Fall comes with pumpkin picking, apple cider, flannels, and, my favorite, scary movies. Every Halloween, my friends and I would walk around our neighborhoods, drive in the dark to scare ourselves, and finish the night by watching a minimum of three movies that would have us so scared we’d hide behind couch pillows for the rest of the night. Watching scary movies has been the highlight of my Halloweens for as long as I can remember, so picking the perfect movie has become a finely honed skill. Here are my top movie recommendations for the perfect Halloween night.
The Conjuring (2013)
“The Conjuring” might be the greatest scary movie ever created. Whether you watch every movie in the franchise or just this one, trust that you’ll be terrified. The movie never fails to make me jump every time I watch it. It follows a family who moves to a house haunted by a malicious spirit. Two demonologists are called to exorcise the spirit as it takes control of a family member and wreaks havoc.
Jennifer’s Body (2009)
While this movie has its moments, it’s less of a scary, horrifying film and more of a parody, scary feel-good movie. I watched it with a few friends this summer and loved every minute of it. It’s about a young girl in a small town who becomes possessed by a demon that craves human flesh. Amanda Seyfried and Megan Fox are fantastic in this film, and it’s perfect for a girl’s night.
carrie (2013)
“Carrie,” based on Stephen King’s novel, is a classic horror film. While I never thought it was scary, my mom hates this movie. I prefer the 2013 film, but the 1976 version is essentially the same story with a different cast. I love this movie. Carrie, a young, devoutly Catholic girl, has secret telekinetic powers which she hides from her zealot mother. Carrie snaps when her peers take a prank too far at prom, and her forces are unleashed.
It (2017)
“It” is one of the best movies I have ever watched. From the casting to the acting to the story, it is one of the best, most terrifying, exciting movies I have ever watched. “It” tells the story of seven kids who come face-to-face with a “shape-shifting evil” that comes out of the sewers every twenty-seven years to torment the kids of Derry, Maine. It details their fight for good against evil—an absolute gem of a movie.
The curse of La Llorona (2019)
As a Hispanic woman, I was immediately drawn to the La Llorona character and the story behind her downfall. I watched this movie over break with my family, and it was terrifying. “La Llorona” is the story of a family in the 1970s who are drawn into a less-than-ideal situation when a woman prays to the demon, La Llorona, to kidnap and murder the family’s children.
Halloween (2018)
I adore this movie. It has a very old-fashioned storyline, which I love, and the gore is insane. It’s pretty scary, but not so much that you’ll have nightmares. It follows the story of the sole survivor of Michael Myers, who is targeted when Myers’ prison transfer goes wrong on Halloween night.
Terrifier (2016)
I hate clowns. I have no idea why, but I am terrified (no pun intended) of them. “Terrifier” is a movie I still refuse to watch, but a few people I know have seen it. It is incredibly violent and “unpredictable,” which is all you can ask for in a horror movie. It’s about a clown who stalks and tries to kill three women on Halloween.
it follows (2014)
What a movie. I watched this movie this summer, and it was terrific. It is less violent and more psychological. It follows (again, pun not intended) a woman tormented by a sexually transmitted demon who follows her everywhere and will not stop until it reaches her or she passes it to someone else. It is similar to “Jennifer’s Body” but has a much more real and scary vibe.
Insidious (2010)
All I can say is that this movie haunted my high school friends and me. It is horrifying. It is a psychological thriller, and the visuals are bone-chilling until the very end of the movie. “Insidious” is about a family whose son is taken prisoner in a dream dimension by an evil spirit. I 100% recommend watching with friends, or you might have to stay up all night out of fear.
scary stories to tell in the dark (2019)
Ok, I’ll be honest. I only watched this movie to hear Lana del Rey’s cover of “Season of the Witch,” which was spectacular, but I stayed for the constant engagement. This movie is a collection of stories based on the book I think every person in my sixth-grade class read, “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.” It follows a group of teenagers who break into an abandoned mansion. They find a mysterious book of horror stories, which, of course, they steal. While going through the book, one of the teenagers finds that stories begin to appear and then come true, claiming the townspeople as victims.