This Halloween, go beyond Freddy & Co.
Instead, try these five overlooked horror flicks to put the fright back in fright night

Shawn Parker | For NOISE

This isn't a list of the best, or even scariest horror films ever made. Everyone from IMDb.com to Entertainment Weekly has you covered, if you still need a publication to champion the qualities of "The Exorcist" or "Nightmare on Elm Street." Instead, submitted for your approval: five forgotten, overlooked or ignored horror films, perfect for Halloween viewing. Whether you crave gore or dig low-key atmosphere, you will find something to make your flesh crawl.

"Ganja & Hess" (1973)

After being attacked by his assistant and overwhelmed by an African curse offering eternal life but demanding human blood, Dr. Hess Green falls in love with the man's wife, Ganja, passing the curse to her. As the need to feed builds, Hess struggles with his religion and fear that he will kill the woman he loves.

A deliberate, heady film, "Ganja" takes the vampire story into uncharted territory, using it to detail the cultural and spiritual struggles of the African American. Closer to a poetic dream than shock film, but thought-provoking and unsettling like the best art film.

"Burial Ground" (1981)

A group of would-be revelers gather at a country mansion for a weekend of fun, only to be interrupted by a horde of shambling corpses, reanimated by the professor who owns the estate. As the mansion is sieged, the guests try in vain to fight for their lives.

A classic Italian zombie picture (making it bottom-drawer for everything else), "Burial" delivers the goods on every level for "Euro Horror" fans, from a pulsing, electronic score and gratuitous nudity, to gory set-pieces and an overwhelming air of sleaze. It all culminates in an outlandish, "Night of the Living Dead" rip-off and a scene so bizarrely creepy, your jaw will drop.

"Dementia"

(1955)

After killing her father, a young woman wanders into a fever-dream night, where every man seems (and usually is) a predator. As she stumbles through a night full of torment and murder, she is left wondering and hoping that it was all a dream.

Dated but still a positively surreal film, "Dementia" is a dialogue-free exercise in film noir style and thriller elements, resulting in a film whose sole purpose seems to be to disorient and unsettle the audience. Those looking for vintage chills and psychological horror teeming with atmosphere a la "Repulsion" will find much to enjoy.

"Inside" (2007)

While waiting for a ride to the hospital, a pregnant woman is visited by a strange woman wanting to use the phone. Unsettled, the mother-to-be calls the police, and when they find nothing, she bolts the doors to wait. But little does she know that she has locked herself in with a scissor-wielding killer with designs on her unborn child.

Simply put, this movie will punch you in the face. Grim, shocking and unrelentingly intense, "Inside" blows past the pathetic "torture porn" dreck so fast, to catch up they would need to commit a felony. Not for the squeamish or expecting, but if you want the deep end of modern, blood-soaked horror, this is it.

"Pumpkinhead" (1988)

Grief-stricken over the death of his son, a farmer visits a witch and implores her to help him seek vengeance. And Vengeance is what he gets, as she conjures a monstrous demon who preys on those responsible for his son's death. The catch is that the farmer (a pre-"Millennium" Lance Henriksen) must experience the pain and fear of the demon's victims. Ultimately, to save himself, he must protect the very people he wished dead.

A Gothic horror story with a truly frightening monster, "Pumpkinhead" is a high point in '80s creature features, as the lanky, titular demon stalks its prey through foreboding mountains and dank interiors. A terrific blend of atmosphere and shocks, "Pumpkinhead" is a chiller demanding a viewing on the 31st.