Six Scary Movies to Watch This Halloween
It’s finally Autumn (yay!) which means it’s time for cosy jumpers, pumpkin spice lattes, and most importantly, Halloween. Lots of us love Halloween for the costumes and parties, but not so much for its scary traditions. For those who love to be scared, I have compiled a list of my favourite hair-raising horror movies of the 21st century, which would be ideal for any Halloween themed movie marathon.
Insidious (2010)
Of the three movies in the series, one and two are AMAZING. Josh and Renai try to understand why their son is unable to wake up, and discover he’s lost in another world. The movies follow them as they seek help and uncover the secrets of the dead, they are jumpy, but also have an interesting, engaging plot. I’d even go as far to say the second chapter is scarier than the first, but dodge the third movie, as it’s bland in comparison to its prequels.
Sinister (2012)
Without a doubt, this is one of the scariest movies I have ever seen. A crime author moves his family into a house where a murder took place, and they soon find themselves involved in the sick actions of the Boogeyman. Unlike many other horror movies, this is unpredictable. The rolls of film discovered in the home are particularly chilling, as is the character of the Boogeyman. The second movie is like the first, with the same idea of the home owner discovering the rolls of film. Although, it is not as good as the first movie, it’s still pretty creepy and worth a watch.
Oculus (2013)
In this movie, the story flashes back to Kaylie and Tim’s childhood, when their parents bought a new mirror and started acting violent and crazy. Their father shoots their mother, and forces Tim to shoot him, causing him to be institutionalised. 11 years later, they try to find out more about the mirror and destroy it. It may sound like a bit of a farfetched plot, but it’s cleverly acted and produced. The use of the ‘creepy mirror’, although not exactly original, is hypnotic and disorientating.
The Conjuring (2013)
Both of The Conjuring movies are enough to keep anyone awake at night. The Perron family move into a haunted house and seek the help of renowned ghost hunters, Lorraine and Ed Warren. They uncover the horrific past of a previous owner which although sad, is terrifying. The second movie is similar, and follows Ed and Lorraine as they help a family in England years before they met the Perrons. Lorraine’s visions of the dead are terrifying and can be hard to watch.
Annabelle (2014)
The two movies in the Annabelle series are about the history behind the creepy, porcelain doll in the Conjuring movies. Annabelle terrorises expectant mother Mia in the first movie, and the new home of a group of orphans in the second. The idea of toy dolls being scary isn’t exactly new, but the creators of Annabelle transformed this idea, taking it from creepy to terrifying.
It (2017)
This remake of the classic IT movies from 1990 is super jumpy and the clown, Pennywise, will make your skin crawl. Children keep going missing from the town, and Billy is determined to find out what happened to his little brother who had been missing for over a year. I was a little disappointed with this movie for its scare factor, as although there were scary scenes, it wasn’t an overall terrifying movie. However, it’s got a good plot line and the one-liners from the kids are hilarious. For anyone with a phobia of clowns though, this movie would be beyond terrifying.
(All images: google images)