Immediately after writing my last post on 5 Horror Movies to Get You in the Halloween Spirit, I thought of a bunch of other can’t-miss horror movies. How could I just leave these off the list? Really, the problem is there’re just so many great horror movies out there. You can’t put even your own favorites in one little list.
So, here’s the next installation of horror movies you just should check out to get in the holiday spirit. Of course, I already have a third list in mind. But I’ll post that one shortly.
Until then, check these out.
The Conjuring (James Wan, 2013)
Often, it seems like all the big horror franchises can be traced back to a great first film. The Conjuring, to me, is a prime example of just this. If you watch the rest of the films in The Conjuring Universe, there are a few good ones and a lot of meh films. But this first film is gold. To me, the draw and excitement surrounding the whole franchise is dependent upon the strong foundation created in this film. It presents such a great story and offers so much potential for future stories that I can’t blame Warner Bros. Entertainment for making all the other films, even if they were a little hit and miss.
The fact that they chose to base it off the real-world reports of paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren just adds that element of plausibility that ratchets up the scares. It has that “based on a true story” authenticity, even if it only has a loose and debatable claim to truth. Also, choosing to set it in the late 60s and early 70s era gives the film a retro vibe that makes it feel like something different from a lot of other horror movies.
But I think what works so well for me is how they were able to weave together so many horror genre tropes into one coherent and engaging story. You’ve got possessed dolls, paranormal investigators, demonic spirits, possessions, clairvoyants, witches, the devil, the Vatican, and the threat of the family annihilator killer. What more could you ask for? It takes the legacies and associations of all these tropes and builds on them to create a chilling film that is fun and in constant motion. If you haven’t already, check it out.
Get Out (Jordan Peele, 2017)
This is a horror movie that I think everyone should watch. It does an amazing job doing something really difficult. First, creates a horror story that addresses serious topics such as racism, dehumanization, and the very real impacts of racial stereotyping. But second, it manages to do all of this while still telling an engaging, captivating, and entertaining narrative that doesn’t feel like a lecture or a political diatribe.
Instead, it just tells a great story that shows the way that racism has become a part of our culture. And it does so in a way that doesn’t turn people away. There’s no need to artificially include political statements because the film succeeds in showing that racism is here. And that racism is truly horrific.
This film is Jordan Peele’s directorial debut, and he wrote it and co-produced it, too. It’s a gripping film that will keep you talking and thinking about it for a long time. In it, interracial couple Chris and Rose go on a trip to meet the parents, only to encounter nervous conversations, open racial assumptions, and a horrifying secret beyond anything Chris could’ve ever imagined. Come for the scares, leave with a broadened awareness of one of the sinister sides of US culture.
I See You (Adam Randall, 2019)
Here is an underrated horror movie. I hadn’t heard anything about this film and just stumbled across it. I firmly believe that many horror movies are best watched when you don’t know anything about them. Yes, this can mean that you end up watching a ton of horror movies that you don’t like. But you also come face to face with a few wonderful gems along the way. And then the scares are more intense and potent because you don’t know what to expect.
This, to me, is one of those films. Because of that, I won’t give you much information about it. But I will say that it kept me guessing the whole time, and it has a satisfying ending that really worked for me. This film follows a detective and his family as he investigates the disappearance of a 12-year-old boy. Watch it. I was very pleasantly surprised.
As Above, So Below (John Erick Dowdle, 2014)
Here’s another great found-footage horror movie. And, really, I think this one shows just how much potential there is in this subgenre of horror. It can make you feel trapped in the point of view of the characters, and at the same time you feel a greater sense of immersion and vulnerability in the dangerous situations they encounter. So, right there, found footage horror can create suspense by making you want to know more than the cameras will show you. And it makes you feel like you have more at stake. Somehow you feel more like you are there, too, even though parts of your mind keep trying to remind you that you are just watching a film.
It all takes me back to the thrill of Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window (1954) in so many wonderful ways (to watch click here, to buy click here; paid links). Also, it shows some of the possibilities available when making a film with a relatively low budget (just $5 million). You really can make an effective, frightening, and engaging film experience and not have to throw enough money at it to start up a small country.
I first watched this film with only the vague notion that the characters would go down into the Catacombs of Paris and then scary stuff happens. I’m glad I didn’t know much more, because the found footage aspect was a pleasant surprise. Also, I really like how it starts small and then expands into vaster, more terrifying horizons.
At first, it seems like it will be a suspenseful archeological adventure. The main character, Scarlett Marlowe (Perdita Weeks), continues her dead father’s quest to find the philosopher’s stone and has tracked it down to the Catacombs of Paris. But soon after they enter, things expand into so much more than just an Indiana Jones meets The Descent kind-of-film. Instead, this film plumbs into the depths to uncover things that are better left buried.
Hellraiser (David Bruckner, 2022)
I just rewatched this film as part of a Friday the 13th celebration. To me, it’s a great re-imagining of the Hellraiser franchise by utilizing a wider cast of characters to reinforce the idea that making deals with demonic beings is never a good idea. Or extra-dimensional beings, or whatever the Cenobites are. Seriously, when does this ever work out? But another group of hopeless saps give it a go and the results are haunting.
What I liked about this movie is that by involving a larger caste of characters, the story has less of the personal-only danger felt in the first Hellraiser (Clive Barker, 1987) (paid link), so the stakes are higher. Now, the danger threatens to bleed out into a group of unsuspecting friends who soon find themselves way out of their depth. Before they realize it, they are swept up in the machinations of a mind reaching into the heavens. Or maybe into hell? Who knows.
Also, of course, the greater flexibility of the modern CGI effects allows for more moments that create a sense of wonder and awe at some of the horrors you’re witnessing. There is a sense of grandeur in the supernatural events that I didn’t really feel in the other films in this franchise. This really worked for me.
I will say, though, that this is not a feel-good horror movie. It’s probably not the best choice for a fun Halloween party. It leaves you thinking and just mulling over the experience, which may not be the party vibe you’re going for. That said, it’s still a great horror movie, and I’m glad to see the franchise get a good re-start after the original film had so many bad sequels. Be careful what you ask for.
So, there you go. 5 more great horror movies to get you in the Halloween spirit.
Please, leave comments below on these films, or even on other films that you think should be included.
I’ll post a third list of horror movies soon.
But, for now, sate your thirst with these rare elixirs and experience their forbidden horrors for yourself.