Top 10 Scary Films You Should Watch For Halloween
Halloween is a time for thrills and scares, a time when your heart pounds in your chest and adrenaline pumps through your veins. Here’s a list of 10 films (in no particular order) that should serve to scare the living daylights out of you. Just make sure you don’t watch them all at once.
Psycho (1960)
With the premiere of Psycho, horror films changed forever. Director Alfred Hitchcock masterfully weaves together a story about a secretary who hides out at a secluded motel after embezzling money from her employer, her interactions with the motel’s disturbed manager, and the results of their encounter. In addition to the film’s famous shower scene, Hitchcock’s Psycho will leave you on edge for 109 minutes.
Jaws (1975)
A shark movie at its very best, Jaws probably prompted the shark phobia that came after the film was released. This 1975 horror-thriller is about a gigantic 25-foot great white shark that terrorizes a Northeastern community for several days during the summer by attacking swimmers and boaters alike. The film is good enough to make you afraid of sharks, the beach, and maybe even your own bathtub. Make sure to thank director Steven Spielberg the next time you have a panic attack after something brushes against your leg in the water.
The Exorcist (1973)
A “Top 10 Scary Films” list is never complete without The Exorcist, and for a mighty good reason. Linda Blair’s stars as a possessed child whose imaginary friend turns out to be the Devil. Her Academy Award-nominated performance offers a frighteningly realistic look into what demonic possessions could look like. This supernatural thriller offers constant scares, surprises, and astonishment.
Paranormal Activity (2009)
In Paranormal Activity, a young couple decide to record the strange occurrences that are taking place as they sleep, only to find their home is haunted. This low-budget, single-camera, faux-documentary film (shot in the style of The Blair Witch Project) is simple yet effective at getting your heart rate going. Director Oren Peli toys with your nerves by bringing a common childhood fear to life: a monster in your bedroom.
Alien (1979)
Don’t let the title throw you off, Alien may be a horror film set in the future, but its also a truly classic scary movie. The film revolves around a mining ship which lands on a distant planet to investigate an SOS call. As the crew explores the planet, they discover alien creatures that can attach itself to humans and kill them. The film is full of surprises, but mainly it’s terrifying because “in space, no one can hear you scream.”
Saw (2004)
Another low-budget but effective scary movie, Saw is unsettling in its ability to force the viewer to answer the question: What gruesome and horrifying things would you do to yourself in order to save your life? In Saw, the story is confined to two people trapped in a single room, forced by a serial killer named Jigsaw to complete several terrifying challenges in order to emerge alive.
The Sixth Sense (1999)
Usually one element of the “scary” movie is the young child who stands creepily in the shadows. It’s even scarier when said child also sees dead people. In The Sixth Sense, director M. Night Shyamalan forgoes the gore and expensive CGI for more traditional scares, such as building tension and surprise shocks. The twist at the end of the film is the proverbial “cherry on the top,” which will leave you speechless.
The Ring (2002)
What do you get when you combine hauntingly beautiful settings, a creepy soundtrack, and a terrifying undead girl? You get The Ring. Director Gore Verbinski, famous for the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, messes with your mind in this 2002 film, in which a journalist has to race around the clock to investigate a mysterious videotape and prevent the death of those who have watched it. It’s pretty much guaranteed to make you check what’s behind your couch halfway through the film.
The Blair Witch Project (1999)
As the original low-budget, single-camera, single person point-of-view thriller, The Blair Witch Project sets the bar high for its successors. Not only was the “found footage” technique pioneered with this film, its minimalism showcases just how scary silence and darkness truly can be. In the movie, three film students travel to a haunted wood in Maryland to make a student film about a local urban legend. There, they discover there’s more to this legend then what they thought.
Dawn of the Dead (1978)
No “Top 10 Scary Movies” list is complete without a zombie flick. And there is no zombie flick much like George Romero’s 1978 fright fest that is Dawn of the Dead. About a pandemic that causes the reanimation of the dead, Romeo manages to induce scares through creative make-up, effects, and tight editing. Prepare to be scared.