Are you ready for scary movie season?

October is the time to watch all of those horror films from Hitchcock to the more recent.  Do you have a favorite?

 On our list we have all kinds of different film options from the truly horrifying with Hereditary to the lighter and more fun creepy films like Little Shop of Horrors and Freaky.  There’s a scary movie for everyone!

Here are our favorite scary films in order of how terrifying they are from small jumps and smiles to peeing our pants and we have to sleep with all the lights on.

Ready for this list?

The Audrey Two from Little Shop of Horrors a scary film for Halloween.

Little Shop of Horrors.  The least scary film on the list, but fun for the whole family!  This is a story about an alien plant that comes down to earth with amazing music and even a horrifying dentist.  If you haven’t seen this film, it’s just awesome and really puts you into the Halloween Holiday mood.

A zombie stalks Shaun at night and he stands with his neighbors a scary film for Halloween.

Shaun of the Dead Watch all of the movies in this series of films by Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg.  There’s this one, Hot Fuzz, and The World’s End and you’ll love the twists and turns of these irreverent British comedies.  Shaun of the Dead also features zombies, so perfect for October.  Definitely not scary, but quite fun in the horror comedy trope.

A girl offers a cupcake with a candle in it and another girl screams in a scary film for Halloween.

Happy Death Day. There’s this first film and there’s a sequel and they’re both inventive and just that right amount of bloody.  Still dark, but also quite funny at times.  The evil character is also quite ridiculous which adds that great bit of comedy.  I was surprised by how much I liked these.  It’s a bit like if Groundhog Day met Scream, a girl wakes up having to experience a death on her birthday every day until she solves the murder.  Inventive and fun, highly recommend!

A man tries to kill a girl in Freaky a scary film for Halloween.

Freaky.  The same director of Happy Death Day came out with Freaky in 2020, a slasher film featuring Vince Vaughn and Kathryn Newton.  The story centers around a teenage girl who accidentally switches bodies with a serial killer and the madness that ensues.  Still a lot of blood but comedic at the same time.  Think Freaky Friday but with horror.

A skeleton from part one and a pilgrim in part three in Fear Street a scary film for Halloween.

Fear Street.  These films came out on Netflix this summer and there are three of them!  If you liked the Goosebumps series, you’ll love this other series that R.L. Stine crafted for a more mature audience.  The films take place throughout the centuries and are a fun watch to get you into the Halloween spirit.

Emily Blunt and John Krasinski in A Quiet Place a scary film for Halloween.

A Quiet Place 1 and 2.  The much hyped A Quiet Place returns with a sequel and now it’s finally streaming!  The film centers on what would happen if there were aliens that attacked based on hearing you.  It’s a fun watch with great jump scares and the amazing Emily Blunt.

Robert Pattinson and Williem Dafoe look at The Lighthouse a scary film for Halloween.

The Lighthouse.  Not your typical scary movie, but that’s what makes this film so interesting.  This slow moving, psychological drama centers on two lighthouse attendants as they slowly go mad after being abandoned at a far away lighthouse starring Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson.  Shot in black and white and cinematically beautiful, this is a film to watch.

A girl in all kinds of flowers in Midsommar a scary film for Halloween.

Midsommar.  The scariest opening scene of any film ever starts off Midsommar.  Make it past the first 15 minutes and you can handle the rest.  This film is gorgeous and the use of colors is stunning.  Make sure to watch this film with a friend.  A group of friends travel to Sweden for a festival that occurs every 90 years and then find themselves in the middle of a cult… chaos ensues.

Anya Taylor Joy in The Witch a scary film for Halloween.

The Witch.  By the same director as The Lighthouse, this was his directorial debut and stars Anya Taylor-Joy (known for The Queens Gambit and Emma) in her first film.  It’s the story of New England in the 1630s following a puritan family who encounters evil in the woods.  It’s an amazing feminist film and scary to boot.

A mother screams in horror and a young girl looks on in Hereditary a scary film for Halloween.

Hereditary.  The scariest movie I’ve ever seen and can never watch again is Hereditary.  A psychological horror film directed by Ari Aster who also directed Midsommar, it is about a family haunted by a mysterious presence after the death of their grandmother.  This is a must see in the horror genre.

Do you have a favorite horror film that’s not on this list?  I’d love to hear about it!  Shoot me an email about your favorite horror movie and what I should watch next at [email protected]

About the author

Alice Cash is the Marketing Manager for Jubilance by day and an award winning Theatre Director by night.  Leading the podcast Weekly Woman, she loves her candid conversations with women from all over the world about how they live and the amazing things they are doing to make a difference. Alice is also the editor of the bi-monthly newsletter the Jubilee, a blog dedicated to the power of female wellness especially concerning menstruation.  She’s worked in France creating theatre pieces and taught drama and filmmaking to women and children in Haiti.  She graduated from Georgetown University and holds two master degrees from NYU and The New School.  Alice has traveled to  40+ countries, including Tibet.  She is a New Yorker and can often be found in Central Park, searching out the best bubble tea, or directing a play, you never know where she’ll show up. @alicesadventuresinwonderworld
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