As Halloween descends on the fair city of Madison, the inhabitants swarm to embrace the spirit with costume shopping, pumpkin carving, seasonal decorations, and of course, the usual dose of scary movies. Normally, theaters offer a nice mix of seasonally scary movies — the latest in “Halloween” sequels and prequels, another mystifying revival of Freddy K., Craven’s latest masterpiece, and even the spoof horror movie.

But it seems that this year Hollywood has forgotten these timeless traditions, instead releasing “White Oleander,” which is very scary in its own way, “Jackass: The Movie” and “Tuck Everlasting.” Thus, the best thing for the thrill-seeking viewer this Halloween season is to go back to the original master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock.

“Vertigo” (1958)

“Vertigo” is one of Hitchcock’s deepest and most stunningly beautiful films. The work is a noirish, romantic suspense/thriller and an intense psychological study of a desperate, insecure man’s twisted psyche and loss of equilibrium. It follows his obsessive search to end his vertigo (and deaths that result from his affliction) and becomes a masterful study of romantic longing, voyeurism, treachery, female victimization and degrading manipulation, and fatal sexual obsession for a cool-blonde heroine.

Bright police officer Scottie Fergusson (James Stewart, “It’s a Wonderful Life”) retires from the job when his partner falls to his death. An old friend of his hires Scottie to follow his wife, Madeleine (Kim Novak, “Pal Joey”), as she struggles to deal with her past nightmares. Scottie and Madeleine fall in love as they travel around San Francisco.

When Scottie presses Madeleine to confront one of her nightmares, she tragically commits suicide. Devastated, Scottie eventually falls in love with a woman who bares a striking resemblance to Madeleine …

“Psycho” (1960)

Alfred Hitchcock’s powerful, complex psychological thriller, “Psycho” is the “mother” of all modern horror-suspense films — it singlehandedly ushered in an era of inferior screen “slashers” such as “Homicidal” (1961), “Halloween” (1978), “Motel Hell” (1980), and “Dressed to Kill” (1980). The themes of the movie are subtle, yet shockingly accessible, in the engulfing story of the mysterious Bates Motel.

Fleeing from her life and larceny, Marion (Janet Leigh, “Touch of Evil”) checks into the Bates Motel, run by Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins, “Catch-22”). After the most famous, most brutal, and most jarring murder scene in movie history, the rest of the story is the investigation of Marion’s disappearance by her boyfriend, her sister, and private investigators.

Hitchcock does an amazing job at hiding the mysterious killer from the viewer, yet hints at the terrifying possibilities. This movie succeeds in its horror on two levels: The brilliant editing and camera work frighten the viewer and then, after the film’s freaky ending, keep the viewer scared well into the night.