When the urge for a spooky movie marathon hits, nothing beats diving into the ultimate collection of haunting films to set the mood. But with so many creepy choices, where to begin? Fear not—we’ve gathered a lineup of essential movies guaranteed to make any night memorable and spine-chillingly fun!
Gremlins
Let’s kick things off with a classic. This iconic eighties horror film has frightening monsters, an utterly adorable hero, and best of all? It all takes place during Christmas! So you’re getting two holidays in one! The film follows an inventor who heads to Chinatown to find the perfect Christmas present for his son. Naturally, he wanders into a mysterious store and buys the legendary Mogwai, a fuzzy, adorable creature who you can not, under any circumstances, get wet. What happens when the little guy does get wet? Monsters. Murderous, nightmarish monsters. Part black comedy, part horror, Gremlins is a must-see.
Midsommar
Going from Gremlins to Midsommar is a really good way to give yourself genre whiplash. While Gremlins was almost feel-good at times, Midsommar is pure arthouse. Created by Ari Aster (Hereditary), it follows Florence Pugh as our heroine, a girl who has her arm twisted into going on holiday to visit… look. It’s a cult, OK? Taking place during a strange festival, Midsommar swiftly turns into a truly, unforgettably disturbing story about absolutely losing your mind in a land where the sun refuses to go down. Twisted brilliance.
Silence of the Lambs
Hello, Clarice. One of the few horror films ever made to garner universal critical acclaim and frankly transcend the genre, Silence of the Lambs saw Jodie Foster’s FBI agent Clarice Starling go head-to-head with Anthony Hopkins’ Hannibal Lecter, the charming, sadistic, brilliant cannibal. The real villain of the piece, though, is a serial killer named Buffalo Bill who enjoys making dresses out of human skin. So… maybe wait until the kids are in bed before giving this one a spin.
IT & IT Chapter Two
Look, we’re kind of cheating here, but we’re going to go ahead and count parts I and II of IT as one film. Partly because this is our article and we can do whatever we want, but mostly because when combined, they form one single story. In fact, we’re hard pressed to say which of the two we prefer - based on the incredible book by Stephen King, IT follows a bunch of kids in the first half, and the same kids as grown-ups in the second. This is some scary, upsetting, profound, and incredibly well made horror right here.
The Shining
Speaking of Stephen King, Stanley Kubrick’s interpretation of The Shining set the bar for horror moving forward. Sure, it deviated from the source material pretty wildly, but the look, the feel and the vibe remain unmatched. Jack Nicholson’s Jack Torrance drags his family up to a freaky hotel in the mountains in the dead of winter after landing a caretaking job, and everything goes south from there - madness, mayhem, and monsters. Oh, and an elevator filled with blood. What’s not to love?
The Nun II
If you’re a fan of The Nun, good news: the sequel is finally coming out! Set within the universe of The Conjuring, The Nun II follows Taissa Farmiga as Sister Irene, whose ordeals in the first film kept us up for weeks afterwards. Sister Irene finds herself sent to deal with a supernatural incident - she’s regarded as something of an expert by this point. And folks? The Nun II is even better than the first one. Farmiga is on fire, the setting is electric, and the scares are dialled right up. Don’t miss it.
The Conjuring series
You really can’t do The Nun films without the stories that started it all. And yes, we’re cheating again, but when it comes to The Conjuring, the trilogy is absolutely perfect from beginning to end. The first film follows Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as real-life ghost hunters Ed and Lorraine Warren helping a family in rural America. The second has them heading off to England, and the third has them battling some very personal demons. Their story forms the backbone for what’s become known as The Conjuring Universe, basically the MCU of horror films. Start at the beginning and thank us later.
There you have it! The ultimate Halloween movie mixtape. And don’t forget: turn all the lights off before hitting play. If you’re going to scare yourself, you may as well scare yourself stupid!