Halloween is nearly here and many of you will be planning to celebrate the spookiest day of the year with a movie night. But what should you watch for a frighteningly fun evening?
Never fear (haha, get it?), as I have taken the time to compile a list of my all-time favourite horror movies for you. Some are old classics that still have the power to chill, some are modern horror flicks that pull out all the stops to leave you in pulse-pounding terror and some just need to be watched on Halloween - end of!
Sinister - In my opinion, this was one of the best horror movies of 2012. It's a bit of a twist on the "found footage" concept and sees a struggling writer stumbling across a story that will make or break him. Literally. Pay special attention to the soundtrack too - very unsettling and a work of genius.
Carrie - A real classic and a film that has the rare quality of scaring the pants off you AND tugging at those heart strings. Downtrodden Carrie is bullied at school and terrorised at home by a mother who's a religious fanatic. Sparks fly when she takes her revenge on the whole town with her terrifying telekinetic power. Sissy Spacek's performance is as heart-breaking as it is powerful, just like I imagined it from the original Stephen King novel.
The Conjuring - The latest project from James Wan (Saw and Insidious) sees the director move away from a traditional gore-fest to create a chilling film allegedly based on true events. The film follows the unfortunate Perron family as they are stalked by a malevolent presence in their house. Sounds fairly formulaic for a haunted house horror but the story is completely enthralling for the viewer.
Jaws – I know. The shark is obviously fake and plastic (although pretty good considering this film is nearly 40 years old) but it’s still damn scary! I remember my lovely mum telling me that when this was first out in cinemas, people actually fainted from fright. In some ways, Jaws preys on our deepest and darkest fear – what’s lurking in the unknown. Prepare yourself for terrifying teeth, swimmers being monumentally stupid, a sinister fin cutting through the water and that iconic quote from Roy Scheider. You are definitely going to need a bigger boat.
Evil Dead - Zombies, lots of really scary, really angry looking zombies. The 2013 reboot of Sam Raimi's banned 80's flick is quite possibly the goriest thing I have ever seen. I actually put down my TV snacks whilst watching it and believe me, this doesn't happen very often. Also, if I had a fiver for every time someone had a limb chopped off in this film I'd be considerably better off than I am now! Do not watch if you've got a belly full of Halloween treats that *somehow* didn't make it to the trick-or-treaters.
Insidious - I watched this 2011 film quite recently and was really impressed with the claustrophobic and tense atmosphere that it built up throughout. It has a spine-tingling storyline involving a little boy who has astral projected into a distorted realm called The Further, where evil spirits and demons are trying to claw their way into his physical body. Watch out for Insidious: Chapter 2 in cinemas now!
The Exorcist – Although it was released back in 1973, this film has lost none of its potency or power to scare you witless. Yes, the special effects are dated now but the story remains terrifying – the devil possessing a little girl and her only hope being an exorcism. Linda Blair is superb as Regan McNeil and even manages to make bright green projectile vomit look frightening. Well, it was at the time! Interestingly, the film was banned by some town councils so many people took “exorcist buses” to see the film in the nearest place where it was showing.
The Ring – Not one that you might think of automatically, but for me this is the scariest film on this list. I watched it when I was about 15 and had nightmares for weeks! A cursed videotape that violently kills anyone who watches it within seven days has started to circulate and a young woman is desperate to save herself from a horrible fate. Please don’t turn the lights out, especially for the infamous TV scene. It still gives me the heebie-jeebies!
The Cabin in the Woods – This 2012 offering from Buffy director Joss Whedon completely blew my first impressions out of the water. I’ve since made my friends sit and watch it too, just to see their jaws drop at the unexpected ending. What starts out as five friends heading to a remote cabin in the woods (yes, I know, it gets better!) soon turns into a bloody nightmare with more than a slight whiff of government conspiracy in the air. But I don’t want to say too much here, just watch it!
Halloween – No Halloween movie list would be complete without this title. As it made in 1978, it’s fairly tame when compared with today’s standards, but nevertheless fantastic viewing for a spooky night in. This movie introduced us to the legendary psychotic murderer Michael Myers, not to mention launching Jamie Lee Curtis’ career. As the tagline says - “everyone is entitled to one good scare”.
Well, this Halloween blog is almost at an end, as I could keep writing about my favourite horror movies until my fingers fell off. But what’s that I hear you cry? You didn’t talk about my favourite film? You’ve missed lots! Don’t worry folks, I will be posting another instalment of Halloween horror movies soon and I need your suggestions too - leave a comment below to tell me what your favourite Halloween horror movies are and why.
One last thing – have a Happy Halloween and don’t turn out the lights!
Becki x
