “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” rip-offs. You know the drill. Teens get lost, run afoul of a none-do-well, blah, blah, blood is shed. The only difference this time is that they end up in a rather peculiar predicament. And if you don’t know what that is by now, which rock are you living under, exactly? I digress. Bad acting, bland, point-and-shoot direction, questionable character motivation (understatement of the century) = lousy movie trying way too hard to be shocking and failing miserably. Sitting through it is akin to being the middle section of the film’s centipede.

So, there you have it. Three incredible films and three less-than-incredible ones to relish or regurgitate this Halloween season. Enjoy!

James Ferace is the author of several novels and short stories, including “Lusus Naturae”, “The Plague Flowers”, “All the Ills of the Flesh”, “Reckoner”, “Fair Quarter”, “Eternamente” and “Imago Mortis: The Stories of James Ferace”; as well as a compliation of poetry, “Somnambulism.” He lives in Gales Ferry. For more information, visit theartofblasphemy.blogspot.com or like his James Ferace - author page on Facebook.