The Best Horror Movies for Halloween
The masked killers in You’re Next stalk their victims. Still courtesy Lionsgate.
October 29, 2014
Halloween is a time when we get to be scared of villains in horror movies, not the real problems that haunt our day-to-day lives. We don’t have to think about Ebola while watching a zombie flick. Werewolves trump social issues. Killings in the news are awful, but you can destress by watching a classic slasher. Here is the definitive list of the best movies from the 1970s to today to watch on Halloween. Stop worrying about the word collapsing, sit back, and enjoy a girl fighting to survive against evil.
‘70s
Halloween (1978)
Perhaps the most iconic slasher movie ever made, Halloween is the story of one crazy man’s attempts to brutally murder a young Jamie Lee Curtis (there’s a joke in there about her being scared and Activia, but I won’t do that to you). The dialogue is bad and the story is contrived, but who cares? Michael Myers (not to be confused with Mike Myers) is the best heavy-breathing serial killer in film making history.
Alien (1979)
Known both for launching Sigourney Weaver’s career and the designs of H.R. Giger, this film is one of the most iconic alien movies in pop culture. While most people have probably heard of the famous chest-bursting scene, where an alien pops out of a living man’s stomach, it still is incredibly gory and effective in the movie. Alien relies a bit too much on a cat for false alarms and strobe lights for drama, but it is still horrifying and incredibly satisfying.
‘80s
Night of the Creeps (1986)
By far the goofiest movie on this list, Creeps has escaped mental patients, aliens, and killer slugs, to name a few things. Space slugs have taken over a college campus, turning students into crazed zombies. It’s a convoluted story, but it’s very fun to watch the special effects. I’ll be honest – Creeps isn’t for everyone, but if you can’t take darker horror movies, this is a great place to start. There’s even a reanimated skeleton that’s controlled by a brain slug! Creeps is a nice solution for a timid viewer.
The Shining (1980)
Immaculately filmed and perfectly cast, this trippy take on Stephen King’s novel of the same name has inspired obsession and endless rewatching. Is there a more famous shot in filmmaking than when the elevator doors open and blood pours out? A deep sense of suspense permeates the movie, making it perfect to watch while eating your Halloween candy and freaking out about Jack Nicholson with an axe.
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Freddy Krueger is one of the most recognized killers in film. This campy, gory take on other horror movies gives us a killer who can murder in dreams and a young Johnny Depp turned into a geyser of blood. Nightmare is required watching for any horror fan.
‘90s
Scream (1996)
A killer torments the teens of a small town, shattering the world of Sidney (Neve Campbell) and her friends. Scream is the perfect subversion of the horror genre, getting away with in-jokes and murder by garage door. Courtney Cox delivers a superb performance as a fame-hunting anchorwoman putting herself in danger for a story. In a decade with some historically terrible horror movies (I Know What You Did Last Summer and The People Under the Stairs are two notable mistakes), Scream is a standout.
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
The first of the three decent scary movies of the ‘90s, Silence is much more than just horror. It’s a tight psychological thriller taking the tired formula of trying to catch a killer and turning it on its head, giving us not only Jodie Foster’s superb performance as an FBI agent, but also Anthony Hopkins’ cannibalistic Hannibal Lecter and the timeless, endlessly quotable line “It rubs the lotion on its skin or else it gets the hose again.” Silence is a dark movie, but a very important one at that.
‘00s
The Descent (2005)
Being trapped underground is inherently creepy, but add in Appalachian cave creatures and you’ve got a iconic horror. The makers of Saw and Hostel came together for a less gory take on the same trapped theme in their earlier works. The Descent is easily watchable and comes complete with a car crash two minutes in, blind humanoid killers, and a huge pool of congealed blood. What’s not to love?
Shaun of the Dead (2004)
Simon Pegg’s magnum opus Shaun of the Dead is unmissable. A love letter to horror and a true modern-day classic, Shaun combines the best of British comedy and zombies and gives all of us a gift to watch. This might be the only horror movie that is worth a second and third watch. The movie doesn’t trifle with explaining the zombie virus or the psychological effects of an outbreak; it’s just pure, terrifying fun.
‘10s
The Conjuring (2013)
It’s not often that a modern-day horror film reaches the status that The Conjuring does. Even while visiting all the classic tropes – namely family in turmoil, possessed dolls, things moving by themselves – the movie inverts the genre and finds its success in both the familiarity and newness of its plot. There’s fun to be had in the genuinely scary witch possession story and the evil doll subplot. Everyone can find something to like here.
The Cabin in the Woods (2012)
Joss Whedon’s take on literally every horror movie produced a work of original beauty. Cabin starts out with a group of five friends headed to an isolated cabin. A shadowy government agency is monitoring them, making them give into the typical horror stereotypes (Jock, Popular Girl, Smart Guy, Stoner, Final Girl). It turns out that the agency needs to sacrifice these kids to primal demons in order to keep them from waking up and destroying the world. Cabin is crazy and hilarious, making you cheer for both the heroes and villains, especially when hundreds of monsters are unleashed on the facility that runs the program. Cabin is the right kind of dark humor for Halloween.
You’re Next (2013)
This movie received almost no attention when it came out, but it’s a true gem. A dysfunctional family has gathered in their isolated country house, making them the perfect target for killers armed with crossbows in animal masks. The Final Girl, played by Sharni Vinson, is strong and sets awful events in place for her attackers. Hijinks include death by screwdrivers, wire, and a particularly gruesome set piece involving a blender. You’re Next maintains a dark sense of humor the entire way through, even when an axe is used to bisect someone’s head. This is an enjoyable, brutal movie.
