Featured Image Credit: A24
Topics: Film, Halloween, Entertainment, TV and Film
Brenna Cooper
Short of plans this Halloween weekend and in need of something to set the hairs on the back of your neck on end?
Well, why don't you turn off the lights, close the curtains, and chuck on a film which is certain to leave you spending the rest of the night jumping at the sight of your own shadow.
We are, of course, talking about spending the evening watching one of the many spooky, scary or downright gory movies available.
It's no secret that people simply love sitting down to watch their deepest and darkest fears projected back at them on-screen while digging into some popcorn or slurping on a slushie.
Advert
Like multi-car pile-ups on the motorway or a collapsing building, it's horrific, but you can't look away...
So if this sounds like your perfect kind of night, then don't worry, as we've got a rundown of the top 10 best horror films for Halloween, courtesy of the LADbible editorial team.
Advert
According to science, it is quite literally the scariest horror film you can watch.
Sinister follows a struggling true crime writer looking to recapture the glory days by moving his family into a house where the previous family were hanged, while their youngest child disappeared.
The story itself was inspired by a nightmare one of the writers had after watching The Ring, so you're treated to a generous share of jump scares, supernatural creeps, and spooky composition to accompany the tension-filled watch.
The antagonist is a pagan deity who will send chills down your spine at every appearance, while the use of old cameras to document the deaths of victims only adds to the unsettling nature of the 2012 title.
Joshua Nair
Advert
A deserted London, gruesome hordes of infected and humans being the real monsters after all, you cannot go wrong with 28 Days Later.
The outbreak starts when a bunch of infected chimps are released from a lab, and we end up following Cillian Murphy’s Jim waking up in an abandoned hospital with no idea that the infected horde has overrun the UK.
It all culminates in a thrilling set piece inside a mansion set to John Murphy’s iconic track ‘In the House, in a Heartbeat’ with plenty of scares and gore to go along with it.
While zombies had run before in other movies, it was 28 Days Later which really popularised the idea that the shambling hordes of undead could be terrifyingly quick when they wanted to.
Joe Harker
Advert
Gore Verbinski had his work cut out for him when adapting Hideo Nakata’s 1998 classic Ringu; however, despite an arguably tough task, he delivers with his 2002 adaptation.
The Ring focuses on a journalist's quest to uncover the truth about a mysterious videotape that, if watched, means you will die in seven days (cue telephone ring).
Not only does The Ring keep the essence of what makes Ringu scary, but it also makes its own mark, thanks to its almost Twilight-esque aesthetic, tense atmosphere, and creepy visuals, which are also bolstered by the performances, with both child actors nailing the creepy kid schtick incredibly well.
But when compared to all the lesser American remakes it eventually kick-started, The Ring still excels at providing suspense and scares.
Charlotte Dorans
Advert
The start of our journey with the Warrens, Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson are stars of the franchise from the very beginning and keep you gripped from the first to the very last film released this year.
Combining jump scares and growing suspense with purported real paranormal incidents investigated by the husband-and-wife demonologists, there is genuine horror and terror when watching the first instalment. After all, it introduces us to the infamous Annabelle doll.
My advice is don't stop with this film; make sure you hit every sequel where the terror continues at an impressively consistent level.
Tom Earnshaw
Creepy kids, beheaded birds, demonic cults - 2018 chiller Hereditary has it all.
Ostensibly about a family dealing with the death of their grandmother and the various skeletons she had in her closet, Ari Aster’s debut film is a slow burn building up to an insane final 15 minutes that will terrify the bejeesus out of you.
Toni Collette gives a powerhouse performance, and her Oscar snub still hurts to this day (just search for the “I am YOUR MOTHER” scene on YouTube if you don’t believe me). Meanwhile, her co-star Alex Wolff claims filming the movie gave him PTSD - a clear signpost that this is some pretty intense stuff.
Expect to come away thinking that clucking sound some people make with their tongues is actually really unnerving, before diving into Reddit threads to unpick what the hell actually happened.
Simon Fearn
If you need a reminder of why we should embrace growing old gracefully, stick on The Substance.
The twisted and thought-provoking tale, which earned five Oscar nominations, depicts how Demi Moore’s character, Elisabeth Sparkle, will go to extreme lengths to chase the fountain of youth - even if it comes at a serious cost.
She’s a TV star who finds herself being slung on the scrapheap when she turns 50, so Sparkle turns to a black market substance that promises to restore her youthfulness - she’s just got to give a week of her current life to get a week of the one she longs for.
‘Respecting the balance’ is the only rule - but this proves a lot harder than you might think.
It’s disturbing, graphic, and more than a few parts will have you hiding behind a cushion…but The Substance is definitely a must-watch over the Halloween season.
Olivia Burke
Even as a big fan of this film, there’s no doubt about it being a bit of a left-field choice, but despite that, the unconventional horror will have you leaving the light on when going to bed and looking over your shoulder for a few days after watching it.
Set six years after the gruesome death of her husband, Amelia (Essie Davis) is left to piece her life back together and care for their young son, Samuel (Noah Wiseman), by herself.
However, it quickly becomes clear that their relationship is strained, to say the least, with the mum struggling to cope with her six-year-old's erratic, and often violent, behaviour.
The film creeps up on you, much like the fabled ‘Babadook’, which sneaks into their home from a children’s book, pulling on the final few threads of their sanity until Amelia and Noah’s lives spiral out of control and into a dark, dream-like state.
That is, until the grief-stricken widow decides to face her fears head-on.
Sweet dreams.
Dominic Smithers
This 1980 horror masterpiece from Stanley Kubrick explores the terrifying premise of being trapped in an abandoned hotel with your family for months on end. Think Covid, but with more axe murder.
The movie famously annoyed the hell out of Stephen King (who felt it was an unfaithful adaptation of his novel) and took a heavy toll on its star, Shelley Duvall (who described the 12-month-long shoot as ‘excruciating’).
Yet film buffs are still obsessing over its chilly portrait of madness, murder and unquiet spirits 45 years later. There’s no denying it’s gifted us some of the most iconic images ever put to film: the blood gushing down the Overlook hallway, the Grady twins, Jack Nicholson’s face pressed against a shattered bathroom door, the random dude dressed in a bear costume performing oral sex…
When it was released, it bombed at the box office and somehow earned Kubrick and Duvall Razzie nominations. Now it’s rightly considered one of the greatest horror movies of all time.
Simon Fearn
Jordan Peele’s directorial debut, Get Out, is, for me at least, one of the smartest and chilling horror movies of the century. Playing on a constant sense of unease and tension, mixed with the eventual bombshell twist, it captivates from start to end.
Despite not being the 'scariest' of movies on the list, the societal message and real-world notion leaves you thinking about it for days afterwards.
Daniel Kaluuya’s haunting stare, THAT auction scene, all accompanied by the best twist in horror, it has become a near-perfect movie and one I’ll continue to watch every year.
Joe Douglas
If cults, revenge on cheating boyfriends, and human sacrifice sound like your idea of a good time, then you’re going to love Midsommar.
Buckle in because if you’re brave enough to watch this psychological cult thriller this spooky season, you’re going to be in for one hell of a ride.
Florence Pugh gives one of her most spine-tingling performances, leaving you completely captivated despite your screen being filled with some of the most bats**t things a film has ever conjured up.
Dani (Pugh) flies to Sweden with a group of college lads to work on a thesis. However, the seemingly idyllic retreat in the rural commune is far from what it seems, and will go on to change the life trajectories of those who survive the pagan cult.
If you think you can handle the mental turmoil this film creates, then get it added to your Halloween movie night. Horror fans won’t be left disappointed…
Courtney McLaven