You and some friends are sitting on your couch after a long night, still rocking your costumes and eating whatever CVS had on sale in the candy aisle, scrolling through Netflix to find the PERFECT horror movie to match your night, but you simply can’t find one. You Google “scary movies” and the list pops up; hundreds of movies with gore and zombies and vampires and ghosts and killers… but which is THE one? Is it TheExorcist or The Shining? Nah, your buds aren’t in the mood for something THAT scary. Something funny? Something artistic? In this article, I have grouped together horror movies based on what you’re looking for: the new ones, the cult classics, the funny ones, etc. Find the movie that satisfies your wants and receive the fright that you NEED.
This list includes purely horror movies, nothing that includes horror as a sub-genre (The Green Room, Don’t Look Now, Eraserhead etc.) Also, these are all just my opinion. If I missed anything, please comment below.
The New Stuff That’s Pushing the Genre
There are new visions of horror coming out to scare and disturb any viewer. Even the ones in theaters now, such as Don’t Breathe and Raw, have taken conceptual horror and twisted it into a clever, fresh kind of horror. These include film like Insidious, for playing with sound editing and low-production jump scares (which are honestly extremely well-done), The Witch for accurately portraying the Quaker era while delivering ambiguous evil, and The Babadook for looking into the nightmares involved with loss. But my pick has to go to It Follows. Basically, this movie is about a walking STD that wants to kill you. After the main character has sex with this guy, a creature (that can take the form of anything it chooses, which is mainly naked people) slowly walks towards wherever she is on the planet. This movie takes the horror trope of "punishment for having premarital sex," and creates something entirely new while still finding ways through the characters and the soundtrack to fuel classic horror movie nostalgia.
The Funny Ones
So maybe you enjoy the adrenaline rush of any scare, but you also want a break from all of that to just laugh a little. These films are made to make you laugh and scream, a blend that creates some of the most enjoyable horror movies to watch. These include humorous zombie movies, featuring a pub holdout in Shaun of the Dead and a search for the last Twinkie on earth in Zombieland. They can also be satirical pieces, such as the accidental redneck bloodbath in Tucker and Dale vs. Evil, and, my pick for this list, Cabin in the Woods. Not only does this movie add a new idea to an overused horror trope, it’s humorous while doing so. With badass death scenes (you know which one I'm talking about), an intensely cliché squad of characters, and an odd idea for a plot, Cabin in the Woods is like a fun, horror-themed roller coaster ride that’s worth riding a couple of times.
The Ones to Watch With Your Friends
Everyone likes scaring the living s*** out of someone they know; after the scream is delivered, no one can help but falling to the floor laughing. These films tend to aid in making your fiends jump out of their seats at jump scares of give them chills during the suspense. These can include high-budget jump scare experiences like The Conjuring, slashers made for horror buffs like Scream, and even films that will make you rethink about stepping into dark spaces, like The Descent. But the best horror movie to watch with your friends has to be The Ring. There aren’t many jump scares in this film, but the general creepiness keeps the audience tense throughout. Laid out like a horror-mystery, a journalist investigates the odd death of her niece and searches for a videotape rumored to possess the power to murder whoever watches it. The mystery and chills combine to give the audience a reason to anticipate the next scare.
The Ones to Prove You’re A Horror Movie Guru
These are those cult classics that every horror fan has seen. They are usually pioneering,giving horror a new face that countless horror movies have followed. They include The Blair Witch Project, the originator of found footage horror, The Thing, the movie that pushed the mold of practical effects to an all-time high, and Psycho, the Hitchcock horror classic that’s essential viewing in the horror community. However, the number one has to go to The Evil Dead, a low budget film that has spawned countless parodies and inspired future films. My personal favorite is Evil Dead 2, but the original is the one that started it all. The main character and some of his buddies go up to a secluded cabin and read a book that releases demons into the real world. Starting the “friends in a cabin in the woods” trope, The Evil Dead incorporates gore, laughs, and timeless characters to create the ultimate cult classic horror flick.
The Visually Stunning Ones
These are the horror films that add beauty to fright, creating an intensely scary work of art that’s visually appealing and unique. These include Goodnight Mommy, a paranoia-filled film about two boys who suspect their mother is evil, Let The Right One In, the vampire love story that utterly annihilates any other vampire love stories (yeah you know which one I’m talking about), and The Shining, the movie about “a family quietly going insane together.” But the most beautiful horror movie has to be Suspiria. I recently found out that there is going to be a remake of this film, which is extremely disappointing because of how perfect this movie is. It’s about a girl who joins an obscure and isolated dance academy, and the odd events that occur there. The red designs, soundtrack, and lighting create a gothic atmosphere that enhances the deaths past the blood and into beauty.
The Ones That Are Gritty
These are the horror movies that disturb the audience with the gross and grotesque. They include Saw, the originator of “torture gore,” Dead Alive, an insanely over exaggerated gore fest, and The Loved Ones, aka, the WORST unwanted date night ever. My pick has to go to the demented classic, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Even though the gore may not be up-to-par with these newer films, this film was and still is intensely disturbing. A group of teens wander to a house and realize the people staying there are human-skin-wearing killers. This film takes a sick, demented idea based on a true story to create a terrifying and gritty slasher that will make it feel like you can almost smell the rotting corpses through the TV.
The Halloween Favorites
These are the ones based around the Halloween holiday, which makes the viewing of these films on the 31st that much more exciting. There are nostalgic children’s stories such as the classic Claymation in The Nightmare Before Christmas, and the silly, quotable Beetlejuice. But these Halloween-themed films can be scary too, like the multi-faceted plot of Trick r’ Treat, and, as my pick for this category, the classic 1978 Halloween. Not only did this movie spark the slasher subgenre, but it’s also a Halloween-viewing essential. It follows the story of a teen being stalked and then attacked by a man in a mask on Halloween night. This film’s classic soundtrack and legendary characters will make you slowly peek out your window, JUST to make sure there isn’t anyone or anything standing there, looking in.
A Few Honorable Mentions:
Nightmare on Elm Street
V/H/S 2
Friday the 13th
28 Days Later
Did I miss anything? If so, please comment below what other horror movies you might enjoy. And as always, this is all just my opinion.
