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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at LMU chapter.

You know what time it is!  October is here and that means it’s SPOOKY SEASON!!  So, of course, I had to make a list of movies to watch while you cuddle up with your boo or your friends and have a good time!

1.  Hocus Pocus

Hocus Pocus is a Halloween classic!  This is the perfect movie for those of us who can’t handle super scary movies.  It’s fun and light and just a good time all around!  Other similarly light-hearted movies I’d recommend are Halloweentown and Twitches!

2.  Escape Room

Escape Room is a fun-filled thriller!  In this movie, six people compete to win $10,000 by trying to survive an Escape Room.  No spoilers… but this movie kept me on my toes the whole time and I did not see the end coming.

3.  Train to Busan

Train to Busan is kind of a dark horse.  It’s a Korean zombie apocalypse movie that is literally so well done.  Personally, I don’t usually like zombie flicks but I can say that this is one of the best movies I’ve ever seen.  Imagine being stuck on a moving train where an increasing amount of passengers are being turned into zombies.  That is Train to Busan.  I laughed, I cried, and I screamed.  I highly recommend you watch this movie if you are looking for something fresh and exciting (and willing to use English subtitles).

4.  Paranormal Activity

Paranormal Activity is probably one of the easier movies to handle on this list… It’s a slow-burn ghost paranoia movie seen through phones, video cameras, and security footage.  I highly recommend this one if you want a good time but don’t want anything too intense.  Pro Tip: pay close attention because a lot of this movie is in the small details.

5.  The Conjuring

I feel like everyone has seen this movie but in case you haven’t, it’s essentially about a demon attaching itself to a particular family.  It’s very scary and very good!

6.  IT

I’ve seen the old one and the new one and honestly, it’s pretty self-explanatory.  It is about a clown who likes to eat children.  Both versions are well done (although the newer one is closer to the original novel by Stephen King if you’re into that).  It’s a good time and super spooky, however, I wouldn’t recommend if you have a debilitating fear of clowns!

7.  The Shining, Halloween, and Scream

No horror movie list can be complete without these classics!  Enough said!

8.  Annabelle Creation

I. Hate. Dolls.  So this movie is one of the scarier ones for me.  I know scary stuff and this one checks all the boxes.  While this is actually a prequel, I think that Annabelle Creation is scarier than the actual Annabelle, hence the reason I am recommending it.  As you can probably guess by the title, this movie is the origin story of the infamous haunted doll Annabelle.

9.  The Exorcist

The Exorcist is another classic horror movie.  As you can probably guess by the title, this movie is about… an exorcism.  The reason I put this separate from the other ones is that The Exorcist is on its own level.  (Pea Soup… those who know will know…)

10.  Saw

I’m not going to lie, Saw is bloody, it’s gory, but it’s also very very good!  It’s essentially one of the grossest and most horrific mind games I’ve ever seen in horror films, but I also like the interwoven plot and how the storyline continues on.  There are some questions left open in the first film that don’t get answered until the fifth.  Overall, if you can handle gore, Saw is a great film to give a try. 

I know there is so much more that I could have included like: The Silence of The Lambs, The Ring, Hereditary, Pet Semetary (the old one), Insidious, The Lazarus Effect, Children of the Corn, The Room, and The Nun.  I marathon the Saw series with my family every Easter, so I think it is safe to say that I know a lot of horror movies.  It was very hard for me to narrow it down to just ten but I thought this would be a good starting place to get us all in the mood for Spooky Season!  Also, if you don’t have the time to watch a whole movie go on down to Netflix and watch an episode of American Horror Story! Or maybe even Slasher or Scream!

Lindsey is a Journalism Major at LMU. She enjoys reading and writing in her free time and she is very interested in travel, photography, and adventure.
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