I’ve never been able to watch horror movies. My chest tightens with anxiety as the music picks up and the urge to crawl out of my own skin makes these movies almost impossible to enjoy. I hate being scared. I hate knowing something will happen without being able to tell when. I hate how my mind always makes things scarier than they actually are. However, Halloween has always been my favorite holiday. I love the cooling weather, the leaves changing, the spooky decorations, and the aesthetic of fall.Â
I want to like horror movies — engaging fully into the Halloween spirit — but each time I barely make it to the first jumpscare. As a certified scaredy cat, here are five movies to get you into the spirit of Halloween.
1. “Them!” (1954)
If you’re looking for an old sci-fi/horror film, “Them!” (1954) is the perfect movie for you. In the deserts of New Mexico, the aftermath of nuclear testing takes a turn for the worst when a colony of ants are mutated into giant man-eating monsters. Police Sargent Ben Peterson teams up with F.B.I Agent Bob Graham to investigate the stage disappearances and deaths within desert only to truly find who their enemy is. The duo must work together to stop the wide-spread invasion of the ants from taking over the West Coast.Â
2. “Rear Window” (1954)
As one of my absolute favorite Alfred Hitchcock films, “Rear Window” (1954) is a thrilling mystery movie you shouldn’t miss out on. Let’s say you break your leg and can’t leave your apartment, how would you be spending your day? Relaxing? Watching TV? Well, L.B. “Jeff” Jefferies — a photojournalist recovering from a work-related injury — spends his day watching his neighbors through the back window of his apartment. One night, Jeff is woken by the sound of a woman’s scream. Slowly he begins piecing together that one of his neighbors may not be as friendly and truthful as they seemed.Â
3. “Clue” (1985)
A classic. What else do I need to say? Why I think of Murder Mysteries, “Clue” (1985) is the first movie to come to mind. When a group of strangers are all brought to a secluded home for a dinner party, things quickly become chaotic as bodies are discovered. With twists and turns littered throughout the film, the group of strangers must piece together each clue to discover who among them is the murder. The fast-paced comedy film is beloved for many reasons, making it the perfect Halloween watch — or rewatch — this year.
4. “Troll 2” (1990)
You might be thinking, what’s so spooky about singing trolls? Well, you’d have the wrong franchise. “Troll 2” is a 1990 horror movie that can be described in no other way than camp. With a solid 13% score on Rotten Tomatoes, it has quickly become a yearly watch for me when October hits. With no relation to “Troll” (1986) or to actual trolls, this movie has viewers asking “why” in every scene. The film follows a young boy named Joshua and his family as they go on vacation to a small town called Nilbog. After being warned by the ghost of his late grandfather, Joshua begins noticing the irregularities of the citizens of Nilbog. Slowly, he learns the truth of this small town and is faced with the task of saving his family before they are turned into vegetables and eaten alive. This unintentionally comedic film is so bad that it has become too good to not watch over and over again.Â
5. “Coraline” (2009)
I was actually terrified of this movie growing up. It’s unnerving, creepy, and an absolute masterpiece. It took a few years, but “Coraline” (2009) quickly became one of my favorite spooky movies. Using stop-motion animation, the film follows a girl — Coraline — as her family moves into a mysterious house. She eventually finds a secret door bringing her to an alternate world where she meets doppelgangers of those from her own, most notably her parents. While everything seemed perfect at first, Coraline slowly pieces together the true horror of this world. She must rely on her wit and bravery to escape the clutches of this world and The Bledam in order to return to the safety of her own. While the scariest movie on this list, “Coraline” (2009) is a movie that everyone needs to see.