I’m not sure what’s better – watching a good horror movie in the (darkened) comfort of your home or watching in a theater.

(You notice I’m not including the stone-age choice here of watching a horror movie in a drive-in theater, although I watched plenty that way growing up and as a young adult. Bless the drive-in theaters that operate today, but going to a drive-in these days is more of a fun “going to a drive-in” exercise, not a “going to see a movie” exercise.)

I’ve certainly seen many more horror films at home in the past decade or two, more than I’ve seen in theaters. But back in the day, including the period from 1978 to 1990 when I was reviewing movies for my hometown newspaper, I saw a lot of horror movies in the theater. I mean: “Halloween.”

That’s why I believe seeing any movie in a theater, especially a horror movie, is such a great experience. I definitely saw horror movies in theaters before I saw “The Exorcist” in 1973. (I’m still not quite sure how I saw the film, one of the greatest films and one of the greatest horror films ever, in the theater. I was years too young to have bought a ticket for an R-rated film. And yet …)

Anyway, I think I’ll always prefer seeing a good horror film in a theater. The big screen. The great sound. The cathartic feeling of an audience sharing a scare. And yes, even the shouted warnings from excited members of the audience. (“Watch out! He’s behind you!”)

And while I can’t say I’ll definitely see one of the horror films that the Regal theater chain plans to show in October, it’s very tempting to try to work that into my schedule.

Across the country, Regal is offering its “31 Screams on Screens” promotion, screening horror films from decades of scary movies for the low price of $7.99 a ticket.

The selection of films includes some of my favorites as well as some I haven’t seen. Here’s the list:

Oct. 1 — The Blackcoat’s Daughter (2015)
Oct. 2 — The Shining (1980)
Oct. 3 — Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)
Oct. 4 — The Conjuring (2013)
Oct. 5 — Poltergeist (1982)
Oct. 6 — The Haunting (1999)
Oct. 7 — Crimson Peak (2015)
Oct. 8 — Tales from the Hood (1995)
Oct. 9 — In the Mouth of Madness (1994)
Oct. 10 — Pet Sematary (1989)
Oct. 11 — Drag Me to Hell (2009)
Oct. 12 — The Thing (1982)
Oct. 13 — The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)
Oct. 14 — Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986)
Oct. 15 — Psycho II (1983)
Oct. 16 — Candyman (1992) and Candyman (2021)
Oct. 17 — Scream 2 (1997)
Oct. 18 — A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) and A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)
Oct. 19 — The Blob (1988)
Oct. 20 — Evil Dead (2013)
Oct. 21 — Dawn of the Dead (2004)
Oct. 22 — Cabin Fever director’s cut (2002)
Oct. 23 — Midsommar director’s cut (2019)
Oct. 24 — Us (2019)
Oct. 25 — The Blair Witch Project (1999)
Oct. 26 — Constantine (2005)
Oct. 27 — The Cabin in the Woods (2011)
Oct. 28 — It Follows (2014)
Oct. 29 — Christine (1983)
Oct. 30 — Halloween (1978)
Oct. 31 — Trick ‘r Treat (2007)

There’s something for almost everyone there.

Here’s the link to the Regal site:

https://www.regmovies.com/horror-movies