Horror films for more than the
“halloweeN” aficionado.
If you’re like my long time horror film watching buddy, Michael and I, you’re in for a treat. Halloween passed and you yearn for more jump scares, psychological thrillers, and best of all— cult classics. Horror films are not solely associated for Halloween, sometimes they are a fair warning to wrong doing, moral lessons, and much more.
Below is a recommendation list created by Michael and I. We thought about the best horror films to watch. Take it as a beginners guide.
We chose among the following sub-genres of Horror film:Gore & DisturbingPsychologicalKiller/SlasherMonster/Creature FeatureParanormal
Enjoy.OH. Click each image for a scene preview (WARNING: All movies are rated R (unless otherwise indicated below). Please be advised of use in profanity, blood & gore, disturbing visual images, and sensitive subjects. Viewer discretion advised).
Your Hosts
Michael Golden
Michael Golden
“This year’s Halloween was a wild one. October has generally been seen as an opportunity to begin the sprint towards the holiday season; the rise of couples crafting “spooky baskets”, chilling aesthetics provided by the artists of “Inktober”, and the huge push of darker content by the big three streaming services all gave plenty of reasons to eat, drink, and be delightfully terrified. Even though this year’s hump day holiday didn’t prove to be an ideal time for my usual celebrations, I did put together a short review list of new and old films that I enjoyed throughout the month to keep myself engaged and on the edge of my seat. Don’t worry, the spoilers will be kept to a minimum.”
Gracie Carrillo
“Michael is right. It didn’t quite “feel” like a Hallows Eve day; however, the spirit was still there. I sat down, and watched “Hocus Pocus” during my time of celebrating the Halloween spirit. I chose the following films for their creativity, pioneer work in film make up and craft, and overall general effect. I research tremendously on Horror films, more for its sound and sight effects. I appreciate artists approach behind each film. Their perspective makes it as ghoulish and spine-chilling for the mind. I watch movies all the time. I love them, but horror films…that is a cinematic experience.”
Gracie Carrillo
28 Days Later (2002)
Credit: Internet Movie Database, (IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/). Go to this website. It’s an amazingly informational site for all movies you enjoy.
28 Days Later
Golden: “I started with 28 Days Later, a more action-oriented film to ease myself into things. Not a lot of things I consider “scary” per se, however the chilling visuals and the post-apocalyptic plot of the movie easily make it worth watching. These zombies aren’t of the lumbering, easily disposable kind; the aptly named “Rage” virus that infects these poor souls turns them into bonafide killing machines, and things get out of hand, very quickly. There’s also a nice sequel by the name of 28 Weeks Later, which I didn’t end up having time for this year.”
Click the poster for a preview.
28 DAYS LATER
RATED: R
THE STRANGERS
Carrillo: “When I was an undergraduate student, I researched a paper based off of sound and sight effects in horror films. This particular film was the one that had the most reactions from the focus group. It wasn’t due to it’s jump scares or eerie low hertz sound frequencies. It was due to the high possibility of someone invading your home. It has happened before, unfortunately. Many times.
The Strangers promotes the idea of a young couple going through marital obstacles, but suddenly changes direction from the highly unusual home invasion from unknown suspects. The couple is terrorized throughout the entirety of the film. The couple is left to only tactfully engage survival mode and use any means to protect their lives.
Folks, lock your doors any time of day. Be safe.”
The Strangers
RATED: R
The Strangers (2008)
Poster Credit: Pintrest. Hey, there is a lot of creative imagery on this site. Find some inspiration through Pintrest.com.
Black Sunday (1960)
Post Credit: horrorgeeklife.com: Some more information about the movie and background.
Black Sunday
Golden: “After reading through a NYT bestselling book of scary fairy tales by Russian author Ludmilla Petrushevskaya, I ended up coming across another earlier Russian work by the name of Nikolai Gogol’s Viy which ended up being the inspiration of this next film.
Black Sunday (1960) is a 60’s gothic horror depicting a witch that was killed by her brother, only to come back 200 years later for revenge. Definitely not for the faint of heart, this Italian film has a generous help of gore and shock value making it particularly chilling in its atmosphere.”
Black Sunday
Rated:R
Poltergeist
Carrillo: “I watched this movie for the first time in early October 2018, because Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights was going to have a maze based off of the movie itself. Look, there are a lot of cult classics, but to place on the creepy shelf, Poltergeist will need to be shifted onto that shelf.
The story of Poltergeist (1982) sets itself as a family experiencing abnormal and paranormal activity in their household. A sudden realization overcomes their souls as they observe a bad omen eventually kidnapping the youngest family member. The discovery of why the house is haunted will drop your jaw.
Oh, and the maze at Halloween Horror nights was awesome.”
Poltergeist
Rated: PG
Poltergeist (1982)
Post Credit: Pintrest. More ideas, fun designs, and incredible creative works.
Battle Royale (2000)
Post Credit: Pintrest. Website for creative enthusiasts.
Battle Royale
Golden: “There is another cult classic that I found on the streaming service that more than made up for that wasted time.
Battle Royale (2000) is a 00’s thriller about a group of junior high schooler’s that are sent to an island to fight to the death until only one survives. Most of the students have interesting story lines and the plot is very rewarding all the way throughout.”
Battle Royale
Rating: Not Rating through MPAA
Psycho
Carrillo: “Listen…if you are a fan of Horror film, you need to watch Psycho (1960), or at least dive into the world of Alfred Hitchcock. Hitchcock leans to the mystery,suspense, drama, and thriller regions—but Psycho is a film to understand the concept of slasher/killer horror film style from the mind of the master of suspense.
It’s the famous string screech’s made famous by film scorer Bernard Herrmann that we hear in all of these slasher/killer/paranoia scenes. SCREECH, SCREECH,SCREECH! Psycho is about a son tending to his mothers motel. The story splits in two. The first half unravels the background of Marion, the young independent women escaping from her routine lifestyle. The other half is about Norman Bates, a caring (so we think) son taking care of his mother’s motel and…mother. We discover midway the feature that the two characters are not what we think they are.”
Psycho
Rating: R
Psycho (1960)
Post Credit: Pintrest (A minimalist Poster)
Frozen and The Invitation
Golden: “The next two movies on the list were of the survival horror genre, Frozen and The Invitation.
Frozen (2010) concerns a situation where a trio of skiers become trapped in a ski lift far above the ground. The worst case scenario only gets more dire as it becomes colder and darker, making for a nice suspense film that, while minimal in nature, maximizes its potential over the ninety minute run time.
The Invitation (2015) is an extremely slow burning movie with plenty of cult undertones that makes you just uncomfortable enough to keep you watching until the thrilling end. Most of the movie is about the tension between the characters and their story lines, and probably doesn’t really qualify for anything particularly horrific, but it made for a nice bit of drama.”
Frozen
Rated: R
The Invitation
Rated: TV-MA
Babadook and The Birds
Carrillo: “Babadook (2014), a widowed women surviving the effects after releasing a curse from reading a dark fairy tale to her son. The movie elaborates on the psychological effects of grief, fear, and anger. It’s as simple as that, but apply dark filters, creeks, and an eerie ominous voice calling out its own name—and you got yourself a spooky film! Folks, if you’re looking for a boogie-man story, this one is a must-see.
The Birds (1963), shines light on literal birds attacking a town. The story follows a socialite woman and a man with his family surviving the attack of birds. The film unravels unfortunate events of losses, injuries, and tragedies. This is another Hitchcock film, but in color! The movie loosely follows a creature feature/monsters genre, and more of “when animals attack,” styles. I don’t recall any music in this film, I’ll update all of you once I watch this film again…or leave a comment below if there is!”
Babadook
Rated:R
The Birds
Rated:PG-13
