Day one of FearNYC left me simultaneously under- and overwhelmed—underwhelmed from the quality (or lack thereof) of the premieres, overwhelmed from the atrocity that is Atroz. Day two was much more my cup of tea: a slew of classic horror films, with a fun tribute to 80's slasher films thrown in the mix. The day started off with A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, which is widely considered to be one of the greatest horror sequels of all time. After the debacle that was A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge, many fans of the franchise were outraged and worried that the series may be discontinued. Wes Craven was brought back in (he was not involved with the second movie) to write the script, and Dream Warriors was born. It helped revitalize the franchise, although only the true diehard Freddy Krueger fans would argue that the subsequent five movies were worth the effort. In Dream Warriors, Nancy Thomson (Heather Langenkamp), the survivor from the first film, takes a job at a mental hospital to help a bunch of teenagers who have all been having the same nightmares. One of the girls, Kristen (Patricia Arquette, in her first role) has the ability to pull other people into her dreams, so Nancy trains them to do dream-battle with Freddy Krueger. It's ridiculous and over the top, but so, so good. The dream sequences are incredible and the special effects are stunning and terrifying. The Nightmare of Elm Street franchise is a must-have for any horror collection—at least the first three anyway. Next up was American Gothic, a rarely seen British-Canadian film directed by John Hough and starring Rod Steiger (In the Heat of the Night) and Yvonne DeCarlo (The Ten Commandments). Five friends get stranded on an island in the Pacific Northwest while camping. While exploring the island, they stumble upon a house, inhabited by a old couple (Steiger and DeCarlo) who go simply by Ma and Pa and their three adult children, Fannie, Woody, and Teddy. The group of friends think they are saved, but the trouble is, Ma and Pa like their privacy—on top of keeping their children sheltered from the real world (Fannie, although in her fifties, thinks she's about to turn 12)—and they will do anything to keep it that way. Steiger and DeCarlo bring real star power to this genuinely unsettling film, and the portrayals of the children are the creepiest part. However, Sarah Torgov's performance as Cynthia, one of the friends who is traumatized by the death of her baby at the beginning of the film, steals the show. Her descent into madness as she eventually joins the family after her husband and friends are all killed is truly uncomfortable to watch. Add this to your horror shelf and put it next to The Baby (1973). The audience was then treated to the world premiere of Pool Party Massacre, which director/writer Drew Marvick describes as his "love letter to 80's slasher films." The name of the movie says is all: a group of Las Vegas socialites are having a pool party; everyone is relaxing until a hulking killer starts picking them off one by one. It's been done before, but that's the point. Inspired the the great 80's slasher flicks, Massacre was just a lot of fun to watch. The acting wasn't great, but who cares? Marvick said they were supposed to portray an over-exaggerated version of snobby kids he sees in his neighborhood  Each death was preceded by the killer walking into his tool shed and picking up a different weapon—weed whacker anyone? or perhaps a drill? (I was hoping to see him pick up the level. That would've been inventive.) It brought me back to the horror films of the 80's,  which was Marvick's intention. Massacre was silly, bloody, and fun—just the way I like it. Stick it next to Friday the 13th and Sleepaway Camp on your shelf immediately. The last three films of the night should already be on your horror shelf. The Lost Boys (1987), in which two brothers move to a new town only to discover it's infested with vampires, is among the best vampire movie of all time. Corey Haim, Corey Feldman, and Kiefer Sutherland all shine. Night of the Living Dead (1968) almost single-handedly redefined the horror genre overnight. Audiences had never seen anything like this film before, and it was brutally relentless in scaring the bejeezus out of people. Claustrophobic (almost the entire film takes place in one boarded-up room as zombies descend on an old farmhouse), tense, and unflinching, George A. Romero's zombie gem set the tone for generations of films to follow. A cornerstone of horror history that belongs in every collection. The last film of the night was another horror great: The Exorcist (1973). This film is a masterpiece. One of the best movies to come out of the 70's, The Exorcist tells the story of 12-year-old Regan (Linda Blair—terrifyingly good for such a young actress) who becomes possessed by a demon, and her mother's (Ellen Burstyn) ultimately feeble attempts to save her, with the help of a local priest (Max von Sydow). Truly terrifying (split pea soup, anyone?) and heartbreakingly human, The Exorcist will scare the life out of anyone who takes it off your shelf. Join me tomorrow for Day 3!