BEWARE: Best Scary Movies Ahead

This year we’re creepin’ it real. Two words. Scary. Movies. They’re arguably the best part of the Halloween season besides curling up in a sugar coma after eating all those sweets. But do you ever get in the spooky mood, and then struggle to find the perfect film that’ll keep you hiding under your covers? Just keep calm and scare on because these movies will surely put a spell on you.

1. Get Out

According to Rotten Tomatoes, Get Out (2017) is the #1 ranked horror movie with a rating of 98%. It starts out as a perfectly ordinary film, until things start to get really twisted and quite disturbing. We honestly respect it for its acknowledgement of racism, but this movie is rather unpredictable and almost a bit difficult to follow. The newer film Us (2019) is directed and produced by the same man, Jordan Peele. Applause to him for creating two extremely dark, engaging movies that need to be seen again and again.

2. Signs

Alien movies have never really accepted much success, but this movie was very ahead of its time in the special effects department. Although Signs (2002) is rather recent, the CGI effects seemed ahead of their time and gain strength from their ordinariness. The family’s recent past is one to really pull you in with emotion as well. M. Night Shyamalan is an icon in the horror genre with many blockbusters like Split (2017) and The Sixth Sense (1999). Fun Fact* he likes to appear in many of his films similar to Stan Lee’s legacy.

3. IT

Stephen King. Is there really much more to say? He’s known for so many suspenseful classics like Children of the Corn (1984), Cujo (1983), and most recently IT Chapters One and Two (2017 & 2019). Though, we can assure you you’ll never see a yellow raincoat or red balloon the same way.

4. Insidious

If you’re interested in evil spirits and haunting, this is your kind of film. Caution: there are LOTS of jump scares, so don’t spill your popcorn! Made in 2011, this movie is similar to The Conjuring series released years later.

5. The Haunting of Hill House

Although it’s not a movie, The Haunting of Hill House has made quite an impression on Netflix viewers. This one season show is a great binge-watching candidate with a very complex and alluring story line. There are so many subtle connections throughout the show, you’ll probably reach the last episode and think, “how did I miss that?!” And here we are, patiently waiting for a second season. *sigh*

6. Final Destination

This series will make you rethink everything! The first film of this series was released in 2000 and twists ordinary situations into very dark, morbid stories. They have a recurring theme reminding us that we could die any day, which can be seen as a rather truthful message. We will warn you, though, these films are pretty graphic, so if you have a queasy stomach, maybe pass on these ones.

7. Hush

Another Netflix original, Hush (2016) was the beginning of a string of films that similarly secluded the human senses individually including A Quiet Place (2018) and Birdbox (2018). The differing perspectives are refreshing and stimulating, making you think of how it would feel to lose your sight, hearing, etc. And we all love to see John Krasinski somewhere other than the office.

Here are some more suggestions for your spooky movie playlist:

• The Boy (2016)
• Hereditary (2018)
• The Shining (1980)
• Cabin in the Woods (2011)
• I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)
• The Orphan (2009)
• Mine Games (2012)
• 1922 (2017)

Maybe it would’ve been easier to list the worst scary movies…