Halloween comes but once a year, but the month of October should
be filled with all things spooky. No matter your plans, sitting down and
watching some scary horror films will provide you with everything you need to
get in the Halloween mood. This week's compiles 31 horror films (bonus weekend
double-features) in honor of the most terrifying month of the year. The
movies on this list will scare you, set the tone for fall and give you all the
legendary iconography representative of Halloween. So without further ado, the
31 Days of Halloween Movie Masterpiece (16 to 31 tomorrow):
 |
| (imdb.com) |
Is it fair to have a double-feature be the first and second in a
series? Yup! What better way to kick off the month than a movie with October
literally in the name? The answer is there isn't. The Houses October Built will
set the tone for some truly great scares even if it’s not an insanely
complicated film. Perfect way to begin the month.
October 2nd - The Babadook
For all the annoyingness that is the child at the center of The
Babadook, this film offers plenty of dark tones and creepy scenes that'll
leave viewers with nightmare. It's vintage feel and practical effects will make
you yearn for Halloweens past and by the film's end, everyone should be left
feeling a little more unsettled.
 |
| (imdb.com) |
Horror during the Halloween season should be all doom-and-gloom.
That's why including movies like An American Werewolf in London are
a must. Chilly, scary and, at times, comical, this film has everything from a
lycanthropic transformation to decaying bodies and is a must on any October
horror list.
October 4th - The Witch
Perhaps more Thanksgiving than Halloween, The Witch will
provide the perfect witchy feeling to Halloween. However, unlike also must see
non-horror films like Hocus Pocus, nothing about this movie is sweet and
succulent. It's a disturbing and chaotic rabbit hole that'll leave you
clutching your babies and your animals a little closer.
 |
| (imdb.com) |
A summer-set classic, but also one that sparked years and years
of Halloween costumes, Friday the 13th is a necessary classic. While the
slasher at the core of this franchise first ends up not being Jason at all, Friday
the 13th is the movie you have to see if you've ever gone out in a hockey
mask to collect candy.
October 6th - Evil Dead
Players’ choice on this one. Both the 1981 original and the 2013
remake are worthwhile endeavors to get you in the mood for October. Each features
plenty of twisting branches, grotesque kills and a curse that you wouldn't wish
on your worst enemy.
 |
| (imdb.com) |
This night is reserved for a pair of films set in secluded
schools and orphanages. For one, orphans make for some scary horror content and
sure The Orphanage is more summerset, but it's a spooky Spanish
horror film featuring hollow hallways and a masked child that make for an
adventure not for the faint of heart. Tack on The Awakening and you have
two very accomplished horror films to round out your night.
October 8th (Weekend Double Feature) - Insidious/Insidious:
Chapter 3
Insidious is
sure to go down as a modern day classic and its absence on any list of
Halloween films is a gross oversight. With all the ghoulish figures, jump
scares and terrifying haunted house scenes a person could ask for, it is
by-and-large one of the scariest movies to come out of the modern film era. For
the second movie of the night, skip the shaky sequel and go straight for the
underrated gem, Insidious: Chapter 3; a film that has tense, spooky
atmosphere and enough jump scares to make your heart stop.
 |
| (imdb.com) |
Often dubbed as one of the scariest horror films ever created,
the found-footage Japanese hit, Noroi: The Curse takes the creep factor
to the max. More investigative than straight-up horror, Noroi pulls no
punches and instead features a number of deaths; disturbing characters and a
climax that is, well, scary.
October 10th - The Taking of Deborah Logan
The obsession with this movie is borderline obsessive. If there
is a list or a category or anything in regards to horror, chances are The
Taking of Deborah Logan deserves to be on it. Seemingly coming from nowhere
and continuously overlooked, this film is an absolutely terrifying
found-footage endeavor. Taking place in cooler months, it'll definitely get you
ready for Halloween, all through an old woman more likely to give you hard
candy rather than chocolate.
 |
| (imdb.com) |
While you'd think naming yourself the last of something would
make you, well, last, The Last Exorcism spawned a pretty mediocre sequel
and did little to stop the subgenre from moving forward. However, perhaps the
quality of The Last Exorcism should have warranted it to be the final
nail in the exorcism industry. It’s a terrifying found-footage film taking
place in a Podunk town with very questionable religious motives - perfect for
the Halloween season.
October 12th - Behind the Mask: The Rise and Fall of Leslie
Vernon
An indie darling and cult gem, Behind the Mask: The Rise and
Fall of Leslie Vernon is the type of cheeky slasher film that'll leave you
laughing uncomfortably. It’s a divisive little horror film filled with heart
and is sure to put you in the Halloween mood as it satirically rips into the
subgenre and brutally attacks our protagonists.
 |
| (imdb.com) |
Without even acknowledging the pointless remake of this horror
classic, it must be noted that Poltergeist is an October must. What can
be said for this ghoulish flick that hasn't already been talked about? Sure,
its graphics may have dated terribly and its acting isn't as strong as some of
today's standards, but between the clown toy scene and the bodies in the ditch,
Poltergeist is worth your time.
October 14th (Weekend Double Feature) - Sinister/Lake
Mungo
Mystery swirls around these two films' plots and both have
terrifying results. In each, we find characters attempting to unspool a murder,
or in the case of Sinister, a series of murders. Is something
supernatural going on or is there another, more realistic story? Well, as
anyone who knows anything about Sinister can attest to, Bagul certainly
isn't human. Lake Mungo on the other hand? That one you'll have to watch
to find out. With a much smaller release, this slow-burning horror film is
quite the bone chiller.
 |
| (imdb.com) |
Ti West is quite the horror icon. With both The House of the
Devil and The Innkeepers, he's proven himself to be an adept
director that can balance absolutely terrifying moments with more lighthearted
comedy. The two films that work best together are his retro-flavored movies,
The House of the Devil and The Innkeepers. Each are perfectly shot
masterpieces that deserve even more credit than they're given and both are some
of the scarier choices for a fall night in.
No comments:
Post a Comment