I’m not a huge fan of horror films, but there’s something about October that encourages me to get a bit of a fright. I recently reached out to a friend to find out what are some of her favorite titles so I can watch the best of the best. I’d love it if you all joined me in watching a few if you haven’t already.
As much as I love “Hocus Pocus” and “Practical Magic,” I insisted these suggestions be something that’ll make me want to cuddle up to J.R. just in case there are some noises outside!
The Top 5 Scary Films to Watch This Halloween
- “The Exorcist”- If you really want to be frightened, you needn’t look further than this classic directed by William Friedkin. It stars Ellen Burstyn, Max Von Sydow and Linda Blair. Most people never forget the first time they ever see this film and it’s just as scary the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th
“The Exorcist” tells the story of a teenage girl who is possessed by a mysterious presence. Her mother reaches out to two priests to help her, but things get quite crazy to say the very least.
If you can’t get enough, Fox just released an excellent series based on this film starring Geena Davis, Alfonso Herrera and Ben Daniels.
- “The Silence of the Lambs” – Anthony Hopkins is so scary in the role of Dr. Hannibal Lector that I’d be terrified if I ever met him in person. This film follows a young F.B.I. cadet that must confide in an incarcerated and manipulative killer in order to catch another serial killer.
The short-lived series based on Dr. Lector was SO GOOD but sadly was cancelled. I highly recommend you find it streaming then write a letter to someone so they can bring it back!
- “Scream”- This film came out in 1996 but it quickly became a classic as well as the inspiration for countless Halloween costumes. Three more films were released as part of this series but my favorite is definitely the original.
Follow along as Sidney and her friends try to survive a mysteriously masked killer.
- “Halloween”- Jamie Lee Curtis has come a long way since starring in this 1978 classic but she’ll never forget how much she loved working on this film. “Halloween” follows a lunatic named Michael Myers who stabbed his sister to death on Halloween night in 1963. He escapes after 15 years in a mental institution and returns to kill more victims.
I just got up to turn the lights on because I got scared just writing this description.
- “The Conjuring”- Movies are just movies until someone decides to base it on something that happened in real life. The story follows paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren who work to help a family terrorized by a dark presence. It stars Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, and Ron Livingston.
If you’re really brave, put on the sequel right after! Watch Lorraine and Ed travel to London to help a single mother. What’s scarier than spirits in an old city like London?
What are some of your favorite scary films to watch during Halloween?
