As Halloween creeps up upon us, most spend their time planning costumes, events, amongst other things. However, for me, Halloween is the peak time for watching the scariest and spookiest movies I can possibly find. I have always been a scary movie lover, so I am equipped to say that this is the best season to force loved ones to watch these spooky films alongside me. Although I do love the classic Halloween movies, such as Hocus Pocus, Halloweentown, and Coraline, I tend to lean more towards the more horror-intense films. With this in mind, I will be sharing my top five scary horror movies that may have you up at night.
The movie Us, directed by Jordan Peele, is one of my absolute favorites, as it has such a good twist at the end that still, to this day, leaves me shocked. The premise of the movie follows Adelaide, a mother to a son and daughter, and a wife to her husband Gabe, returning to a beachfront where she grew up. However, she has haunting memories from this town, and returning leads Adelaide to believe that something bad is going to happen. Her worst fear becomes her reality when four masked strangers enter her home, where a fight to the death descends upon their family. However, it turns even more strange when the masks are taken off, revealing exact twins of each of the four family members take place. This is a chilling, cinematic movie with a decent amount of gore and a plot twist that you will not expect.
As Above So Below follows archaeologist Scarlett and her search for Flamel’s Philosopher’s Stone. She learns that the stone is underground in the Catacombs in Paris, and finds people to accompany her in search of the stone. Going underground in the Catacombs it reveals all sorts of horrors, some connecting to past traumas in each individual’s life. This movie, although not a popular mainstream film, is one of my absolute favorites. It has twists, turns, and jump scares that will leave a long-lasting impression.
The film The Blair Witch Project follows three film students who travel to a small town to collect materials for a documentary on the Blair Witch, a legendary local murderer. At first, everything goes smoothly while they collect interviews with local townspeople. However, things turn for the worse when they make their way into the woods and end up losing track of where they are. They also start hearing haunting noises, and strange things keep happening to them. I love this film, and how it is filmed, as it is seemingly filmed on a camcorder the entire time, making the film more intense through the shakiness.
The Conjuring follows two paranormal investigators as they are summoned to investigate the house of the Perron family. The Perrons live in a secluded farmhouse with their five daughters, and start to notice strange, paranormal things occurring. These hauntings start off being tame; however, they slowly increase along with the horror. The house’s intense history is soon revealed within the film, as we continue to follow along with these paranormal events.
Heretic follows two young female missionaries as they are persuaded into an older man, Mr. Reed’s, home to spread their faith. However, once they go inside, they soon realize that Mr. Reed lied about his wife being home to convince them into his house. They are faced with psychological games played by Mr. Reed, and eventually realize they are trapped. They have to tackle this issue of being stuck inside their house, as they are also faced with issues surrounding their faith. This movie, although not as intense as the others, leaves you with more questions than one.
Out of the multitude of horror movies I have seen, I have always loved these thrilling, spooky movies. All of these left me thinking nonstop about the films, and will often leave me scared of the dark.Â
Happy watching!