It’s October. Time for a little horror.

in Random Crap

It’s October 1st which means that if you’re reading this you survived September, a month that historically wants to eat people.

October is my favorite month because I love horror…books and movies.  It seems counterintuitive since I have an anxiety disorder but with horror I can exercise my nervous energy with things that are mostly unlikely to happen to me as long as the zombie apocalypse doesn’t actually break out.

This month I’m going to try to watch a horror movie every day of October so that means I need suggestions.

Tell me a movie I need to add to my list.  My personal favorites are creepy supernatural, character-driven weirdness, psychological horror, zombies.  Bonus points if it’s on netflix or hulu.

I’ll update this as I add to my list if you want to watch along with me this month.

October 1 – Burnt Offerings (1976)

October 2 – The Witch (2015)

October 3 – Get Out (2017)

October 4 – Carnival of Souls (1962)

October 5 – Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975)

October 6 – Shaun of the Dead (2004)

October 7 – I am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House (2016)

October 8 – Babadook (2014)

October 9 – A Tale of Two Sisters (2003)

October 10 – The Host – (2006)

October 11 – A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night

October 12 – Tucker and Dale vs. Evil (2010)

October 12b – Let The Right One In (2008)

October 14 – What We Do In The Shadows (2014)

October 15 – We Are What We Are

October 16 – Train to Busan (2016)

October 17 – Cloverfield Lane (2016)

October 18 – Troll Hunter (2010)

October 19 – Dawn of the Dead (1978)

October 20 – The Shining (1980)

October 21 – Rear Window (1954)

October 22 – The Invitation (2015)

October 23 – 28 Days Later (2002)

October 24 – The Moth Diaries (2011)

October 25 – The Strangers (2008)  Sorry.  That was too torturey for me.  Let’s change that to The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell (2018)

October 26 – The Apostle (2018)

October 27 – The Changeling (1980)

October 28 – Raw (2016)

October 29 – The Conjuring

October 30 – It Follows (2014)

October 31 – The Haunting of Hill House (2018 tv version)

 

 

 

 

 

 

599 thoughts on “It’s October. Time for a little horror.”

Read comments below or add one.

  1. I love that Burnt Offerings is day one. That movie traumatized my childhood. I love it now.
    My nomination is Happy Birthday to Me

  9. I’m a big fan of the lighter side of spooky month.
    So my suggestions are Hocus Pocus, Practical Magic, and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (inarguably the spoopiest Harry Potter).

    If you want cool silent movie suggestions, the Cabinet of Dr Caligheri is always an excellent choice.

  10. Tucker and Dale vs Evil is on Netflix, and is a fun twist on the genre (that I enjoy, despite my dislike for horror films).

  12. Old Dark House (1932) – My favourite!
    I have many more suggestions… but I will let others chime in.

  14. My mother swears by “The Night of the Hunter” – an old 1940s B&W with Robert Mitchum.

  15. Cockneys vs Zombies, Suspiria, The Tingler (for excellent Vincent price camp), 5 Dolls for an August Moon

    …oh man, let me check my Shudder watchlist, ha

  20. Hereditary, The taking of Deborah Logan, Train to Busan (zombies galore! subtitles) and the Wailing (subtitles).

  21. Burnt Offerings destroyed me as a kid. I’ve watched it as an adult, and it still gives me the same scared kid feelings.

  22. M with Peter Lorre, the original in German with English sub-titles. And TV wise—-“Blink”

  24. My husband says The Innkeepers was one of the creepiest movies he’s ever seen. I personally would recommend Crimson Peak because GdT is a genius and it’s weird Gothic romance cum horror.

  26. Umm… have you seen the Lair of the White Worm from 1988? It’s certainly worth a look… I might even have to watch it again! 😉

  27. Grave Encounters MESSED ME UP and I loved every moment of it. It used to be on Netflix, but I’m sure it’s easy to watch elsewhere! The premise looks cringy and silly, but that is a mask because WOW.

  28. I watched Hereditrary last weekend and it scared the living sh*t out of me. Usually dont spook too easy but that one got to me!

  29. A Dark Song. I saw it on Netflix last October and it still haunts me. Unusual, unique, memorable, creepy.

  32. The remake of Dawn of the Dead, with the fast zombies. I know, that’s cheating in the zombieverse. But that turned the genre on its ear, and imo this is one of the scariest movies I’ve seen. So scary that I’ll never watch it again.

    28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later are also awesome. The theme music still gives me chills. https://youtu.be/i6OtF7daIPM

  36. I can’t stand scary movies… the only ones I’ve seen were way back in teenage years. One that sticks out is Children of the Corn (maybe it’s not too scary, but I’m a wuss!)

  38. The original “Halloween” gave me nightmares, and horror films never give me nightmares.

  40. House of the Devil, It Follows. I loved Hereditary but that one seems to be hit or miss for some people. Also can’t go wrong with Alien/Aliens or The Descent. Though watching both Alien and Descent could make you claustrophobic for a good stretch.

  41. Some that I am making sure to watch this month are: The House of the Devil, Trick r Treat, The Ritual, Creep and Creep 2, Grave Encounters, Gremlins, Zombieland, Nightmare on Elm Street, Shaun of the Dead, Pans Labryinth, Halloween, Evil Dead, Silver Bullet

  47. “What Lies Beneath” with Michelle Pfeiffer and Harrison Ford, from 2000.

    I don’t remember whether or not I liked it, because I don’t think I watched more than a corner of the screen from behind the safety of the neck of my sweater. And that is why it was the last horror movie I ever paid to “see” in a theater. Can’t handle them!

  48. Tucker and Dale vs Evil, Evil Dead, Sinister- the first two are kitschy and fun, the last one creeps me out no matter how many times I’ve seen it

  49. The book, Silence of the Lambs, scared me so much I was never able to watch the movie!

  51. The original Haunting of Hill House, ” The Haunting” with Julie Harris.

  54. I’m going to suggest The Cabin In The Woods, which is scary in a couple of unexpected ways, and 2 new movies just out: one’s called Greta, with Chloe Moretz, and the other is called Mandy with Nicholas Cage–it looks pretty bizarre!

  56. Cat’s Eye – Horror anthology film by Stephen King (1985) 3 stories “connected by the presence of a traveling cat.” The 3rd story, “General,” haunted me for years as a child.

  57. The Visit by M. Night Shyamalan. It is surprisingly good! Of course, the 6th Sense is always good too.

  59. I haven’t seen Children of The Corn, Paranormal Activity, or The Cabin in The Woods (mmm, Chris Hemsworth!) in the comments yet. I second Tucker And Dale Vs. Evil. Both T&DVE and Cabin IN The Woods are great twists on the horror genre.

  62. My husband enjoyed Sinister so much that he watched in a second time within a couple weeks of the first viewing. I opt out of horror movies, as they tend to crank my anxiety up to an uncomfortable level.

  64. I haven’t been watching too many horror movies lately because I feel like these days all they do is make slasher films, which I’m not interested in at all. What’s the point if everyone just ends up dead at the end? I already know what’s going to happen, so why watch?

    If psychological thrillers count, I love Shutter Island.

    And for tv shows, I just started watching iZombie, and I absolutely love it! It’s the perfect fall/Halloween tv show.

  65. The original Frankenstein with Boris Karloff. And The Birds and/or Psycho — can’t do this without some Hitchcock!

  67. I have to say A Quiet Place! No, it’s not gore horror, but it takes the cake for a psychological mindf**k! I was clenched into a ball of terror nearly every second in the theater. It was awesome!

  69. Season of the Witch is running of Showtime. Not too bad unless you don’t like swords and knights.

  70. mother! and Hereditary are creepy AF, but Hereditary isn’t on anything streaming. If you’re afraid of spiders like I am, because a tarantula scuttled across my bare foot when I was 13, watch Arachnophobia, which I believe just came back to Netflix.

  72. The Descent is a great opportunity. I know someone who featured that film in her thesis about “Abyssal Womb Horror.” Amazing.

  73. If you wanna get hung up on a series, amc’s “preacher” is a go to on my list…and not surprised that horror flicks are okay for you. Its all about controlled circumstances. I get nervous too when anything is not under trusted control. Its a great survival mechanism…

  76. For supernatural psychological horror I would recommend Oculus (2013), thoroughly enjoyed it!

  77. 30 Days of Night — a truly GOOD vampire flick. Scary, ugly, definitely NOT romantic vampires. And a love story with a nice ending. The way Danny Huston says the line “No. God.” is everything. Plus, Josh Hartnett. What’s not to love.

  78. I never fully recovered from the constant stream of 70’s & 80’s horror movies I was forced to endure as a child. I still remember going to the drive-in for Halloween, Friday the 13th and Carrie. My least favorite was the Exorcist. There was plenty more like Poltergeist, Nightmare on Elm St, Chucky, Christine, Cujo, Pet Semetary, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Disney cartoon, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Hitchhiker, The Shining, The Omen, Amityville Horror and the ever so lovely Night Stalker and Death Wish series.

  79. My all time favorite as a kid was House on Haunted Hill with Vincent Price. Silence of the Lambs is an adult favorite.

  80. I’ve gotta throw in with “The Shining” crowd. That movie messed with me for YEARS.

    Of course it doesn’t help that my parents letme watch it when I was 4 years old. 70s and 80s parents were a wild bunch.

  81. Did I hear zombies? Because I watched a Korean zombie movie earlier this year called Train to Busan that was absolutely amazing. Its on either Netflix or Hulu. I think Netflix.

  82. Oh! Motel Hell 🙂 My husband and I bonded over the fact that we saw it years apart before we had even met and both love it.

  83. I second “The Babadook”–really creepy, suspenseful, and scary without gore. Terrific movie from Australia.

  84. Wow. It’s horrifying how many horror movies there are. I can’t think of one that I haven’t seen on this list already, unless you’re into REALLY bad “B” movies, in which case my ex-husband forced me to watch “Rubber”. I’m serious – really, really bad B movie about a tire that comes to life. If you watch it and actually like it, please let me know so I can tell him there is ONE other person on the planet that likes that movie. 😀

  85. Session 9.

    Psychological mind-!#@

    My DVD skipped about 2/3 of the way through and my response was “Oh thank god!” I needed a break. And I love horror.

  86. ‘The Mephisto Waltz’ (1971) starring a young Alan Alda. It’s on Prime. Scares the crap out of me every time I see it.

  89. OH, also. Not a movie. But the “Hush” episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Those skeletal, floating men, and the crazy still-in-straightjacket guys? Terrifying. They did a really good job capturing the eerie sadness of a suddenly voiceless world. You don’t need to have been watching the show to enjoy “Hush.”

  90. the book “One flew over the cuckoo’s nest” or the movie ‘Sybil’. i know it isn’t terribly horror-like, but the psychological damage freaked me out as a kid!!!

  91. so, not really a horror film but this one freaked out my preteen self in the early 80s: Watcher in the Woods. It’s a live action Disney film from 1980.

  92. Oh, absolutely Tucker and Dale vs Evil. And What They Do in the Shadows (for more comedy-horror than actual horror). And Masque of the Red Death, with Vincent Price, for real horror.

  93. Happy Death Day was a very pleasant surprise! Sort of a horror version of Groundhog Day.

    Hereditary MESSED ME UP.

    Sleepaway Camp = an absolutely iconic ending.

    Session 9 is a mindeff.

    Phenomena (sometimes found under the name Creepers) stars a young Jennifer Connelly as a girl who can control bugs with her mind and a chimpanzee with a switchblade.

  94. Nope nope nope nopity nope nope. I hate horror. I’ll watch Beetlejuice and Nightmare Before Christmas and that’s about as scary as I get.

    Seconding the Hush suggestion. Such a great episode.

  96. Little Evil on Netflix…. I laughed really hard at this one. Also – Crazyhead on Netflix is great for a laugh… (has nothing to do with actual craziness and a lot to do with demonic possession and bad language…)

  97. This is soooo up my alley ! Here’s mine; Cabin in the Woods, The Decent, Let the Right One In (Swedish version), A Quiet Place, 28 Days Later, The Others, Hush, Quarantine. Pans Labyrinth

  100. I think that you need to cover your binge watching requirements as well and “What we do in the Shadows” would be excellent for this. Also Children of the Corn is terrifying.

  101. I can’t do horror generally, it ramps my anxiety to 11. Hubs does and will probably have some great suggestions. For super creepy TV I’d go with Black Mirror on Netflix if you haven’t seen it. Pretty much any episode will do. As for films, the film that absolutely creeped me out the most in the theater was The Talented Mr. Ripley. Odd choice, I know. But I just sat there staring at the screen after the lights came up and I’ve never been able to watch it since. It’s a movie that proves that he worst monsters are humans and that we can’t tell them from the rest of us.

  103. In re: my above comment: Jennifer Connelly does not control the chimp. That would just be weird.

    Also, I forgot to mention Oculus and (by the same director/writer) Hush, which I loved because I thought it was going to succumb to one of the most loathsome horror cliches and then didn’t.

  105. The new Halloween, where Laurie finally gets her revenge, I’m gonna be there opening day with the biggest bucket of popcorn I can find.

  106. Love the 80’s Lost boys vampire movie. Both Corey’s (Haim and Feldman) are init as kids!

  109. I am not a fan of horror movies, the usually depress me (all that death puts me into an existential funk). But, I do love Joss Whedon and how he can turn a trope upside down. So I recommend Cabin in the Woods. It’s one of my favorites.
    And I also highly recommend Tucker and Dale Vs Evil – super cheesy and funny! Death is always better when we can laugh about it. Although I’m not recommending laughing at a funeral, that is culturally frowned upon… for some reason. I mean I get you shouldn’t laugh AT the dead, that’s not nice. Anywho, those are my recommendations. I hope you enjoy them. 🙂

  113. Silence of the Lambs. Still can’t watch it when it’s dark out.

  114. I usually hate horror, but somehow I love 13 Ghosts(2001), Ghost Ship (2002), and House on Haunted Hill (1999). My husband says it’s because they’re terrible…I prefer campy. He votes for Amityville Horror (2005). For a psych thriller Identity(2003) is good and you should check out an indie film called Deepwater (2003) that was filmed in my home town:)

  116. Scream is one of my favorite horror movies because it doesn’t take itself too seriously. Same with I Know What You Did Last Summer. The Exorcist and The Omen are classics that I saw when they originally came out in the theater and it took me YEARS before I was ready to watch them again. I agree about the “Hush” episode of Buffy. One of the BEST TV episodes ever done. Also Midnight, Texas. TV series, two seasons so far, lots of good stuff – from the same author who brought you True Blood.

    I recently watched The Strangers on Netflix (Scott Speedman, Liv Tyler). Fairly original home invasion movie. DO NOT watch it when you are home alone. I did. :shudder:

  118. 1408 and Identity are two of my absolute favourite horrors! Bonus – they’re both John Cusack movies. I would eat that man alive which now that I think about it would fall under horror and porn, sooooooooo win-win!

  121. Blair Witch. The over the top supernatural stuff doesn’t scare me, because I don’t buy it. But being tired, hungry, cold, and lost in the woods with somebody possibly after you? Yeesh. Being more realistic makes it way creepier for me. (Also, Fatal Attraction for realistic scariness.) And there’s a new season of American Horror Story on Netflix!

  125. ‘Cargo’ definitely. Best zombie movie I’ve ever seen. Netflix critically acclaimed category.

  127. I think the Conjuring is one of the scariest I have seen, but I don’t really like scary movies unless there’s a touch of humor so I like Creepshow and also Goosebumps. Also I remember watching Alien as a kid and being scared to go to sleep for a week!

  128. Ooh – Picnic and Carnival are on my October watchlist, too! Other top picks for this year include Hounds of Love (hulu), Raw (netflix), Thelma (hulu), the 1950s And then There Were None (amazon), the Lodger (filmstruck), Unsane (amazon), Kiss of the Damned (hulu), and a Dark Song (netflix). I’m also planning to catch Bad Times at the El Royale (Drew Goddard! I LOVE Cabin in the Woods) and the new Suspiria in theaters.

  131. The Exorcist. A classic whether you like the pea soup scene or not.

  132. Trilogy of Terror! Only 1 of the stories in the trilogy is scary, but I still have nightmares about it 40 years after 1st seeing it.

  133. Any of The Conguring movies,and their sequels, prequels, and spin-offs. The original Halloween movie from 1978.

  136. If you don’t mind subtitles there’s a good Korean movie called Train to Busan. Was on Netflix don’t know if it still is.

  138. I have an odd one: I Am the Pretty Thing that Lives in the House. It was made by Osgood Perkins and music by Elvis Perkins, children of Psycho’s Norman Bates, Anthony Perkins. Ruth Wilson and Paula Prentiss star. It’s a creeepy time and needs to be watched in a quiet room.

  139. The only scary movie I ever watched in my life was The Birds w Tippi Hendrin.

  141. Definitely “The Descent” and its sequel.
    But I also love an old Richard Chamberlain film from the 1970s called “The Last Wave”. Although corny in places, it has a slow, creeping kind of horror that really got to me when I first saw it.

    And, the original film “The Wickerman”. Not the remake, which in my opinion is a pale imitation of the original.

  142. Tucker and Dale vs Evil and Slither are about as horror-y as I get.
    I don’t know if Pan’s Labyrinth counts as horror, but it sure is creepy.

  143. Uzumaki (2000). Japanese with English subtitles. Graphic novel by Junji Ito turned into movie.

  144. The Changeling (1980 w/ George C Scott).
    The Vanishing (1988 original)
    I Saw What You Did (1965)
    The Orphanage (2007)
    The Lady in White (1988)

  145. Hereditary. Just rented it yesterday and it scared the bejesus out of me.
    Insidious. Scared me so deeply that when I accidentally phoned my sister who I was visiting, hearing her ringtone for me (Bali Hai) almost gave me a coronary.

  146. The exorcism of Emily Rose, the Paranormal Activity movies and Buried. As long as you don’t mind being permanently scarred by movies, that are my top recommendations. Aside from that, Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street!

  147. “The Strangers” and “The Ring” are two movies that messed me UP!! I loved “Get Out” so I’m glad to see that on your list. Have fun!

  148. Burnt Offerings – nice choice! I live about ten miles away from the Dunsmuir House, which was in the movie. It is actually a very nice house with beautiful gardens, but ever since the movie, I always keep an eye on the attic window!

  150. Also, my choice for a good horror movie is Mama. I don’t know why, but it really creeped me out!

  151. Real scary: The Handmaid’s Tale. Romantic Scary: Rebecca both the original movie and the two part series on PBS. Wow scary: Pan’s Labyrinth.

  152. Hands down, the original (1963) “The Haunting,” starring Julie Harris and Claire Bloom. Should scare the shit out of you. Enjoy.

  155. The Messengers starring Dylan McDermott and Penelope Ann Miller; haunted farmhouse action!

  157. The orphanage
    Pans labyrinth
    Shaun of the dead
    The ring (Japanese original)
    The devils backbone
    Nightmare before christmas

  159. I Spit On Your Grave (original and remake), Silent Night Deadly Night and American Mary.

  161. My Favorites for this time of year: Tucker and Dale vs Evil, Practical Magic, certain episodes of Buffy or Angel (the creepiest being Hush), The Conjuring, Ghost Hunt (I watch the anime or read the manga), Nightmare Before Christmas, The Thing, Bell Book and Candle, and The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. I know most of them aren’t super creepy or exactly horror, but they are great for October. Plus I can get my family to watch most of them with me, which is even more fun.

  163. I remember i saw a double feature of Blair witch and Sixth Sense the first time i saw them

  167. Woman in Black is a good haunted house movie and it has Daniel Radcliffe/Harry Potter in it. 🙂 Also, Dial M for Murder is a great classic. The Ring terrified me as a teenager. The Descent is awesome too!

  168. The most terrifying movie I’ve ever seen is Session 9. I haven’t watched it in 10 years, but I remember the whole thing haunting me for years. Not sure if I endorse it or if it holds up, I’m not ready to try it again!

  170. The Omega Man. Watched it in the theater, as a young teen as part of a birthday party. Scared me a lot.

  171. If you can get your hands on it, there’s a movie from 1987 called “Trick Or Treat” and it stars Marc Price, who played Skippy on the show Family Ties. It has cameos by Gene Simmons and Ozzy Osbourne and it is CRAPTACULAR! You need this in your life!

  172. I cannot believe no one has mentioned The Fly. The Fly is on Hulu right now and it has Jeff Goldblum and it needs to be watched right now during October. Come on.

    Also, Tucker & Dale vs Evil. It’s on Netflix. Trust me.

  174. Burnt Offerings scared the crap out of me as a kid. Good choice for day one!
    I would recommend: The Others. Poltergeist (the original). The Descent. The Ring (Japanese version).

  176. So, I second the InnKeepers, It Follows, The Witch, Hereditary, Babadock, Halloween (the original), The Shining, The Descent, What We Do in the Shadows, The Wailing, Alien, You’re Next, Cabin in the Woods, and Happy Death Day.
    Others on my watchlist for October are: We are all still here, Housebound, and The Invitation.

  177. I cannot do horror or psychological thrillers. That said, I loved watching Buffy and own the whole series. I’ll add my vote for Hush (and not only because of Tara, though she is fantastic..) I’ll also suggest Serenity, the movie made from the short lived TV series Firefly. If you don’t know what Reavers are, you’ll either be fascinated to find out, or utterly horrified. If none of that works… uh… the most terrfying thing I can think of is the news. (Only partly kidding..)

  179. Reading through all the suggestions was like a trip down memory land-if it was a dark and scary lane. You are all as twisted as I am. Praise the Lord! I agree with so many of the above…esp. Cabin in the Woods and The Shining. I didn’t think anyone else ever saw The Wave but I loved that when it came out. I noticed Frankenweenie is out now but it is also very sad, and what about Rocky Horror? That must be on the list!

  180. Also have to add The Bad Seed – they are actually remaking it now, but I always like the originals best.

  181. Original Children of the Corn. I wasn’t able to do corn mazes for YEARS. For a quick, light laugh/scare… Toy Story of Terror. 🙂

  182. I can’t do horror movies. I used to — but then I saw Cat People (1982 version). Still creeps me out. Psychological thrillers scare the holy crap out of me, like Scanners. Brrrr.

  185. Don’t Look Now with Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie. Little kids in red coats still freak me out.

  187. You can’t possibly go wrong watching “Interview with a Vampire”

    For extra camp and no scare, watch the movie “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” that predated the show.

  189. Veronica ( Spanish)
    What we do in the Shadows
    6 Souls
    Train to Busan
    Hannibal the series

  194. Oh, and Eli Roth’s ‘Cabin Fever’ Not the 2016 (ish) remake, the original. One of my faves!

  195. The Rite, with Anthony Hopkins. Course, I love Silence of the Lambs. Ooooo The Amityville Horror is good too

  196. Here are some of my weird favorites:
    May (2002)
    House (1977, It’s Japanese and there’s an evil cat!)
    Suspiria (1977)

    Enjoy!

  199. The Watcher in the Woods (Disney 1980), Flatliners (1990), Fallen (1998), Jennifer 8 (1992), The Gate (1987), Child of Glass (1977).

  200. The trailer for Susperia (1977) was the scariest thing I had ever seen. I was 9.

    I’m not sure it would hold up over the years.

  201. HI! so I don’t have a suggestion I just wanted to say that I have read both of your books at least 10 times each, they are my favorites, and that’s saying a lot considering how much I love Harry Potter. I suggest them to EVERYONE. I’m 15, and I don’t usually have time to visit your blog because my rehearsal for the school play usually goes until 8:00 at night and the theatre program at my school is a HUGE deal, so I really don’t have time for anything. I just wanted to say that when I read your books it is the only time when I feel like anyone understands everything I’m going through with anxiety, depression and the like, and I really hope that someday you write another one, because these are the kinds of stories the world needs to hear, kind of messed up, but in the end, good. Thank you.

  202. Hell House LLC! Its the first horror movie in years that squidged me out. There is a growing sense of dread and claustrophobia throughout. Also it’s on Amazon Prime.

  203. The Girl With All The Gifts
    What we do in the Shadows (it’s Campy but so much fun)

  204. I haaaaaaaaate horror movies. I tried to make myself like them last October, when I watched a different classic horror film every weekend. But I don’t like them. Nope.

    This year, I’m watching a different movie from the Mad Max franchise every weekend because I’ve never seen them..like any of them. And I know that as a fully qualified card carrying nerd girl, I need to fix this immediately.

  205. The Witch was a well acted movie but not much of a horror movie. I just found it so sad watching this family break down.

  206. I’ll second The Devil’s Backbone – Guillermo del Toro flick about a boy in an orphanage during the Spanish civil war…very unconventional horror but very unsettling.

  208. I can’t do scary movies, so A Clockwork Orange, seen when it first came out, still haunts me

  209. The Unborn, on Netflix I believe. It surprised me by actually being good. lol

  210. If you are looking for silly horror I highly recommend
    Aaah! Zombies!!
    Zombies of Mass Destruction
    Fido or
    Warm Bodies

  211. The 1963 version of The Haunting, not the terrible remake from 1999, based on the novel The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson.

    The Conjuring 1 and 2

    Sinister

    The Legend of Hell House with Roddy McDowall, from 1973.

    The Legacy, from 1978

    Fear, from 1990

    Cast a Deadly Spell, from 1991

    The Thing, from 1982

    The Exorcist

  212. You must watch ” The Haunting ” original with Julie Harris, ” The Changeling ” with George C Scott, and ” Rosemary’s Baby ” !!! Classics and scary as Hell !!! Ooooh also ” Rear Window ” a great Hitchcock murder/suspense movie !

  213. I just discovered a movie on amazon prime called Hell House, LLC – small budget, nobody well-known, but its a hidden gem, great scary creepy parts!

  214. On a non-zombie note Moose! is great campy low budget horror and as a bonus one of my awesome family members is in this one!!!

  216. My husband says Ju-On is really good and better than The Grudge. I second the suggestion of Crimson Peak. It is beautiful and a classic ghost story. Paranormal is a classic, too.

  217. Other than the Exorcist, which caused me to sleep with the lights on for a year, the scariest movie I ever saw was The Haunting of Hill House . . . the original.

  219. Frailty, Shutter(Thai one), and Mindhunters- ladies love cool James at his best. Ooh, also The Victim (I love Thai horror), with a caveat. The last third of the movie is pretty shit, so when you hear Cut! in the movie, turn it off and treat it like the movie is complete.

  220. The Blob, the 1958 version, was my introduction to horror movies and gave me nightmares for a decade. I don’t think anyone mentioned that one yet. I hear there is a remake, but since I never watched it I can’t vouch for the newer version. Scary movies creep me out and I avoid them like the plague. I’m so proud of you being able to watch them!

  221. “character-driven weirdness”

    The People Under the Stairs. Seriously. This became an immediate October staple for me after my husband showed it to me the first time. It’s got a little taste of everything – suspense, laughs, oddities – but above all, the two main adult characters are just so deliciously batshit insane.

    100% recommend.

  223. First you need to watch the sequel to the 1930’s Frankenstein then watch Young Frankenstein. It is a takeoff from the 1930’s movie. You can also watch them the other way round. Sometimes you just need comedy!

  224. If you’re looking for something short and unusual, check out a no commentary play through of the game P.T.

  229. I actually don’t enjoy horror, but watched the “Woman in Black” as a play in London. It scared me badly, but even scared the the kids who like that kind of thing. A couple years ago it came out as a movie and I couldn’t be in the same room when the commercial came on.

  230. Cabin in the Woods, The Exorcism of Emily Rose, The Conjuring (Netflix), The Ritual (Netflix), Paranormal Activity (Hulu), Hush (Netflix), Veronica (subtitles, Netflix), It Follows (Netflix), The Possession, As Above So Below (Netflix), Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil (Netflix), American Psycho (Hulu), The Shinning, Insidious, The Girl Next Store, Hereditary, It (2018).

  231. I second Tucker and Dale Versus Evil and The Conjuring, coming from someone who spooks easily. I’ll also add Gay Jesus for good measure–a bizarre and offensive cheap horror that is exactly what you’d imagine based on the title.

  233. A couple of obscure oldies from Simone Signoret: from the ‘50’s Diabolique (French but it’s
    available dubbed) and from the late ‘60’s, ‘Games’ where Simone joins James Caan and
    Katherine Ross. Both are psychological thrillers with some serious twists and popcorn
    pitching moments. Diabolique has been redone a number of times but the original is truly
    untouchable.

  234. You gotta follow up Shaun of the Dead with the rest of the trilogy! Hot Fuzz (doesn’t get enough credit) and Worlds End (the weakest of the three). I would add: Black Sheep (New Zealand), Seoul Station (the prequel to Train to Busan), Rainbow and the Serpent, Pontypool, Dead Snow isn’t bad. There is always Planet Terror for some good old fashioned Austin area ‘hey I know where that is’ factor in your zombie movie.

  235. When I was a kid in the 70’s I watched a short film called “Amelia” as part of the Trilogy of Terror. I had nightmares about that little african doll that came to life. When the internet started being a ‘thing’, I remember looking up “scary movie african doll” and was able to find it on youtube. It definitely wasn’t as scary as I’d remembered but would recommend it due to the cheese-factor.

  236. For fans of The Others and the Orphanage, try The Awakening (2011) and Marrowbone (2017).

    My ultimate suggestion for this Halloween: Leigh Whannell’s/Blumhouse Production’s Upgrade (2018). The ending is truly terrifying.

  237. The Other . Not to be confused with The Others with Nicole Kidman. The book, is awesome as well.

  238. Carnival of Souls needs to be watched through the Rifftrax site. In fact, they’ve got a ton of scary movies you can watch on Amazon Prime for free that end up hilarious.

    Other favorites:
    The Others
    The Woman in Black
    The Underworld series, most especially Rise of the Lycons
    Interview with the Vampire
    Queen of the Damned
    The Ring
    The Exorcist is still hands down, the scariest movie ever made
    The original It miniseries
    The Nightmare Before Christmas
    Bad Samaritan (is the scariest psychological thriller I’ve seen in years and frankly, other than The Ring and Exorcist, NOTHING scares me.)
    Lost Boys (only the first one)
    Fright Night with Colin Farrell and David Tennant
    Only Lovers Left Alive
    Crimson Peak
    Let the Right One In
    Legend (Tim Curry’s devil is scary AF)
    House on Haunted Hill with Vincent Price

    And if you need a pallet cleanser: What We Do in the Shadows is the funniest horror movie ever.

  239. Duel (1971, Spielberg’s first movie. Guy chased on lone road by crazy truck driver.)
    Jaws (1975–not horror exactly, but scary and always good for a repeat viewing.)
    Happy Death Day (2017) was great. Great script, really well acted and a lot of fun.

  240. Fright Night! The original but the remake was fund too. Shaun of the Dead, What Lies Beneath and I just started watching Castle Rock on Hulu, pretty creepy so far!

  241. For true ridiculousness, Jesus Christ, Vampire Slayer. I also really like the Dawn of the Dead remake.

  242. Oh, wait, and The Hidden! Kyle Maclachlan as an alien assisting Michael Nouri in hunting another alien. And Hysterical, starring the Hudson Brothers, in which people who get turned into zombies suddenly start wearing turtlenecks and saying “What difference does it make?” (I don’t know why I’m suggesting all these not-really-scary movies. I actually really like legitimately scary movies.)

  245. Here are a couple that are very different from each other but I liked them both:
    April Fool’s Day (1986)
    The Woman in Black (2012)

    My roommates were once talking about what movies scared them as children and they both thought the flying monkeys in the Wizard of Oz were terrifying. My choice was for scary childhood movie was Sound of Music. It had nazis and dancing nuns. :: shudder ::

  246. I get scared pretty easy, like ‘it’s not fun anymore’ scared, so horror movies aren’t usually my thing. I do like some of the classics, though… Play Misty For Me is a totally underrated stalker-type movie. Of course The Shining, and Misery. Children of the Corn was pretty good (the original, most of the sequels suck imo). I really liked The Omen, but I like creepy-kid movies in general… Orphan was another great one in that category.

  249. Stephen King did a B horror movie on purpose and it was hilarious. I vote for Sleepwalkers, of course it helped that there was a woman behind us in the theater that did not understand the humor AT ALL. She kept screaming, best movie out experience ever.

    https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105428/

  250. Poltergeist is a favorite and don’t be afraid of the dark…saw the original as a child and would not enter a dark room for years! Very scary.

  251. The Last Exorcism, The Possession, Mama, and I don’t know if Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil actually counts as horror, but it’s pretty great.

  252. The first horror movie I saw was Asylum. (1972). It scared me immensely. Not the same level of horror movie being made today, but I still get creeped out thinking about it.

  254. The devil’s backbone, the sibling-movie of pan’s labyrinth, which is the best movie ever

  255. My older sister (she was about 13 at the time) watched Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte through the buttonhole of her coat. Like that was going to keep her safe! Ha! Also a good oldie… Whatever Happened to Baby Jane. Bette Davis was great, voice like nails on a chalkboard!

  256. I second Kelly and Geoff’s sentiment: humans are the most terrifying monsters, hence Cape Fear (both the original with Robert Mitchum and the remake with Robert DiNero).

  259. After watching the fantastic “Shaun of the dead,” the third film in the Cornetto series is a must watch- “The World’s End”. All of the “Cornetto Three Flavours Trilogy” films are awesome parodies. “The World’s End” isn’t just an excellent parody of apocalyptic, sci-fi horror, but it’s also simply full of meaning and symbology.
    For anyone who’s already seen it, this analysis is almost shockingly awesome at revealing much of the hidden symbolism and the levels of meaning within the film. (Contains spoilers)https://youtu.be/yDNL137JDhE

  260. …also, I can’t handle much real horror, (with jump scares and chainsaws…ick), but the best psychological horror is “Silence of the Lambs.”
    Also, just saw “The House with a Clock in it’s Walls” at the theatre this weekend and it was fun. (A few plot holes we found afterwards, but still enjoyable.)

  261. The Orphanage, The Others and Rosemary’s Baby…plus The Exorcist as a bonus.

  263. Lady in a Cage. But only if you like campy horror. Early 1960s, starring Olivia de Haviland as a wealthy woman tormented by evil hippies who break into her house where she is trapped in an elevator. James Caan in an early role as lead evil hippie.

  264. The Decent (women in a caving expedition) scariest movie I have ever seen. And also Murder Party. I ran a video store for 15 years, this is one of my super powers, recommending movies.

  266. Salem’s Lot scared the crap out of me as a kid…Also another vote for The Others. Nicole Kidman totally rocked!

  267. Silence of the Lambs. Also I like the list. I can’t stand ‘slasher’ or ‘torture’ horror at all but I do love a good psychological thriller or zombie apocalypse type movie =)

  268. The Innocents (1961) with Deborah Kerr! It’s based on the Turn of the Screw.

  270. Magic with Anthony Hopkins! TERRIFYING Howdy Doody-esque puppet takes over his owner

  271. I am the pretty thing that lives in the house, on Netflix. Directed by Oz Perkins, son of Anthony Perkins. Classic gothic horror.

  272. Cabin in the Woods! Also The Witches of Eastwick, because all of the women in that movie could do way better than Jack Nicholson and the scary thing is THEY ALL STILL BONED HIM.

  274. If anyone is looking for a really good, family-friendly Halloween movie, may I suggest The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966, Don Knotts). I watched it again the other day and was reminded how great it is—filled with old pro character actors from the 60’s. It’s a classic!

  276. Did you know that Lost Boys is considered a horror film? Maybe because of the vampires? But I nominate Lost Boys.

  278. Fright Night! Housemate and I watched it the other day because it has David Tennant, and ended up yelling at the screen about overuse of horror tropes and laughing the entire way through. Very much on the Shaun of the Dead end of the horror spectrum.

  280. I just watched Lavendar and it was really good. American Fable was also really good. Oh and Hide and Seek.
    Although I don’t know if they count, I love Into The Woods and Hocus Pocus and Coraline for some lighter fare : )

  281. Bubba Hotepp. Best. Zombie. Movie. Ever. (Counting Sean of the Dead and Zombieland)

  282. The Cabin in the Woods, Let Me In (or the Swedish original, Let the Right One In), Spider Baby, Salem’s Lot, The Shining, Daybreakers.

  283. Haunter!!! It’s so good although sadly it appears that Netflix took it off. It’s a story of a haunted house, but from the ghost’s perspective. And it was quite scary, but mostly psychologically.

  284. I can always go for “Poltergeist,” which still gives me the heebie-jeebies; but you can’t go wrong with “Shaun of the Dead”! I’d like to re-watch Jeff Goldblum’s “The Fly,” to see if I can get through it without laughing and be properly horrified (it did not help that I was watching it with a special-effects expert). I must always watch “Rocky Horror” during this month, though…

  287. Devil Dog: The Hound of Hell. Campy, ridiculous grade-C film wherein a cult crossbreeds Satan with a German Shepard and chaos ensues.

  288. How about “The Boy” (2016, with Lauren Cohan–Maggie from The Walking Dead). I don’t think anyones mentioned that one yet. I liked it quite a bit.

  290. Mulberry St is really creepy. Most horror movies I’m just amused by. Mullberry St required a nightlight, they got the atmosphere so perfect.

  291. Try Attack the Block. An early alien encounter for new Doctor Who Jodie Whittaker.

  292. The Funhouse (1981). I don’t think anyone’s listed that one yet. Big ‘ole nasty 80’s fun!

  294. For the really campy zombie movie..Zombeaver.. bad, very, very, bad but one of those things you just must absolutely see. Especially if you also need a laugh.
    Melissa

  295. Am I the ONLY person who was scarred by “”It”?! I am a huge Stephen King fan and both the book and movie STILL top any lists. I still can’t handle Tim Curry in any other role…

  296. Session 9–so scary and so creepy. Filmed in an abandoned insane asylum. I want to watch the making of but I’m too scared.

  297. Dracula (1979) – a film in the gothic romantic tradition starring Frank Langella and remake of the 1931 film with Bela Lugosi.
    Van Helsing (2004) – action film only loosely connected to the original Dracula;
    Interview with the Vampire (1994)
    Beetlejuice Release date March 30, 1988 Thirtieth anniversary!
    Night of the Living Dead (1968) George A. Romero
    and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2016)

  298. I’m glad you asked! I’m doing non-spoiler reviews of plenty of horror movies all of this month as I have done for the last few years. I just watched Terrifier on Netflix and it was fantastically creepy but also very gory. The Final Girls is a silly meta-horror movie about teens who get sucked into a campy seventies/eighties horror movie. It’s on Amazon, I think. 1922, a Stephen King adaptation, is also on Netflix and is super psychological.

  300. I love Shaun of the Dead. Maybe throw in some old X Files episodes with monster. I was snowbound in the upstairs apartment of an old farmhouse watching the one where the guy can squeeze his body through any crack to come in and kill people when the local cops showed up at my door because neighbors reported suspicious activity on the property. It was also 1 in the morning. Young Frankenstein to lighten things up? The Grunge freaked me out. I think because they used less CGI in the effects. That noise though! https://possumscatsthingsgnawingatme.wordpress.com/2018/09/29/unicorns-vs-sharks/

  302. Anything from The Conjuring series. Makes you ask important life questions like Why the fuck am I watching the movie alone in the dark?

  303. As Above,So Below, so different, so scary! Therapy For A Vampire is a German horror comedy, subtitled in English. Again, so out of the ordinary. This is my first time being brave enough to comment here, because I am an anxiety-riddled bag of weirdness, but could not resist sharing new horror-ish goodies.

  305. VERTIGO – Hitchcock. Not really hour but AMAZING psychological drama, with a killer twist. Also I love the original Carrie. The ring, It Follows, Babadook. Both Alien and Aliens – skip the other sequels. Just watched Silence of the Lambs again last night.

  306. Does Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog count, or any of the Mystery Science Theaters count?
    Stir of Echoes and The Changeling are the only two horror movies this fraidy cat can stand. And Carrie if she’s got all the lights on.
    I recommend Euthanaughts and She Could Fly in comics if you get tired of TV. A friend of mine would recommend Farm Hand.

  307. Something Wicked This Way Comes (made in the 1980’s, and based on the book that I’m sure you’ve read)
    Hush (recently came out, about a deaf woman living by herself who has to deal with an intruder)
    The Other (a 1970’s movie about twin brothers, really hard to find but worth the hunt)
    The Exorcist III (the one with George C.Scott) has some of the scariest scenes I have ever seen in a movie

  308. Waxwork. Funniest horror movie ever. Watched it in high school and loved it ever since.

  309. And how did I forget???

    What We Do In The Shadows. Absolutely HILARIOUS “mockumentary” about vampires

  311. What about “Devil’s Advocate “ and “7”? You can’t go wrong with lust, greed and the rest of the deadly sins !!!

  312. Things that scared the heck out of me as a kid:
    Trilogy of Terror (1975) with Karen Black. The third story has a creepy Zuni Fetish doll that still haunts my nightmares
    Prophecy (1979) about a mutant bear. My mom laughed so hard at my cousin and I jumping and screaming

    The Prophecy movies with Christopher Walken are pretty good, too.
    Fallen with Denzel Washington is a fantastic suspenseful creepfest.

    A couple of more comedy/horror movies that I love are Zombeavers (worth it for the theme song alone) and Dead and Breakfast (with musically inclined zombies).

  315. The Hunger (with David Bowie), The Thing, Wolfen, ReAnimator+Sequel(s). One of th ReAnimator movies has a zombie cat in it

  319. Dog Sloldiers (British), Black Sheep (New Zealand), House Bound (New Zealand), Treat or Treat, American Werewolf in London and all the Evil Dead movies.

  320. Jake Neely:
    I should preface by saying I’m a horror fan (though not of gore) and i’ve got a lot of newer stuff, since most of the classics were mentioned already. Let me know if you want more. 😄

    Some suggestions (in random order of remembering):

    Backcountry
    the wailing (korean) [psychological]
    it follows (on netflix I think) [creepy supernatural]
    train to busan (korean) (on netflix now!) [zombie and character driver… be prepared to cry!]
    amityville horror (I prefer the newer one)
    the ritual [creepy supernatural]
    hereditary (2018) [character driver]
    pyewacket [psychological/character driven]
    you’re next [character driver]
    the girl with all the gifts [zombie]
    oculus [creepy supernatural]
    the autopsy of jane doe [creepy supernatural]
    the void [creepy supernatural]
    the descent [psychological and character driver and supernatural]
    It (new one)
    backcountry [character]
    28 days later
    behind the mask: the rise of leslie vernon [character] it’s a mockumentary
    the blair witch project
    nightmare on elm street
    the evil dead (newer one)
    the ring
    it comes at night [psychological]
    happy death day [character]
    killing of a sacred deer [psychological]

  321. Young Frankenstein (for laughs) and The Haunting of Hill House (original one, creepy, unseen horror)

  323. Poltergeist 1, 2, and 3. The best was Poltergeist 2 with the Native American Medicine Man.

    There is a curse on the making of the movie where several of the characters including Carolanne actress died during the making of the movie!

  324. The Others.
    Nicole Kidman 2001

    Dracula with Gary Oldman.

    Stranger things, if you want movie length just watch 4 episodes at a time.

    I really enjoyed Constantine with Keanu Reeves. More than I thought I would.

    Jacobs Ladder. Hard to watch this one The old version. Obviously haven’t seen the 2019 version yet.

  325. The original “Black Christmas” with Olivia Hussey and Margot Kidder.

  326. The Babadook. Descent. It Follows. And check out some Korean horror, like The Host or Thirst. Korean horror movies area awesome!

  327. Its not scary but can you add “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” because its just an awesome movie to watch this time of year. And everyone needs some Charlie Brown in their life.

  328. The Haunting of Hill House (the 1959 original, not the remake). Better yet, read Shirley Jackson’s novel – which has been called the most literary ghost story of the 20th century.

  329. Oooh, seconding the original Flatliners and Mindhunters (it’s kinda bad but with an amazing cast – LL Cool J, Christian Slater Val Kilmer, Johnny Lee Miller) for psychological horror.

    Kingdom of the Spiders, 1977. Exactly what it says on the tin. I saw it when I was about 8 and it TERRIFIED me. And I’m not talking about William Shatner’s acting.

  330. Are you open to campy horror or B-movies? I’d suggest Night of the Lepus or Killer Clowns From Outer Space… or it could be a good excuse to see if that movie about the killer car tire is all it’s cracked up to be.

  331. I tend to avoid horror movies because they really get into my head and leave me freaked out for days afterwards – but I don’t mind the spoof ones that I can laugh at like “Shaun of the Dead” – I’ll definitely rewatch that one this month. There’s a couple of really good New Zealand ones along those lines: “What we do in the shadows” – a mockumentary about a sharehouse of vampires – and “Housebound.” I do however love Hitchcock’s movies: “The Birds”, “Psycho” and “Rear Window” are my favourites. I was really surprised to find out that Daphne Du Maurier wrote the story that the movie of “The Birds” is based on. Her novel “Rebecca” is gorgeously haunting and the black and white movie version is awesome. I’d also suggest “Crimson Peak”, “Pan’s Labyrinth” and “Sleepy Hollow.”

  332. We don’t do much scary movie viewing since all the women folk are way too anxious
    (I’m one of them). But stumbled across “Satan’s Little Helper” a couple of years ago. It’s a comedy sort of horror. Totally ridiculous. Last year my two high schoolers watched on YouTube and loved it. We are determined to bring dad into the fold this year.

  337. Martyrs (original French version)
    It sticks with you long after you’ve watched it.

  338. Boo! I teach a film class called Reading the Movies, and I show the following scary movies (because they are horror multiplied by eek multiplied by I will shut my eyes and ears on that part…) Twilight Zone Episode: It’s a Good Life (scary kid); Amityville Horror (new one with clip of the original fly/priest scene; Psycho; Psycho Three; Alfred Hitchcock Presents Episode: Lamb to the Slaughter (oh my my!); The Shining; Silence of the Lambs (just when I thought I was done with sheep);

    I don’t show these because they are too damn scary for ME: Sybil; It; Seven (can’t express how much fear I have of this one); Mommy Dearest; Carrie (original); Children of the Corn (“They want you too, Malachi); The Omen; Misery.

    Hope you score some good screams and whim whams!

  339. Hell House LLC, Grave Encounters, Phobia 2, We Go On, Ghost Stories, Tragedy Girls… Scary movies make me feel like my life isn’t so bad.

  340. DUDE. I am so going to raid this list. What about campy? “Tucker and Dale vs Evil” or “Cabin in the Woods”? I thought “The Others” was excellent and very scary. And “Paranormal Activities” was so scary I seriously strained my bladder, because there was an attic door in the ceiling of the bathroom, and there was NO WAY I WAS GOING IN THERE.

  341. I remember thinking that “The Frighteners” (horror/comedy with Michael J Fox) was a lot of fun and really underrated. I’d like to give that one another look since it was an early Peter Jackson movie. Curious to see how it holds up…

  342. Pontypool, The Descent, Sinister, Last House On The Left, Orphan, The Autopsy Of Jane Doe

  344. Houses October Built 1 & 2. “Found footage” films that scared the willies out of me. Unless you are freaked out by clowns in which case, avoid at all costs! 🙂

  345. Shadow of the Vampire (2000) is a brilliant What If study on the making of the first big-hit vampire movie, Nosferatu. Event Horizon (1997) – sci fi psychological thriller-horror with some gore. In The Mouth of Madness (1994) still haunts me even though I’ve only seen it once; it’s a mind-trip of horror and brain-terror. Ironically, those last two (which have stuck with me forever despite only one viewing) both starred Sam Neill. I dunno. Dr Grant scares me? XD

  353. It’s always a good idea to contrast the taste of terror with Halloween staples like Arsenic and Old lace or Hocus Pocus to remind us not to take anything too seriously. That said, there is a new film coming out this season entitled, “Teeth”. It’s about a woman with teeth in her vagina. The trailer made me giddy with delight. It sounds all sorts of awful and fantastic!

  354. John Carpenter’s Vampires.
    Does Constantine count? Probably not but I love it anyway.
    Rare Exports.
    Trollhunter (Norwegian version)
    Let the Right One In

  355. Noferatu with Klaus Kinski. So creepy.

    Also, just read Sunshine by Robin McKinley. Vampires with a twist. One of my favorites.

  356. Mega-campy zombie movie: Peter Jackson’s “Dead Alive” (made before “The Frighteners”). There’s a lawnmower involved, and it has nothing to do with mowing the lawn…

    Up-voting other suggestions:

    “M” (Fritz Lang, 1931; Peter Lorre’s break-out role, and a master class in how to maintain suspense with a shockingly primitive cinematic vocabulary by today’s standards)

    Alien/Aliens – the definition of “high-octane nightmare fuel”

    Any one of the “Evil Dead” series (E.D., E.D. II, Army of Darkness). Bruce Campbell rules!

    Hitchcock – “The Birds”. But you must watch the original trailer for it first (on YouTube). It’s a masterpiece!

    The Tingler – campy 1950s, Vincent Price, what’s not to like about that?

    1970’s classics: The Exorcist (is it weird that I have a craving for split pea soup now?); The Shining. (Bonus: afterward, watch The Simpsons episodes which parody them)

  357. Here’s a couple lesser known ones:
    Mute Witness (1995) about a makeup artist accidentally locked in her building after work, trying to escape a killer. Great movie.
    and
    My Bloody Valentine (1981 original). Haven’t seen it in a while, but I remember it being scary fun in that way that 1980’s horror movies are.

  361. Not mentioned yet (I think):

    The Night Stalker (the original TV-movie, not the later TV series).
    The Uninvited (1944): classic haunted-house movie with Ray Milland
    The Abominable Dr. Phibes with Vincent Price
    Brides of Dracula (my favorite Hammer vampire movie)
    The Body Snatcher (1945): Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, grave-robbing

  362. The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell. Not a horror flick but I thought of you when I saw it.

  363. It follows, also Monster House (I know it’s not scary, but I love watching it every Halloween)

  364. The Wolfen was a book my older sister made me read as a kid. I slept with a nightlight for a month after I read it. It was made into a 1981 crime/horror/paranormal movie but I never watched it. Couldn’t bring myself to.

  365. If you can find it, Paper House is haunting and creative. Inland Empire is the scariest Lynch in my mind. And the first episode of the first season on Channel Zero is some of the best TV horror I’ve ever seen.

  367. When A Stranger Calls-1979 version though, not the 2006 remake. I first watched this right about the time I started babysitting as a teenager and it definitely freaked me out a little but I loved it and have watched it over and over. Also, I love that you are watching Shaun of the Dead on the 6th, it’s another one of my favorites and you’re watching it on my birthday!

  368. Watcher in the Woods. It’s a Disney movie with Bette Davis. They had to change the ending because the original ending was so wacky.

  369. How long’s it been since you watched “The Sixth Sense” it’s on ye old NF and I just re-watched it to see if I still needed to put round finger-cages over my eyes. Made it through but still plenty stylish and scary.

  370. Invasion of the body snatchers with Sutherland. Misery with, um….an amazing actress…God can’t think of her name.

  371. Any of the Abbott & Costello monster movies
    The Dark Secret of Harvest Home
    Fall of the House of Usher with Vincent Price
    Anything with Vincent Price
    Night of the Living Dead
    The Devil’s Advocate
    The Omen movies
    The Exorcist
    The Exorcism of Emily Rose

    Sweet Dreams, Jenny!

  372. Have you seen “Magic” with Anthony Hopkins? It terrified me as a kid. Also, I’ve hated ventriloquist’s dolls and dolls in general ever since. It’s creepy as fuck.

  373. So many comments: I can’t read them all (apologies for any double up)
    I vote for The Babadook: it is terrifying and it stars Essie Davis, who also plays the wonderful Phryne Fisher (if you don’t know her, you simply MUST make her acquaintance (the books, by Kerry Greenwood, are much richer than the TV show)
    Regarding Picnic at Hanging Rock, I’m not sure if you mean the 1970s film or the recent remake. Either way, the “ending” was released as a novelette years after the original book. Worth reading both.

  374. The Strangers scared me silly. I grabbed the legs of my 2 friends that I was sitting in between at a really well earned jolt and left marks. Also, The Ring made me kick off my shoe in a theatre because I was scared. And FWIW, the two-part episodes of Doctor Who’s The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit were deeply unsettling. I’m kind of a horror chicken.

  375. The Haunting (from the Shirley Jackson story, The Haunting of Hill House), and Fallen (bonus–Denzel Washington!)

  376. Vincent Price Vincent Price Vincent Price!!
    The Last Man on Earth (Vampire Zombies)
    House on Haunted Hill
    Pit and the Pendulum

    The original The Fog
    Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things
    Evil Dead movies

  377. Borgman (2013, weird, unsettling, Dutch). The Devil’s Backbone (2001, gothic, Spanish, Guillermo del Toro).f

  378. Nosferatu was really creepy for me. I think the fact that it’s a silent movie just adds to the creepiness. If you’re in the mood for something cheesy, What We Do In the Shadows is a spoof on the whole vampire/werewolf genre.

  380. I have to join with “The Shining” and “The Birds” – But if you want realistic terror – Wait Until Dark with Audrey Hepburn:aka the movie that always makes me scream.

  381. Glad to see Paranormal Activity in here. The sequels may be superfluous given the quantity of decent movies available and limited days in the month. Really I think October needs to absorb September; it just makes sense.

  383. A movie from the U.K., called Severance. It is at times scary, and at times funny. Very good horror movie.

  385. 13 Ghosts. Or the Swedish film: Let the Right One In.
    Note: If you watch The Shining, it has to be the Jack Nicholson version. And if anyone suggests The Babbadook DO NOT WATCH IT!! (I get the heebie jeebies just typing the title)

  387. Okay if you like psychological thrillers A Cure For Wellness, Clinical, and Dream House are really good. Two of my other personal faves are the Babadook and Mama.

  388. Another vote for Crowhaven Farm. It’s been almost 50 years since I watched it and it still gives me the creeps.

  389. The Shining (1980)
    The House on Haunted Hill (1959)
    Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
    The Sentinel (1977)
    The Woman in Black (2012)
    The Haunting (1963)
    Psycho (1960)
    Les Yeux Sans Visage (Eyes Without a Face) (1962)
    The Birds (1963)
    The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945)

  393. American Werewolf in London (1981)
    Fright Night (1985, not the dreadful remake)
    Darkness Falls (2003)
    Jeepers Creepers (2001)
    Murder by Death (1976)
    Slash (2002)
    Stay Alive (2006)
    The Crow (1994)
    The Haunting of Helena (2012)
    The Monster Club (1981)
    The Tooth Fairy (2006)

    A few (short) series worth a look include Slasher, Harper’s Island, Dead of Summer, and Bedlam.

  395. Suicide Kings is more of a psychological suspense thriller, but it is AMAZING. It has an all-star cast (Christopher Walken, Dennis Leary, Johnny Galecki, Jay Mohr, Sean Patrick Flannery, and Jeremy Sisto),a simple premise, and twists that keep you guessing until the end. Throughout, you keep changing your mind on who really is the “good guy” here. I couldn’t stop thinking about this movie for DAYS after I first saw it. It really sticks with you.

  397. The Girl With All the Gifts, which is on Netflix. Sort of horror, sort of not, but definitely zombies.

  398. Hell House LLC and Hell House LLC: The Abadon (I think I spelled that right), are on Amazon Prime. Surprisingly good, low budget movies. The Babadook and Happy Death Day are very good too.

  399. The conjuring 1 & 2
    Insidious 1
    Anabelle 2 (forget the one!)
    Constantine
    It 1 & 2 (a preference for the old version)
    The Rocky Horror Picture Show
    The Craft
    Carrie
    The witches of Eastwick
    Beetlejuice
    The Frighteners
    Heredity
    Sinister
    Blair Witch
    Nightmare before Christmas

  400. I really don’t like scary movies, I almost never able to get over the suspension of disbelief. Having said that, “What We Do In the Shadows” makes me cry with laughter. It’s brilliant, soup to nuts.

  402. An Anthony Hopkins movie from 1978 – Magic. It also stars Ann-Margaret. I saw this one in 1978 and it still is with me. The first Saw movie – only the first one.

  403. So many great recommendations here! Silence of the Lambs, Rosemary’s Baby, Se7en, and The Shining are the pinnacles of the genre for me.

    And, as a few other commenters have listed above, I was pleasantly surprised the 2009 movie The House of the Devil and by the 2015 The Invitation. THotD is excellent for horror fans b/c it replicates the feel of 70s/80s horror (they filmed it using technology and techniques from that era) and has a lot of throwback elements, as well as great 80s setting and music. And The Invitation is embodies the “slow burn” as well as “character-driven weirdness,” as you say.

    If you haven’t seen The Witch yet, you are in for a treat. There’s really been a resurgence in great horror films recently, and I love it. Yay October!

  404. How about some Rob Zombie? House of 1000 corpses or The Devil’s Rejects. Good Times!

  408. How about a Tim Burton movie? I love Nightmare before Christmas but you could go for Corpse Bride … or just a good ole Beetlejuice

  409. If you’re going to watch Sean of the Dead, then you should also watch At World’s End.

  412. The Babadook (2014) and if you would like a zombie film more sweet than scary, Fido (2006)

  413. Under the Shadow – an Iranian horror film on Netflix. Character driven, surprisingly creepy, not bloody at all. I loved it.

  418. The Exorcist of course, classic. And for horrible camp ‘let’s scare jessica to death’

  420. “Let the Right One In” (Netflix but maybe not now but rent it from Amazon if you can)
    “What We Do in the Shadows” (a guaranteed antidote to any vampire movie, also Amazon)

  422. The Haunting of Hill House (1963 NOT 1999)
    Coraline (Tim Burton)
    Sorry to Bother You
    so many already mentioned

  423. I wish I could enjoy horror films. I used to at least be able to cover eyes and plug my ears but that ended this year. 🙁 I will say that “Stir of Echoes” was decent. I don’t think Hocus Pocus counts. Although when I was kid- “Something wicked this way comes” used to scare me. lol I’m kinda a pansy. lol

  425. If any on your list are on Netflix or Hulu could you add that to the list as you update so we know where to find them? Thanks!

  428. Blood Simple. Nosferatu (w/Max Schreck). (Don’t have time to read everyone else’s suggestions, so don’t know if it’s already been said.)

  429. Just watched Winchester on Netflix. Supposed to be inspired by real events. It is definitely character-driven and interesting. Think you will like it.

  431. The Others
    Dead Again
    and Bound (which isn’t “halloween” at all, but does get my heart racing)
    those are my favorites.
    For fun I like to throw in campy “halloween” type movies that are not actually scary; like Young Frankenstein and Love at First Bite.

  432. Dead again, Dead Calm, The Hitcher with the warning that the latter will ruin french fries for you for a long time

  435. Frailty (2001) by Bill Paxton and Devil’s Backbone (2001) by Guillermo del Toro

  436. I am very much NOT a horror movie person. I’m close enough to the experience of “ghosts/demons/etc” in real life, so no need to feed the fear. Also, the brain has no way to differentiate between what you’re seeing on the screen and what’s actually happening to you, so to amp up my nervous system like that is not my cup of tea. Stick me in with the happy bunnies and sunshine and rainbows crowd. However, I will say that Minority Report (Tom Cruise from 2002) was close enough to a horror movie that it has disturbed me these past 16 years as I’ve watched all the technology in that movie jump off the screen into everyday existence. How long until the media announces someone accused of a crime they haven’t yet committed? Hmm.

    Come on, people. The call is coming from inside the house. (When a Stranger Calls – 1979)

  437. The Legend of Hell House; The Uninvited (1944, with Ray Milland); The Haunting (1963 version); The Others. I love a good haunted house story!

  439. Before I Wake ( 2016) and Hush ( 2016) both are very suspenseful/ eerie and you can find both on Netflix. Even if you don’t add them to your list to watch this month ( because I am late to the party and you have a multitude of suggestions) I hope that you still find time to watch them ( if you haven’t seen them already)

  441. “Mandy” (rented it on Amazon). Best Nicholas Cage movie ever, possible exception of Moonstruck. (But since Cher is the star, not quite the same thing). Very gory. Two words – Chainsaw Fight. I read it described as a heavy metal concept album in film form, and that’s spot on.

    Second nomination for “What We Do In Shadows”. It’s comedy/horror in the guise of a documentary.

  442. Tremors! From 1990. How can you resist a campy horror flick that begins with Kevin Bacon peeing into a canyon and features giant murderous worms? Tremors also includes Reba McEntire and Michael Gross as survivalists fighting the invaders with their entire arsenal screaming about how the worms “broke into the WRONG GODDAMN REC ROOM!”

  445. A lot of what is recommended isn’t in line with the genre you said you liked. Based on your description, I would recommend The Pretty Thing that Lives In the House, Devil’s Backbone and/or Orphanage (both Guillermo del Toro), Rec, It Follows, and Tale of Two Sisters.

    I would love it if at the end of October you would post the movies you watched!!

  446. “Horrors of the Black Museum” (1959) scared the piss out of me when I was 11 years old. Our dad used to take my brother and me to every horror film that came out, and this one ruined both of us. If we slept at all afterwards, we slept sitting up, and to this day I still haven’t looked thru a pair of binoculars. Now I understand that it’s kind of a campy movie, but after almost 60 years, I still have absolutely no desire to watch it again. Neither does my brother.

    Also “Eye of the Beholder” on Twilight Zone (1960). We convinced our elderly babysitter to let us stay up and watch it–and then spent the night crying and frightened out of our wits.

  447. Identity with John Cusack, Amanda Peet. I like the psychological twist in it. Also, 1408 was kinda good (another John Cusack.) I’m not some crazed John Cusack fan really, just all my other suggestions were already spoken for.

  448. The whole Puppet Master series. They get campy, but definitely nightmare territory. The original Phantasm is a classic. And the movie that scared the crap out of me as a kid – “One Dark Night”.

  449. Hulu has a whole section on Horror. I’m intrigued with the foreign films on the list. Are they scarier than our horror?

  450. Tucker and Dale Vs Evil. Its a horror comedy staring the brilliantly funny Alan Tudyk and Tyler Labine. It won’t be what you expect, and you’ll have fun watching it.

  452. “It” by Stephan King. And any of the “Saw” movies. Oh, and also “The Exorcist.” I couldn’t drive home from my friend’s house without constantly checking my back seat after I watched just a little part of it. Apparently I have a great fear of becoming possessed.

  457. Train to Busan – a South Korean zombie masterpiece available On Amazon…maybe netflix, not sure. Highly, HIGHLY recommend. for realsies.

  458. Crazyhead on Netflix. More super fun than scary, and a series, not a movie (only one season). British demon-fighting twentysomethings.

  459. I don’t know why but these are some of my MUST watch October movies: Close Encounters of the Third Kind, any Harry Potter Movie, ET, Goonies, The Shining, Hocus Pocus, Beetle Jucie, The Witches, The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, Gremlins, The Lost Boys, Poltergeist…. just to name a few 😊

  461. The House at the End of Time. Totally suspenseful, not gory. Foreign with subtitles. Amazing!

  463. Audition. Japanese man auditions girls to be his girlfriend. And of course, doesn’t get what he expected. With subtitles. Japanese horror rules.

  464. The Omen. Scariest movie ever made. I also like someone’s suggestion of Hocus Pocus. Oct 31. Amuck amuck amuck

  470. The Haunting of Hill House (original)
    13-Ghosts (original)
    The Birds
    Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte
    Psycho
    The Blob (original)
    The Exorcist
    The Ring
    The Conjuring
    Fallen
    Fun – Rocky Horror
    Fun – Ghost and Mr. Chicken
    The Shining
    Wait Until Dark (Audrey Hepburn)

    I’m sure there’s more! Enjoy!
    https://bookbuzz.me

  471. The Others
    The Shining
    The Omen
    Alien
    Aliens
    Altered States
    Let The Right One In (the original, not the U.S. remake)
    Brainstorm
    Carrie
    Coma
    Jaws
    The Sixth Sense
    The Ring
    The Fly (the Goldblumiest)
    The Village
    Children of the Corn
    Rosemary’s Baby

  473. The People Under The Stairs. 37 year olds who were at my 12th birthday party will still bring that up first thing if they see me.

  474. “Mothman Prophecies”
    “12 Monkeys”
    “From Dust Till Dawn”
    “In the Mouth of Madness”
    The Original “Texas Chainsaw Massacre”
    “Pan’s Labyrinth”

  475. Trilogy of Terror scared the pants off me as a kid. I thought it was only me until I read recently how much it terrified others.

  476. I just want to say I love you Jenny for posting this. I am taking care of my husband who had multiple surgeries yesterday-UPPP, sepotoplasty, and a paploma removal in the back of his throat. This post is going to be good fun for the hubs and I to refer to while he recovers for the next few weeks. Thank you!!!

  477. It’s a comedy I know, but The fearless vampire killers is one of my favorite. Also, I recently found The ritual lately on Netflix and it is pretty good!

  478. Shadow of the vampire, A fantastic fear of everything, The Rocky horror picture show.

  479. Slither! After all the horror the last song will make you laugh out loud! Pan’s Labyrinth and Crimson Peak are pretty good stories too.

  480. We just did 1922 on Netflix (or maybe Hulu?) any way. Creepy! I told me husband it’s a cautionary tale in case he was getting any ideas. 😂

  481. Don’t Ask me. The scariest I can do is “Young Frankenstein” and “Abbott & Costello meet the Wolfman”. I get a little creeped out but enjoy the music watching the latest version of “The Phantom of the Opera”–part horror, part musical, part comedy (Minnie Driver!)!

  482. If you don’t mind a high tension movie (with some gore) and subtitles, I cannot recommend “High Tension” highly enough (in French, set in rural Quebec, but with English subtitles.) You can make a nest on the couch if you want to watch it, but you’ll only need the edge of the seat!

  485. Ok, I had never seen Burnt Offerings before but that was creepy and campy! I apologize but when Bette Davis became bed ridden didn’t she look like the alien in Alien Autopsy?
    The Witch was frightening! I am marred for life!

  487. HAs anyone mentioned Psycho? It doesn’t get much creepier than that. Ooh, ooh, and the Chuckie films?

  488. Dead Snow (2009) – nazi zombies in Norway, plus it’s got some great music
    Watcher in the Woods (1980) scared me as a kid
    Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)
    Let the Right One in (2008) Swedish horror
    [Rec] (2007) – Spanish zombies
    Trollhunter (2010) – big trolls in Norway

    yes my hubby and I like foreign horror films.

  489. Newer pick: I finally watched “Under the Skin” (Netflix) and holey moley what an excellent creepfest it was!! The mumbly dialogue made me use captions, but the chit chat didn’t clarify anything anyhow.

    Retro picks: I’ll second “Let’s Scare Jessica to Death” (Amazon prime)

    Completely campy bonkers retro pick: “Castle of Blood” 1964 (Amazon prime). Barbara Steele and lesbian zombies? Yes!!

  490. The Orphanage (Spanish: El Orfanato) is a 2007 Spanish horror film and the debut feature of Spanish filmmaker J. A. Bayona. The film stars Belén Rueda as Laura, Fernando Cayo as her husband, Carlos, and Roger Príncep as their adopted son Simón. The plot centers on Laura, who returns to her childhood home, an orphanage. Laura plans to turn the house into a home for disabled children, but after an argument with Laura, Simón goes missing.

    The film’s script was written by Sergio G. Sánchez in 1996 and brought to the attention of Bayona in 2004. Bayona asked his long-time friend, director Guillermo del Toro, to help produce the film and to double its budget and filming time. Bayona wanted the film to capture the feel of 1970s Spanish cinema; he cast Geraldine Chaplin and Belén Rueda, who were later praised for their roles in the film.

    The film opened at the Cannes Film Festival on May 20, 2007, where it received a standing ovation lasting more than 10 minutes. It received critical acclaim from audiences in its native Spain, winning seven Goya awards. On its North American release, The Orphanage was praised by English-speaking critics, who described the film as well directed and well acted, and noted the film’s lack of “cheap scares”

  492. The Houses October Built. This is a super low budget Netflix Horror film. It started as an actual documentary about the scariest haunted houses in the country. Friends go on a trip to explore them. Part way through production of this movie the creators of paranormal activity reached out to them and with this collaboration it became a fictional movie with real footage and some factual information about all of these haunted houses. Thats exactly what makes it scary. The element of like how much of this movie is real and how many of these people are real creepy people

  494. Sorry I didn’t read all 492 comments to see if it’s already been suggested, but I love “The Changeling” – 1970-something with George C. Scott

  495. I guess I’m late to the party, but here are 2 I’ve never completely recovered from:
    1. Seizure! 1974, Jonathan Frid, Herve Villichaize, directed & written by Oliver Stone. Author finds his recurring nightmares coming to life. 2. The Devils. 1971, Vanessa Redgrave, Oliver Stone, Witch-hunts and hysteria in 17th century France, from a novel by Aldoux Huxley. Both are hard to find, though.

  496. They Look Like People (on Netflix) is a psychological horror film that really stayed with me while watching.

  497. Anything with Vincent Price. They are hilarious old horror movies if you’re in to Black and white.
    Would you rather Is on Netflix

  498. Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? (Oldie but goodie with Bette Davis and Joan Fontaine.

  499. Any of these Guierillmo Del Toro: The Orphanage, Cronos, The Devils Backbone, Pan’s Labrynth

    The Changeling

    Let the right one in (the original crazy not the American one)

    Dead Snow

    A Tale of Two Sisters (Korean)

  500. Adding another vote for The Others, which I saw in an early comment. Also, I’ve heard Let Me In and Let the Right One In are great (always been too scared to watch).

  501. I’m a more funny-than-scary-but-still-slightly-creepy fan so every year part of our October movies are:
    The Ghost & Mr. Chicken
    Arsenic & Old Lace
    Sleepy Hallow

    For anxiety inducing he-knows-that-we-know stuff “Rear Window” is great & the modern version “Disturbia” is pretty good, along with Tom Hanks highjinks in “The Burbs”. “The Quiet Place” is good. “Death trap” is pyschological fun with the bonus of both Christopher Reece & Michael Caine. While a kid’s movie, “The House With The Clock In It’s Walls” is good fun with some creepy to it, but pretty PG. And on the PG front, you’ll do no better than “Wallace & Gromit’s Curse of The Were-Rabbit”! I know, I’m a wimp. Lol. I’m a “It’s the Great Pumkpin, Charlie Brown” gal at heart.

  502. Two you absolutely do need to watch are The Innocents and The Haunting, both the original early 60’s versions

  503. I was so excited to see the very first comment recommended Happy Birthday to Me! One of my all time favorites! So I’m seconding that. Also, you can’t go wrong with Vincent Price–maybe an Edgar Allan Poe. My brother and I always loved The Pit and the Pendulum. For other options: https://www.imdb.com/list/ls020636791/.

  505. Hi Jenny! I love this blog, because I also have severe anxiety and yet I obsessively watch movies about demons, which scare the shit out of me. I think I do it because it’s the only time my anxiety feels valid. It pulls me out of my own obsessive worrying about my life and provides a real platform to express those feelings in a healthy way. 😉

  506. When you need a break from the scary stuff, try Tucker & Dale v. Evil and So I Married an Axe Murderer. 🙂

  507. Classic horror/suspense: “The Other” (1972), “The Bad Seed” (1956) and my favorite, “The Night of the Hunter” (1955). So, so good.

  508. Not so much horror, but definitely a great Halloween movie: Trick ‘r Treat (2007), NOT Trick or Treat (1986), which I have not seen but may also be a good movie?

  509. Halloween is my fav of all time. I also liked night of the comet, binge watch the paranormal activity movies in order. it’s alive and house on haunted hill (the original). If you like Zombies go check out the walking dead walkers team for the heart walk in Austin. We walk as zombies…..

  510. I recently watched the movie Annihilation. I wasnt a big fan of the book, but I thought the movie was great! There was one scene that as I was watching it I thought, “Well, this is going pop up in my head when it’s dark and I’m alone for a long time!”

  512. I’ve gotta echo the five people who mentioned it before me: Crimson Peak is gorgeous.

  513. I can’t do scary movies (very vivid imagination in the dark), but I love Halloween movies. Addams Family movies are my faves, also Zombieland, basically anything directed by Tim Burton.

  516. I have watched many of the movies suggested here – I’ve always been a sucker for horror movies and they usually don’t bother me. Two exceptions: Sinister and The Conjuring (but only the Annabelle part – I won’t watch her spin off movie!).

  517. Check out the podcast Terror and Tacos- it’s a fantastic podcast about horror films (and tacos), and they’ve done 2 episodes about their favorite fall/October movies.

  520. Event Horizon. Saw it almost 20 years ago and am getting goosebumps thinking about it for the first time again.

  521. Late to the game, and I don’t like horror, BUT you should know about snagfilms. They have free streaming films – an odd mix of things really. But they do have a horror category as well as cult classics: https://www.snagfilms.com/categories

    Thought you would appreciate free horror options. Seems there is some pretty odd things in here.

  522. Freeway: Totally terrible tongue in cheek B type movie with Reese Witherspoon and Kiefer Sutherland in a modern day Big Bad Wolf mashup