It’s that time of year again, fall. When one thinks of the season they think of sweaters, pumpkin spice, the changing of leave colors, and most importantly Halloween. It’s the season to get spooky and though we all have our own rituals for the season, one thing we can all agree on is that it is the season to dust off those scary movies and have a marathon. Now, there are a plethora of horror flicks that have come out over the years and while some are good others can be D-grade horror movie nonsense.It can seem like a chore to try and find the right ones, so here are ten suggestions that might help get you in the mood of the season.
#1: Stephen King’s IT
Now I feel like you can’t go this year without mentioning this movie. The new adaptation of the massive novel has been a hit, and though I am a fan of the remake I am recommending the television miniseries starring Tim Curry. Nothing says creepy as hell than a clown in a sewer saying “we all float to”. The first time I saw this I was ten and scarred for life. I can’t look at clowns the same and was afraid to take a shower for a month, afraid that Pennywise was gonna come out of the drain and get me. Though some of the graphics might be cheesy compared to now, it still holds up. You know it’s got staying power if you watch it when you’re a child and are afraid of the clown like the children in the movie are and then when you’re adult that fear shifts to being afraid for the children.
#2: Alien
Okay, so this one might not be what people think of when they think of a horror flick, but they definitely should. Science Fiction comes up with some of the scariest plots there are and they have a lot of things to work with. They have the vastness of space, the unknown, getting stranded, the space crazies and of course there are aliens. And when it comes to aliens I don’t think there is one that is scarier than the xenomorph. The thing is quite, wicked fast, grows like crazy, explodes from your chest AND can camouflage right into the futuristic piping of your space ship. And don’t forget that tongue that works like a cattle gun. Plus, not only does the poor crew of the Nostromo have to deal with the crazy alien, but rogue AI as well. The movie is rich with atmosphere and constantly builds tension, having your nerves on the verge of frying towards the end. Plus, we are also introduced to one of the best female hero protagonists in cinema in Ripley.
#3: The Descent
Ah, The Descent. It’s a film about a group of women who share a love for spelunking that decide to take a trip into a cave system that has not been charted yet. It’s that little part right there that should give the clue that this spelunking trip is not going to go as planned. This movie is the only thing that has made me scream outloud and almost piss myself at the same time. It doesn’t take long for this trip to go from bad to worse for this group of adventurers when they get lost and find out that they are not the only thing down there. With scenes filmed with the night vision on a camcorder, it gives the viewer an uncomfortable closeness to the action that will make you think twice about going somewhere no one has been before, especially creepy caves.
#4: The Blob
There are two versions of this film, the original coming out in 1958 starring Steve McQueen, I am recommending the 1980s remake starring Kevin Dillon. It probably has one of the goofiest horror film ideas ever thought up, but it works. I mean who isn’t afraid of a massive booger from outer space that devours everything in its path. I mean the thing rolls over you and then you melt inside of it…while you’re alive. That sounds awful. Not only that, the struggle is trying to figure out how to stop it. The graphics might not be the best, and maybe not the acting either, but I definitely think that it is worth a watch. And nothing is more disgusting than horror movie graphics from the eighties.
#5: Halloween
This is a movie that is probably on everyone’s list, like it should be. Michael Myers is the ultimate boogeyman. He wears that creepy mask, carries a knife and has the most unsettling presence ever. The guy does not even have to say anything and we all know to turn tail and run, but what’s the use right? You turn around to see if you lost his slow ass only to turn around and see him right in front of you. He’s a monster that refuses to die and has an unhealthy obsession with his sister. He is the stuff of nightmares.
#6: Scream
Another slasher film and another antagonist in a creepy mask. This film is the slasher film that makes fun of slasher films, laying out the formulaic rules of the genre only to have the characters killed off because of them. Wes Craven does it well and the young cast does a convincing job in selling the fear of the characters. It doesn’t hold back on it’s creative and brutal ways of killing these twenty-something teenagers and though at times you want to look away, you can’t help but look and watch this crazy story unfold. And using prank calls as a scare tactic was pretty brilliant at the time. I still hate those masks.
#7: House on Haunted Hill
All I can say is that you should never go into a place that used to be an insane asylum where the doctors performed terrible experiments on their patients. There are bound to be pissed off spirits. This is that time when winning a million dollars just isn’t worth it.
#8: 28 Days Later
Arguably one of the best zombie movies in the entire genre, 28 Days Later should be on everyone’s list. A poor English guy (played by Cillian Murphy) wakes up in the hospital only to find out the the Apocalypse has happened in the form of a zombie virus. Now these zombies suffer from the rage virus, which makes them wicked fast and aggressive and all it takes is a scratch or a drop of blood in the eye to turn you into one of them. You don’t even have to die first! And one of the things about this film that makes it work is that you genuinely care that the character’s survive. You’re not just watching to see their untimely demise, you want to see them make it.
#9: Train to Busan
This is the newest movie on the list and is probably my personal favorite. It’s a Korean zombie movie starring Gong Yoo. Now this is one that many might not have seen, let alone heard of, and I don’t want to spoil it. It is just a damn good movie. It’s one of those movies that builds and builds and the ensemble of characters is so well put together that you can’t help but be frightened, not strictly because of the zombies, but for these people. You have a little girl and her father, a pregnant woman and her amazing husband, and two teenagers that are just good kids, stuck on a train with zombies. It’s terrifying and fantastic and terrifying.
#10: Trick or Treat
This is a movie where a bunch of scary ass shit happens to a bunch or people on Halloween. It will make you think twice about not following the rules of Halloween ever again. This is just a good scary film that actually takes place on the holiday. And the last part of the film is a doozy.