Horror films were long considered inappropriate outside of October, but nowadays, they may be seen whenever the mood strikes. Even if you’re not in the mood to scare the living daylights out of yourself, it’s still a good idea to get ready for the holiday that has inspired a gazillion spin-offs.
Maybe you’ve never considered the origins of Freddy Krueger or Michael Myers. Perhaps you want to see films about Halloween or feminists who commit horrible acts of horror. You can find a scary movie to watch this Halloween from the selection we’ve compiled.
The Purge (2013)
The Purge (2013), which kicked off a massive series, is a grim warning about what happens when corruption in high places meets the people. The basic idea is that every year there is one night when the law sanctions murder. In this pilot episode, Ethan Hawke plays a family father who makes a living off his purge-proof security systems. After the first film, there were three sequels, a prequel, and two seasons of a TV series.
Sinister (2012)
Ethan Hawke plays a true-crime writer who moves his family into a house where several unexplained deaths occurred in search of inspiration. His entire family is in danger not long after he finds a collection of Super 8 tapes depicting a sequence of increasingly gruesome killings.
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019)
This horror anthology features stories set on Halloween in 1968, which are all unusual and terrifying. After a young girl is falsely convicted of witchcraft and commits suicide, a group of children uncovers her intriguing book. With tales like a giant scarecrow awakening and a spider bite giving rise to millions of baby spiders, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is a unique complement to any Halloween celebration.
Halloween (1978)
Jamie Lee Curtis’ debut movie appearance was in John Carpenter’s Halloween (1978), which launched her career and made her a household name. On the eeriest night of the year, Michael Myers escapes from an asylum and seems determined to leave his mark on the Halloween celebration. There have been dozens of films that are direct sequels to this one, some of which have been good and others that have been pretty bad. But there’s no denying that the original Halloween from 1978 is still a cinematic classic that can give you the chills.
Happy Death Day (2017)
Part slasher, part horror comedy, Happy Death Day follows college student Tree as she relives the worst day of her life. Like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day, Tree finds herself caught in a recurring nightmare: she must try to identify a murderer wearing a Babyface mask as he stalks the campus. As expected, a sequel arrived in 2019.
Child’s Play (1988)
Since his TV show is returning for a second season, Chucky certainly doesn’t need any introduction. But in Child’s Play from 1988, we meet Andy, a small child who receives a Good Guy toy for his birthday. That poor doll has the serial killer spirit inside of it.