October is arguably one of the best months for watching scary movies. While not everyone may like scary movies, something feels right about getting under warm blankets. on an October night to watch something that will give you chills. And with Halloween around the corner, Hollywood always satisfies our horror cravings with new releases and timeless classics. My personal favorites are supernatural and psychological because of the abundance of frightful choices.
While there are many other horror movie categories, here are my favorites:
Psychological:
Psychological horror movies are less about ghosts, creatures and gore. This category of movies play tricks on the viewers’ minds, leaving audiences puzzled and creeped out after watching them. Meant to mess with your head, this different type of horror is difficult to pull off, but when done correctly can perfectly disturb an audience.
My Top 3 Recommendations:
Us
This movie is attention-grabbing and has a unique plot with many twists and turns. Us is about a family that encounters another family that looks just like them. This film is a little more gory but definitely still messes with your head.
Get Out
There are a lot of elements to Get Out that make it frightening. A lot of details and foreshadowing are present in the beginning, which admittedly went undetected until my second viewing. Get Out is about a man who gets trapped at his girlfriend’s family home and is written by Jordan Peele, the same genius behind Us.
The Shining
An exemplary film, The Shining stands out because of how well it ages. The CGI and filming techniques coupled with the storyline make for an effective yet disturbing plot line. The story follows a family that become caretakers of a big hotel all by themselves, while the dad slowly goes insane. This is one of the best horror movies ever made. With terrifying scenes and crazy plot twists, this film is a must watch for all horror movie fans.
Supernatural:
Supernatural horror movies usually involve demons or ghosts. These movies typically go beyond the superficial, supernatural creatures and are filled with tropes that represent good vs. evil. There are numerous sub-categories depending on what kind of supernatural creature these movies feature. Examples of such subcategories include zombie, alien, slasher, demonic, among many others. These types of scary movies started to become popular in the 1920’s and 30’s and have since become fan favorites.
My Top 3 Recommendations:
The Exorcist
The Exorcist was brilliant for its time and continues to terrify people today. The movie follows a young girl who is possessed by a demon, maybe even the devil himself. During the production of the movie, several crew members died mysteriously, causing people to believe the movie itself is haunted.
The Conjuring
Based on a true story, a horrifying fact for people who have seen this movie to hear, The Conjuring takes place in a haunted house that a family has just moved into. Over time, stranger and more frightening things happen to the family that forces them to hire a famous couple who specialize in demons and bad spirits to visit the house.
Insidious
This movie from start to finish is terrifying. It is about a family that moves into a new house, and upon arrival, the son falls into a coma and is soon clearly possessed.
