Fall is the best time to curl up on the couch and watch movies with your friends, and we all know that the best kind of movie in the fall is a scary one. Here's a list to start your fall movie binge with (I even included some for the faint of heart -- shoutout to you, guys; I'm one of you, too).
1. Halloween (1978)
Type: Slasher/Psychological Thriller
See it because: It's a classic and everyone should have to see it.
Scare Factor (out of 10): 6
2. The Strangers
Type: Slasher/Psychological Thriller
See it because: One of my personal favorites. It'll leave you scared to walk outside alone at night. Even searching for a picture gave me mass amounts of anxiety because it's so scary. Even the acting is phenomenal.
Scare Factor: 7
3. Psycho
Type: Slasher/Psychological Thriller
See it because: If you've watched Bates Motel and not seen Psycho, you're doing life wrong. This is the original embodiment of Norman Bates. The shower seen is iconic. It revolutionized horror movies. You have to see it.
Scare Factor: 5
4. Casper
Type: Children's Movie
See it because: Who doesn't love a friendly ghost?
Scare Factor: 0
5. The Exorcist
Type: Paranormal
See it because: THIS IS THE ORIGINAL SCARY MOVIE. You will not convince me there's anything scarier. Her head spins around on her body, seriously, I don't even think it was special effects. If you haven't seen that, have you even lived?
Scare Factor: 9.5
6. Halloweentown
Type: Children's Movie
See it because: It'll remind you what childhood was like. Also it's just a good, cute movie.
Scare Factor: 1
8. The Amityville Horror
Type: Cult/Paranormal
See it because: It's a classic. Walls oozing blood and slime sounds fun right?
Scare Factor: 4
9. Friday the 13th
Type: Slasher
See it because: I mean honestly, watching Jason chase helpless camp counsellors around the woods is a good time, am I right? You definitely won't walk in the woods alone ever or go to summer camp.
Scare Factor: 7.5
10. Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Type: Slasher
See it because: If you die in the dream, you die for real. You won't sleep for days, and when you do, Freddy Krueger will be there. I promise.
Scare Factor: 8
11. The Shining
Type: Psychological Thriller
See it because: It's a classic. Adapted from Steven King's novel and inspired by a real, haunted hotel. The dad goes crazy and becomes what everyone is afraid of. REDRUM, that kind of thing.
Scare Factor: 6
12. Insidious
Type: Psychological Thriller
See it because: It doesn't have a very high rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but don't let that fool you. It's terrifying.
Scare Factor: 8
13. Sinister
Type: Psychological Thriller
See it because: It's one of the most terrifying movies I've ever seen. I didn't look out windows at night or sleep in my own bed either (don't laugh). The ending made me cry because I was so scared.
Scare Factor: 9
14. Children of the Corn
Type: Cult
See it because: Children in charge of a whole town; that sounds fun right? WRONG. They're a murderous cult, okay? Not just innocent children and I'm disappointed in anyone who thinks otherwise.
Scare Factor: 5
15. The Sixth Sense
Type: Paranormal
See it because: "I see dead people." Okay, well I saw the pee running down my leg because I was scared to walk to the bathroom that night.
Scare Factor: 7.5
16. The Babadook
Type: Psychological Thriller
See it because: A demon/monster/scary thing starts terrorizing this mom and her kid, no big deal right? WRONG. It came out of a children's book. Dude. I cannot. And if you're still not convinced, it got a 98% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Scare Factor: 8.5
17. Child's Play
Type: Slasher/Psychological Thriller
See it because: The soul of a satanist is put into the body of a doll and it tries to kill everyone. Classic.
Scare Factor: 7.5
18. A Haunting in Connecticut
Type: Paranormal
See it because: Classic tale of a haunting.
Scare Factor: 7.5
19. The Forrest
Type: Paranormal/Mystery
See it because: The main character goes to this haunted forrest to try to find out what happened to her dead sister. She had one job, just stay on the path. But no, she couldn't even do that.
Scare Factor: 7
20. The Blair Witch Project
Type: Paranormal/Documentary
See it because: A bunch of people trapped in the woods. There's nothing scary about that right?
Scare Factor: 5
21. Goonies
Type: Children's Movie
See it because: Teenage treasure hunt for One Eye Willy's treasure. Booby traps and mobsters, what could go wrong?
Scare Factor: 1
22. Blair Witch
Type: Paranormal/Psychological Thriller
See it because: This one goes along with The Blair Witch Project. This group of people goes into the Black Hills Forrest to try and find out what happened to this guy's sister. Turns out the myths aren't just myths.
Scare Factor: 8.5
23. The Ring
Type: Psychological Thriller
See it because: If you watch the video you die. It's like one missed call on steroids. The Japanese know how to make things scary, man.
Scare Factor: 6
24. Evil Dead (1981)
Type: Paranormal
See it because: Night away at a secluded cabin, book that awakens the dead, just add some pizza and that sounds like a perfect night to me.
Scare Factor: 8
25. Poltergeist (1982)
Type: Paranormal
See it because: It's classic. If you love scary movies, this has to be in your movie library. The little girls gets pulled into the closet by spirits and they have to go get her out. It's awesome.
Scare Factor: 8
26. The Descent
Type: Psychological Thriller
See it because: Predators inhabiting underground caves and eating humans, but it's fine.
Scare Factor: 7
27. It Follows
Type: Psychological Thriller
See it because: This curse gets transferred through sex so that's basically the most intense STD ever.
Scare Factor: 8
28. Hocus Pocus
Type: Children's Movie
See it because: Early 19th century witches come back to life in the late 20th century and these kids save the day + the sun help and I love that.
Scare Factor: 2
29. The Orphan
Type: Psychological Thriller
See it because: The adopted girl tries to kill this whole family but she's not even a little girl so...
Scare Factor: 6.5
30. Prom Night
Type: Slasher
See it because: Student teacher love story except she doesn't love him back and oops he wen't to prison and then crashed prom to kill everyone, but it's totally okay.
Scare Factor: 6.5
31. Scream
Type: Psychological Thriller
See it because: The scream mask and scary phone calls dude. "What you're favorite scary movie?"
Scare Factor: 7
32. When A Stranger Calls
Type: Psychological Thriller
See it because: The babysitter keeps getting weird calls, right? So the person on the phone asks about the kids and she goes upstairs to check and, get this, the kids aren't there.
Scare Factor: 5.5
33. It
Type: Clown
See it because: Honestly, just don't. I hate this movie. It terrifies me. I don't do clowns. He crawls out of the shower drain. That's disturbing. He's even from outer space. How did Stephen King even come up with this?
Scare Factor: 5.5
34. Pet Sematary
Type: Psychological Thriller
See it because: Please, do not try to bring your cat back to life. Especially not at an Native American burial ground. That is not your cat inside. It's a demon, I promise. Spoiler: don't try this with a 2-year-old little boy.
Scare Factor: 8.5
35. Salem's Lot
Type: Vampire
See it because: The teenager saves the day when the town gets overrun by vampires. Warning: it's long.
Scare Factor: 8
36. Dracula
Type: Vampire
See it because: There's love, reincarnation, killing, vampire hunters, and everything else we love about movies.
Scare Factor: 4
37. The Conjuring
Type: Paranormal
See it because: Based on a true story, a family moves into a house already occupied by demonic forces. "Haunts you long after you turn the lights back on."
Scare Factor: 8.5
38. Double, Double, Toil and Trouble
Type: Children's Movie
See it because: It's a Mary Kate and Ashley movie and if you don't see it, you're doing yourself an injustice.
Scare Factor: 2
39. Lights Out
Type: Psychological Thriller/Paranormal
See it because: It's terrifying and so different then every other scary movie.
Scare Factor: 8.5
40. Monster House
Type: Children's Movie
See it because: The kids save the day and really you should see it just for the uvula scene.
Scare Factor: 3
41. Ouija: Origins of Evil
Type: Psychological Thriller/Paranormal
See it because: It'll teach you to not use a ouija board ever.
Scare Factor: 7
