A young girl runs through an old house. Sweat glistening on her skin; you can almost see her heart pounding through the clinging fabric of her shirt. She's terrified. Everything about the scene tells you something terrible is about to happen. Her panicked cries, the ominous music and then it happens; she falls. She trips over a chair leg or perhaps a loose floorboard. She goes down fast, but it seems like years before she is able to get herself back to her feet. It's too late though. She doesn't seem to know it, but everyone watching can tell that this young, gorgeous woman is about to be killed. The audience sees the villain before she does and within seconds she's toast. The crowd cheers!

Welcome to the world of horror movies.

Why do we enjoy watching these twisted, violent films? Is it the natural rush of adrenaline that fear brings to our bodies? Our heart quickens, our breath slows, our palms sweat. Is it the thrill of stepping into the mind of someone else, someone crazy as hell, and watching as they bring our greatest fears and worst nightmares to life? It's a combination of self-loathing and our fascination with the macabre that keeps us hungry for a movie that will keep us up at night.

Where did this dark side begin? The earliest horror movies date back to the early 1900's. Silent films brought us some of the creepiest most surreal movies ever made. The Golem is widely believed to be the first horror film made.

Made in 1915, it's the story of a giant clay man built to protect a small town who goes wildly out of control. Also from this era is a film often cited as (the granddaddy of horror films”; The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.) Made in 1919, the film takes place in a lunatic asylum and features an evil doctor and his falsely incarcerated patient. As the film progresses though, it becomes difficult to determine who is mad and who is sane.

Many film critics believe in the theory that every generation gets the horror films it deserves; the monsters or threats featured in films often mirror actual fears or threats that people face in the real world. Not to say that zombie movies stemmed from a sudden fear of actual zombies, but there is a distinct change each decade or so in what people deem as truly scary.

The ‘60s and ‘70s brought us horror movies that hit close to home. The burgeoning media made people feel like the Manson Family murders and the crimes of serial killers like Ed Gein were happening right in their own living rooms.

Gein's crimes inspired movies such as Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho, Silence of the Lambs and Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

Psycho showed us how someone seemingly normal could be someone truly monstrous. The character of Norman Bates, based closely on Ed Gein, is not revealed as truly psychotic until the final section of the film. Long after he has gained the audience's trust and perhaps even their compassion.

Often known as the scariest movie of all time, The Exorcist is arguably the most successful, respected film in a genre that is often seen as over the top. Its themes pushed people to consider the existence of true evil and question their own faith. Though the movie outraged people at the time and was banned from video release in the UK until 1999, it did earn 10 Oscar nominations, which is almost unheard of for a horror film.

The ‘80s brought us the “slasher” movies. Many of these movies were inspired by 1974's Texas Chainsaw Massacre; an impressive and terrifying film on its own, just be sure to skip the sequels and prequels that followed. Many of these movies followed the same basic premise; Scooby Doo-esque group of teens wander into a precarious situation in the middle of nowhere, the characters get picked off one by one and the killings get increasingly gruesome and ridiculous as the movie goes on.

This era gave us some fantastic films including: A Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, The Evil Dead and Friday the 13th.

The slasher film regained popularity in the ‘90s with the release of Wes Craven's Scream movies. The fun, predictable nature of these films reflected the public's desire to be entertained and scared without heavy political overtones.

Recently, studios have turned to remaking old horror films in an attempt to lure viewers to theatres. Some remakes of classic horror films have been near disasters. The Omen (1996), Psycho (1998), The Fog (2005) and The Hitcher (2007) are just a few examples of movies that should have been protected from sloppy remakes. If in doubt, always rent or purchase the original.

If all this talk about blood and death has got you thinking about hosting a scary movie night this weekend, you can't go wrong in choosing one of the classics. Call your friends, grab some snacks, turn off the lights and get ready for some spooky Halloween fun.