With October half finished, and Halloween creeping closer by the minute, I figured it would be a good time to begin the real 'blogging' and start putting out some of those ever-present top ten lists you see on every blog you visit. However, there is just so much wonderful different material with Halloween that rather than trying to come up with just one list, I thought it would be better to create multiple specific lists, High-Fidelity style, and to highlight in each one of the different types of Halloween movies. What better place to start, then, but with the classics. And so here is a list of ten classic horror movies. Some of these will certainly be familiar, but maybe you haven't seen them before. Now is your chance. Make this the Halloween that you see:

Dracula

We'll get this one out of the way first, since you're all thinking about it. Dracula is one of the mainstays. And even today with all of the Buzz Lightyears and Batmans, Indiana Joneses and Transformers, I guarantee that you'll still see some little vampires come to your door on the 31st. Most of our modern ideas about vampires comes from Bram Stoker's Dracula story, and no Dracula has had more of an impression than Bela Legosi's performance in this 1931 classic.

Frankenstein

1931 was a good year for monster movies. In addition to Dracula, we also were introduced to Boris Karloff's iconic performance in Frankenstein. The story of the sympathetic monster given birth by lightning spawned a number of sequels, including the next movie on the list.

Bride of Frankenstein

How many monster wives can you name? This sequel is often hailed as being one of the best, with the character of Karloff's monster showing more depth, and Elsa Lanchester's performance as the Monster's mate bringing the Bride of Frankenstein into her own as a cinema legend.

The Wolf Man

The Wolf Man of 1941 brought another icon to the movie monster table. Lon Chaney Jr. played the title role, showing that he got more than just a name from his famous actor father. A classic unwilling monster, a mysterious gypsy fortune-teller, and ironic cameo by Bela Legosi himself make this classic a must watch.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers

A Sci-Fi classic, this is also a perfect horror story for Halloween. Based on the story by Jack Finney, this subtle, suspenseful movie about a secret alien invasion will strike a chord with anyone who's ever felt that someone they know has been acting like a 'pod-person'. You don't have to look too deeply into the film to see the rumored symbolism of the contemporary 'Red Scare' and the paranoia of McCarthyism.

The Mummy

No not the Brendan Frasier remake. This is the original 1932 film starring, Boris Karloff. Yes Karloff, straight off his 1931 Frankenstein performance, turns in another iconic performance as a monster who walks a little stiffly.

The Invisible Man

Based on H. G. Wells' novel, brilliant scientist Dr. Jack Griffin discovers a formula capable of rendering himself invisible. It also has the unfortunate side-effect of rendering him insane. The one time a 'transparent performance' could be considered brilliant is when playing an invisible man, Claude Raines received critical acclaim for his performance in the roll.

Nosferatu

Before there was Dracula, there was Nosferatu. Before there was Nosferatu, there was Dracula. This earliest of the vampire movies was originally based upon the Bram Stoker classic, but when the filmmakers could not get the permission from the Stoker estate, aspects of the film were changed to try and avoid the copyright. Unfortunately, the changes the studio made were not enough, and the studio went bankrupt after Bram Stoker's widow sued them and won. Fortunately for us however, the prints were already distributed around the world, and the work is now in the public domain. This silent film had some brilliant cinematic elements, and inspired a lot of later filmmakers.

Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde

The first sound version of the classic Jekyl and Hyde story was made in 1931 starring Frederick March, in an acclaimed performance as the unfortunate doctor. Most of the prints of this version were destroyed in a campaign by the studio to avoid competion for its 1941 remake starring Spencer Tracy in the starring role(s). Fortunagely the film did survive and you can still watch either version today.

Phantom of the Opera

Pick the silent 1925 version to see Lon Chaney in one of his iconic performances. A later remake in 1943 starring Claude Raines was filmed on the same sound stage. Most people are familiar with the Phantom storyline, based on the novel by Gaston Leroux, would later end up making lots of money for Andrew Lloyd Webber.

That's it for this list. I hope you enjoyed these ten classic horror movies. There are more Halloween movie lists still to come. Make sure you subscribe to the feed so you don't miss out, and of course, if you've seen these movies write a review and leave your own opinion.