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Five Cult Movies That Will Scare You Silly

The best scary movies are not necessarily the ones with superb acting or cutting-edge special effects. You don't need Alfred Hitchcock or Wes Craven -- or even a big budget -- to get scared silly. The best scary movies are sometimes strange and sometimes campy, with a dark sense of...
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The best scary movies are not necessarily the ones with superb acting or cutting-edge special effects. You don't need Alfred Hitchcock or Wes Craven -- or even a big budget -- to get scared silly. The best scary movies are sometimes strange and sometimes campy, with a dark sense of humor. Here are our five favorite scary cult classics.

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5) Re-Animator (1985) Scary movies have taught us that bringing the dead back to life is never a good idea. Re-Animator confirms this notion. It is the classic tale of a scientist taking his research too far, only to end up with a zombie mess on his hands. People question the film's taste, but blending the fine line between sophisticated bloodbath and gross-out masterpiece is what makes Re-Animator a classic cult flick.

4) Freaks (1932) Way before American Horror Story decided to creep us out with a freak show, there was the original fright fest Freaks. Director Tod Browning used actual circus performers to weave this tale about fitting in amongst the weirdos. It has all the classics -- from the bearded woman to conjoined twins to the human torso. Despite being filmed over eighty years ago, the characters are still bewitchingly charming and the spooky setting leaves you feeling anxious. After one viewing, your nightmares will echo with the chants, "Gooble gobble, one of us." Keep reading for three more scary cult movies. 3) Peeping Tom (1960) Peeping Tom has the unfortunate reputation of being the movie that was overshadowed by Psycho. Both movies were released in 1960, but Hitchcock's classic won the acclaim, and Peeping Tom became a little-known gem. Peeping Tom features a psychotic serial killer who's obsessed with his camera. The film's voyeuristic style puts the audience in the unsettling perspective of the killer. The movie questions fear itself, and has come to have new meaning for a generation obsessed with documenting its every waking moment.

2) Teeth (2007) This one is for the ladies. Most horror films are focused on men doing all the dirty work, but Teeth takes a fresh approach with the heroine possessing another set of chompers below the belt. While at first we're not sure if she's the hero or the villain, she quickly becomes the movie's moral compass. With a biting black-comedy vibe and plenty of gory dismemberment scenes, Teeth is every girl's fantasy and every douchebag's nightmare. Keep reading for one more scary cult movie.

1) The Evil Dead (1981) A must-see for all classic horror-film aficionado, The Evil Dead is the first in Sam Raimi's beloved horror trilogy. The low-budget and inexperienced crew forced Raimi to get creative and the end result is a truly original work of talent, especially surprising considering it was his first film. The Evil Dead features terrible special effects, bad acting, gnarly kill scenes and a twisted sense of humor -- all adding up to create the perfect cult classic. It has a whopping 98 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and a reputation as one of the greatest horror movies of all time.

Follow Amanda Moutinho on Twitter at @amandamoutinho.


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