The Best Horror Movies for Halloween

Posted by Matthew Alexander (matthew@filmschoolrejects.com) on October 30, 2006

Filed Under: , Opinions

The horror genre is similar to comedy in at least one important respect: what appeals to one viewer another may find boring. There are different styles of horror, just like there are different styles of comedy, and the horror film was never made that could successfully terrorize any audience. Some are frightened by images, others by what is not seen. Many find supernatural creatures to be frightening while some merely laugh, scared instead by real people doing terrible things.

In short, what is true for all movies, namely that their worth as a work of art is subjective, is triply true for horror films. There are still some basic rules to follow, rules which all good movies of any genre follow more or less closely, but in getting down to the actual frightening of an audience there are often several options and many of them just won’t work. It all depends on the audience.

For what it’s worth, here is my personal Top Fifteen list of movies which scare, startle or just creep you out. They are not listed according to their excellence as a movie, but in how well they manage to scare or unsettle. Just in time for Halloween.

15. Rosemary’s Baby
A supremely well crafted work by Roman Polanski, it never manages to be out-and-out scary. But it does get quite creepy, and if you watch it at night you are likely to lie in bed afterwards feeling uncomfortable.

14. Tesis
A little known first opus by Spanish director Alejandro Amen¡bar, a young film student in Madrid comes across a snuff film. The sound and music add to the ambiance as she tries to find out who made it. The viewer is kept guessing until the gripping climax.

13. 28 Days Later
This gem from Danny Boyle is the best zombie movie ever made. Rarely outright scary, it is intense and disconcerting (not to mention brilliantly shot).

12. Lost Highway
Probably my favorite David Lynch film, Lost Highway is like a dream that repeatedly plunges into the realm of nightmare until getting irrevocably lost there. The usual Lynch mastery of sound effects is quite evident, and those images will haunt you.

11. Eyes Wide Shut
My favorite bit of color cinematography ever, Kubrick’s last film is steeped in that horror feel. The stranger in a trench coat following Bill Harford on the city streets at night, the haunting and aloof demeanor of the orgy participants and that raw, eerie piano music will keep those goose bumps rising.

10. The Sixth Sense
M. Night Shyamalan’s break through film, the brilliantly conceived ending often overshadows the many startling moments along the way.

9. Alien
Is it sci-fi or is it horror? Who says it can’t be both? Ridley Scott’s second film does it all well. The atmosphere is just right and our terror is increased by the fact that the characters are so well drawn. From the time when they set down on the planetoid LV-426, nothing feels safe anywhere.

8. The Tenant
A lesser known though decent Polanski film, it falls short of the excellence of his best works. But as far as being eerie and frightening, it comes through nicely.

7. The Blair Witch Project
Even knowing that it isn’t real one can still be very much drawn into this pseudo documentary. The last few minutes are unsurpassed in terms of terror.

6. What Lies Beneath
This under appreciated movie by Robert Zemeckis is both a tribute to Hitchcock and a very scary movie in its own right. A great script, well paced directing and fine performances make for a wonderful experience.

5. Psycho
The first truly scary movie ever made, no one can hear that score and view those images and ever forget them. Though on this particular list it might be surpassed by a small group of scarier movies, this is probably the best movie here. All hail Hitchcock.

4. The Changeling
There is a point when goose bumps aren’t enough and your body simply shakes in response. The Changeling has several of these moments all throughout the film which is well made apart from the fear factor.

3. The Grudge
Unquestionably the worst movie on the list, I actually think it’s quite poor, it works better as a collection of scary scenes than as a whole movie. But when it comes to scares there is nothing like a gaunt Japanese girl with jerky movements. This one is so invasive, so gripping and so all encompassing in its terror that it is difficult to watch even in a safe, warm movie theater surrounded by many other people. I’ve never seen it in any other environment, and I don’t imagine I ever will. For those of you who appreciate a terrifying image above all else, be sure to see this one alone at night if you want to commit suicide.

2. The Others
A superb effort by the aforementioned Alejandro Amen¡bar, this more mature work is scary in about every way you could want. It has startle moments, creepy atmosphere, haunting music, disturbing ideas, frightening images and a surprise ending that surpasses even The Sixth Sense (a movie that was filmed after the script for The Others had already been written). I am quite convinced that Se±or Amen¡bar was influence by The Changeling when he made it.

1. The Ring
Fully as terrifying as The Grudge, and for pretty much the same reasons, The Ring is my pick for scariest movie ever. The images are absolutely petrifying, and in the hands of Gore Verbinski the American version far surpassed its Japanese predecessor. As a movie it does quite well, but as an exercise in terror it reigns supreme.