As a countdown to Halloween on Thursday, October 31, this year's collection of Horror Classics should offer something to shiver every spine, ranging from vampires and black cats to witches and zombies, plus a generous supply of unquiet spirits and devil worshippers. Our fright nights cover the 1920s to the 1980s. Here's a scary sample from each of the seven decades.

The Phantom Carriage (1921) is a silent fantasy directed by and starring Victor Sjöström, considered the "father of Swedish film." He plays a drunkard who fulfills a prophecy that the first sinner who dies in the New Year will drive a ghostly carriage and become a collector of other dead souls. The movie's legacy is its narrative structure and special effects, which were considered very advanced for their time. Ingmar Bergman acknowledged that this movie was a major influence on his work, and Charlie Chaplin called it "the best film ever made."

The Black Cat (1934) was the first of two films of that title featuring Bela Lugosi and inspired by the Edgar Allan Poe story. (The second came in 1941.) In this one, for a change, Lugosi is the (mostly) good guy, a doctor who plays protector to a pair of unlucky American newlyweds (David Manners and Julie Bishop) who are honeymooning in Hungary. Boris Karloff, in his first of eight onscreen appearances with Lugosi, plays an evil Satan worshipper who threatens the couple. This film was Universal's biggest hit of the year and is credited with establishing the subgenre of psychological horror, with its emphasis on atmosphere and emotional tension.

The Uninvited (1944), another film that depends largely on an ominous mood for its chilling effect, tells the story of a brother and sister (Ray Milland and Ruth Hussey) who move into an abandoned house on the English coast and find it to be haunted. Gail Russell, in her breakthrough role, plays the fragile daughter of the former woman of the house and provides Milland's love interest. Russell's character is named Stella, and Victor Young's musical score includes the lovely "Stella by Starlight" theme, which would become an enduring jazz standard.

Bell, Book and Candle (1958) is an offbeat choice because it isn't really a horror film but a sophisticated romantic comedy with supernatural overtones. Based on the Broadway hit by John Van Druten, the movie concerns a modern-day witch (Kim Novak) who beguiles a book publisher (James Stewart). Playing Novak's witchy cohorts in a sparkling supporting cast are Jack Lemmon, Elsa Lanchester and Hermione Gingold. David O. Selznick had originally bought the rights to the stage comedy as a vehicle for his wife, Jennifer Jones, but eventually sold them to Columbia Pictures, clearing the way for Novak to take on the role.

Eye of the Devil (1967) also had been planned as a vehicle for Novak, but she injured her back in a horse-riding accident during filming and was replaced by Deborah Kerr. The British film, based on a novel by Philip Loraine, concerns a couple (Kerr and David Niven) who own a vineyard where it seems that a blood sacrifice will be required for a good crop! Sharon Tate, in her debut film performance, costars as a beautiful witch. Over the years, this film has gained cult status because of its surreal atmosphere and the real-life murder of Tate in 1969.

The Blood on Satan's Claw (1971) is the eye-catching title of a British horror film that earns a certain distinction in casting Satan himself as the villain and portraying him directly (played by an uncredited actor named Peter Ardran). The story, set in the English countryside of the 17th century, concerns a group of local children possessed by evil who are assaulting and killing others. This was one of the last films of Patrick Wymark, a British actor who plays a judge fighting the demons; he died of a heart attack at age 44 in 1970.

The Fog (1980) is directed, co-written and scored by horror specialist John Carpenter of Halloween (1978) fame. This one concerns a weird fog that drifts over a coastal town in California and brings the ghosts of mariners killed there in a shipwreck a century earlier. Carpenter cast two of his favorite leading ladies: then-wife Adrienne Barbeau as a radio DJ who alerts her listeners to the crisis, and Jamie Lee Curtis as a hitchhiker passing through town. The solid supporting cast includes John Houseman, Hal Holbrook and Curtis's mother, Janet Leigh, lending a touch of horror class with her connection to Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960). The Fog is another movie that has benefited from the passing of time and a growing reputation as a cult favorite.

by Roger Fristoe