If there is one thing you should know about me, it is that I love Halloween. I love the costumes, the candy, the bonfires, the haunted houses, and everything in between. When Halloween comes around, I have an excuse to do one of my all time favorite activity: watch horror movies. I don’t know what it is about these movies, but ever since I was a little kid I have been completely and utterly obsessed with all things horror. I suppose there is something psychological about the adrenaline rush that comes with watching someone face death from the comfort of our own home or a packed movie theater. Whatever the case, I have been on a non-stop horror binge since October 1st. From the spooky to the slashers, here are the movies I think every horror fan should watch this Halloween.
Halloween (1978)
Of course I have to start with one of the most iconic horror movies of all time. Halloween is an incredibly effective slasher. The slow build combined with that chilling piano theme is what makes this movie so great. Jamie Lee Curtis is fantastic as Final Girl Laurie Strode while Michael Meyers is the perfect villain. This movie is one of the best and I highly recommend it. Halloween is available to stream on FuboTV.
Saw (2005)
I’m going to be honest, the first time I watched this movie I wasn’t a big fan. I was tired when I watched it and there were just too many things going on. I thought I would love it because it’s directed by James Wan (one of my favorite directors), but I ended up feeling disappointed when the credits rolled. It was only after I watched a commentary on Youtube by White Noise Reacts that I thought, “Hey wait a minute, this is actually quite good.” By the end of the commentary I realized that Saw was a pretty genius film. If you enjoy gore and plot twists, you will love Saw, just be sure to watch it when you are fully awake and prepared to take everything in. Some movies deserve a second chance, and Saw is that movie for me. Saw is available to stream on Peacock.
Scream (1996)
Scream is a movie that knows exactly what it is. It’s self-aware, it’s funny, it’s thrilling, and it’s overall a great slasher. The other thing I love about Scream is the franchise. It’s one of the best horror franchises, in my opinion. Every movie has been so well done that there is huge hype surrounding the new movie, which is set to be released in 2022. I can’t wait to see Sidney Prescott and friends take on the new version of Ghostface. For now, I will settle for rewatching the four Scream movies that have become classics in the horror genre. Scream is available to stream on FuboTV.
Insidious (2010)
I cannot make a horror movie list without including this one. Insidious is one of my favorite movies of all time, inside and outside the horror genre. How a PG-13 movie managed to scar me for life I will never know, but just as Pavlov with his dogs, the minute I hear that screech of the opening score my heart starts to pound. That feeling is exactly what I am looking for in a horror movie, and somehow no movie has ever done it better than Insidious. The reaction I get when I watch the movie has a lot to do with how young I was when I first watched it, but even still I am 20 years old and I still get scared every time I watch Insidious. This movie is just genuinely scary and so good. If you are looking for a movie to watch with a group of friends, this one’s for you. Insidious is available to stream on Hulu or SlingTV with a premium subscription.
The Strangers (2008)
I have a love-hate relationship with this movie. I love it because it’s terrifying, and I hate it for the same reason. Home invasion movies get to me more than anything. I love watching them but I absolutely hate how paranoid they make me. As much as I enjoy a good ghost story, at the end of the day I am way less likely to experience a demonic possession than I am a home invasion. They’re just too realistic for me, but I simply can’t look away. My favorite line in this movie is when the main character asks the masked intruders why they are doing it and one of them calmly states, “because you were home.” NO. I HATE IT. And yet, it is on the list. The Strangers is available to stream on Netflix.
The Shining (1980)
This movie is just plain creepy. From the very beginning, something about it is just off. A good score can create that unsettling feeling without a single scary occurrence. The Shining’s score is very effective in that manner. Jack Nicholson plays the perfect madman, so much so that it’s hard for me to see him without picturing his wild eyes. The axe scene still haunts me to this day, particularly because of the controversial decisions taken by director Stanley Kubrick, which resulted in visible and real fear from Shelley Duvall. If you want to be disturbed for 2 hours and 26 minutes of your life, you should watch this movie. The Shining is available to stream on HBO Max.
Annabelle: Creation (2017)
This movie is supernatural horror perfection to me. Feel free to disagree, but I saw this in theaters and was so surprised at how great it was. I almost put The Conjuring here instead of this one, but everyone knows The Conjuring is a modern classic. There’s no debate that The Conjuring is one of the best 2010s horror movies, if not the best. Anyway, I don’t need to go on and on about how good that movie is when I could be hyping up Annabelle: Creation, a fairly underrated sequel to Annabelle (2014). While the first movie had potential to be great, the result was a boring and cheap mess. The second movie on the other hand was far more interesting, and the kid actors did exactly what they needed to do. I truly love this movie and I think everyone who likes scary movies should check this one out. And while you are at it, you might as well give the first two Conjuring movies a watch because they are also horror perfection in my book. Annabelle: Creation is available to stream on HBO Max.
Terrifier (2016)
Killer clowns don’t usually have much of an effect on me, but Art the Clown’s bloodstained smile is deeply frightening. This movie is all violence and gore. If you go into this movie expecting too much you will likely be disappointed. There’s not much to it besides, well, a killer clown. This movie will disgust you and leave you with a bad taste in your mouth. Enjoy! Terrifer is available to stream on Tubi.
Midsommar (2019)
I have seen this movie more times than I care to admit. If you thought Hereditary was traumatizing, you’re not ready for Midsommar. Ari Aster is a master at creating a sense of dread, and Florence Pugh is absolutely incredible as Dani Ardor. This movie is twisted, but the acting and the aesthetic make it so hard to stop watching, no matter how much you want to. I will watch this movie 100 times more just to see Florence Pugh’s iconic smile in the final moments of the film. Chills. Every time. Midsommar is available to stream on Amazon Prime.
The Invisible Man (2020)
While this movie can be considered more science fiction than horror, it has all the classic elements of a great horror movie: terrifying scares, a hair-raising score, and a pretty fantastic plot twist. At the same time, it subverts some of the more cliche horror tropes. Like all of these movies, the acting is top-tier. The director of The Invisible Man, Leigh Whannell, is a well-known name in horror. Whannell has also worked on two other movies on this list (Saw and Insidious) which may explain why I enjoyed this movie so much. It’s smart and violent and so thrilling. The Invisible Man is available to stream on HBO Max.
Go forth and stream! Happy Halloween!