Best 5 Horror Movies You (Probably) Haven't Seen

^{Above: Elsa Lanchester and Boris Karloff in Bride of Frankenstein (1935), directed by James Whale. Courtesy of Universal Pictures Company Inc.}

Browse any streaming service at this time of year (Huluween, anyone?), and you’ll find a beaucoup (or BOOkoo) of horror films to choose from – from monsters to the paranormal to slashers to the supernatural and everything in between.

But, as any horror fan knows, not all scary movies are created equal: The genre is both replete with unique plots and unimaginable twists that shed light into the dark corners of the human psyche and fraught with predictable storylines, cheap tricks and tired clichés (and that’s sometimes all we want).

So, what should you really watch? We got with Scott Poole, the College of Charleston’s resident expert on all things horror, to find out his Top 5 horror movies that he recommends. The history professor came back with the below list of “five best horror films you might not know, and one you do.”

RELATED: Check out Poole on the first episode of the new Hulu show, Out There: Crimes of the Paranormal, where he talks about the history of ‘lizard people’ and what this obsession says about our culture.

“This list is missing Alien, Jaws, The Exorcist, Rosemary’s Baby, Evil Dead II, The Shining and probably other stuff fans love,” the self-described “lifelong horror nerd” warns. “But you already know about those. So here are a few spooky, scary, sometimes really disturbing tricks and treats if you have seen all of the above.”

Martyrs (2008)

Be prepared to be spooked, grossed out and forced to face some bleak philosophical ideas in this example of French extreme cinema. Not for everybody, but also a perfect film. (You’ve been warned!)

Audition (1999)

Another one not at all for the faint of heart. A masterpiece from Japanese director Takashi Miike.

Gojira (1954)

Yeah, you’ve seen the Warner Bros. Monsterverse version and earlier cheesy adaptations of Godzilla. This is the original that makes references to the atomic bomb, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and ends with a strange, meaningful sadness.

Halloween (1978)

This is the one you’ve heard of! It has to be on any list. A genre-defining, era-defining, perfectly scripted and shot masterpiece from John Carpenter. Must see!

Bride of Frankenstein (1935)

The absolute best of the Universal Studios horror flicks: It’s super weird, very funny, highly quotable and frequently poignant. It’s not just a great horror film but a great American film. It’s also recognized today as part of the canon of LGBTQ+ horror because of the director James Whale and some of the themes he explores.