Of all the genres available to cinema, it is possible that the one that most commonly inspires fear (or aspires to do so) is also open to the most controversy; the production of fear most readily lends itself to exploitation and depravity, which are often perceived regardless. Recently, the portrayal of violence in Wolf Creek rankled Roger Ebert so much that he punished the film with a damning zero stars, sparking a dialogue on the merits of such violence in film; yet, it was that same effect that has caused other critics to commend the film so highly. Such has been the case since Universal's first Frankenstein film, which was deemed so frightening that a warning was included at the beginning of the movie for the more faint of heart. Obviously, there are some cases in which you can just never win, but the fact remains that the horror film and its many subgenres are among those that can most challenge us in the many aspects of our frail humanity. But let's not pigeonhole here; horror movies can be a great deal of fun, too, and sometimes even both at the same time. Horror films are among the foundations of my love of cinema, and some of the most transcendent experiences I have ever had were those when I most feared for my personal safety as a result of the images passing before my eyes. The power of the moving image is indeed a great one, and it is here (in what I hope becomes a yearly tradition) that I hope to examine its potential to chill the bones. Over the next 31 days, I'll be covering various landmarks and lesser-known of the genre, in a relatively chronological fashion. Some of these I have already seen, some I will be experiencing for the first time. My aim was to cover a wide range of styles, directors, subject matters as well as qualities (one of the selected movies stands a good chance at becoming my Worst of All Time, if the little bit I've seen is any indication). Let the viewing begin!