I'm exceedingly proud of the team we've put together here at HorrorSquad, so when I was trying to think of a fun feature to run on Halloween night, the answer was easy: Talk to the Squad members! Gathered below you'll find some thoughts, opinions, and memories from each of the H-Squadders, and believe me when I say these are some true-blue, old-school, no-bullshit horror fans.

And once you're done reading all the questions and answers, feel free to offer your own responses in the comments section. The horror fan community is a wonderfully inclusive one, and on behalf of the entire team, I'd like to thank all our readers for supporting us in these early stages of the Horror Squad's global domination. We'd also like to thank our colleagues at Fangoria, FEARnet, Dread Central, Shock, Twitch, The Arrow, and Bloody-D for being so cool to the new horror blog on the block. (Big love for smaller blogs like The Vault of Horror, Final Girl, and Day of the Woman as well!) And of course, much thanks is due to our friends at Cinematical and Moviefone, for without them we simply wouldn't be here right now.

And with that ... the Horror Squad speaks!!


1. Name five horror classics that you truly love.

Mike Bracken: Black Sunday, Curse of the Demon, Dawn of the Dead '78, Halloween '78, Suspiria

Peter Hall: The Thing, The Fly, The Mist, Nightmare on Elm Street, The Fog

Brad McHargue: Day of the Dead '85, The Evil Dead, Freaks, Friday the 13th Part 3, Puppet Master

Jason Murphy: Night of the Living Dead ('68), The Texas Chain Saw Massacre ('74), Brides of Dracula, The Brood, The Thing

Alison Nastasi: Suspiria, A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Shining, An American Werewolf in London, Rosemary's Baby

Brian Salisbury: Dawn of the Dead '78, The Exorcist, Halloween, Scream, The Thing

Scott Weinberg: Alien, Bride of Frankenstein, The Fly '86, Halloween, The Thing

2. Name five horror films you think deserve more love.

Mike Bracken: Alien Raiders, Cemetery Man, Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer, Near Dark, Session 9

Peter Hall: In The Mouth of Madness, The Last Horror Movie, Black Water, Cemetery Man (it's liked, but under-seen), Storm Warning

Brad McHargue: The Burrowers, Eden Lake, Ils (aka Them), Mum & Dad, Session 9

Jason Murphy: Martin, Nightbreed, Silent Rage, The Seven Brothers vs Dracula, Prince of Darkness

Alison Nastasi: Eyes Without a Face, Cemetery Man, Dario Argento's Opera, The Howling, The Wicker Man '73.

Brian Salisbury: The Beyond, Demons, Friday the 13th '09, My Bloody Valentine '81, Night of the Creeps

Scott Weinberg: May, Frailty, Ravenous, Session 9, Dance of the Dead

3. Briefly explain how your love affair with horror began.

Mike Bracken: It's a long and sordid tale (okay, it's really neither long nor sordid, but I always wanted to say that...). I saw Jaws and Halloween as a child and I was hooked. I was terrified, but I was also an instant fan. I knew it was a lifelong passion when I was a few years older and found Fangoria and started reading King/Barker/Lovecraft/Skipp and Spector, etc. From there, it was on to more obscure films and filmmakers and I've never looked back. I've been a fan for over three decades now.

Peter Hall: I grew up without much exposure to horror, being a little wussy kid that would leave the room if a scary movie was on (which is why I've seen such a small number of horror made pre-1975), but in high school I started to really dig it thanks, at first, to survival horror video games. If I had to peg the turning point, it would probably be the remake of House on Haunted Hill, which I remember, unapologetically, being blown away by at the time. After that the pieces just kept falling into place every time I made a trip to the video store up the street.

Brad McHargue: When I was a wee lad I would often browse the horror section at Video Library. Something about horror always appealed to me, but for the life of me I can't pinpoint where it exactly began. I've just always loved it.

Jason Murphy: As a kid, I was scared of everything. I was the ultimate, frail fraidy-cat. I started bawling when my uncle wanted to take me to see Friday the 13th Part 3 in the theater. Then one day I came across the original Friday on cable. Once young, moldy Jason jumped up out of the lake, I was hooked. He dragged me down with him and I haven't surfaced since.

Alison Nastasi: My father had a deep interest in horror and the occult and my mom loved all the Universal monster flicks, so I think it was destiny from the start.

Brian Salisbury: My love of horror can be attributed to my dad. He introduced me to John Carpenter at a young age. My dad is incredibly cool and I wanted to be just like him so I started watching the scary movies he liked as a kid. Then, after I moved to Austin a year and a half ago, I sought out the strange and obscure titles.

Scott Weinberg: My grandmother would record stuff like Halloween 2, The Boogens, and Hell Night off of HBO, and then we'd "secretly" stay up late to watch 'em. My mom's mom was a special woman for lots of reasons, but that was a biggie to me.
4. Why do people like to watch horror?

Mike Bracken: I think there's an element of escapism to the genre, plus we're all morbidly curious about death and dismemberment and all that jazz. I've always found the old saying "if you think the worst, it can't happen" to be pretty apropos when discussing the enduring appeal of horror cinema. Horror imagines the worst for us--and maybe in some strange way that keeps us safe from some of the really bad things the universe can toss in your direction.

Peter Hall: Simple answer, but we love the thrill.

Brad McHargue: To be scared. It makes people feel alive, even if the effect only lasts for a few moments.

Jason Murphy: Is it vicarious sadism? Or maybe just the simple parallel to the rush you feel when going over that first edge on a roller coaster.

Alison Nastasi: Fear and fascination go hand in hand.

Brian Salisbury: Freud theorized that the death instinct in people was just as much a subconscious motivation as the sex instinct. While this was later proven false, we are all fascinated with the things that scare us. Adrenaline rushes from being scared are invigorating and make us feel alive.

Scott Weinberg: We're hard-wired to WANT to see the dark side of mortality, and films let us do it safely. I can't watch the evening news without getting depressed or upset, but give me the nastiest FICTION you possibly can.

5. Best horror films of the year? (three max)

Mike Bracken: Martyrs, Tokyo Gore Police, Trick 'r Treat

Peter Hall: House of the Devil, Thirst, [REC] 2

Brad McHargue: Carriers, Paranormal Activity, Trick 'r Treat

Jason Murphy: Paranormal Activity, [REC] 2, Trick 'r Treat

Alison Nastasi: There were two films I was torn about not adding to the list but...The House of the Devil, Trick 'r Treat and Drag Me to Hell.

Brian Salisbury: The Children, Paranormal Activity, Trick 'r Treat

Scott Weinberg: All of the above, plus Zombieland for fun and the Last House remake for bleak.

6. Your horror heroes? (three max)

Mike Bracken: Dario Argento, Lucio Fulci, and ... a tie between Carpenter and Romero.

Peter Hall: Stephen King, because he is my idol. John Carpenter, because he killed it every time up until In the Mouth of Madness. Jamie Lee Curtis, because she kicks ass.

Brad McHargue: Brad Anderson

Jason Murphy: David Cronenberg and the pre-Ghosts of Mars John Carpenter

Alison Nastasi: Ash (Evil Dead II), Clive Barker (for his wicked mind) and all the Final Girls that kick some serious ass.

Brian Salisbury: John Carpenter, Lucio Fulci, William Castle

Scott Weinberg: Carpenter, King, Cronenberg
7. Favorite Halloween memory? (holiday, not movie)

Mike Bracken: Nothing too spectacular here--but I do remember trick 'r treating one year when I had to be like 9 or 10 years old. We went up to the house and there was the standard "stuffed guy sitting in the chair with a chainsaw"--only it turns out he wasn't stuffed. We got the candy, turn around to start walking away, and the guy (who we still thought was just a doll at that point) fires up the chainsaw and chased us down the driveway. Naturally, the chainsaw didn't have a chain or anything, but that moment was the closest I've come to crapping myself since I've been out of diapers. Scared me to death when it happened, now it's my most cherished Halloween memory.

Peter Hall: No specific year, I just remember walking down the street at night and seeing the neighborhood entirely transformed. People love Christmas decorations, but I don't ever recall my neighborhood going as all out for Christmas as they did for Halloween. There was no other time of year like it, and that's what I loved about it.

Brad McHargue: Winning Best Costume last year for my Zombie Jesus costume. The fact that I was long gone and passed out due to the overconsumption of beer didn't make it any less sweet.

Jason Murphy: My brothers and I dressed up like ninjas when I was 11 years old. We ran around the neighborhood, re-enacting the end of Revenge of the Ninja, with gushing gut-blood and everything. I demanded to be Sho Kosugi, of course.

Alison Nastasi: Being a kid. Going to Halloween sleepover parties--playing 'light as a feather' and 'ghosts in the graveyard' etc. Trick 'r treating. Family stuff like decorating and pumpkin picking. Halloween is still fun but it was the best back then.

Brian Salisbury: Dying my hair blond and throwing red paint at a business shirt to go as Shaun from Shaun of the Dead.

Scott Weinberg: Just the whole season. The smell of October, the pumpkins and leaves everywhere, people asking what horror movies they should watch...