With Halloween quickly approaching, many of us are ready to put on our masks and celebrate the Pagan holiday. What better way to do so than by watching a horror movie (or 31 plus for every night of the month). Luckily, I am here to point you in the direction of movies that will not only scare you and your loved ones senseless, but will be classics you may have missed or never heard of. A number of these films can be found on Netflix or other streaming services, as well as your local video store. Without further explanation, let’s jump in.

The Loved Ones (2009)

Starring Xavier Samuel, Robin McLeavy, & Victoria Thane

Directed by Sean Byrne

Our first entry is The Loved Ones, which is a personal favorite of mine. After being turned down by Brent for their senior dance, Lola does what every chemically balanced woman would do: kidnaps him. This is a brutal film that handles gore in a tasteful way, featuring angles that shy away from most of the gore without leaving the horrors he faces to your imagination. I assure you, you’ll never look at power drills the same again. View the trailer here, if you dare.

 

Bad Milo (2013)

Starring Ken Marino, Gillian Jacobs, & Patrick Warburton

Directed by Jacob Vaughan

This entry tells the horrifying tale of how the stomach issues our protagonist Duncan experiences are being caused by a cute and not so cuddly demon that has taken up residence in his intestinal tract. It’s not nearly as gross as the description makes it seem. While both horrifying and hilarious, this film is not to be missed. If you are a fan of the Troma films and have not seen Bad Milo, do yourself a favor and drop what you’re doing and go watch it immediately. You can view the trailer here.

V/H/S (2012)

Starring Calvin Reeder, Lane Hughes and Adam Wingard

Directed by multiple directors

This anthology features multiple tales of terror shown from the found footage perspective. It features an interwoven tale of amateur film makers tasked by a mysterious third party to locate a tape from an abandoned house filled with thousands of VHS tapes. Each tape shows its own dreadful tale of terror which features its own cast and director. While some of the shorts are stronger than others, the whole film is worth watching. If you’d like to make a marathon of it, V/H/S 2 and V/H/S : Viral are worth watching as well, despite not being as thrilling as the original. The trailer can be found here.

The Voices (2014)

Starring Ryan Reynolds, Anna Kendrick & Gemma Arterton

Directed by Marjane Satrapi

If you’re like me, you talk to your pets. But what if your pets talked back and told you to do sinister things? That’s the question this film asks, as well as touching on themes of mental health. With humor, gore and talking pets, what else could you ask for? Please click here if you’d like to view the trailer.

Sam was Here (2016)

Starring Rusty Joiner, Sigrid La Chapelle, & Rhoda Pell

Directed by Chrisophe Deroo

Set in 1998, Sam is a door to door salesman on a route that seems to be completely devoid of other people and is left stranded in the desert in a small town. His only contact being strange messages he’s receiving on a pager and the local radio station, until things take a dangerous turn. While this tale is not for everyone, if you’re a fan of Silent Hill, you’ll find a lot to enjoy here. The trailer can be found here.

Goodnight Mommy (2014)

Starring Lukas Schwarz, Elias Schwarz, & Susanne Wuest

Directed by Severin Fiala & Veronkia Franz

While I am not one for films with subtitles, this movie is too terrifying not to love. After their mother returns home from a major cosmetic surgery, two brothers begin to think their mother is not who she says she is. Featuring equally disturbing and beautiful imagery with little conversation, this is a horror film that is guaranteed to scare. View the trailer here.

The Mist (2007)

Starring Thomas Jane, Laurie Holden & Andre Braugher

Directed by Frank Darabont

Coming from the pages of a Stephen King short story and similar to the recent TV series of the same name, The Mist is by far one of Mr King’s best film adaptations. The movie tells the tale of a small New England town being taken over by a thick fog, with unknown entities hiding within. With a small group of survivors taking refuge in a grocery store, it remains a tense film going experience due to the unknown element of what is in the fog as well as the human terrors our heroes face. You can find the trailer here.

 

If you’re like me, you have little ones running about; please keep in mind these movies are intended for mature audiences. If you’re looking for some family friendly fare, I’ve included a few honorable mentions.

 

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

Starring Chris Sarandon, Catherine O’Hara, and William Hickey

Directed by Henry Selick

If you’ve been living under a rock for the past 20 years and don’t know what this is, then we will gladly educate you. The story focuses on Halloween Town and its cast of misfits. After mistakenly walking through the door leading to Christmas Town, Jack Skellington decides it’s time for a change, and instead of living for Halloween, he convinces the townsfolk to give Christmas a go. The trailer can be found here.

Ernest Scared Stupid (1991)

Starring Jim Varney, Eartha Kitt and Austin Nagler

Directed by John R. Cherry III

While not my personal favorite, this movie is a hit with the kids. It follows Ernest on an adventure to remove the dreaded troll Boogerlips, who is kidnapping children and turning them into wooden figures. You can view the trailer here.

 

There you have it, your first week of Halloween viewing recommendations from my personal collection. Be sure to visit us next week to see week two’s recommended horror flicks!