THE BIRDS Avian horror at the Cinerama.
  • THE BIRDS Avian horror at the Cinerama.

Tomorrow at the Cinerama brings the commencement of Horror Week, which is exactly what it says it is: seven days of the world’s best horror filmsโ€”including Psycho, Alien, The Exorcist, The Omen, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, An American Werewolf in London, and moreโ€”projected onto the Cinerama’s state-of-the-art screen. Tomorrow’s special opening-night feature: Army of Darkness, preceded by a Q&A with the film’s legendary star Bruce Campbell.

Meanwhile, the Grand Illusion kicks off a week of great, scrappy horrorโ€”Hellraiser!, Dario Argento’s Deep Red! A triple-feature of classic horror compilations!โ€”and Central Cinema screens The Lost Boys, The Cabin in the Woods, and a one-night-only extravaganza devoted to killer clowns.

(Sadly, Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slaveโ€”featuring some of the most disturbing villains in cinema historyโ€”doesn’t open till next week, but this week’s citywide parade of horror should make for a good welcome mat…)

In the meantime, here is Kelly O’s overview of the 30 scariest movies ever made.

David Schmader—former weed columnist and Stranger associate editor—is the author of the solo plays Straight and Letter to Axl, which he’s performed in Seattle and across the US. His latest...