Autumn falls upon us once again bringing with it chills and thrills along with some on-set diabetes, which is scary enough as is. But October is boring without some excellent scary movies along the way. As I’ve grown so have my tastes, and now I bring you my curated picks of excellent tales of horror, suspense, dead people walking, and hordes of gore. But reader beware, the horror on display is not for the faint of heart.

The ultimate horror classic of suspense, insanity, and beautifully terrifying imagery is first on our list. The Shining is a timeless classic of suspense and horrifying ideas. If you’re alive you’ve probably heard of this film. This movie’s influences still play a major part on pop culture and the unforgettable imagery sticks with you long after watching. If you don’t believe me, give this horror classic a watch.

In an era of cheap haunted house movies one from the 90’s sticks out as magnificently unique. Event Horizon is a haunted house movie, but instead of a house its a giant spaceship. The film pulls several ideas of insanity and seclusion from The Shining mixed with the ideas of a beautiful love child between H.P. Lovecraft and Ridley Scott. The haunting designs on display in this ship will stick with you forever. This film is an underrated classic.

If you can’t get enough of the dreamlike atmosphere of the original Nightmare on Elm Street, then why not watch the cult classic that inspired it. Phantasm is a very low budget horror film that came out in a time when critics looked at horror with disgust. The film can be very cheesy at times but makes up for it with creepy imagery that should definitely be a painting in someone’s home (listen, there’s one frame that I really want on my wall that’s just so cool looking). The film has a very dreamlike atmosphere and a villain who belongs up there with the greats like Freddy Kreuger and Jason Voorhees. The Tall Man is creepy beyond belief and his stare will keep you up at night.

If you think vampires are stupid due to the craze that was Twilight, here’s a movie to reinstate your faith in vampires. Fright Night is a vampire classic. It takes the classic weird neighbor and kid stalks them idea and throws a vampire in there for good measure. The film is pure 80’s fun and is a lot like an adult themed Monster Squad. The makeup effects are just so fun to watch. If you’re a horror nut like me, this movie is definitely for you. 

Now I know not everyone is looking for scary movies that make them think, some just want cool monsters and stupid story. That movie is the heaping piece of scrap metal that has a cool monster, Virus. The film has a magnificent monster makeup team that has created a horrifying combination of human organs and metal monsters. The film has been regarded as a heaping pile of (insert preferred swear here) by most of its cast. But that doesn’t mean its totally awful (I mean yeah its pretty bad but what it lacks in character and story it fully makes up for with cool monsters). Virus is a movie you watch while carving pumpkins and nothing else, don’t pay attention to it.

Now we can’t go through one of these lists without talking about a John Carpenter property.  Halloween (2018) is a direct sequel to John Carpenter’s classic. The film doubles down on the gore and scares and puts my absolute favorite horror icon into a modern day setting leading to great kill, after great kill. Can’t go wrong with that in a Halloween movie! Jaime Lee Curtis returns as a weathered version of her character from the first ready to kill Michael Myers. If you’re in the mood for a slasher, take a look at this!

My final pick, in my final list of horror movies is a cult classic about the walking dead, but it might not be what you think. The Re-Animator is a timeless classic. If you’re a fan of H.P. Lovecraft at all then this iconic story will definitely stand out for you. With great makeup effects and excellently cheesy moments this film is a must for classic horror fans. This story is what many consider to be H.P. Lovecraft’s take on Frankenstein but it’s much more. It’s the horror of returning from the dead and realizing this, it’s the insanity of having this power. 

In my final year of high school I’ll send you off, reader, with my final list. But dear reader, beware for these films have R-ratings. These movies are not for the faint of heart as I’ve said, but, if you have the stomach give these frightening tales a look and remember dear reader, remember THE SPOOK!