Need something to watch while carving pumpkins, waiting for trick-or-treaters, or just because you want a good scare? This list will get you started with thirteen terrifying movies for the spooky season.
Oculus
DVD MOVIE SF/HORROR Oculus
Horror
Seeing is deceiving in this 'deeply terrifying' film that reflects heart-stopping terror as you've never imagined! It's been ten years since the lives of siblings Tim and Kaylie Russell were shattered and Tim was convicted of murdering their parents. Now released from a mental institution, Tim wants to move on, but his sister has other plans. Kaylie blames their childhood nightmare on the Lasser Glass, an antique mirror with a grisly history, which she intends to destroy by any means possible.
The cabin in the woods
DVD MOVIE SF/HORROR Cabin
Horror
A rambunctious group of five college friends steal away for a weekend of debauchery in an isolated country cabin, only to be attacked by horrific supernatural creatures in a night of endless terror and bloodshed. As the teens begin to exhibit standard horror movie behavior, a group of technicians in a control room are scrutinizing and sometimes even controlling every move the terrified kids make. Do they have any chance of escape?
This movie starts out as a classic cheesy horror, then starts revealing some secrets behind why the characters always split up to be picked off one by one (and other clichés). Don’t worry though, all of the classic gory splendor is fully represented. I’m still holding out hope that there will be a sequel one day!
- Jacy
A quiet place
DVD MOVIE SF/HORROR Quiet
Horror
In a post-apocalyptic world, a family is forced to live in silence while hiding from monsters with ultra-sensitive hearing.
I was so excited to see this that I went to the theater to watch it, despite my bad habit of jumping every time a shadow moves behind the actors. It was definitely worth it though, I especially loved the tense scenes of danger and the stunning acting by the leading power couple Emily Blunt and John Krasinski.
- Jacy
Get out
DVD MOVIE SF/HORROR Get
Horror
A young black man meets his white girlfriend's parents at their estate, only to find out that the situation is much more sinister than it appears.
Jordan Peele is an amazing director, and it really shows in this thrilling horror. I highly recommend watching the previews released for this movie to get the full effect. I haven’t seen Us, his other horror film, but I want to give it an honorable mention here. If you like this one, check that one out too!
- Jacy
The nun
DVD MOVIE SF/HORROR Nun
Horror
A priest with a haunted past and a novice on the threshold of her final vows are sent by the Vatican to investigate the death of a young nun in Romania and confront a malevolent force in the form of a demonic nun.
I also saw this in the theater and it was one of those I needed to watch through my fingers. The altered perception scenes were similar to those in Oculus, but done much, much more creepily.
- Jacy
The Blair Witch project
DVD MOVIE SF/HORROR Blair
Horror
Three student filmmakers set out into the forest to film a documentary on a legend known as The Blair Witch. As they become lost in the woods, an unseen evil begins to stalk and harass them. They soon realize that what they are filming is not a legend, but their own descent into a horrifying encounter with the supernatural.
Found footage horror movies have a special place in my heart ever since I watched Cloverfield. While this is another watch-through-the-fingers jump scare, it is a great creepy movie to add to the list.
- Jacy
Don't be afraid of the dark
DVD MOVIE SF/HORROR Don't
Horror
Sally Hurst is going to Rhode Island to live with her father Alex and his new girlfriend Kim in the nineteenth-century mansion they are restoring. While exploring the estate, Sally finds a hidden basement and accidentally lets loose a race of ancient, dark-dwelling creatures who conspire to drag her down into the mysterious house's bottomless depths. Before the evil lurking in the dark consumes them all, Sally must convince Alex and Kim that it's not a fantasy.
Normally, when I watch a truly scary horror movie, it’s a one and done deal. This one, I’ve gone back to watch a few extra times despite the jump scare moments. I love how the characters grow and develop, the story behind the strange happenings, and pretty much everything about this movie.
- Jacy
Devil
DVD MOVIE SF/HORROR Devil
Horror
Trapped in an elevator high above Philadelphia, five people discover that the Devil is among them, and no one can escape their fate. This chilling, supernatural thriller will keep you on the edge of your seat all the way to a heart-stopping ending with a truly wicked twist.
This is a horror and mystery wrapped in one, and represents both genres well. It is more of a psychological thriller, but still has some gory and scare jump elements. This is definitely a movie you want to pay attention to while watching.
- Jacy
Shaun of the dead
DVD MOVIE COMEDY Shaun
Horror
When flesh eating zombies go on the hunt for a bite to eat, it is up to Shaun and his best pal to save their friends and family from becoming the next entree.
We all need a comedic break; here’s my horror comedic break of choice. It’s full of funny one liners, faux dramatic scenes, and gore, of course. Lots of gore.
- Jacy
The happening
DVD MOVIE SF/HORROR Happening
Horror
An unstoppable event threatens the world's population by attacking the most basic human instinct of all: survival. Elliot Moore is an ordinary man who is trying to save his family from a terrifying, invisible killer. As Elliot discovers the incredible possibility of what is happening, it becomes very clear that no one is safe.
This one I’ve definitely watched many times throughout the years. The concept behind The Happening is so convincing and the actors really sell it. It isn’t as flashy as some other horror movies, but it does have its moments.
- Jacy
The crazies
DVD MOVIE SF/HORROR Crazies
Horror
After a strange toxin contaminates the water supply in a small town in Iowa, the residents are suddenly turned into bloodthirsty psychopaths. The town sheriff does all he can to make sense of the outbreak, as his wife and two other unaffected people fight for their survival.
Of course I need to represent Iowa in this list. This is another gory, kind of cheesy one; perfect for a good scare.
- Jacy
As above, so below
DVD MOVIE SF/HORROR As
Horror
Miles of twisting catacombs lie beneath the streets of Paris, the eternal home to countless souls. When a team of explorers ventures into the uncharted maze of bones, they uncover the secret of what this city of the dead was meant to contain. A journey into madness and terror, it reaches deep into the human psyche to reveal the personal demons that come back to haunt everyone.
I whole heartedly believe that even cheesy horror movies are great horror movies, and the cheesier the better. This one falls under that category. It checks all of the classic horror movie boxes and does so with flying colors.
- Jacy
Trick 'r treat
DVD MOVIE SF/HORROR Trick
Horror
Intertwines four tales together. A high school principal moonlights as a vicious serial killer; the quest for that special someone by a young virgin takes a gruesome turn; a group of teens carries out a cruel prank with disastrous consequences; and a cantankerous old man battles a mischievous trick-or-treating demon.
Every year I go back and watch this movie. It’s the first horror movie I watched and really enjoyed, and what got me into watching more horror movies. Halloween is not complete without watching this.
- Jacy
While I’m a chicken when it comes to jump scares, the constant perspective shifts were so interesting in this movie that I tried not to cover my eyes as often. I highly recommend this to any fans of movies that make you think.
- Jacy