9 Highly-Rated Horror Movies For Halloween
October is almost over… And I haven’t watched enough horror movies! The truth is, I can never get enough of them. So I’m honoring Halloween with a list of 9 solid horror movies that are worth a second watch. This selection of highly-rated horror movies crosses different sub-genre and era so I’m sure you’ll find one that you’ll enjoy.
By the way, the images of the movie posters are links to their Amazon pages, in case you want to watch them. Enjoy!
Paranormal Activity
I love the backstory of this impressive movie. It was made with a mind-blowingly low budget of $15,000 by Oren Peli, who had no experience in film-making. He shot Paranormal Activity in a week in his own house, without a script. It went on to make $193 million worldwide. Talk about inspiring!
Paranormal Activity has a very simple premise: a couple moves into a house and experiences weird things.
The home video format made it feel real. Though you never really see the entity in the movie, you’ll feel the creep anyway. It helps that the setting is so familiar it’s very easy to put yourself in their situation. It’ll get you wondering if something’s going on in your house too…
The Descent
I’m not a fan of caves because it seems to be an easy place to get trapped in – which is exactly what happened in this movie. Watch a group of friends try to survive after they got trapped in an uncharted cave – with monsters.
The movie made me feel like I was there with the ladies. It pulled me in so deeply that when it ended, I feel like I emerged from a dark cave myself. It’s a claustrophobic and terrifying experience. One that I’ve been meaning to experience again!
The Orphanage
Beautifully shot, this movie is a classic house-with-a-history ghost story with a tragedy woven into it. Laura spent part of her childhood in the orphanage. 30 years later, she returns to the long-abandoned orphanage with her husband and young son, with the intention of turning it into a center for disabled children. There, she learns that the orphanage has an ominous secret.
Though it’s a good movie and definitely worth rewatching, I got so upset with how an event unfolded that I’ll not watch it again. If you’ve watched it already, you know what I’m talking about. If you haven’t, well, just know it’s not a happy story.
[Rec]
A reporter, Angela, and her cameraman, Pablo, were following firefighters for a segment of a reality TV show when they respond to a distress call from an apartment building. Shortly after arriving, Angela and Pablo found themselves trapped in a nightmarish situation with no easy way out.
I love how the dread builds up in this movie. It starts off innocently, then the unease of being quarantined and having no way out creeps up on you. Then, things escalate quickly from there, building up to a terrifying ending.
There are a lot of heart-stopping scenes in the movie, but the last moments are so scary-good.
The Cabin in The Woods
This is one of my favorite horror movies because it’s so entertaining. The story starts predictably enough – 5 friends go to a cabin in the woods for a good time together. Then things started to go wrong like they always do in a cabin story. Only you’ll never see what’s coming.
The Cabin in the Woods is an absolute treat for horror-movie lovers. The writers put a fresh spin on an otherwise tired storyline, and the result is a wonderfully mixed experience of fear and excitement. Also, the ending is the cherry on a cake. Fitting, unapologetic, and unforgettable. So good.
The Fly (1986)
A brilliant scientist, Seth Brundle, finds his body changing after an experiment he performed on himself went very wrong. Has anyone not watched The Fly yet? It seems like everyone I know has seen it. It’s such a classic.
More than a monster movie, The Fly takes you on an emotional ride as you watch the main character’s inevitable decline with macabre curiosity. It reminded me of Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis. Damn, I felt so bad for Seth.
Psycho (1960)
Psycho is a classic directed by Alfred Hitchcock, the master of suspense. After her boss instructed her to deposit $40,000 in the bank, Marion Crane decided to steal the money to start a new life somewhere else. While on the run, she made a stop at the now-notorious Bates Motel and made the acquaintance of Norman Bates.
I love the clever use of soundtrack in Psycho. It made the whole movie so much scarier. Interestingly, I felt that Marion Crane’s tension and guilt was almost as nerve-wracking as Norman Bates’ twisted mind. This is an elegantly executed horror movie.
Us
The movie begins with Adelaide as a little girl wandering off to a creepy funhouse by the beach. There, she had a traumatic experience. Years later, Adelaide returns to that beach for a vacation with her family and feels a mounting sense of dread.
Undeniably, horror is a genre full of superficial characters and predictable storylines, but Jordan Peele creates depth in Us through clever uses of symbolism and analogy. If you enjoy a horror movie that makes you think after the credits roll, you’ll enjoy Us.
Also, Lupita Nyong’O delivers a very creepy performance in Us. She’s superb.
Bonus: Shaun of The Dead
Shaun is a regular guy whose life is about to get really eventful with the zombie apocalypse.
Even though this isn’t that scary, I have to add it in because it’s funny! After watching horror movies the entire month, some of you may need a break from the heavier materials. If so, Shaun of The Dead is your best bet.
Sometimes, we all need a movie that doesn’t take itself too seriously to remind us not to do the same with life!
How many movies from this list of highly-rated horror movies for Halloween have you watched? What do you think about them? Let me know in the comments! And Happy Halloween!
If you’d like more recommendations on horror stories, do check out this post for good short stories by Stephen King too!
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It’s so crazy how we have almost the exact taste in horror!! The only two I haven’t seen on the list are The Fly (I’ve heard it’s good, but I’m not good with gore and I’ve heard the movie is pretty gross) and I’ve seen the US remake of [REC] which I think they renamed Quarantine. But I’ve heard the original is superior in every way. I’m so glad someone else likes Paranormal Activity, because I feel like it gets a lot of hate (I think the first three are good, the rest, not so much), while I personally think it’s pretty brilliant. And I still Psycho still holds up! Maybe not in being terrifying, but being well made and being very suspenseful.
Great list, I loved reading your thoughts on these great movies! And I think Lupita Nyong’o deserves SOME sort of nomination, if not award, for her performance(s) in Us!
Emily | https://www.thatweirdgirllife.com
Hi Emily! The Fly may be visually gross, but it actually has a very refined feel to it. I think the gore made the transformation hit us harder. I felt so sad for the scientist at the end of the movie. It’s a story-telling success for sure.
I think I’ve watched both? But I don’t remember Quarantine at all so that should tell you something. I watched the first Paranormal Activity with my friend and we were impressed. I don’t recall how I feel about the second and third, unfortunately. It’s a great excuse for me to watch it if I come across it!
That’s exactly how I feel about Psycho! It’s strangely elegant and I actually enjoyed the conversation the girl had with Norman Bates before he killed her.
That’s more than I can say for many horror movies out there. And I agree that Lupita Nyong’O deserves recognition for that role too, I mean. The way she stared and spoke, I was really creeped out. She looked like a different person!
Thanks for reading and commenting!
I love Sean of the Dead. I haven’t watched Paranormal Activity in years but I wasn’t super fond of it, but the story of how it’s make is inspiring! I’ll have to watch the other movies on this list.
Ash | https://thisdreamsalive.com
Yes! I forgot how low the budget for Paranormal Activity was until I researched it for this post. I hope you’ll find the other movies good and terrifying. 🙂 Thanks for reading and commenting! Sean of the Dead is a gem!
The Cabin in The Woods was a nice twist on the usual horror movie.
Sean of The Dead is just an amazing film and I enjoyed The Descent.
US was okish, wasn’t great, wasn’t bad, but could have been a lot better with a few changes.
But I don’t rate Paranormal Activity at all, that kind of film, the way it’s shot, bores me to death.
Hi! Thanks for reading and commenting! 🙂