Editor's Note: Visit our Halloween page for more tricks and treats, the costume and horror classics photo galleries, and our own scariest movies.

Halloween is right around the corner. If you're looking for something a little different this year, might I suggest some horror film classics? These are some of my favorite original monster movies, and they make up the founding fathers of the horror genre.

What I love most about these movies is that, for the most part, you can share them with the kids. Compared to today's standards, these are campy and practically G-rated films, although they had me cowering under the sheets as a youngster.

My Top 5 Halloween Oldies:

5.) Them (1954)
Giant radioactive ants emerge from the New Mexico desert to teach man a lesson about the consequences of nuclear power. I think you'll be amazed at the special effects.

4.) Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
The original film that spawned too many remakes, including this year's Invasion. But nothing will ever beat Kevin McCarthy's discovery of the truck full of giant space seed pods!

3.) The Wolfman (1966)
One of the "triumvirate" of classic Hollywood horror films. For some reason, I was never that scared by the other two -- Frankenstein or Dracula -- but Lon Chaney Jr.'s lycanthrope sure freaked me out.

2.) The Blob (1958)
Steve McQueen's breakout flick, this was one of the granddaddies of the "monsters from outer space" genre. I was hooked from the opening scene when the blob attacks a hobo. And again, the special effects are pretty good for the late '50s.

1.) Psycho! (1960)
Okay, this one you can't really show to the kids. But it doesn't get any scarier. Tony Hopkins pioneered the "insane, knife-wielding crazy man" character. I think the absolute final scene is the scariest. Look for the subtle dissolve as the picture fades to black.

Runner-Ups:

Here are a few more of my favorites, if someone else has beat you to the punch (at the video store) for the top five classics.

The Mummy (1932)
Boris Karloff was the Ron Perlman of his time. You'd never recognize him in public, but as the Mummy or as Frankenstein, he was terrifying.

Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)
The scene where Julie Adams is swimming and the creature is stalking her from below is one of the creepiest moments caught on film.

Earth vs. The Spider (1958)
A teenager helps save the world from a giant spider. It'll make you feel glad you're not an ant.

I Was a Teenage Werewolf (1957)
Long before he was Little Joe or Charles Ingalls, Michael Landon was devouring his high school classmates as a teenage loup-garou.

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Ethan Morris: "Not always right, but never in doubt." Go ahead and write me.

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