Favorite Horror Movies to watch this Halloween.

Hey guys, I thought I’d give you a rundown of all the must see horror classics I like to watch in October, Halloween season.

Now I’ve already seen all of these, but just like I like to pull out my old flannel jammies and drink coffee with pumpkin spice creamer this time of year. I like to watch my favorite horror movies in October to get in the mood for Halloween. So let’s take a looksie, shall we?

My first pick:

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

The classic, grind house looking, 70s scare fest from Tobe Hopper. It has that real, gritty, dirty feel like you can actually believe this family of psychotic hillbillies exist in Texas somewhere, killing people off road and putting their body parts in the homemade chili. That’s a testament to Tobe Hooper’s realistic looking filmmaking. Leatherface and company are American originals.

Jeepers Creepers

Jeepers Creeper offers us one of the best villains/monsters in the history of horror cinema. What is he? Some hybrid of man and reptile who drives a kill machine on wheels, smells your fear, swoops down(did I mention he flies?) and grabs you, takes you back to his basement and cuts out your eyes while playing the ‘Jeepers Creepers’ song.

Whoever thought this up, truly has an imagination made for horror. Check it out if you haven’t yet, it’s a goody.

The Exorcist:

If you get a chance, watch this mini documentary of the Exorcist phenomenon when they first released the movie to the public. It’s so fun to see how excited people were to go to the movies then. They waited for hours, in rain and cold weather to see it. Can you imagine a movie coming out now that would cause this kind of excitement? I can’t. Anyway, The Exorcist is THE classic horror of demonic possession and only now that I’m in my forties, can I watch it and not have trouble sleeping.

My next pick; The Shining

Kubrick, Nicholson, Duvall, those creepy ass twins, giant waves of blood coming out of the elevator. RedRum, the maze, there’s so much going on in the Shining and you will feel like you are trapped inside the Overlook Hotel and can’t get out by the end of the movie. A classic.

The Exorcism of Emily Rose:

This movie scares the bejeezus out of me. The buildup toward the exorcism is bone chilling. Laura Linney is fantastic, as are all the actors. Jennifer Carpenter really does a convincing job of getting you to believe she is possessed by demons. I particularly like the directors use of color in scenes like her dorm room, where the red light from her clock, the red chair and her red bedspread all stand out.

Halloween:

What Horror classic movie list would be complete without adding the Halloween franchise? Particularly the original and 2. The only ones that matter, in my opinion. The second one is set in a hospital and to me, that ups it’s creepy factor. I’m super stoked to catch the new one. Cannot wait for Laurie Strode to finally end this evil mofo’s reign of terror. He’s been up to no good since he was little.

Enough Michael, enough.

Hostel:

Yes I like Hostel. I’m totally aware it is not everyone’s cup of Absinthe, but I love it. Not a fan of torture porn, but Eli Roth’s build up in this movie is incredible. The long shot of the guys walking into the little town in Slovakia, along with the music reminds me of an old school British horror. It’s creepy as hell, the townspeople all look weird and you know when it starts to go down, it’s going to be horrifying, and it is. Don’t ever say you want to go to the Art Show in Central Europe. I’m just saying.

The Blair Witch Project:

People either love or hate the Blair Witch Project. It’s a love for me. The filmmakers are from my area and when this movie came out, people weren’t sure if it was real or not. There was a huge buzz involving the internet where they made it seem like actual found footage. The gimmick ended up working because the film made 250 million worldwide. Heather, Josh and Mike were the Gen X friends we all had and could relate to. The ending is one of the scariest moments in horror film history.

Night of the Living Dead:

George Romero’s cult classic Night of the Living Dead, where the dead comes back to life as zombies, walk the earth and attack people trapped in an abandoned farmhouse. They’re coming to get you, Barbara. So shoot em’ in the head or burn them, they go up pretty easy.

Wolf Creek:

Wolf Creek is one of my all time favorite horror films. The build up is so good in this one, you really get to know the characters, you like them and don’t want to see them harmed. That makes it all the more terrifying when they run into a friendly local turned lunatic from the Australian Outback whereby panic and horror ensue. Not for the faint of heart.

American Werewolf in London:

John Landis’s 80s Horror/comedy classic is such an all time fave. This has the epic scene where man turns into werewolf and roams the streets of London. Subway scene is especially scary. Fun Fact: This was Michael Jackson’s favorite movie!

The Strangers:

People so bored they don masks and mind torture young couple in the woods for fun for hours till the end, where they, Ah….no spoilers here! You’ll have to watch it, to see. Shout out to Dollface, you savage bitch, you really come into your own in the sequel Prey At Night.

Check them out if you dare…

Children of the Corn:A couple drive into Gatlin, a ghost town in the Midwest, where creepy man child, preacher; Isaac, along with sidekick and strong arm ginger freak, Malachi, have brainwashed the town’s children into killing their parents as offerings to the Blue Man. Some pretty crazy shit Stephen King was smoking when he came up with this one.

Candyman:

Candyman is an urban legend, so they say, that started in the Cabrini Green housing projects. Legend has it he comes out to get you if you say his name 3 times. Dude is like 10 feet tall with a hook for a hand. Would you say it? I’m not risking it. Lots of blood for you gore fans and lots of anxiety around getting the baby to safety and away from Candyman. An underrated gem of a villain, Candyman is.

Rosemary’s Baby:

Roman Polanski’s classic horror about a young couple who move into the Dakota and meet a strange, eccentric older couple who just happen to be Satan worshippers. Aspiring actor/hubby gets close to the couple, promising them, him and his wife Rosemary’s first born to the devil, in return for a career in Hollywood. He even offers his drugged up wife to Satan himself. Sounds like it could actually happen, right? Hey, whatever your feelings about Polanski, this film is perfect from start to finish. Excellent score starts out the picture and builds tension all the way through. One of the very best.

House of 1000 Corpses:

Most people will not know why I threw this, of all Rob Zombie movies, to add to my list and not The Devil’s Rejects, but this film is set on Halloween Eve and it really has that feel to it. Crazy murderous family from the sticks, lures teens to house for a night of torture and fun on Halloween night after which they deliver teens up to the infamous Dr. Satan. It’s a fair ride through hell, with a little Commodores thrown in and Sheri Moon Zombie stealing scenes with her sexy looks and Manson Girl ways.

These are just a handful of must see horror faves to scare you into the Halloween mood this October. See more in my YouTube video.

Do you have a list of horror films you like to watch Halloween time? I have way more that I love, a lot of them indies, but that’s another list for another time. Let me know your all time Horror Faves and have a scary good weekend, ghouls and gals!