The vibes this time of year are immaculate. What’s better than Fall air, clothes, food, and scents, paired with wearing costumes and being whatever you desire, while eating candy and going to parties and trick-or-treating with your besties? Staying in, cuddled up under a blanket with a movie on is one of my favorite ways to be this time of year. As great as this season is, it only lasts so long. Grab your boo and watch the 5 scary movies Iisted below so you make the most of this iconic yet fleeting spooky season by avoiding the cinematic flops and enjoying the terror, Halloween vibes, or general spooky feelings these movies serve.
The Conjuring Series
Possessions, exorcisms, deranged pasts, nuns, and Annabel—need I say more? Watch one or all three of the Conjuring movies if you enjoy your horror in the form of demons and twisted Church relations. Each is a genuine scary movie, and together they offer one long, terrifying description of a gifted family attending to exorcisms that haunt history as true events.
Halloween Series
Perfect for the night itself, this series includes all the things that make Halloween what it is. There’s nothing better than having any of the twelve movies on early in the night to get yourself frightened and feeling all the feels for the peak of spooky season. If you enjoy murder mysteries, indulge in the whole Halloween saga. By the end, you’ll know of countless ways Micheal Myers just won’t die.
IT
Not afraid of clowns? Tread cautiously—that will change if you watch this movie. Pennywise and his horrifying mission have ruined yellow raincoats and red balloons for me forever, not to mention where my imagination goes every time I see a sewer drain because of this deranged story. This 2017 film is truly terrifying, psychologically thrilling, and successful at upping the ante in terms of horror films.
Coraline
Want something gentler in terms of horror but spooky, nonetheless? This animated film directed by popular film creator Henry Selick may be meant for children, but it succeeds at startling everyone. Watch this and never look at buttons or Scottie dogs the same again. If IT alone didn’t ruin your chances of ever relating yellow rain jackets to Curious George again, add this movie to the mix. For all of those who haven’t seen this before—be thankful you weren’t scarred by it as a child.
Goosebumps series (on Disney+)
Throwback, am I right? I don’t know about you, but I was raised on the Goosebump book series. I distinctly remember reading about worms and gremlins, and later watching movies about the doll named Slappy— a murderous dummy my brothers and I still talk about. Many nostalgic storylines are brought to life once again in this new short series on Disney Plus. Enjoy connecting to your childhood and having a spooky, yet relatively lax movie experience. This is the perfect choice for those who aren’t horror fans, but still want to interact with the spookiness of the season!
Hurry — watch these movies before I’m writing an article on the top 5 Christmas movies to watch! The “ber” months are wonderful, but are unfortunately in quick motion and call for us to truly have a “enjoy it while it lasts” approach to each season these months offer. I hope this list is helpful as you decide how to spend your limited and precious free time this Fall season!
Sarah Miller