Stock up on Snacks and Extra Underwear – It’s Going to be a Scary October 31 Night
Halloween is a night of fright, where we indulge in our darkest fears and celebrate the supernatural. It’s a time to don our spookiest costumes, carve jack-o’-lanterns, and indulge in candy.
But the most thrilling activity of all is watching horror movies. Nothing gets our blood pumping like a good Halloween scare, whether with friends, family, or alone.
There’s no shortage of spine-chilling options, from classic slasher films to supernatural thrillers. So, dim the lights, grab the popcorn, and prepare for a night of terror.
Here’s our best horror movies list for a spooky night:
- The Exorcist (1973): This film follows the story of a young girl who becomes possessed by a demonic entity. The film’s realistic portrayal of the supernatural and the disturbing visuals make it one of the scariest horror films of all time. The film explores themes such as faith and redemption, which adds to the overall suspense.
- Halloween (1978): This iconic slasher movie centers around Michael Myers, who escapes from a psychiatric hospital and returns to his hometown on Halloween night to continue his killing spree. The film’s minimalistic score and the use of tension and suspense make it a classic horror film that is still terrifying to watch today.
- The Shining (1980): Directed by Stanley Kubrick and based on the novel by Stephen King, this classic horror film follows a family who takes care of an isolated hotel for the winter. As the days go by, the father’s sanity starts to deteriorate, and he becomes a threat to his wife and son. The film’s haunting score, eerie visuals, and exceptional performances by the cast make it a must-watch horror movie for Halloween.
- The Blair Witch Project (1999): This found-footage horror film tells the story of three film students who venture into the woods to document the legend of the Blair Witch. The film’s realistic portrayal of fear and the unknown, combined with its innovative use of the found-footage format, make it a classic horror film that still manages to scare audiences today.
- The Conjuring (2013): Based on the true story of paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, this movie follows their investigation into a family’s haunted farmhouse. The film’s jump scares and atmospheric cinematography make it a spine-tingling horror film.
- The Babadook (2014): This Australian horror film follows a single mother and her son haunted by a mysterious creature called the Babadook. The film’s exploration of grief and mental illness and its suspenseful storytelling make it a unique and terrifying horror film.
- It (2017): Based on Stephen King’s novel of the same name, this horror film follows a group of kids who are terrorized by an evil entity that takes the form of a clown. The film’s combination of horror and coming-of-age themes and its excellent use of visual effects and suspense make it a modern horror classic.
- Get Out (2017): This horror film tells the story of a young Black man who visits his white girlfriend’s family for the weekend and discovers a disturbing secret. The film’s exploration of racism and societal issues, its suspenseful storytelling, and well-executed plot twists make it a unique and unsettling horror film.
- Hereditary (2018): This psychological horror film tells the story of a family dealing with the aftermath of their matriarch’s death. The film’s unsettling atmosphere, disturbing imagery, and fantastic performances by the cast make it one of the scariest horror movies in recent years.
- A Quiet Place (2018): This horror film follows a family who must live in silence to avoid being hunted by creatures that hunt by sound. The film’s use of silence and tension, combined with its excellent performances by the cast, make it a unique and terrifying horror film.
- Smile (2022): An individual enduring immense hardship while maintaining a smile can be a powerful metaphor for individuals with mental illness, as their struggles are frequently hidden from society’s view.
- Attachment (2023): A romance meets possession thriller which starts with a book exchange that leads to love, while the two explore the sinister somewhere in hell.
- The Unholy (2021): Following a visitation from the Virgin Mary, a girl can heal the sick without explanation. The news of her miraculous powers spreads rapidly, attracting a surge of visitors to witness her abilities. In an attempt to investigate the situation, a disgraced journalist travels to a small New England town. As he delves deeper into the mysterious events, he questions whether these occurrences result from a more sinister force.
Did you know?
Horror movies were initially considered low-brow entertainment and not taken seriously as an art form. However, many horror movies have gained critical acclaim over time and are now recognized as legitimate works of art.
For example, the horror film “The Exorcist” (1973) was nominated for ten Academy Awards and won two, including Best Adapted Screenplay. Similarly, “Silence of the Lambs” (1991) won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay.
This shift in perception has led to audiences and film critics taking horror movies more seriously.
A little history:
Horror movies have existed for over a century, with the earliest examples dating back to the late 19th century. In the early days of cinema, horror movies were often short films made as a novelty or a gimmick to attract audiences. These films featured simple plots and special effects, such as stop-motion animation and practical effects.
One of the earliest examples of a horror movie was the silent film “Le Manoir Du Diable” (“The Haunted Castle”), directed by Georges Méliès in 1896. The film is three minutes long and features a bat turning into a man and a cauldron that spews out demons.
The horror movie genre began to gain popularity in the 1920s with the release of German Expressionist films such as “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” (1920) and “Nosferatu” (1922). These films used distorted sets, shadows, and surreal imagery to create a sense of unease and terror.
The 1930s and 1940s saw the rise of Hollywood horror movies, with studios such as Universal Pictures producing classic horror films like “Frankenstein” (1931), “Dracula” (1931), and “The Wolf Man” (1941). These films featured iconic monsters and helped to establish many of the tropes and conventions of the horror genre that are still used today.
In the 1950s and 1960s, horror movies began to tackle more complex themes and issues, with films like “Psycho” (1960) and “Night of the Living Dead” (1968) exploring topics such as mental illness, societal breakdown, and the fear of the unknown.
In the decades since, horror movies have continued to evolve and push the boundaries of the genre, with filmmakers experimenting with new styles, techniques, and subject matter.
