100 Halloween Film Quiz-A-Thon (Part 1)

[B] The Silence of the Lambs | Anthony Hopkins made census takers everywhere extremely nervous with his portrayal of Hannibal Lecter. This film swept the Big Five at the Oscars, proving horror can be haute cuisine too.

[A] Psycho | Janet Leigh's shower scene used chocolate syrup for blood and forever changed how people feel about motels. Fun fact: Hitchcock bought every copy of the novel to keep the ending secret.

[B] The Shining | Jack Nicholson improvised the famous "Here's Johnny!" line, traumatizing audiences and doors everywhere. Stephen King famously disliked this adaptation, but typewriter sales definitely took a hit afterward.

[A] The Thing | The special effects team used everything from mayonnaise to bubble gum for the creature transformations. Kurt Russell's beard deserved its own credit for surviving all that Antarctic paranoia.

[C] The Exorcist | The set mysteriously burned down during filming, and the final cut caused actual fainting in theaters. Linda Blair's head spin launched a thousand chiropractor jokes.

[A] Rosemary's Baby | Mia Farrow ate raw liver for real in that memorable scene, cementing her dedication to method acting. The Dakota building where it was filmed became America's most famous creepy apartment complex.

[C] Young Frankenstein | Gene Wilder wrote the script with Brooks, and they insisted on using actual equipment from 1931's Frankenstein. The "Puttin' on the Ritz" scene proves monsters can have rhythm too.

[B] Låt den rätte komma in | This Swedish vampire film was shot in below-freezing temperatures, making the actors' breath visible throughout. It redefined vampire movies by proving they could be both beautiful and terrifying.

[C] Night of the Living Dead | Chocolate syrup strikes again as blood, while the zombies munched on ham covered in chocolate sauce. This $114,000 budget film basically invented modern zombie culture.

[B] Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens | Max Schreck was so convincing as Count Orlok that rumors spread he was an actual vampire. This unauthorized Dracula adaptation survived despite Stoker's widow trying to destroy every copy.

[C] Ed Wood | Johnny Depp met the real Bela Lugosi Jr. to prepare for the role, learning the actor's mannerisms firsthand. Martin Landau won an Oscar playing Lugosi, finally giving the horror icon his due.

[B] The Bride of Frankenstein | Elsa Lanchester's iconic hair required her to sit motionless for hours while it was styled on a wire frame. Her hissing swan scene took 17 takes because she kept laughing.

[D] Freaks | Real carnival performers starred in this film, which was banned in Britain for 30 years. The cast threw a party for MGM executives that allegedly scared them into cutting 30 minutes.

[A] Halloween | The Michael Myers mask was a Captain Kirk mask painted white and cost $1.98 from a costume shop. Jamie Lee Curtis earned $8,000 for launching one of horror's biggest franchises.

[C] Evil Dead II | Bruce Campbell endured so much fake blood that his skin was stained pink for months. The film used 300 gallons of fake blood, setting some kind of sticky record.

[A] Frankenstein | Boris Karloff's makeup took four hours daily and caused back problems from the heavy boots and brace. The drowning scene was cut from original releases for being too disturbing.

[C] Saw | Shot in 18 days with mostly handheld cameras to save money on equipment rental. The puppet Billy was built from papier-mâché and ping pong balls, proving nightmares come cheap.

[D] The Fly | Jeff Goldblum's gradual transformation required five hours of makeup daily by the film's end. The Academy Award-winning makeup effects still make people queasy about teleportation.

[C] The Birds | Tippi Hedren endured five days of having real birds thrown at her for the attic scene. The film never explains why birds attack, making every crow suspicious forever.

[A] An American Werewolf in London | Rick Baker's groundbreaking transformation scene took a week to film and won the first-ever Oscar for makeup. The film's nightmare sequences were inspired by Landis's own fever dreams.

[A] The Wicker Man | Christopher Lee considered this his best film and did it for free, only asking for hotel expenses. The original negative was supposedly burned in a studio cleaning, making good prints incredibly rare.

[D] The Omen | Several mysterious accidents plagued the production, including lightning strikes and plane crashes. Gregory Peck took the role after his son's suicide, seeking distraction through work.

[D] Dead Alive (Braindead) | This zombie comedy used 300 liters of fake blood in the final scene alone, earning its splatter reputation. Jackson filmed his lawn mower scene in his own mother's house.

[B] Scream | Drew Barrymore was originally cast as Sidney but requested the opening victim role for shock value. The film revived slasher movies by making fun of their rules while following them perfectly.

[A] Beetlejuice | Michael Keaton improvised most of his lines and only appears on screen for 17 minutes total. The title character's name gets said three times exactly three times in the film.

[D] A Nightmare on Elm Street | Robert Englund based Freddy's personality on a scary homeless man from his childhood. Johnny Depp's film debut featured him being sucked into a bed and replaced with geysers of blood.

[B] Corpse Bride | The stop-motion animation required moving puppets 24 times for each second of footage. Helena Bonham Carter based Emily's voice on a friend who'd recently died, as a tribute.

[D] Carrie | Sissy Spacek slept in bloody clothes for three days to stay in character for the prom scene. Her real-life mother played Margaret White's hand in the grave scene.

[C] The Evil Dead | The crew lived in the cabin during filming, with temperatures so cold that corn syrup blood froze. Bruce Campbell's torn shirt became progressively more destroyed because they only had one.

[D] Army of Darkness | The skeleton army was created using techniques from Ray Harryhausen's Jason and the Argonauts. Bruce Campbell read chemistry books on set to understand his character's modern knowledge.