10 Scary Films to Watch this Halloween

Not sure what to watch this evening? Then check out our pick of 5 modern and 5 classic films that will get you in the Halloween spirit tonight.

MODERN GEMS

His House (2020)

Released on Netflix just yesterday, His House is a new horror which couldn’t feel more contemporary, concerning a refugee couple that makes a harrowing escape from war-torn South Sudan, but then struggles to adjust to their new life in an English town that has an evil lurking beneath the surface.

Hereditary (2018)

If I talk about Midsommar one more time I might get kicked out of my house, so instead I’m recommending Ari Aster’s other, more classic but equally terrifying horror about a grieving family that is haunted by tragic and disturbing occurrences.

The Witch (2015)

If you're a fan of Robert Eggers’ maddening psych-horror The Lighthouse (2018), you might want to check out his fantastic feature directorial debut The Witch about a family in 1630s New England which is torn apart by the forces of witchcraft, black magic, and possession.

The Visit (2015)

Missing your grandparents? About two siblings who become increasingly frightened by their grandparents' disturbing behavior while visiting them on vacation, this film, although slightly silly, is pure and easy entertainment.

What We Do in the Shadows (2014)

If you’re a bit tired of jump scares and gore, why not watch a vampire-themed mockumentary-comedy instead of a horror tonight? Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi’s absolute gem of a film What We Do in the Shadows will get you into the creepy Halloween spirit, but instead of heart palpitations from fright, it will give you belly aches from laughter.

THE CLASSICS

Peeping Tom (1960)

Dark, disturbing and a fascinating study on voyeurism, Peeping Tom concerns a young man who murders women, using a movie camera to film their dying expressions of terror.

The Exorcist (1973)

Repeatedly hailed as the scariest film ever made and setting the precedent for countless subsequent horrors, The Exorcist is about a 12-year-old girl who becomes possessed by a mysterious entity and her mother who seeks the help of two priests to save her.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

If you love a good slasher with plenty of gore and violence, check out this classic of neo-Gothic horror about two siblings and three of their friends who are en route to visit their grandfather's grave in Texas and cross paths with a family of cannibalistic psychopaths.

Suspiria (1977)

Visually stunning and deeply unnerving, this Italian supernatural horror concerns an American newcomer to a prestigious German ballet academy who comes to realize that the school is a front for something sinister amid a series of grisly murders.

Silence of the Lambs (1991)

With carefully crafted suspense and outstanding performances by Jodie Foster as a young F.B.I. cadet trying to catch a serial killer and Anthony Hopkins as an incarcerated and manipulative cannibal killer, Silence of the Lambs is undeniably a masterpiece of thriller.