Friday, October 31, 2014

5 Movies to Watch on Halloween

Over the last two years, I've begun to appreciate movies in the horror genre. I tend to gravitate towards movies that don't so much leave you cowering in your seat from fear, but keep you puzzling until the end. I love more of the psychological thriller side of the horror genre (think Shutter Island) over the movies with supernatural or evil spirits (think Paranormal Activity). Even so, I follow a YouTube channel that does reviews on horror movies as well as the show Just Seen It that reviews all movies (including horror) that you can watch on Hulu for free. I'm always interested to see if there are any new and thrilling horror movies out there.

Last year, I spent nearly the entire month of October watching horror movies and got really into the Halloween spirit. This year, I haven't been feeling it as much, but while deciding on what movie to watch today since it is Halloween, I came up with a list of 5 great options. As a bonus, I only chose movies that are on Netflix, so you can watch them too!


1. The Nightmare Before Christmas

In this animated story by Tim Burton, Jack Skellington, King of Halloween Town, decides to take over Christmas and kidnaps Santa. He sings some great songs in here as well. I'd say this is the least scary movie on this list, but it is appropriately creepy with Tim Burton's odd characters. It is also Halloween-themed, but can also be watched in between the Halloween and Christmas holidays.


2. Scream

This meta film is a must to watch if you're staying in on Halloween, because that means you can have a marathon with sequels 2, 3, and 4 (although 4 hasn't made it to Netflix yet). The movie tells the tale of a murderer who dresses up in a scream mask and robe as they terrorize a girl in high school by killing everyone she knows. The movie turns the genre on its head by making fun of horror cliches and having the characters themselves discuss what the killer would do in the movies. You'll be laughing while also wondering 'Who done it?' Plus it's always fun to see old-school Drew Barrymore in the beginning of the movie.


3. Devil

While I tend to not like movies dealing with supernatural evil, this thriller puts a religious spin on things that makes it exciting. Five people are trapped in an elevator and Detective Bowden (played by Chris Messina aka Danny from The Mindy Project) has to help get them out quickly, because one of them is the devil in disguise. How it all starts as well as the ending are both interesting and amazing.


4. The Cabin in the Woods

I've mentioned this film before in my Top 10 Movies on Netflix post. Similar to Scream, the movie makes fun of its own genre. It starts off with 5 friends, all horror character stereotypes, visiting a secluded cabin. As events continue to unfold, it becomes clear that there is a conspiracy behind all of the bad things happening to them, as well as people in all other horror movies. Also, it's worth mentioning that in the last 10 minutes, an unexpected star shows up, making the ending even cooler.


5. You're Next

If Scream isn't serious enough for you but you still want a slasher flick, this is a good pick. A girl goes to her boyfriend's family reunion and has to help defend them when a gang of men in animal masks try to kill them. I enjoy the girl power aspect when everyone is surprised to see this shy woman has great survival skills after living in the Outback.


What are you Halloween horror movie picks? I love hearing about people's horror preferences so leave them down below!

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