Since last Halloween, I have been putting in some extra Horror Movie watching time, and honestly it’s been a bit hard to provide a list on what you might like to watch on your spooky night. Horror movies tend to fall into categories being:
- Oh, just really really bad.
- So slow that you can have a nap and they may have stopped panning around to finally settle on the monster or whatever is scaring them, after.
- We have a famous actor, so don’t need a plot.
- We messed up the story, so now we need to use as much gore as possible
- They obviously started editing it and decided it was more believable as a comedy.
- Would have been better as a comedy but they have blind faith in the movie and have just ruined their careers.
- Horney Teen horror flicks – nudity or sex every few seconds so they’ll tell their friends and they’ll get everyone to go buy a ticket.
- The amazing acting makes up for the lack of plot.
- Repeating a good movie because it is popular but never knowing when the audiance has lost interest (please see Horror Movie Remakes).
- What the living fuck just happened? Seriously?
- The plot, acting and setting are amazing (rarest, seriously every 1 out of 192… yep I did the math…).
I’m going to provide 4 of my top picks in each Horror sub-genre. I won’t be using the same movies from the previous year’s so if you need a reminder please look at my top picks in their categories for:
2021 – Halloween Movies to watch.
2022 – Halloween Movies to Watch.
2023 – 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
Don’t Look Under the Bed
(1999, PG) Director – Kenneth Johnson
Ok, kids horror movies are really hard to make, but this one really surprised me by it’s inventiveness, interesting plot and captivating scenery. The acting is great and really goes into a kids worries about what happens when growing up.
When strange things start going on in the town of Middleberg e.g. dogs appearing on people’s roofs, alarm clocks going off hours early, eggs all over a teacher’s car, gelatin in the school swimming pool, and the letter “B” spray-painted all over town. Frances’ is blamed for these things when she gets unexpected help from a boy called Larry who says he is an imaginary friend. Can they stop the prankster before Frances’ gets into more trouble?
I really recommend suggesting it for the kids to watch on Halloween for a family friendly movie.
Starring – Erin Chambers, Eric “Ty” Hodges II, Robin Riker, Steve Valentine, Jake Sakson, Stephen Tobolowsky
Beetlejuice
(1988, PG) Director – Tim Burton
My favorite director, Tim Burton has a good history with these kid friendly horror movies, see past Halloween movies to watch (2021, 2022) lists, if you doubt me. Beetlejuice has been recreated this year, which encouraged me to watch the wonderfully wacky original in all it’s glory. I watched this as a kid and it scared me, so make sure to check the age recommendation before letting them watch.
A happily married couple get into a car crash and find that they are stuck haunting their house. This seems fine until a new family moves in and they decide to try get some help to try scare the new family away.
Let’s hope the new movie has all the same fun and great wackyness that the original has! Though it is being directed by Tim Burton again, so little chance of a failure. I can’t wait to watch it – Please see the trailer Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.
Starring – Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Jeffrey Jones, Catherine O’Hara, Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton
We Have a Ghost
(2023, PG) Director – Christopher Landon
This is a cute movie. I wasn’t really sure if it was kid appropriette as the ghost does flip off a police officer at one point, but if that’s the worst I don’t think anyone will be that offended and it made me laugh. It has some really funny parts and is pretty heartwarming.
It’s basically about a family that finds a ghost is living in the attic and I think it shows a change in the way society reacts to these kinds of things or maybe a desensitisation of being scared. Instead of being scared the kid starts filming the ghost, which says something when if you watch a movie from a couple of years ago, the normal reaction is to scream rather than pull out your phone and film it?!? But then again another movie in this list a person did the same thing with a tidal wave… so I guess when you’re scared then you should immediatly find your phone and start filming rather than calling the police or emergency services right?
Starring – David Harbour, Jahi Winston, Anthony Mackie
Monsters Inc.
(2001, G) Director – Pete Docter
I know, I know, why haven’t I included this in the lists sooner. I honestly forgot about it and then when I was flicking through Disney Plus I realised I hadn’t mentioned it before. Absolutely beautiful movie and a wonderful watch.
In a world inhabited by monsters, the city of Monstropolis harnesses the screams of human children for energy. Then when Sulley comes back from a scare he accidentally brings back a young human child with him, who he calls Boo. Sulley and Mike need to get the human back to her door before anything worse happens.
Starring – John Goodman, Billy Crystal, Steve Buscemi, James Coburn, Jennifer Tilly, Mary Gibbs
Halloween Comedy Movies
Frighteners
(1996, R) Director – Peter Jackson
This movie is great, and I know you are going to laugh at me but when I was younger, it scared the living heck out of me. It is very funny but the dark backstory of the bad ghost really got to me and wow, did it haunt me. I highly recommend and hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Johnny Bartlett is executed for killing 12 people at a sanatorium, driven by his ambition to become the most prolific serial killer – that is the dark part btw. Frank played by Michael J Fox can see ghosts after he survived a car crash which unfortunatly his wife died with a 13 carved in her forehead. Frank becomes a con-man exorcist and he witnesses a Grim Reaper-like entity crush the heart of a man marked “38”. He then starts noticing a string of deaths and a number on each of their foreheads. Hoping he can save Lucy against the reaper when a number appears marking her as his next victim.
Starring – Michael J. Fox, Trini Alvarado, Peter Dobson, John Astin, Dee Wallace Stone, Jeffrey Combs, Jake Busey
Abigail
(2024, R) Director – Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett
This movie made me laugh and not just because of the bad acting. I always really like flipping the script kind of movies and when the vampire child ballerina starts to hunt them it just made the whole thing great. It’s not the best movie, but I really did laugh a bit, so it’s worth a watch, if you have some time on your hands. By the way this is one of those where I am sure they filmed it serious and while editing made it into a comedy films.
Young ballet dancer Abigail is abducted by six criminals and taken to the secluded Wilhelm Manor. Before leaving, their leader Lambert instructs them to guard Abigail for 24 hours, at which point they will receive an equal share of a $50 million ransom paid by her father. The group, slowly realise that this job may not be as simple as it first appeared.
Starring – Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens, Kathryn Newton, Will Catlett, Kevin Durand, Angus Cloud, Alisha Weir, Giancarlo Esposito
Renfield
(2023, R) Director – Chris McKay
I really love Nicolas Cage in horror movies, his insanity seems to be well placed in the genre. A great cast and some trully laugh out loud moments which bring the often boring and repetative Vampire movies into the new century with a comedic twist.
Renfield has grown weary of bringing victims to Dracula and realises through a support group, he has gone to, that his boss has created the modern day taboo of a toxic work environment. As he tries to break free from his codependent relationship with Dracula he gets hunted by both the mob and the police.
Starring – Nicholas Hoult, Awkwafina, Ben Schwartz. Shohreh Aghdashloo, Brandon Scott Jones, Adrian Martinez, Nicolas Cage
Totally Killer
(2023, PG) Director – Nahnatchka Khan
Oh this movie is so funny, even though it has a bad plot line, the funniness makes up for it. I love how the modern day politically correct kid is looking at all the 80’s offensive or not safe things and commenting on them aghast at the attitudes! It really had me laughing so much and I really encourage at least watching it once.
In 1987 three girls were killed by the Sweet 16 Killer, each having been stabbed 16 times on the nights of their 16th birthdays. Jamie’s mum gets targeted by the same killer in the present year, which begins the same events. Jamie is chased by the killer and hides in the time machine, when a freak coincidence makes her be transported back to 1987 and she rushes to stop the killer, so her mum won’t be killed in the present day.
Starring – Kiernan Shipka, Olivia Holt, Charlie Gillespie, Lochlyn Munro, Randall Park, Julie Bowen
Monster/Creature Movies
Fourth Kind
(2009, PG) Director – Olatunde Osunsanmi
This movie I watched quite a while ago and it still sticks with me. I enjoyed it as it is a quiet or more subdued to the normal scary movie. Plus it has one of my favorite zombie hunter’s Milla Jovovich as the star.
In 1972, a scale of measurement was established for alien encounters. When a UFO is sighted, it is called an encounter of the first kind. When evidence is collected, it is known as an encounter of the second kind. When contact is made with extraterrestrials, it is the third kind. The next level, abduction, is the fourth kind. Modern-day, Alaska, where-mysteriously since the 1960s-a disproportionate number of the population has been reported missing every year. Despite multiple FBI investigations of the region, the truth has never been discovered. Here in this remote region, psychologist Dr. Abigail Tyler began videotaping sessions with traumatized patients and unwittingly discovered some of the most disturbing evidence of alien abduction ever documented. The Fourth Kind exposes the terrified revelations of multiple witnesses. Their accounts of being visited by alien figures all share disturbingly identical details, the validity of which is investigated throughout the film.
Starring – Milla Jovovich, Will Patton, Elias Koteas
Anaconda
(1997, PG) Director – Luis Llosa
I really loved this movie when I was young (that was when you had to go down to Blockbuster and rent movies for only a week) and I watched this movie repeatedly during the week we rented it lol.
A film crew is shooting a documentary about the Shirishamas, a long-lost indigenous Amazonian tribe when they come across a stranded “snake hunter” who offers to help them find the Shirishamas but soon after takes over the boat, forcing the crew to help him achieve his true goal: hunting down a giant record-breaking green anaconda he had been tracking.
Plus has a pretty good cast – Jon Voight, Jennifer Lopez, Owen Wilson, Ice Cube, Danny Trejo, Eric Stoltz, Kari Wuhrer, Jonathan Hyde, Vincent Castellanos and Frank Welker.
The Watchers
(2024, PG) Director – Ishana Night Shyamalan
I’m just going to say that Ishana Night Shyamalan is her fathers daughter and following the same amazing and enthralling ability to make movies. This captivating and thrilling tale certainly has the viewer entranced as they get transported into a terrifyingly magical world with strict rules or the penalty is death.
A woman gets stranded in an expansive, untouched forest in western Ireland. Finding shelter, she unknowingly becomes trapped alongside three strangers who are stalked by mysterious creatures every night. They all try to find ways to escape the forest, but at great peril.
Starring – Dakota Fanning, Georgina Campbell, Olwen Fouéré, Oliver Finnegan
The Cured
(2017, R) Director – David Freyne
This movie stuck with me as it shows a completely new viewpoint of a zombie infestation. I really applaud the thought and empathetic journy it takes to write something like this. It really is an interesting and insightful movie to make you question how you would react in similar circumstances.
A plague called the Maze Virus has previously swept through Europe, transforming its victims into a homicidal, zombie-like state. A cure was later discovered, and 75% of those infected who could be captured have been treated and cured of the virus. The remaining 25% have proven resistant to the cure. The two groups are known as the Cured and the Resistant. The Resistant are held in captivity, despite public fears that keeping them alive could lead to another outbreak. The movie shows how group mentality with fear operate within society and deals with Senan, one of the cured living with the guilt of what was done when he was infected and feeling the hostility from the non-infected who think he should have been killed.
Starring – Elliot Page, Sam Keeley, Tom Vaughan-Lawlor
Paranormal Movies
Hell House LLC I, II, III
(2015, 2018, 2019, R) Director – Stephen Cognetti
As you know, I am a very big fan of found footage horror movies and these three movies really create a brilliant storyline and some great jump scares to gaurentee you a sleepless night. Unfortunatly, due to success they are repetatively making them and if I’m honest I was bored during the second one and just watched the last to get closure from the plot. I will probably watch their more recent ones at some point, but I think they are ruining it with repetition and don’t want them to get as bad as the Paranormal activity movie franchise that seems never ending….
Basically a group of guys and a girl have a business setting up those fun Halloween house of horrors theme type pop up places. That year however they pick the Abaddon Hotel to create their house of horrors and start decorating, while strange occurances occur as they draw near to opening night.
Nefarious
(2023, R) Director – Cary Solomon and Chuck Konzelman
I get a bit bored of religious movies scaring us with supposive demons and speaking of sin etc. The Exorcist scared a lot of people in the 1970’s, well done, but religious scares are pretty rare for todays society. Please stop trying to scare us with the devil, our generation has sadly made much more frightening monsters lol. Now, why I would recommend this movie is because the death row inmate actor who is played by Sean Patrick Flanery. He does an amazing preformance of switching the character between the self assured and arrogant demon named Nefariamus and a stuttering wreck of a poor man named Edward. It is an interview between Edward and Dr Martin who is convinced that the inmate is suffering from dissassociative personality dissorder and goes against his ethics after Nefariamus freaks him out and condemns his other supposive personality to the electric chair.
Starring – Sean Patrick Flanery, Jordan Belfi, Tom Ohmer, Glenn Beck
Don’t Knock Twice
(2016, R) Director – Caradog W. James
This movie is directed very well. It actually takes an ok plot and makes it a really good watch. It’s about an urban legend of Mary Aminov, a supposed witch that used to live next door. After her death by suicide, an urban legend started that she would come and get you if you knocked twice on her door. Knock once to wake her from her bed, twice to raise her from the dead…
Jess, a former drug addict, tries to reconcile with her estranged daughter, Chloe. However, they are soon haunted by the malevolent spirit of a witch, making them fear for their lives.
Starring – Katee Sackhoff, Lucy Boynton, Javier Botet, Nick Moran, Richard Mylan
Knock at the Cabin
(2023, R) Director – M. Night Shyamalan
As from previous lists, you can tell that M. Night Shyamalan cannot go wrong. I liked the almost comedic politically correctness when the character assured the same sex couple that it in no way was a hate crime and just happened to be a coincidence. I think the idea was a little bit weak, but as always M. Night Shyamalan certainly came through and helped it become a movie which makes you think.
Oh and as mentioned above, this is the movie where it shows a tidal wave and the idiot, instead of running for their life instead starts filming it lol.
Starring – Dave Bautista, Jonathan Groff, Ben Aldridge, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Kristen Cui, Abby Quinn, Rupert Grint
Psychological/Thriller Movies
Night House
(2020, R) Director – David Bruckner
This one is pretty dark. I think it speaks to everyone’s fear that in the end, there is nothing. It really goes into the fear of death and I think it portrays the madness of grief brilliantly. Make sure you feel mentally well before watching this movie as it is really dark.
After Beth’s husband, Owen, commits suicide, she resorts to heavy drinking. Upon feeling a supernatural presence around her, she dons the investigator’s hat, only to unravel some disturbing secrets.
Starring – Rebecca Hall, Sarah Goldberg, Evan Jonigkeit, Stacy Martin, Vondie Curtis-Hall
Split
(2016, PG) Director – M. Night Shyamalan
Yes another M. Night Shyamalan movie, he is amazing. This is pretty terrifying as the man with dissasociative disorder has 23 different personaliies. The movie is amazing as we watch poor Casey trying to understand Kevin’s personalities after one of his alter kidnapps her and two other girls. This is a sequel to Unbreakable and before the third movie Glass. It is an amazing movie and you end up feeling empathy for poor Kevin and the numerous fighting alter personalities that want to speak. James McAvoy does an amazing job of switching his style seemlessly from one personality to the next. I highly recommend as it is one of those movies which stays with you after the credits roll.
Starring – James McAvoy, Anya Taylor-Joy, Betty Buckley
Identity
(2003, R) Director – James Mangold
I watched this movie when I was pretty young and it has really stuck with me. It has a slow build and the suprise ending made me enjoy it even more. Great acting and wonderful directing made this movie worth watching.
Stranded at a desolate motel during a nasty rainstorm, ten strangers become acquainted with each other. However, they soon realise that they are being killed off one by one.
Starring – Rebecca Hall, Sarah Goldberg, Evan Jonigkeit, Stacy Martin, Vondie Curtis-Hall
Silent Night
(2021, R) Director – Camille Griffin
This movie has a very deceptive start and slowly we hear the grown ups speaking of the apocalyptic event making this their last Christmas… This movie conpletely got me empathising with the kid, who was the only one questioning the whole idea of suicide before the poisonous gas gets to them. The ending got to me as well, flipping hell, I really don’t know if the person who wrote this was mentally ill or brilliant. Worth a watch as it shook me and I can handle most insanity…
Good cast – Keira Knightley, Roman Griffin Davis, Annabelle Wallis, Matthew Goode, Lucy Punch, Lily-Rose Depp, Sope Dirisu and Trudie Styler.
Slasher Movies
Wolf Creek
(2005, R) Director – Greg McLean
The film was ambiguously marketed as being “based on true events”, its plot was similar to the real-life murders of backpackers by Ivan Milat in the 1990s and Bradley Murdoch in 2001, they were both the inspiration for the story but it is a pretty far leap to being based on the actual crimes. I’m actually suprised there aren’t more serial killers in Australia, I really would have pegged them to have more psychopaths hidden in the outback…
Horror tale of backpacking friends out in the Australian wilderness whose car breaks down. They accept help from an eccentric local who turns out to be a tourist-hating maniac.
Starring – John JarrattNathan PhillipsCassandra MagrathKestie Morassi
I Know What You Did Last Summer
(1997, R) Director – Jim Gillespie
I know it’s an oldie, but it is one of my favorite teen slasher flicks. Plus has an amazing cast and when I was a kid it was considered scary lol. I know Scream was more popular at the time, but I got so bored with them making repeats that I went with this one.
Sorry there is not much of a story line… Teenagers hit a man walking on the road, instead of calling police they dump him in the river and then the next year get strange notes reminding them of that night…
Amazing cast – Sarah Michelle Gellar, Freddie Prinze Jr, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Ryan Phillippe.
Humane
(2024, R) Director – Caitlin Cronenberg
This movie is not the best, but it was the least bad of the terrible movies I watched, so it gets a mention. I think they should have built the tension a bit more and also, they didn’t actually give them much of a reason to start killing each other. Why didn’t they even try to escape like their step mother did? I don’t know, but it has a typical family dynamic and the thought that it would be very possible that those squabbles you generally have with annoying siblings could make you consider killing them?
A global environmental collapse forces world leaders to take extreme measures to reduce Earth’s population.
Starring – Jay Baruchel, Emily Hampshire, Sebastian Chacon, Alanna Bale, Sirena Gulamgaus, Uni Park, Enrico Colantoni, Peter Gallagher
Pearl, X and Maxxxine
(2023, 2022, 2024, R) Director – Ti West
Ok, saved this for last as these three movies are hilarious. They take mental problems to the next level.
Ok first up is Pearl (putting them in chronological order, not when they were produced). Takes place in 1918 where Pearl is a young woman living with her parents on their farm in Texas, while her husband, Howard, serves in World war 1. She has a strict mother and crippled father. As the film goes we see how Pearl is actually a pretty serious psychopath who has dreams of becoming a star. She starts killing anyone who gets in her way…
Starring – Mia Goth, David Corenswet, Tandi Wright, Matthew Sunderland, Emma Jenkins-Purro, Alistair Sewell
Next is X, which guess what we’re back at Pearls farm in 1979 and a group arrives at a farm owned by Howard and Pearl, the now elderly couple who have a guesthouse they rent for the group to produce a porno movie. Pearl again goes on a killing spree, One of the porno girls called Maxine (yes, I like movies that use my name… even if it is for bad things lol) finally kills Pearl and is the only survivor.
Starring – Mia Goth, Jenna Ortega, Martin Henderson, Brittany Snow, Owen Campbell, Stephen Ure, Scott Mescudi
Last but not least is Maxxxine which takes place in 1985, Maxine Minx successfully auditions for the lead in a new horror film, The Puritan II, despite all of her previous film credits being in adult films. This movie is probably the slowest one out of the group, I would probably rate it the lowest on the list from most deranged to least. Still kinda good three movies to watch if you have nothing better to do.
Starring – Mia Goth, Elizabeth Debicki, Moses Sumney, Michelle Monaghan, Bobby Cannavale, Halsey, Lily Collins, Giancarlo Esposito, Kevin Bacon
Hope you have a wonderful spooky movie night, it really is getting hard to find good horror movies, so please forgive me for putting the not so great ones in there lol.
Maxine the Magnificent 
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