Halloween is typically a common time for us horror movie fans to go on a horror movie marathon and watch scary movies all throughout October. But the following list of movies can be watched throughout the year (horror movies aren’t just for Halloween!).
1) The Conjuring universe (2013-2019)
This franchise consists of a series of movies following some of the prominent cases of Ed and Lorraine Warren, two renowned demonologists, who took on cases involving the paranormal. These movies do possess some element of truth, including Anabelle, Anabelle: Creation, Anabelle Comes Home and several other movies that are part of the Conjuring universe which involves a haunted farmhouse, a demonic nun, along with a movie that focuses exclusively on the nun (Valek).
2) The Grudge (Asian version or the Americanized version—both are great!):
This movie has probably traumatized several of us as kids. It features the concept of a “grudge,” which is a curse that causes victims to die in grip of a powerful rage—those affected by this die and the curse continues on. The story is based on Karen, an exchange student, who investigates a house where a nurse did not show up for work. At the house, she encounters strange noises and learns about the curse—she decides to put a stop to it before it can take more lives.
3) The Ring (2002):
This is another classic revolving around the life of Rachel Keller, who decides to uncover a series of deaths that happened at a cabin where those who died watched an unknown video. After watching this video herself, she discovers that the individuals had a limited time to live (7 days). Rachel finds a series of clues that point to a woman named Samara Morgan, and she needs to find a way to break this curse before it takes her life too.
4) Drag Me to Hell (2009):
This movie involves a loan officer who refuses a client’s loan extension request. In anger, the client then places a curse on the loan officer which leads her to hallucinate and witness apparitions that are trying to capture her and bring her to Hell. Determined to change her fate, she decides to consult a psychic and tries to break this curse before she is dragged to Hell.
5) Hereditary (2018):
This movie did not look that scary in the trailer, but many viewers were in for a creepy surprise when it premiered. This movie does not consist of many jump scares, but A24 (the production company) scares us in other subtle ways through cinematography and jump scares. The story follows the life of Annie Graham, who is coping with the death of her mother and gives us insights into how her family deals with grief and their own emotional problems.
These movies all have unique elements that make them scary in their own ways, including jump scares, interesting plots, and other psychological elements that are going to make your week a little more interesting along with making you feel extra paranoid (the type of paranoia that will make you check under your bed before you sleep!).