When I was younger, I was not a big Halloween fan. In fact, I hated it. I was always too scared to go into places like Spirit Halloween and Menards when it was this time of year due to the things around me. As of recent years, however, I have gotten more comfortable with watching horror movies and growing out of my scaredy cat ways. Now, I actually quite enjoy horror movies especially with how creative some have been as of late. Hereās a small list of some newer horror movies (2023-2024) that I ended up really enjoying.Ā
I Saw the TV Glow
One of my favorite newer horror movies just recently came out in May of this year. This movie came out to mixed reviews from critics and fans alike and was often made fun of by people who didnāt really understand it and only went to watch because Phoebe Bridgers is in it. I urge you, if you didnāt enjoy this movie to watch it again after maybe reading a synopsis because it can get confusing at times. In this movie, two teenagers’ bond over a fictional tv show that feels like no one really understands besides them. Owen, one of the teenagers, is ridiculed by his father for liking a āgirlsā show, and he seems to struggle a bit with his own identity. While Maddy, his friend, tells him that sheās running away from her abusive stepfather and asks him to come along as well. He refuses. Their favorite TV show get canceled and a bit later Maddy goes missing, leaving the TV that they watched their favorite show on burning in her yard. Now Owen is seemingly stuck in their hometown attempting to unravel Maddy’s disappearance. This movie fully managed to creep me out but by the end of it left me crying. Owen and Maddy are both such complex characters that have been through so much. The movie, on top of its contents, is visually beautiful and colorful. The chalked reminder of āThere Is Still Timeā will forever be stuck in my head. It truly was a beautifully terrifying movie.Ā
Alien: RomulusĀ
I watched this movie as a non-full-on Alien fan. Iāve watched the first movie a couple of times but havenāt gone as far as that one. I was invited to watch it by my dad and my uncle, who did not feel the same way I did. I absolutely loved it, however. Alien: Romulus follows a similar formula to the first movie. Rain and her adoptive, android brother, Andy are convinced by their group of friends to raid the old Nostromo ship for cryopods in order to escape their home planet. Iām sure we all know the problem with that idea, however, as facehuggers still linger on the abandoned ship. As in all Alien moviesā¦ not everyone can come out of this alive. While I have seen bad reviews and lots of criticisms for this movie, I thoroughly enjoyed it. This was also a good opportunity for me to watch Isabela Mercedās acting skills as Kay. If you donāt know, Isabela is about to play Dina in the live action version of the hit video game: The Last of Us.Ā And if youāve ever met me, the one thing I love more than anything is that video game. I was extremely impressed by her acting skills, so this made me even more excited for not only the movie but for the show as well. This movie may not have been perfect for the most in-depth Alien fans but as a casual fan of the first movie, I thought it was an extremely fun watch. I was on the edge of my seat, watching intently even though I had a good idea of who was going to survive and who was not.Ā
Totally Killer
This movie came out in September of last year, but I watched it at least three times last year in October. This movie was absurd, but it was so much fun! Jamieās (our main character) mom had almost been the victim of a brutal killer that murdered all of her friends nicknamed āThe Sweet 16 Killer.ā On Halloween night of this year, her mom is murdered by the same killer. Jamie, still grieving, is chased into her best friendās time machine and sent back to 1987, the year her momās friends were murdered. Jamie must attempt to save her mom, her friends, and the future all while trying to rebuild the time machine so she can get home. This is the kind of movie that you can tell they werenāt trying to make the perfect slasher but had fun while filming instead. This isnāt Scream or Halloween. But this movie is so much fun. It has amazing one-liners from the teenagers and the sets and costumes are so on-point. This movie is meant to be fun, but on top of that this was the first movie in a long time where I couldnāt really decide who the killer was. It was an actual thrill that made me laugh for once instead of just being scared. If youāre okay with taking your movies not all that serious, this may be the perfect movie to add to your list this year.Ā
Lisa FrankensteinĀ
If you havenāt heard of this movie, I would be shocked. This made its rounds on TikTok when it first came out in February of this year. Starring Cole Sprouse, this movie is for weird girls who never feel like they fit correctly anywhere. Lisa is a teenager with a morbid personality ever since her mom died by a serial killerās hand right in front of her. Her popular stepsister, Taffy, attempts to help her adjust a little better by taking her to parties and driving her to school. However, Lisa is obsessed with a young man who died in 1837 and spends most of her time in the cemetery with him. A strike of lightning turns the corpse of the young man into a zombie. The zombie seeks Lisa out and begs for her help to rebuild himself after an āaccidentā that leaves Lisaās stepmother dead. This movie was also just a fun semi-horror movie to watch. Lisa is a girl who Iām sure we can all connect and relate with on some level. This really allows weird girls to have a character that they can relate to. Sheās vicious, funny, and odd, which makes her this fun, relatable character. And Cole Sprouse as this brooding, sentimental zombie who wants to be rebuilt for Lisaās love is extremely heartwarming. This is a great movie if you love weird girl movies or just are looking for a Halloween movie thatās not as scary but still has horror elements.Ā
Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice
Now this movie just recently came out, so I wonāt spoil it too heavily, but this movie is great for Halloween. If you havenāt seen the first one, thatās also definitely worth the watch. This movie revolves around, once again, The Deetz family and the trickster demon himself, Beetlejuice. After a death in the family, Lydia, Delia, and Lydiaās daughter, Astrid, must return to the old house to attend the funeral. Little do they know that things arenāt going smoothly in the underworld, and they may have to call someoneās name three times in order to save themselves. This is a very vague description due to the fact that, as of writing this, it came out five days ago. This movie was so much fun and was an absolute joy to watch in theaters, so if you have the chance to watch it in one, I highly recommend it. This movie was fun, if a little rushed, and has a stacked cast as per usual.Ā Like I said, I’m attempting to keep this as vague as possible to ensure that others can watch it and see how they feel about it. :)
These movies are extremely fun to watch and arenāt always meant to be the scariest movies on the planet, but theyāre a good time! And I highly recommend giving them a watch if you have the time to. These movies can get a little weird, as a lot of horror movies can, but if you sit down and watch them fully, they really are great.