Zombies are the monsters of the 21st century, and America's major contribution to horror. What set off zombie fever? All roads lead to George Romero, who made zombies a metaphor for social ills.

Slashers got sophisticated in the '90s, evolving from Freddy Krueger to Candyman to the terrifying Hannibal Lector. The 2000s brought "torture porn" – a response to post-9/11 panic.

The fear that demons will enter our bodies and make us do terrible things has inspired some of the most frightening films ever made, including the masterpieces Rosemary's Baby and The Exorcist.

Monsters hold a special place in the history of horror. Stephen King, Tippi Hedren and Joe Dante weigh in on the killer predators in nature, the nightmare creatures of the fantastic, and the monsters inside us, waiting to escape

Ghost movies have been with us since the dawn of cinema. Some ghosts are benevolent, some ghosts are malicious, but they all represent the mystery of what happens to us after we die. Stephen King, Haley Joel Osment and others break down the appeal of spooky spirits.