Scary movies are an essential part of the Halloween season. I personally recommend the following films:
Halloween Movies
These movies either take place on Halloween or have autumn scenery.
1. Blair Witch Project
Everything about this movie is perfect. Period.
2. Halloween
All those horror tropes we know and love? They started here.
3. Halloween H20
This was one of my favorite movies when I was twelve. Nothing has changed.
4. Hocus Pocus
SJP as a busty witch. A talking kitty named Binx.
5. Casper
Christina Ricci and Devin Sawa are the Rose and Jack of 90′s family-friendly horror.
6. Exorcism of Emily Rose
Scariest. Movie. Ever.
7. Sleepy Hollow
Christina Ricci in a corset. Costumes + scenery + Johnny = greatness.
8. Legend of Sleepy Hollow (animated Disney version)
I think I’ve loved this movie since I was in utero.
9. The Great Pumpkin
Skip the weird “Snoopy in WWI” part and absorb the Great Pumpkin lore. I think Linus is a cult leader.
Teen Horror
These movies are more fun than they are scary but they still have horror elements. Also, if you happen to be a 13-year-old, these are all totally appropriate. Says me.
1. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (the movie)
I re-watched this recently and it still holds up. Buffy Summers is Cher Horowitz’s older sister.
2. The Lost Boys
Cheesy vampires living in 1980’s California.
3. Scream… all of them
I love movies that play with genre and reference other movies. Plus, I have crush on Neve Campbell.
4. Urban Legend
Jared Leto. That is all.
5. Jennifer’s Body
This movie is so weird, in the best way.
6. The Craft
I based my entire adult life on this movie. For real.
Alternatives to the Typical Scary Movie
These are scary moves I LOVE but rarely see in “Horror Movie” lists.
1. Stir of Echoes
Thriller-horror film starring Kevin Bacon as a dude who gets hypnotized and starts seeing creepy visions of a ghost girl.
2. The Strangers
Beautiful Liv Tyler has to deal with deranged people in Halloween masks knocking on her door in the middle of the night.
3. Open Water
Sharks! Divers get stranded in the ocean and have to deal with sharks. It’s psychologically terrifying, but if you prefer gorenography (Saw, Hostel) you probably won’t like it. Nothing against the torture porn genre, but this film isn’t it.
4. Skeleton Key
Kate Hudson wears pretty clothes and learns about Voodoo somewhere in the South.
5. The Cell
Jennifer Lopez goes inside the brain of a serial killer and has to deal with all the crazy shit in there.
6. What Lies Beneath
Michelle Pfeiffer sees a ghost in her beautiful house… or she might be crazy. Also, Harrison Ford.
7. The Gift
Cate Blanchett as a tarot reader in the rural south. Katie Holmes gets naked.
8. Cabin in the Woods
Hilarious and wonderful. It’s a love letter to the horror genre.
9. Insidious
Weird but good. Lots of good jumps.
10. Trick R’ Treat
Very Halloweeny. Anna Paquin dressed as Little Red Riding Hood.
Note: all of these movies should be watched while eating bags of fun-sized Kit Kats and candy corn.