Psychological horror movies: My favorite choice for Halloween

I've thought long and hard about this: I wanted to discuss some great Halloween movie options for adults, but I did not want to deal with some of the truly terrifying films that I just cannot, as a self-proclaimed scaredy cat, ever attempt to watch at Halloween, or any other time of the year.

I came up with the perfect solution: How about a discussion on some excellent psychological horror films? These are the movies that yes, can be scary - but they're way more than that. They often combine great suspense and some elements of horror, but a lot of the scariest action happens off screen. Sometimes, leaving a bit to the imagination can be far more frightening than anything you do see.

And also? I wanted to avoid a "scariest movies for Halloween" list because I'd leave off several. Why? Because I don't ever want to run across a photo of Linda Blair from The Exorcist or that horrifying girl from The Ring. There you go. I said it. It's out there now. I believe I've said this before, but when I was eight years old, I had a babysitter that let me watch The Exorcist. I had nightmares for years. Decades later, I'm still avoiding anything to do with that movie. I did try reading the William Peter Blatty book The Exorcist a few years ago, and it really didn't scare me all that much. No, I'm just afraid of Linda Blair's Regan MacNeil. I can't be the only one, can I?

So let's talk about great psychological horror, shall we? When it comes to mind-bending, screwed up scary psychological scares, I'm putting Stanley Kubrick's masterpiece, The Shining, at the top of my personal list. I loved the Stephen King book, but oh how I adore this movie. This film is an intense look at one man's descent into madness, and it's terribly disturbing, but brilliant.

If I had to pick one word to describe The Shining, it would be creepy. Jack Nicholson's performance, as tormented writer Jack Torrance, is just plain creepy. This is not a gore-fest kind of film, though it is genuinely frightening at times. No, this film, at it's heart, is about madness and isolation. You'll feel every bit of it watching, too. The Shining has held up well. Yes, it's an older film but even now, I still get the heebie-jeebies watching it for the umpteenth time. If you've never seen The Shining, make it a point to do so. And if you have? It's never a bad time to revisit this film, in my opinion.

Moving on, I'd also include Roman Polanski's Rosemary's Baby among my favorite psychological horror films. And this one is dated, much more so (to me) than The Shining. No matter. It's still a great film, and between Polanski's Rosemary's Baby and Repulsion, the man knows how to wind you up. Mia Farrow is captivating as a young woman carrying the spawn of Satan, and thanks to her outstanding performance and Polanski's adept direction, you're with her every step of the way.

Rosemary's Baby is the perfect example of something I mentioned earlier: You don't always need to see exactly what's happening on screen to be scared. It's what you can't see that can be so much more terrifying. This movie is a classic. It's creepy and beautifully shot (and acted), but it's a slow building kind of film. Don't expect any in your face scares in this one. It's unsettling.

I've played it safe with the other two choices, but here I am going way out on a limb with my next favorite psychological horror movie: Jacob's Ladder. I saw this in the theater when it was first released way back in 1990, and it scared me absolutely silly. No, it's not a "boo!" kind of movie, but it's so disturbing and bizarre, the images stuck with me days and weeks (and now, years and decades) afterward.

In Jacob's Ladder, Tim Robbins is a Vietnam veteran who's got major traumatic issues. His demonic hallucinations are definitely unsettling, and downright scary at times. This is another slow-burn kind of film, but for me, it was worth it. Be warned: This is far from a perfect movie. It's confusing, hard to follow at times and you might wind up hating it. But if not, you'll thank me - because if you like it, you'll really like it.

Anyone else have any suggestions about some great psychological horror films I might enjoy this Halloween? I'd love to hear them in the comments, please.

Photos courtesy of MoviesCrunch.com and TheImpersonals.com