Since last Halloween, I have been putting in some extra Horror Movie watching time, to provide a list on what you might like to watch on your spooky night. This year, I’m going to provide 4 of my top picks in each Horror sub-genre. I won’t be using the same movies from last year, so if you need a reminder please look at my top five in their categories for 2021 – Halloween Movies to watch.
Categories –
- Halloween Movies for Kids
- Halloween Comedy Movies
- Monster/Creature Movies
- Paranormal Movies
- Psychological/Thriller Movies
- Slasher Movies
There is something to watch for Everyone. Most of the genres are in there. Click on the movie title to read more about the movie and if you would like to see the trailer you can click on the image. Hope you have a Happy Halloween!
Halloween Movies for Kids
The Addams Family
The Addams Family Movies are very fun to watch as a kid. It takes an absurd look at what the iconic family considers normal and how they interact with the world around them. I enjoyed these movies as a kid and there is a second one (Addams Family Values) that you might enjoy, if you like the first one.
Ghostbusters
Who doesn’t love these movies? They are truly fun for the whole family to enjoy on Halloween. I remember watching Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters 2 as a kid and have loved them ever since. Time for a fun nostalgia look back at what these great movies did in movie making.
Corpse Bride
As you know from my previous Halloween movie watch list, I love Tim Burton movies. The Corpse Bride is another scary kids classic. I loved this movie and I’m sure the kids will like it too.
The House with a Clock in Its Walls
This is a fun family movie to watch and is based on the 1973 novel. Jack Black and Cate Blanchett really create a wonderfully colourful cast that enchants the viewer. This movie is a bit underrated, but I really enjoyed it. We have another Jack Black goofy comedy movie and I’d recommend a watch (hehehe watch) with the family, if you have time (hehehe time). Apologise about the clock puns.
Halloween Comedy Movies
Willy’s Wonderland
This movie is hysterical. I wasn’t sure what to expect and it really made me laugh. Nicholas Cage, has done a lot of movies and this one should be in, at least, the top ten. The fact he played the whole movie without talking, only using his face and body movements to let the audience know what his characters thinking was a brilliant call. Generally you feel a foreboding or sense of fear in a horror movie. But this movie has a more action like feel to make the viewer feel like it’s a game. If you’re confused about the movie, I highly suggest playing “Five Nights at Freddy’s” game franchise. The movie is the game, just with Nicholas Cage as the hero.
It is a truly original concept for a horror movie and though the reviews are mixed, I highly recommend this movie.
Idle Hands
This is a great movie that I enjoyed as a teenager. The idiom of “Idle hands are the devils playthings” takes a literal meaning in this Horror Comedy movie. You will not be disappointed.
John Dies at the End
This movie provides the ultimate mind bending possibilities within a fantastic plot. It is 100% not predictable, and you need a rather flexible mind to appreciate the writer of the comic novel (Pen name) David Wong. He posses a philosophical question at the beginning of the film (Just to get you in the right head space for this movie):
“Solving the following riddle will reveal the awful truth of the universe, assuming you do not go utterly mad in the attempt.
Say you have an ax – just a cheap one from Home Depot. On one bitter winter day, you use said ax to behead a man. Don’t worry – the man’s already dead. Maybe you should worry, ‘cause you’re the one who shot him. He’d been a big, twitchy guy with veined skin stretched over swollen biceps, tattoo of a swastika on his tongue. And you’re chopping off his head because even with eight bullet holes in him, you’re pretty sure he’s about to spring back to his feet and eat the look of terror right off your face.
On the last swing, the handle splinters. You now have a broken ax. So you go to the hardware store, explaining away the dark reddish stains on the handle as barbeque sauce. The repaired ax sits undisturbed in your house until the next spring when one rainy morning, a strange creature appears in your kitchen. So you grab your trusty ax and chop the thing into several pieces. On the last blow, however – Of course, a chipped head means yet another trip to the hardware store.
As soon as you get home with your newly headed ax, though… You meet the reanimated body of the guy you beheaded last year, only he’s got a new head stitched on with what looks like plastic weed-trimmer line and wears that unique expression of you’re-the-man-who-killed-me-last-winter resentment that one so rarely encounters in everyday life. So you brandish your ax. “That’s the ax that slayed me,” he rasps.
Is he right?”
The Cabin in the Woods
Ok think of Evil dead but the stoner survives… which is rare for horror movies. It takes a funny view point as you look at all points of the plot from, shall we say, opposed views? Plus Chris Hemsworth… yum…
Monster/Creature Movies
The Mist
I really enjoyed this movie as the “monsters” change throughout and gives us some insects and animal type creatures, most people already get a scare from. It creates a sense of constant danger due to not knowing what might happen next. Through the whole movie you are questioning what is happening outside, in the mist, and being unsure of the decisions that the characters are making. Stephen King has created another book/movie that is sure not to disappoint the fans of his work.
28 Days Later / 28 Weeks Later
These movies were the first time I could see a logical sense to how an outbreak might be handled for a zombie apocalypse. I really enjoyed both of them and how it captures a more “realistic” character growth in dealing with the horrific circumstances. Plus has Jeremy Renner from the Avengers (aka Hawkeye) and Robert Carlyle from Once Upon a Time (aka Rumplestiltskin).
The Mummy / The Mummy Returns
The Mummy and The Mummy Returns are my favourite movies. I loved these movies, so much as a kid, that I started studying any Egyptology book that I could find. They included an amazing amount of detail and the brilliant acting of Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah and Arnold Vosloo transport the viewer into an amazing and captivating experience. I know it’s more action based than normal horror movies, but if you haven’t watched them, I would highly recommend them.
Bram Stoker’s Dracula
This is the only vampire movie that has made my list. I’m a bit put off by the vampire genre due to the constant repetition throughout. I don’t particularly find them scary. The first one, that’s based off the book by Bram Stoker, I did enjoy. I do understand the fascination and cult classic genre, but the genre has been played out and a few, if any actually exist to pay tribute to the authors actual writing. I will also mention a series (Dracula) which I found quite enjoyable.
If you want the backstory; Count Dracula’s character was closely linked to Vlad the Impaler. Stoker, was said to have read Wilkinson’s book on Vlad (1820 book by the British consul to Wallachia, William Wilkinson. Wilkinson delves into the history of the region, mentioning the notorious warlord Vlad Tepes). And if ever there were a historical figure to inspire a bloodthirsty, monstrous fictional character, Vlad III Dracula was a good choice. This is one time in horror stories that the real life version was actually more horrific than the character!
Paranormal Movies
Devil
I really enjoyed this movie. It’s another M. Night Shyamalan movie and is an amazingly directed movie, that captures the viewers attention. I really like twist endings and the movie builds the tension for all the characters brilliantly.
It Follows
This movie makes me laugh a bit, due to the fact I see it kind of like those sex education lessons about STD’s, though this time we’re putting teens off of having premarital sex by saying a demon might chase them lol. Remember, before having sex you need to check for any sexually transmitted diseases and always check that they aren’t being followed by a demon… Perfect way to scare teenagers!
The movie does provide a fright and has a good storyline, though the ending is a bit of a disappointment. My theory is that since the demon is passed onto the next person you have sex with, wouldn’t it make sense to find a very high demand prostitute and the demon would be busy for years hunting down the numerous people? Lol.
Thirteen Ghosts
I liked the storyline and the amazing set design in this movie. My only complaint would be that I would have liked to have known the backstory behind the dark zodiac ghosts. There is an actual dark zodiac which can be looked up here. I looked the stories up, please see here, for more information. I just wished that they would have included some details about the ghosts and how they were chosen within the actual film.
Lights Out
Don’t know about you, but when I was a kid, the darkness scared me. After watching this movie… it successfully rekindled that old fear. I wonder if I’m considered too old for a night light?
Psychological/Thriller Movies
The Ploughkeepsie Tapes
This is a found footage movie that is being analysed by homicide investigators (I’m quite fond of this type of horror movie). It is like a documentary of these truly horrific murders that a serial killer has made over decades. It is very disturbing and has made me check all closets before going to bed. It is very realistic, as in, that it shows how this could actually happen and makes the viewer feel that it’s true (It’s not based on a true story – most horror movies aren’t). It is just influenced by past life serial killers and their crimes. But I would highly recommend it to place on your watch list.
The Visit
This one has a slow build and creates an uneasy feeling throughout. It follows a found footage style, common to some horror movies and is directed by M. Night Shyamalan. I enjoyed the movie and recommend it.
Midsommar
Midsommar is quite an intense movie as we look at the culture of an unknown remote village in Sweden, through the eyes of American graduate students who are invited by a foreign exchange student to participate in the Midsummer festivities. The world created by the sets and beautiful surroundings, create an almost peaceful atmosphere that you can feel. There is nothing foreboding or scary, just an exploration of the village and their culture. Slowly, the film starts showing the darker side of their practises. Which gets explained away by cultural differences. I think that we are prone to be more accepting of differences due to political correctness and tolerance within cultures. So they explain away acts which would horrify most people. The interesting point for this movie, is that it’s not focused on the killing, the killing is the least important part from actually exploring the culture and almost oddly acceptable reasoning of their way of life. I really recommend this movie, as it creates a view in which you can emphasize with the characters and events that unfold.
The Circle
I recommend this movie for people that like mind games and survival instincts. It’s pretty intense and you see the characters internal struggles with the choices they make.
Slasher Movies
Rob Zombie Movies
I don’t know why these movies always make me smile. I think that Rob Zombie just makes pretty captivating slasher horror movies (31, Devils Rejects, 3 from Hell, House of 1000 Corpses)that are refreshing stories from the normal repetitive subgenre (see here).
Fear Street Trilogy
These movies were fun to watch. R.L Stine has grown from kid horror, to young adult horror with these three movies. The three movies are captivating (as are the books) as we go through the different time periods and different characters to find out why the poor town of Shadyside is plagued by the ill luck and is labelled as the murder capital of the United States.
Mom and Dad
I don’t understand why some people place this movie in comedy. It is truly terrifying as it basically puts the people that a kid truly trusts and who is meant to be their protector, as the highest threat to survival. The behaviour of the parents is completely bizarre as they seem perfectly logical and almost treating the way they are behaving as a normal task or function. But, from the viewers perspective it has to be the furthest thing away from natural or normal. Plus, it’s not explained, why it is happening. You hear random news broadcasts etc in the background, so you get a basic idea of what’s happening, but not the complete picture. It emphasises and takes a look at the whole child and parent dynamic. Who hasn’t at one point looked at their kids and thought of them as terrors? The difference is that parents normally have a bond or enough love to ignore these behaviours. It explores the frustrations, hardships and what a “normal” family dynamic is like. Then takes it to extremes of the internal struggle. The last line of the movie sums it up perfectly; Nicholas Cage – “Don’t you know we love you too? But sometimes we want to……”
Final Girl
This movie might not be for everyone, but I have always respected the strength it takes to turn from victim into predator. This movie is a good showing of how to fight your own fears or the monsters which hide in the shadows. Instead of being a victim, become a hero. I really enjoyed the movie and would recommend it to anyone who thinks a bit of justice is needed against the monsters/bullies of the world.
Maxine the Magnificent 