This month, I had the pleasure of writing for free movie website Crackle.com. Not only did I get to pick whatever horror movies I wanted to write about, I got the chance to watch them for free on their new site.

Movies are available for free either online or through your PS3. If you don’t like these films, be sure to check out Crackle.com’s Halloween movie collection for some other scary movie options.

Here’s a preview of my series entitled, “A Fan’s Guide to Scary Movies.”

• A Fan’s Guide to Scary Movies: 13 Ghosts – The opening credits for 13 Ghosts really grabbed me. There’s groaning, there’s moaning, and there were thirteen ghosts rolling right down the screen. Immediately after the credits, William Castle popped up with a message to the audience about a “ghost viewer.” At different points in this primarily black-and-white film, the audience was encouraged to use a pair of glasses to either see or avoid the ghosts by looking through red or blue lenses.
• A Fan’s Guide to Scary Movies: The Blob (1988) – The Blob portrayed is pretty interesting to me. It’s more than just pink goo that slithers its way across town. It’s an amoeba that can ooze, twist, digest and grow. Sometimes it’s fast and other times it’s slow. Since this life-form has the properties of a thick liquid, it can get beneath you by worming its way through the sewers or drain pipes, too. The thing that I thought was pretty cool was that it can also spontaneously generate. Separate a piece of The Blob from the rest of its mass, and you have micro-blob!
• A Fan’s Guide to Scary Movies: Mary Reilly – Mary Reilly is the type of horror movie that takes you by the hand and draws you into the bleak time period from the very beginning. Since this movie was based on a familiar story, the film’s perspective is told from a servant who lives in Dr. Jekyll’s house. This technique really worked for me. I felt like I was standing on the top of a long, winding stairwell and every minute that went by brought me closer to the bottom of a dungeon. The suspense here resonates through the oppressive lifestyle of the master-slave relationship; the wealthy doctor’s staff has a big impact on the plot. In a way, every servant in that house gives the doctor whatever he needs by handing him his desires through an invisible wall.
• A Fan’s Guide to Scary Movies: Tsui Hark’s Vampire Hunters – Tsui Hark’s Vampire Hunters is what I would describe as a “mosaic” movie that’s driven by fast-paced, ass-kicking action. Set in seventeenth century rural China, there are several different characters and plots that keep the fight scenes fresh. The main storyline is about four, suave martial artists with over-the-top names like “Thunder.” Together, they and their wise master hunt down a king vampire. Only problem is, their trusty vampire compass leads them to an estate where nothing is as it seems. Things quickly slide downhill from there.