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6 Horror Movies to Get You in the Halloween Mood

Carissa Ray Student Contributor, Purdue University
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Purdue chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

We are officially entering the spooky season with Halloween rapidly approaching. If you are like me, you like horror movies but also tend to get scared really easily. I have come up with a list of my favorite horror movies and ranked them from not too scary to extremely scary to help you find your next horror movie watch.

  1. Would You Rather (2019)

            Starting off strong, this horror movie is not too scary. This one is relatively tame but has a few jump scares. In this movie, a billionaire invites a handful of people to compete in an unknown game to get a large sum of money for their cause. Little do they know, the game is a deadly match of would you rather and only one can win. This is a good one if you want to get in the scary mood but not be too scared to sleep.

  1. Truth or Dare (2017)

This is also pretty tame on the scary side of horror movies. It does include an element of supernatural beings which is why it ranks a little higher than Would You Rather. This movie follows a group of friends that rent a haunted house for Halloween and play a game of truth or dare that goes south quite quickly. It is very fast-paced and an all-around good horror movie.

  1. The Saw Franchise (2004-present)

            I love love love this franchise. There are ten movies that were made and they typically follow the same premise. There is no element of the supernatural but it is a little more gory and has the aspect of real life which makes it a bit scarier. Each movie involves Jigsaw who is the antagonist. He kidnaps people, locks them in a room, and forces them to do horrific things to try to escape. These moves are very gory but are really good to get in the mood for Halloween.

  1. Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016)

            These movies rank higher because they are based on supernatural occurrences through a Ouija board. The movie starts out with a family that makes money by pretending that they can speak to ghosts and give grieving families closure. However, they purchase a Ouija board and all things go south. One of the daughters becomes possessed by a spirit and crazy things start happening. It is very spooky but I highly recommend it.

  1. Most Likely to Die (2016)

            This movie does not involve any supernatural concepts but there are numerous jump scares and it is just all over creepy. The concept is unique and has wonderful execution, pun intended. This movie follows a group of students, the student council of sorts, which is planning the ten-year reunion. They meet in a secluded house and are reminiscing on their high school years. However, one by one, they are found murdered in a way that correlates with their “Most Likely To” title.

  1. Talk to Me (2023)

This is definitely the scariest movie on this list. I just recently saw this movie in theaters and it is by far the scariest movie I have ever seen. It is extremely gory, it involves the supernatural, and there are numerous jump scares. This movie involves a group of kids that has what I can only describe as a cement ‘mannequin’ hand, and when you touch it and say some specific saying, you become possessed for a few moments.  It is extremely unsettling but it is one of the best horror movies I have ever seen.

I hope that you have found a few new movies to add to your horror arsenal and that you are able to celebrate Halloween with a few new jump scares!

Carissa Ray is the president of the Purdue Chapter of Her Campus. Last year she held the position of senior editor. She also writes articles for the chapter and typically writes entertainment pieces. She has been a member of the chapter since January of 2023!
Carissa is currently a senior studying at Purdue University. She is majoring in Psychological Sciences with minors in Spanish and Forensic Sciences. Aside from Her Campus, Carissa is also on the board of the Purdue Chapter of Omicron Delta Kappa, a leadership honors society. She was recently elected as the president for the 2024-25 academic year. In the future, she hopes to become a Forensic Psychologist and potentially work for the FBI.
When she is not busy with school, Carissa is a huge book nerd and loves to read anything with mystery, romance, or fantasy. She also loves dancing and is part of the Purdue Higher Ground Dance Company. She enjoys jazz, hip hop, and theater dance styles. Finally, if she has any extra time, she is a TV buff and enjoys binging TV shows like Modern Family, The Vampire Diaries, or Supernatural.