Screen Time

DAWN OF THE DEAD Sunday at 8 p.m. on (AMC) Zombies in a shopping mall — sounds like a five-word indictment of our advertising-addled consumer culture. It’s also the setting of this 2004 remake of George Romero’s 1979 horror classic, one of the better entries in the zom- bie subgenre. Sarah Polley, Ving Rhames, Jake Weber and Mekhi Phifer lead the cast as survivors of a zombie- producing plague who take refuge in a mall against the encroaching, hungry army of undead outside. THE FAIRY JOBMOTHER Thursday at 9 p.m. on (LIFE) The longer someone is out of work, the lower the self-con- fidence drops. In the new episode “Confidence Is Every- thing,” Hayley Taylor is faced with a construction worker who’s in that very situation. Since losing her job, she’s also lost her belief in herself. Getting her confidence back might not make a new job magically materialize, but giv- ing off that “Yes, I can!” vibe can definitely give her a leg up on the competition. MY BIG FRIGGIN’ WEDDING Monday at 9 p.m. on (VH1) Can’t decide whether to watch “Jersey Shore” or “Bridezil- las”? This new series delivers some of each, following engaged couples from New Jersey and New York as they plan their wed- dings. Even if the nuptials themselves are quiet and understated, the couples never are. They include New Jerseyites Johnny “The Meatball King” and his fiancee, Megin, and Long Islander Tam- mie and her intended, Danny, a divorced dad from Haiti. SCHOOL PRIDE Friday at 8 p.m. on (NBC-24) This new episode brings the pride team to Detroit, where the Communication and Media Arts High School, an in- stitution with a proud tradition of student achievement, is slated to be closed because its facilities are falling apart. Parents, students and faculty have been fighting for three years to keep the school open, and with guidance from the renovation team, they’ll have a fighting chance. GHOST HUNTERS Wednesday at 9 p.m. on (SYFY) Don’t look for Bill Murray or Dan Aykroyd here: De- spite some similarities to “Ghostbusters,” the polter- geist seekers are for real in the case of this series. Plumbers Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson run The Atlantic Paranormal Society, which helps people try to resolve eerie and inexplicable situations. Dave Tango and Steve Gonsalves also appear in the new episode “Home Is Where the Heart Is.” BY JAY BOBBIN Lon Chaney The so-called “Man of a Thousand Faces” made a particular face, that of the Phantom of the Opera, one of the most enduring images in horror. Boris Karloff Frankenstein’s monster. ’Nuff said? Bela Lugosi Boris Karloff Lon Chaney Jr. Bela Lugosi Like Karloff, all it takes is the mention of one role – Count Dracula – to justify Lugosi’s place on this list. Elsa Lanchester The get-up has been much mocked ever since, but British acting veteran Lanchester became an immediate icon as the “Bride of Frankenstein.” Lon Chaney Jr. Terror stayed in the family, thanks to Junior’s portrayal of the Wolf Man, a part that his natural appearance made him ideally suited for. Peter Lorre Lorre’s unusual look made him a natural for the horror genre, but he 2 select TV even could be scary on a more subtle level, evidenced by his haunting portrayal of a child-killer in the classic “M.” Vincent Price He became a caricature of himself in later years, as in “Theater of Blood” ... but in his prime (“House of Wax,” etc.), the refined Price could be quite a frightening fellow. John Carradine Though he also made many other types of films, the presence of the craggy-faced father of fellow actors David, Keith and Robert often signaled something scary was on the way. Anthony Perkins Here’s a case of an actor whose horror cred comes down to one role (all together, now) – Norman Bates in “Psycho.” If the film’s very last shot doesn’t creep you out, nothing will. John Hurt While he isn’t only a horror actor, Hurt can lay claim to one of the Daily News knock-your-socks-off scare sequences in all of movie history, given what happens to him in the pivotal scene of “Alien.” Heather O’Rourke Sometimes innocents can be terrifying, demonstrated by young O’Rourke as the target of specters (“They’re he-e-e-ere!”) in “Poltergeist.” Robert Englund “A Nightmare on Elm Street” might have yielded a few too many chapters – even extending to the television series “Freddy’s Nightmares” – but the sharp-fingered Mr. Krueger was good for some solid screams early on. Tobin Bell So effective as the lethally clever Jigsaw in the “Saw” movies that the series just won’t let him die, though the character technically is dead, Bell is back yet again in the current “Saw 3D.” October 30 - November 5, 2010

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