With Halloween just around the corner, it is the perfect time for a Halloween movie night! Picks from our Halloween- centered content are perfect for whatever kind of spooky movie night you want to have. This list includes our recommendations from slashers to horror comedies, or classics to psychological thrillers. It's time to bring out the popcorn and Halloween candy, and settle in for the perfect Halloween!
Killer Classics: Get in the Halloween Spirit
Monsters Who Are Not So Monstrous
Ever wish that the monster in the horror movie would survive? In all of the movies on this list, the monsters are sympathetic characters who are easy to understand. They commit horrific acts of violence, but when they are compared to other characters in the films, they seem more humane.
Read our essay here.
Campy Fun: Blending Horror and Comedy
Theater of Blood
Theater of Blood, released in 1973, tends to fall under the radar of Vincent Price’s huge body of work. However, it is a deliriously entertaining horror-comedy. It is gory, but it has a demented sense of humor we can all enjoy. It’s an over-the-top spectacle, and Price’s abilities shine through.
Read our review here.
The Comedy of Terrors
The Shakespearean allusion in the punning title of this macabre 1964 farce, written by Richard Matheson and directed by Jacques Tourneur, is embodied in the character of John Black (Basil Rathbone), a wealthy townsman who has the habit of quoting from Macbeth, even performing bits of the play hammily while reading the text in his bed-chamber.
Read our review here.
Camp Wedding
Camp Wedding is a clever take on the camp slasher genre as seen in films such as Friday the 13th and Sleepaway Camp that has the parodic elements of Scream mixed with the girlish excitement of wedding movies.This kooky horror-comedy is light on gory scares and heavy on sharp humor. Emetaz’s Camp Wedding is a splashy throwback to 1980s slashers with a contemporary twist that features an inclusive cast. It has a frothy spirit and theatrical aesthetic that makes it a truly enjoyable watch.
Read our review here.
Gory Slashers: Scary Favorites
Not Just Halloween: 5 Holiday Themed Horror Movies
Horror films are a cult staple for the Halloween season. Much of the action takes place during the October months. However, there are a variety of horror films that don’t use October 31st at all. Here are five films that take a non-Halloween route, bringing the terror and gore to other holidays.
Read our list here.
Introduction to Giallo: The Italian Pulp Horror Genre
One of thes horror subgenres is giallo—Italian murder mystery films based on crime novels with yellow covers (giallo is Italian for yellow). Though perhaps a lesser-known genre to a general audience, giallo films are the foundation for the very popular slasher genre, which boomed in the late 70s and throughout the 80s.
Read our essay here.
Psychological Thrillers: Modern Picks That Stick With You
Tailgate
Tailgate follows the horrific outcomes of one family’s experience with road rage, an interesting addition to the horror genre. With no on-screen death and a focus on the feeling of being hunted, this film redefines what one can do with the elements of a slasher film and is recommended.
Read our review here.
Kindred
With its many obvious horror influences—Rosemary’s Baby to Get Out to the hallucinatory psychodrama of Poe—being completely conspicuous, this dark, atmospheric British slow-burner even has an old crumbling country house as the centerpiece of its bleak setting.
Read our review here.
Candyman
A horror movie that also aims to be a topical socio-political argument and an exercise in florid visual style, Nia DaCosta’s sequel to (or more properly reboot of) Bernard Rose’s 1992 Candyman, produced and co-written by Jordan Peele, has ambitions so grand that it ultimately stumbles over them, yet it is difficult to take your eyes off it.
Read our review here.
Get Out: The Horror of White Women
Get Out was one of the biggest successes of 2017. With a budget of $4.5 million, the film grossed over $200 million worldwide, won director/screenwriter Jordan Peele an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, and became one of the most influential films of the decade. Get Out deftly weaves various genres, however, I feel that Get Out’s genre is undoubtedly horror due to one key factor—the character of Rose Armitage and how she uses her race as a weapon.
Read our essay here.
Still can't decide? - This list has a little bit of everything!
5 Flicks For Horror Fans and Scaredy Cats
Are you not a big fan of the horror genre? Hate jump scares? There's plenty of people in the same boat, but just about everyone has a friend who's a horror buff. Movie night can cause friction between people with such opposing tastes. These five films split the difference so Movie Night doesn't leave anyone feeling left behind. These are the perfect recommendations for date night with a Rob Zombie fan or a Halloween Spook-tacular with friends.
Read our list here.