Halloween is only a couple days away, so I'm getting into the spirit by listing a whole bunch of my favourite horror films to watch during this spooky holiday!
"Ju-On: The Grudge" is a Japanese Horror that's incredibly creepy and still freaks me out every time I watch it (even though I've seen it like a million times!). There was an American remake, but the Japanese version is so much better and is worth reading the subtitles for a much bigger scare!
"The Exorcist" is one of the most highest-grossing horrors of all time and based (loosely) on true events. It was an incredibly terrifying film when it was released back in 1973 and for that reason is a total classic.
"The Conjuring" is a fairly new entry to the Horror genre and I really enjoyed it. It focuses on the story of a family who have recently moved into a haunted house and is based on true events. The family are helped by Ed & Lorraine Warren, who are also introduced to a benevolent spirit within a doll, named Annabelle.
"It Follows" is an incredibly creepy premise for a film, involving an entity that will stalk its victim until it kills them. I won't spoil it, but I quite liked it and found myself looking over my shoulder once it was over!
"Nosferatu" (okay, now we're getting old school!) This 1922 pure classic may not appeal to everyone, but it's definitely worth a watch if you're a horror or just general movie lover. This silent film focuses on the summoning on Count Orlok and the events that transpire after that event.
"A Nightmare on Elm Street" has a huge following and has spawned multiple sequels and remakes over the years, with it's villain Freddy Kruger being a Horror character to go down in history. I personally really enjoyed the 2010 remake, but the very first film is definitely great to watch if you haven't already!
"Scream" is (in my opinion) not too scary since I find Supernatural Horrors to be scarier, however it's a really great film that I've watched multiple times. There are also a couple sequels that are very good in their own right, so this is definitely a perfect series of films to watch this Halloween.
"The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" is the oldest film on this list, being released in 1920, with a dark and twisted style that is very interesting to watch. Again it's a silent film, but definitely a classic you should check out, with it's story centring on a crazed doctor who uses a hypnotised man to commit murders.
"The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" is one of my all-time favourites, especially the original from 1974. This classic was created on an incredibly low budget but was very well made with a great story and has spawned a whole heap of sequels, prequels and remakes.
"Halloween" is an aptly-named horror, which like 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' and 'A Texas Chainsaw Massacre' has been incredibly successful as a series of films. It's villain Michael Myers (not to be confused with Mike Myers!) is incredibly creepy with his rubber face mask and silent stalking, plus features one of the best scream queens from Horror, Jamie Lee Curtis.
"The Omen" is about the creepiest little boy that ever did exist... Damien, who a couple adopt after the tragedy of a stillbirth. Almost everyone who comes into contact with Damien dies in some way and they discover he may be the Antichrist himself!
"Sinister" is another more recent entry to this list, creeping me the hell out and also producing a pretty good sequel. It focuses on an author who hasn't had a best-seller in over 10 years and ends up becoming too involved with the Supernatural when he discovers a collection of snuff films and tries to unravel the mystery surrounding them.
"It Follows" is an incredibly creepy premise for a film, involving an entity that will stalk its victim until it kills them. I won't spoil it, but I quite liked it and found myself looking over my shoulder once it was over!
"Nosferatu" (okay, now we're getting old school!) This 1922 pure classic may not appeal to everyone, but it's definitely worth a watch if you're a horror or just general movie lover. This silent film focuses on the summoning on Count Orlok and the events that transpire after that event.
"A Nightmare on Elm Street" has a huge following and has spawned multiple sequels and remakes over the years, with it's villain Freddy Kruger being a Horror character to go down in history. I personally really enjoyed the 2010 remake, but the very first film is definitely great to watch if you haven't already!
"Scream" is (in my opinion) not too scary since I find Supernatural Horrors to be scarier, however it's a really great film that I've watched multiple times. There are also a couple sequels that are very good in their own right, so this is definitely a perfect series of films to watch this Halloween.
"The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" is the oldest film on this list, being released in 1920, with a dark and twisted style that is very interesting to watch. Again it's a silent film, but definitely a classic you should check out, with it's story centring on a crazed doctor who uses a hypnotised man to commit murders.
"The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" is one of my all-time favourites, especially the original from 1974. This classic was created on an incredibly low budget but was very well made with a great story and has spawned a whole heap of sequels, prequels and remakes.
"Halloween" is an aptly-named horror, which like 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' and 'A Texas Chainsaw Massacre' has been incredibly successful as a series of films. It's villain Michael Myers (not to be confused with Mike Myers!) is incredibly creepy with his rubber face mask and silent stalking, plus features one of the best scream queens from Horror, Jamie Lee Curtis.
"The Omen" is about the creepiest little boy that ever did exist... Damien, who a couple adopt after the tragedy of a stillbirth. Almost everyone who comes into contact with Damien dies in some way and they discover he may be the Antichrist himself!
"Sinister" is another more recent entry to this list, creeping me the hell out and also producing a pretty good sequel. It focuses on an author who hasn't had a best-seller in over 10 years and ends up becoming too involved with the Supernatural when he discovers a collection of snuff films and tries to unravel the mystery surrounding them.
"Ringu" or 'Ring' is similar in some ways to 'Ju-On: The Grudge' in the sense that the ghosts look very similar, however their premises are quite different and they are incredibly creepy in their own right. Again, this film is Japanese and therefore has subtitles, however there was an American remake (which in my opinion is nowhere near as good though).
"Poltergeist" was recently remade and both versions are both decently good in my opinion. It's not one of my favourites, however they aren't bad films and the original is certainly a classic horror film to watch if you're looking for the classics.
"The Evil Dead" from 1983 was a film I had to stop watching the first time I saw it because it made me queasy. I don't know what it was about that day, but I just couldn't deal haha! I have watched it again since though and it definitely is worth a watch - pretty freaky!
"The Strangers" definitely kept me feeling tense and anxious throughout and is scarily based on true events. The story follows a couple staying at a vacation home for the weekend and are soon captured and tortured by three masked intruders.
"Friday the 13th" is again, a classic! It's spawned a crazy amount of sequels and remakes, as well as the spin-off series featuring Freddy Kruger, 'Freddy vs. Jason'. If you've not seen any of these films then I suggest you do!
"One Missed Call" is another Supernatural-themed Japanese horror that was remade (poorly) by America - you just can't beat the intense creepiness the Japanese bring to their films! The characters in this film are terrorised by the fear of their own deaths. They receive a voicemail on their phone which is a recording of their own death in the near future, and must try to stop it from coming into fruition.
Now if you're not a huge scare-lover, here are three very funny horror-comedies for you to watch instead (or after one of the others to relax!):
"Shaun of the Dead" is one of my favourite films in general to be honest and I've watched it a bunch of times! Incredibly funny; a must-see!
"Young Frankenstein" is a 1974 film that features the brilliant Gene Wilder. It's a play on the original 'Frankenstein' story that's very funny and fun to watch.
"Scary Movie" is a huge series created by some of the Wayans Brothers and is incredibly silly and stupid, true to their hilarious style.
I hope you found some old gems or new films to watch this Halloween!
See you in the next post!
Laura xo
