Top Thirteen Scary Movies to Watch for Halloween

Autumn is my favorite season because of the changing of the leaves, pumpkin spice everything appears, the weather gets cooler and not to mention it's when Halloween comes! Halloween is another favorite of mine and so in honor of such a fun holiday I have compiled a list of must watch movies for the season.

So here we go! My top 13 movies to watch this Halloween season.

13. The Blair Witch Project

Released in 1999, The Blair Witch Project popularized the Found Footage movie genre. As stated on the poster above, the movie is of "found" footage of three student filmmakers who disappeared while researching a local legend in the Black Hills of Maryland. When this movie came out it was a huge hit and even though it was not the first of it's kind it was Hollywood's wake up call to this money maker type of film. While the film itself is not all that frightening it's still a good movie to watch this season, especially if you haven't before. Another movie of this genre is Paranormal Activity. PA is, in my opinion, a superior film but missed out on the list because I like to pay tribute to the "originals". Although it does get a mention!

12.  Night of the Living Dead

 

Do you like the show The Walking Dead, the Resident Evil series (movies and games), or the World War Z book (the movie wasn't as good)? Well none of that would've been possible if it wasn't for George A. Romero's transformation of the zombie in popular culture, with THIS movie. Beforehand, the zombie was merely associated with Haitian Voodoo, as a corpse reanimated with said witchcraft. This movie is the foundation for how we know zombies today. If you've never seen it I suggest you give it a watch. But I do know some people don't really like older movies so if you're one of them I offer a modern alternative, Dawn of the Dead (2004). Of all the modern remakes of the original zombie flicks the one stands out to me as just the right amount of tribute to the original with a healthy mix of modernization is Dawn of the Dead.

11.The Poltergeist

The only movie rated PG on this list, The Poltergeist. A cult classic, this movie (or rather the trilogy) is said to have a curse upon it. Four actors who had parts in one or more of the movies have passed away, including the main actress who played Carol Anne Freeling, real name Heather O'Rourke. Two were unexpected and two were seen coming due to extenuating circumstances. The movie itself revolves around a family who had the misfortune of moving into a house that was on top of an old Indian burial ground and the spirits who inform them of the matter. If for some reason you haven't seen this movie I suggest you do yourself a favor and watch it this Halloween season!

10. Mary Shelly's Frankenstein

I will start off by clearing a common misconception, Frankenstein does not refer to the monster, it refers to his creator Victor Frankenstein. The monster is merely know as Frankenstein's Monster. With that said let's move on to the movie itself. This is said to be the most faithful film adaptation of the book it is based on, and to an extent this is true. De Niro portrays the monster fairly well and the plot is virtually the same as the book. It is a very good watch and if you are unaware of the origins of Frankenstein's monster this will help you out. Another plus for me is Helena Bonham Carter, love her. If you want to know how the monster came to be what it is today I suggest Frankenstein (1931). Everything you think of when someone mentions Frankenstein started with that 1931 movie, the hair, the bolts on the neck and all the rest.

9. The Thing

 Based on Who Goes There?, a novella by John W. Campbell, Jr. this movie takes cabin fever to a whole other level. It is set in Antarctica and follows a group of scientists in the American research station. After saving a dog from it's pursuers things start to go wrong and paranoia sets in when they find out a parasite that can imitate anyone is on the loose. Isolation and fear of imminent death drives the scientists to the brink. I highly recommend watching this movie and then checking out the prequel of the same title which came out in 2011. The prequel has it's flaws but I think is overall enjoyable and adds a little something to the mix.

8. Dracula

What's Halloween without some form of vampire? Let alone the Count himself, Dracula. This 1992 movie is a great watch for this season. While Bram Stocker didn't invent the vampire, he did bring it to popular culture with his writings. Although there is nothing like an original, and if classic movies are your thing I suggest also checking out the 1931 film with the titular character portrayed by none other than Mr. Bela Lugosi.

An original one of these posters will set you back over $100,000!

He made the character what it is today. Before Mr. Lugosi donned the role of the count, he was a repulsive creature. Dracula was a hideous creature of the night that transformed not only into a bat but a wolf and "mist" as well. The 1931 Universal film has sound, but there was an unofficial adaptation of the count without it. The German film released in 1922 and was called Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror. It changed the name of all the characters due to not having obtained the rights to the novel. So he was not Count Dracula, but Count Orlok. He looked like he was described in the book.

Well if you wanna check out all of these adaptations of the famous count go for it! I couldn't agree more if you'd want to watch them all.

7. The Shining

Based on the Steven King book by the same name, this movie is a Halloween classic! Jack Nicholson and Shelly Duvall give a terrific performance as a dysfunctional couple who are care taking for a secluded hotel during the winter. But even though the hotel is closed for the season there are some unwanted guests staying with the Torrance family. There are pop culture references to this movie all over the place. If for some unknown reason you haven't watched it, I suggest you do this Halloween and keep an eye out for one of those parodies!

6. The Amityville Horror

Back in the late 70's, some of the most successful horror movies were in some way shape or form "based on a true story" or at least made you believe it was. It follows a family that moves into a house where a year prior a mass murder occurred. Based on a book of an actual account of the family that stars in the movie. Now whether you believe the story behind it or not, this movie is a good one to watch on Halloween. To my knowledge, this was one of the first, if not the actual first, successful cult classic haunted house movie. Some research might have to go into proving me either right or wrong, but I digress. If you want to see a modern take on the movie watch the 2005 remake, although I much prefer the original.

5. A Nightmare on Elm Street

"One, two Freddy's coming for you. Three, four better lock your door. Five, six get your crucifix. Seven, eight better stay up late. Nine, ten never sleep again." This is the film that started the massive franchise and introduced us to two people we would see again and again, Mr. Freddy Krueger and Johnny Depp. Yes, this was Depp's first movie and *Spoiler* no, he does not make it all the way through *End spoiler*. Ever since this movie came out in 1984, it has spawned a number of sequels, a television series and a remake (surprise!). The character of Freddy is portrayed by Robert Englund in everything but the remake. He thought it best the new generation gets a taste of a new Freddy, but if you ask me, he IS Freddy. The movie is set in Springfield, Ohio and follows a group of teenagers who are having nightmares of a certain someone. To see where it all began, take a trip back to '84 with this movie!

4. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre

The beginning of this movie impacted audiences when it came out in '74 like no other. The chilling sound of the charging light bulb from the camera which has become synonymous with the movie, along with the news report and gruesome shot of the dug up corpses. From then on it only gets worse as it chronicles a day in the lives of yet another group of friends and their run in with a family of cannibals and their mentally handicapped son. This movie is yet another classic with a somewhat recent reboot. I will say that (and I know many won't agree with me) I actually liked the remake a bit

more than the original. There, I said it.While the original is in a league of its own I found it a tad more...what's the word? Dull? Sure, I found it more dull than the remake. But I can admit without the original we wouldn't have many of the other movies on this list. This movie established several common elements of the genre that came to be known as slasher movies. The use of power tools as a murder weapon for one, and the killer in these movies to be known as a hulking, faceless figure. Although this movie was marketed as a true story, the plot is completely fictional. Leatherface, however, and some of his acts are based on real convicted killer Ed Gein. Whether the original or the remake, this should be on your watch list for the Halloween season.

3. Halloween

With the tagline "The night he came home" you can assume it is talking about the principal character of Micheal Myers.

No, not this one

With his iconic white mask, he became the archetype for future slasher flick killers. This movie itself was the beginning for several slasher movie cliche's. The formula was used again in most of the sequels and the, you guessed it, remake. One of the most notable aspects of the film is the soundtrack, more precisely, what has come to be known as the Halloween Theme song. One of the most recognizable themes in horror, or in film for that matter, was composed and performed by the director and co-creator, John Carpenter. As is the case with the whole Nightmare on Elm Street series, the whole Halloween series is worth a watch, with the exception of the third one. That one has nothing to the rest of the series and, in my opinion, doesn't deserve the title it carries. But in any case, that iconic mask Myers' wears, did you know it was actually a William Shatner mask with a few modifications? It's actually quite amusing when you think about that while watching the movie. So certainly take this one into account when you're coming up with spooky movies to watch! Note: The Rob Zombie remake is actually not bad, if you wanted to catch that one too.

2. Friday the 13th

The first of many to come, like a lot on this list, is Friday the 13th. Brought on in response to the success of the number three on this list, this is actually the first of it's kind to be picked up by a major studio right off the bat, Paramount Pictures. It tells the story of a boy named Jason Voorhees that drowned in Camp Crystal Lake and the vengeance his mother takes. *Spoiler* Yes, in the first movie the killer is actually not Jason but his mother. And you know that iconic hockey mask he wears? Doesn't show up until the third movie! *End Spoiler* Jason Voorhees and his movies are my favorite of the slasher flicks, hence his high spot on the list. But if you don't want to watch all of the movies then I suggest the one you skip in this franchise is the fifth one. This has many sequels and the inevitable reboot (surprised?). The 2011 movie is alright but nothing to rave about. But you should now have yet another movie for this season!

1. The Exorcist

Few horror movies have had such an impact on pop culture and the movie audiences alike. The Exorcist managed to do just that. I'm not old enough to remember this movie when it came out in theaters, but my mom is, and she remembers going to the movie theater to watch it. There was nothing like it back then and it leaves a lasting impression to this day. It centers around the possession of Regan and her mother's plight to get her back. This is a recounting of a real exorcism that took place in 1949, which just makes it all that much more terrifying.



So that's it! The top 13 (relatively speaking) movies to watch during this Halloween season. Now go out there and watch them all!

Honorable Mentions:

Evil Dead
Sleepy Hollow
Scream
Child's Play
Hellraiser
The Omen
and of course - Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho