15 Frightening Scary Movies to Watch Before Halloween

scary movies to watch for halloween

Scary movies are the best way to get into the spooky season. Look no further than these 15 frightening scary movies.

Whether you are staying in to watch movies all night, opting to dress up and go trick or treating or perhaps you are organising a monster mash with friends and family (lockdown restrictions permitted of course), either way let’s make this Halloween the spookiest ever.

And what’s the best way to get into the mood? Watch scary movies of course.

Murder Movies

Halloween (1978)

Halloween (1978)

Vibe: High suspense

Scare factor: 10/10

Director: John Carpender

Cast: Jamie Lee Curtis and Donald Pleasence

Plot: A murderer escapes a mental hospital and terrorises a babysitter and her friends on the night of Halloween.

Fun Facts

  • It took 2 weeks to write the script for Halloween and 20 days to shoot the movie
  • Most of the cast provided their own wardrobe. Curtis spent $100 all up on her costumes by shopping at JC Penny 
  • Many of the characters are named after Carpender’s acquaintances
  • Jamie Lee Curtis’ feature debut
  • John Carpender wrote, directed and made the music for the film
  • The movie had a budget of $300,000 and grossed over $70 million at the box office

Friday the 13th (1980)

Friday the 13th (1980)

Vibe: Slasher

Scare factor: 10/10

Director: Sean S. Cunningham

Plot: As Camp Crystal reopens, a group of camp counselors are brutally picked off by an unknown slasher.

Cast: Kevin Bacon, Betsy Palmer, Adrienne King and Jeannie Taylor

Fun Facts

  • Inspired by John Carpenter’s scary movie classic Halloween (1978)
  • The camp they filmed at is still operational
  • One of Kevin Bacon’s first movie roles

Wolf Creek (2005)

Wolf Creek (2005)

Vibe: Gory

Scare factor: 10/10

Director: Greg McLean

Plot: 3 backpackers find themselves kidnapped by a local bushman, Mick Taylor, who turns out to be a tourist-hating maniac.

Cast: John Jarratt, Nathan Phillips, Cassandra Magrath and Kestie Morassi.

Fun Facts

  • Movie is based on actual murders of backpackers by Ivan Mialt in the 1980s
  • The entire movie was shot in 25 days
  • In the USA, the $1.38 million production initially made over $15.8 million.
  • John Jarratt is a method actor that spent weeks in the Australian outback preparing for the role of Mick Taylor, and even stayed in character between takes

Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Vibe: Psychological Thriller

Scare factor: 10/10

Director: Jonathon Demme

Plot: FBI trainee, Clarice Starling, is hunting a serial killer and seeks advice from an imprisoned psychiatrist and cannibal serial killer, Dr Hannibal Lector.

Cast:  Anthony Hopkins, Jodie Foster and Scott Glen

Fun Facts

  • Released on Valentine’s Day in 1991
  • The third film to win the “Big Five” Oscars – Best Picture, Actor, Actress, Director and Screenplay
  • Michelle Pfeiffer was the first choice to play Clarice 

Haunting Movies

The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)

The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)

Vibe: Jumpscares

Scare factor: 8/10

Director: Scott Derrickson

Plot: The story follows the trial for the exorcism that seemingly killed Emily Rose (Jennifer Carpenter). The prosecution believed she suffered from schizophrenia, however, her condition cannot be explained by science.

Cast: Jennifer Carpender, Laura Linney, and Tom Wilkinson

Fun Facts

  • Loosely based on the life, exorcism, death and trial of Anneliese Michel in Germany in 1976. The real trial found priests involved guilty of manslaughter and were given an easy sentence of 3 years probation
  • Actress Jennifer Carpender was able to contort her body without the need for special effects

Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)

Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)

Vibe: Jumpscares

Scare factor: 7/10

Director: Samuel Bayer

Plot: Childhood friends begin to share the same dream stalker, Freddy Kruger, who is horribly disfigured and out for blood.

Cast: Jackie Earle Haley, Kyle Gallner, Rooney Mara, Katie Cassidy, Thomas Dekker, and Kellan Lutz.

Fun Facts

  • Based on the original scary movies made in 1984 with a young Johnny Depp
  • The Dark Knight inspired the film
  • Freddy was innocent in the original script

It Follows (2014)

  1. It Follows (2014)

Vibe: Medium Suspense

Scare Factor: 8/10

Director: David Robert Mitchell

Plot: Jamie is a college student who gets pursued by a demonic entity after a sexual encounter.

Cast: Maika Monroe, Keir Gilchrist, Daniel Zovatto, Jake Weary, Olivia Luccardi, and Lili Sepe

Fun Facts

  • Based on dreams Mitchell had as a child of being followed by an malevolent spirit
  • The colour red foreshadows the monster’s arrival

The Ring (2002)

The Ring (2002)

Vibe: Eerie

Scare factor: 10/10

Director: Gore Verbinski

Plot: After the sudden death of her niece, Kate begins investigating a videotape that murders its watcher within a week of its viewing.

Cast: Naomi Watts, Martin Henderson, and Brian Cox

Fun Facts

  • Based on a novel by Koji Suzuki in 1991
  • Made into a Japanese scary movie in 1998
  • Daveigh Chase, the actor who played the little girl, Samara, was frightened by her performance as the scary haunted child.

Annabelle (2014)

Annabelle (2014)

Vibe: Jumpscares

Scare factor: 8/10

Director: John Leonetti

Plot: John and Mia Form are expecting parents who are attacked by devil worshippers that use their vintage doll as a conduit for evil.

Cast: Annabelle Wallis, Ward Horton, and Alfre Woodard.

15 Frightening Scary Movies to Watch Before Halloween
Left: Movie adaption of Annabelle Doll. Right: Real-life Annabelle Doll.

Fun Facts

  • Prequel to The Conjouring (2013)
  • Based on a real Raggety Ann Doll given to a girl called Donna after being purchased from a hobby shop in 1970 by her mother. The real haunted doll is pictured above on the right.

Supernatural Movies

The Mist (2007)

The Mist (2007)

Vibe: Psychological thriller

Scare factor: 8/10

Director: Frank Darabont

Plot: As David Drayton and his young son go to get supplies after a storm damages their home, a deadly mist forces a group to be stuck inside the grocery store. Tension rises as evil alien creatures reveal themselves and the group fights for their lives.

Cast: Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden, Nathan Gamble, Andre Braugher, and future The Walking Dead actors Jeffrey DeMunn, Laurie Holden, Melissa McBride, 

Fun Facts

  • Based on the 1980 novella “The Mist” by Stephen King
  • Stephen King says that he was genuinely frightened by this adaption of his novella. Frank Darabont described that as the happiest moment of his career.
  • Darabont has also adapted Stephen King’s Shawshank Redemption and Green Mile

IT (2017)

IT (2017)

Vibe: High suspense

Scare factor: 8/10

Director: Andrés Mushchietti

Plot: A group of 7 young kids face their worst fears as they are tormented by the return of an ancient evil entity that takes the form of a shape-shifting clown.

Cast:  Jaeden Lieberher as Bill Denbrough, with Bill Skarsgård starring as Pennywise the Dancing Clown, respectively. Jeremy Ray Taylor, Sophia Lillis, Finn Wolfhard, Wyatt Oleff, Chosen Jacobs, Jack Dylan Grazer, Nicholas Hamilton, and Jackson Robert Scott 

Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise

Fun Facts

  • Based on the 1984 novel “IT” by Stephen King
  • Bill Skarsgård could deviate his eyes on command without the need for special effects
  • A lot of the dialogue is improvised

Sinister (2012)

Sinister (2012)

Vibe: Disturbing

Scare factor: 8/10

Director: Scott Derrickson

Plot: A true-crime writer finds home movies of brutal murders in the attic of his new home that puts his family in danger.

Cast: Ethan Hawke, Juliet Rylance, James Ransone, Fred Thompson, and Vincent D’Onofrio

Fun Facts

  • Writer, Robert Cargill, got the idea for this movie after watching The Ring and having a scary dream
  • From the same producers as Incidious and Paranormal Activity

The Cabin in the Woods (2011)

The Cabin in the Woods (2011)

Vibe: Medium suspense

Scare factor: 8/10

Director: Drew Goddard

Plot: 5 college friends travel to a remote cabin in the forest where they fall victim to an unspeakable evil manipulated by technicians.

Cast: Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison, Fran Kranz, Jesse Williams

Fun Facts

  • The movie includes references to genre icons like vampires, creepy clowns, mummies, zombies, Kevin, mermen, Hell Lords, and aliens

Zombie Movies

Train to Busan (2016)

Train to Busan (2016)

Vibe: Thriller

Scare factor: 10/10

Director: Yeon Sang-Ho

Plot: The movie takes place on a high-speed train from Seoul to Busan as a zombie apocalypse breaks out in South Korea, leaving the members of the train in a dangerous position.

Cast: Gong Yoo, Jung Yu-mi, Ma Dong-seok, Kim Su-an, Choi Woo-shik, Ahn So-hee and Kim Eui-sung

Fun Facts

  • Train to Busan (2016) is the 6th highest-grossing domestic film of all time in South Korea.
  • The word ‘zombie’ is mentioned once in the movie.
  • This scary movie was Sang-ho Yeon’s first live-action film. Yeon’s previous works were animated features.

Dawn of the Dead (2004)

Dawn of the Dead (2004)

Vibe: Jumpscares

Scare factor: 7/10

Director: Zac Snyder

Plot: Survivors of a zombie apocalypse take refuge in an upmarket shopping mall.

Cast: Sarah Polley, Ving Rhames, Jake Weber, Ty Burrell, and Mekhi Phifer. Scott Reiniger, Tom Savini, and Ken Fore

Fun Facts

  • A remake of George A. Romero’s 1978 scary movie, Dawn of the Dead
  • All the stores in the movie have fake names such as the Book Store called Bookmark
Maddy Remedios

Contributor

Madeleine is a passionate graphic designer who started her career making birthday collages for her friends. Now she spends her free time either walking around the neighbourhood, painting or reading a romance novel out in the sun. Before the pandemic, her dream was to travel all over Europe to gain valuable life experiences. She plans to pursue this dream as soon as possible.

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