OK, it took some sweat, a bit of unhealthy deliberation and much gnashing of teeth, but here it is--our list of the top 10 scariest movies of all time. 
10. The Omen (1976)
The premise: If the antichrist does come to earth in the form of a little boy, he should have an angelic face, an English accent, be named Damien, and be able to get rid of his enemies in the most diabolical ways. At the end, we aren't sure if his surrogate father, Ambassador Robert Thorn (Gregory Peck), has succeeded in killing the little tyke. Then, alas, there he is at his father's funeral, turning and smiling at us. Score one for Satan.
The fear factor: The priest being impaled by a falling staff, the photographer getting his head sliced off by a wayward piece of glass, baboons attacking the car with Damien and his mother (Lee Remick) inside; and, of course, that menacing Latin choir music in the background whenever something awful is about to happen.
Best line: "Wrong? What could be wrong with our child, Robert? We're beautiful people, aren't we?" 9. Poltergeist(1982)
The premise: It starts with a happy family--dad (Craig T. Nelson), mom (JoBeth Williams) and three kids, including cute-as-a-button 5-year-old Carol Anne (Heather O'Rourke)--who all live in a nice suburban neighborhood. One day, however, some pesky ghosties lead by a malevolent spirit invade their lovely home and kidnap poor Carol Anne. Now their only hope of getting her back rests on a diminutive, baby-voiced medium, who has successfully "cleaned" many houses of such evil.
The fear factor: Carol Anne being sucked into a vortex in her closet right after her brother is attacked by a hungry tree; a ghost hunter picking his face apart in the bathroom, and dozens of rotting corpses popping out of the ground in their coffins as the family tries to escape.
Best line: "They're heeeeeeeeeere!" Natch. 8. Carrie (1976)
The premise: Based on Stephen King's first novel, it's a pretty simple story, really, about an abused, unstable and very unpopular high school girl (Sissy Spacek), who also happens to be powerfully telekinetic-a dangerous combo. When Carrie's enemies humiliate her at the prom by dumping buckets of pig's blood all over her (yeah, not the smartest thing to do), she pretty much wipes out the entire school right there on the spot.
The fear factor: The pig blood thing; hundreds of high school students dying horrible, fiery deaths; flying knives pinning Carrie's crazy mother to the wall; and the pièce de résistance, a grisly hand coming out of the grave and grabbing lone survivor, Sue (Amy Irving).
Best line: "It has nothing to do with Satan, Mama. It's me. Me."
7. The Ring (2002)
The premise: See, there's this really creepy underground video tape floating around, and if someone is unfortunate enough to watch it, they'll die in seven days--no ifs, ands or buts about it. As one of those unlucky few to have seen it, journalist Rachel (Naomi Watts) tries to uncover the mysterious origins of the tape before her time is up--and she faces the ring.
The fear factor: The video itself, of course; the frightening phone calls immediately following the viewing, letting the victim know they have seven days to live; and finally, the girl climbing out of the well, out of the television and into your living room to kill you.
Best line: "I think before you die, you see the ring..." 6. The Evil Dead (1981)
The premise: Director Sam Raimi's horror classic starts with five friends, who spend the weekend in a remote cabin in the woods. While rooting through the cellar, they discover a tape and a decaying old book full of strange incantations, a Book of the Dead, as it were, which unleashes a powerful evil force into the deep, dark forest--a force intent on destroying every last one of them. Bummer!
The fear factor: It's those trees again--in Dead, a few of them grab hold of a girl and rape her; and the same girl, now possessed by the evil dead (is there any other kind of dead?), trapped under the floor, trying to get out.
Best line: "We're going to get you. We're going to get you. Not another peep. Time to go to sleep."
10. The Omen (1976)The premise: If the antichrist does come to earth in the form of a little boy, he should have an angelic face, an English accent, be named Damien, and be able to get rid of his enemies in the most diabolical ways. At the end, we aren't sure if his surrogate father, Ambassador Robert Thorn (Gregory Peck), has succeeded in killing the little tyke. Then, alas, there he is at his father's funeral, turning and smiling at us. Score one for Satan.
The fear factor: The priest being impaled by a falling staff, the photographer getting his head sliced off by a wayward piece of glass, baboons attacking the car with Damien and his mother (Lee Remick) inside; and, of course, that menacing Latin choir music in the background whenever something awful is about to happen.
Best line: "Wrong? What could be wrong with our child, Robert? We're beautiful people, aren't we?" 9. Poltergeist(1982)
The premise: It starts with a happy family--dad (Craig T. Nelson), mom (JoBeth Williams) and three kids, including cute-as-a-button 5-year-old Carol Anne (Heather O'Rourke)--who all live in a nice suburban neighborhood. One day, however, some pesky ghosties lead by a malevolent spirit invade their lovely home and kidnap poor Carol Anne. Now their only hope of getting her back rests on a diminutive, baby-voiced medium, who has successfully "cleaned" many houses of such evil.
The fear factor: Carol Anne being sucked into a vortex in her closet right after her brother is attacked by a hungry tree; a ghost hunter picking his face apart in the bathroom, and dozens of rotting corpses popping out of the ground in their coffins as the family tries to escape.
Best line: "They're heeeeeeeeeere!" Natch. 8. Carrie (1976)
The premise: Based on Stephen King's first novel, it's a pretty simple story, really, about an abused, unstable and very unpopular high school girl (Sissy Spacek), who also happens to be powerfully telekinetic-a dangerous combo. When Carrie's enemies humiliate her at the prom by dumping buckets of pig's blood all over her (yeah, not the smartest thing to do), she pretty much wipes out the entire school right there on the spot.
The fear factor: The pig blood thing; hundreds of high school students dying horrible, fiery deaths; flying knives pinning Carrie's crazy mother to the wall; and the pièce de résistance, a grisly hand coming out of the grave and grabbing lone survivor, Sue (Amy Irving).
Best line: "It has nothing to do with Satan, Mama. It's me. Me."
7. The Ring (2002)The premise: See, there's this really creepy underground video tape floating around, and if someone is unfortunate enough to watch it, they'll die in seven days--no ifs, ands or buts about it. As one of those unlucky few to have seen it, journalist Rachel (Naomi Watts) tries to uncover the mysterious origins of the tape before her time is up--and she faces the ring.
The fear factor: The video itself, of course; the frightening phone calls immediately following the viewing, letting the victim know they have seven days to live; and finally, the girl climbing out of the well, out of the television and into your living room to kill you.
Best line: "I think before you die, you see the ring..." 6. The Evil Dead (1981)
The premise: Director Sam Raimi's horror classic starts with five friends, who spend the weekend in a remote cabin in the woods. While rooting through the cellar, they discover a tape and a decaying old book full of strange incantations, a Book of the Dead, as it were, which unleashes a powerful evil force into the deep, dark forest--a force intent on destroying every last one of them. Bummer!
The fear factor: It's those trees again--in Dead, a few of them grab hold of a girl and rape her; and the same girl, now possessed by the evil dead (is there any other kind of dead?), trapped under the floor, trying to get out.
Best line: "We're going to get you. We're going to get you. Not another peep. Time to go to sleep."
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