Looking toward this weekend, we see the most promising movie release to be a thriller of epic proportions: The Last Exorcism. And while we’re unlikely to hop down to the cineplex to catch this one on the big screen, it’s got us reminiscing about the movie monsters that have shaped our darkest nightmares over the years.

We’ll review some of these demons and creeps and things that go bump in the night, as well as reveal some of the psychological inner workings as to WHY we find them so terrifying.