It’s officially a spooky season! As halloween approaches, it’s time to grab a bowl of popcorn, your favorite mix of candy, and a warm blanket, and settle in to watch your favorite scary movie. Here are my top five favorite scary movies to get you started on your 30 days of Halloween.
- A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
A Nightmare on Elm Street, is about a group of teens who fall victim to Freddy Krueger, a man with a disfigured face full of scars, and knives for fingers. Freddy comes to them in their sleep, to scare them, but if they die in the dream, they die in reality too. The two main characters, Nancy and Glen, are tasked with finding a way to stop him from entering their classmates’ dreams and saving themselves before it is too late. Although there are many sequels, and adaptations to this film, I firmly believe that the first one is the best one. This is because it was the first time a villain was seen manipulating the line between reality, and the subconscious, thus allowing the audience to question their own sanity.
- Saw (2004)
Saw is an underrated horror film. The story is about two young men who were kidnapped, put in a room with each other, and were told by their kidnapper that if they didn’t carry out the tasks at hand, they would both die. They are told they must be as ruthless as possible to survive, because they don’t have much time, since the room is being filled with a toxic gas as they speak. When they ask the kidnapper why this is happening to them, he explains that in some way they have ‘sinned’ and they must pay for their crimes with their life. This movie is full of action, and a very interesting plot twist at the end, that is well worth the wait. It is definitely a great movie to watch when you’re in the mood for a brain teaser this October.
- It (2017)
It (2017) is the better adaptation of the story. The film follows a group of friends that start to get hunted by a psychotic clown in their hometown of Dery, Maine. The story says that Pennywise the clown, resurrects every 30 years to ‘feed’ for a year on the townsfolk. Pennywise is particularly scary, because he will often morph into whatever his prey feared the most, therefore allowing him to bring them to his home in the sewers and kill them. It is one of the greats, because I think they did a great job casting the kids, and I love the humor that they bring to this spooky movie. The film is also unique, because it isn’t a normal cheesy horror movie, with low budget special effects and graphics. The movie is genuinely scary, largely in part to the crazy talent of the makeup department being able to portray Pennywise the way they did. All in all, It is a great movie to watch when you want a good jump scare or just some good old fashion crude/dark humor.
- Scream (1996)
In Scream, the story starts off after the brutal killings of two teenagers, by a mysterious man in a ghost face mask. This coincidentally takes place on the one year anniversary of the main character, Sidney Prescot’s mother. Another eerie coincidence, is that Ghostface seems to have a particular obsession with Sidney, leading her to believe the killer is someone in her group of friends. Scream is my favorite scary movie because it has the perfect mix of gore, humor, and mystery. This slasher film keeps the audience on its toes the whole time, trying to guess who the killer potentially is. Although this film deals with horror, the directors did a great job allowing it to be a classic film that can be enjoyed outside the Halloween season.
- The Exorcist (1973)
The Exorcist hands down is the scariest movie ever made. The movie is based on the true events that took place in St. Louis, MO, when a young boy was supposedly possessed by the devil, or some type of evil spirit. He sought help at St. Alexia Hospital, where they were able to successfully exercise the demon out of the little boy, after many months of trying. The film, however, follows the actions of a little girl named Regan, who all of the sudden started acting strange, such as levitating, and speaking in tongues. As Regan gets progressively worse, her mother invests in the help from a priest, to come examine her. At this point, Regan is fully possessed to the point where she is talking as if she is the actual devil, and looks like him too. It is up to the priest, and her mother to use any way possible to release the devil’s hold on her. I think this movie is so scary because of the outstanding Hollywood makeup, the special effects of that time, and most importantly the fact that this has happened in real life already and fully has the potential to happen again. However, much of this was dramatized by the Hollywood writers. Nevertheless, viewers who saw this movie in theaters felt physically ill after seeing it and left the theater feeling like they couldn’t see or breathe. So overall, this movie was scary in the 70s and still remains one of the scariest movies ever made to this day.
Whether you’re an avid horror movie watcher, or you just want to get into the fall season these movies are surely the best ones to start with. Whatever your preferences may be, this Halloween be sure to check out some other great movies not mentioned in this list with some friends in your free time. Finally, don’t forget to have a Happy Halloween!
