Now that it’s finally Halloween, and spooky scary skeleton season, I can finally talk about my favorite horror movies without seeming weird or too horror-obsessed. Please don’t get me wrong: I love horror movies, and no one should be deemed weird for watching them. This season gives me a chance to talk about them without it feeling so out of context.
After watching tons and tons of horror movies in high school, I feel like I have developed a strong list of horror movies that would stick with you.
1. House of a 1000 Corpses (2003)
This film adaptation, directed by Rob Zombie, follows a group of teens as they travel and encounter a family that soon turns their trip into a complete nightmare.
I found this movie quite absurd, silly, and kind of gross when I first watched it in high school, specifically during the quarantine era. I was never really into horror movies, but this one specifically got me hooked.
I always thought horror movies were scary and had a more demonic feel. I thought they always involved spirits, ghosts, and whatnot, but after watching this Rob Zombie film, I realized they can be fun and really unserious. For example, in the first few scenes of House of 1000 Corpses, we follow the cast as they ride a horror ride after entering a gas station. Crazy, I know; what group of friends would agree to hop on a ride right behind a gas station? Another aspect of House of 1000 CCorpses that I high-key enjoy is their vulgar jokes and comments. Though they might be a bit outrageous, I find them silly because they’re jokes you wouldn’t even think of. What makes this movie extremely comforting to me is the fact that it has completely changed my perspective on horror. Its ridiculous, obnoxious humor reminded me that horror movies don’t have to be completely serious or terrifying to be enjoyable.
2. The Hills Have Eyes (2006)
The Hills Have Eyes is by far one of my favorite horror movies; it follows a family on a road trip who stop at a gas station and are set up by locals who know the town’s history. The town was once populated, but when the government wanted to test nuclear weapons, it caused some of the inhabitants to become cannibal mutants. The family then has to battle these cannibal mutants to survive.
Overall, I love this movie because it feels unrealistic but still realistic. For example, after watching this movie, you understand that nothing like this would ever happen, but because stuff like the government experimenting with nuclear weapons already occurs, who’s to say that this can’t happen. Questions like these truly make you wonder if this could happen in another reality. One aspect of this movie that really stuck with me is the family’s survival instinct. Watching the family fight together against their odds really makes you wonder how you would react in their situation.
3. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
I believe this movie is the most popular of the bunch, and rightfully so, since it follows the trope of a group of teens on a road trip getting picked off by a family of cannibals in the middle of nowhere. Though several adaptations and remakes exist, it’s important to know which one is the best. My favorite, and in my humble opinion the best, is the original The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
I find this film comforting because it is one of the first I watched. It captivated me from the start and encouraged me to find similar films. Its classic premise also makes it easy to revisit, because we know what happens next.
Now that I have presented 3/5 movies, have you noticed anything that they have in common? Exactly, most follow the same trope: family or friends go on a road trip and stop at secluded or unknown gas stations. This trope feels so realistic that it’s hard to ignore how everyday situations can easily become horrifying. These movies ultimately make you think about how you would act in these situations.
The next 2 movies are quite different. One follows an FBI detective as she investigates a cannibal serial killer, and the following movie follows a troubled student as her classmates and an unknown force haunt her. These films explore the psychological and emotional sides of horror more than the fight for survival and isolated settings.
4. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
This next film follows an FBI trainee tasked with interviewing an infamous cannibal named Hannibal Lecter (played by Anthony Hopkins). Throughout the film, as we follow Clarice Starling (played by Jodie Foster), it’s comforting to know that, because we are somewhat close in age, her actions would mirror what I would do in that situation.
I also enjoy how this film keeps you hooked through Starling’s conversations with Lecter, the clues, and the character’s motivations. When I watched this film for the first time, I was so captivated by trying to piece the evidence together as the story unfolded. Knowing this film is a classic makes it fun to revisit and watch with friends.
5. Carrie (1976)
Carrie follows a teenage high school student as she gets bullied and made fun of by girl classmates. During a locker-room incident, she discovers she has telekinesis. In an act of remorse, one of Carrie’s classmates asks her boyfriend to ask Carrie to the prom. At prom, she realizes she has been set up after her classmates dump gallons of pig’s blood, which sets her off and destroys her school’s gymnasium and her town.
Watching this film in high school made it memorable because the setting felt familiar. Not that I would ever develop telekinesis, destroy an entire gymnasium, or bully others, but the desire to fit in is an emotion students feel today and can understand. This film stuck with me because it taught me how our actions can deeply affect others and trigger a chain of events that could have been easily avoided.
While these are my top horror movies, I can’t say they’re the only ones I’ve ever liked. They’re the most impactful for me because I watched them when I was very young. They really stuck with me, and now I watch them with a kind of reverence whenever I see a new horror movie. Each movie introduced me to something different, from dark humor and survival to psychological suspense. They all changed my perspective on horror movies for the better.
Ultimately, finding comfort and relaxation in horror movies doesn’t mean that you enjoy the disturbing things that happen on screen. It’s more about familiarity with these stories, the memories you make while watching them, and the excitement you get when you revisit them. When horror movies are funny, emotional, suspenseful, and thrilling, you know you’ll keep them on rotation. If you ever gaze at my screen and see guts getting pulled out of someone’s body, know I’m right where I want to be.