Ever since the 1930s, the Horror genre has been one of the most popular genres in the film industry. Now that it’s Halloween season, I’ve compiled a list of the five best spooky movies to watch this Halloween Season.
5.) The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993).
Directed by Henry Selick and written by Tim Burton. The Nightmare Before Christmas is a lighthearted, animated musical that still holds up today. Released in 1993, the movie uses impressive stop motion animation that makes every scene memorable. The film is about a skeleton-man named Jack who rules over a place called Halloween Town. He is very passionate about everything Halloween. But one day, he discovers a new town called Christmas Town. He immediately falls in love with Christmas Town, and he tries to bring Christmas home to his people in Halloween Town. In short, The Nightmare Before Christmas is a fun, visually pleasing film that anyone can enjoy.
4.) Halloween (1978).
Directed by John Carpenter, Halloween is a genre defining slasher film that paved the way for all slasher films that came along after it although Halloween came out in 1978. However, Halloween is still a terrifying movie, even if it came out almost 50 years ago. Halloween tells the story of a young boy named Michael Myers, who murders his sister on Halloween night in 1963. But fifteen years later, Michael escapes from a mental hospital and comes back to his hometown of Haddonfield to start his killing spree anew. Halloween is a scary, classic movie that is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat the entirety of its 92 minute runtime.
3.) Beetlejuice (1988).
Directed by Tim Burton, Beetlejuice is a dark comedy about a couple who pass away and become ghosts. They return back to their former home only to find a new family living there. So, they end up hiring a ghost named Beetlejuice to drive the new family out. Beetlejuice explores what the afterlife could be like with amazing visuals throughout the movie. The movie never gets truly scary, so Beetlejuice is a great movie to watch if you’re not into some of the more frightening movies on this list.
2.) The Nightmare on Elm Street (1984).
Directed by Wes Craven, A Nightmare on Elm Street took a new direction that not many horror movies took at the time. The film focused less on physical killers in real places, but it instead focused on a killer who attacked in dreams. This allowed the typical boundaries of normal horror movies to be bent, as anything can happen in dreams. The movie is about a teenager named Nancy Thompson and her friends who become the next targets of a killer who exists in their dreams. However, if they die in their dreams, they die for real. A Nightmare on Elm Street changed the genre of horror itself, as it explored more supernatural themes than other horror movies at the time.
1. Scream (1996).
Directed by renowned horror director Wes Craven. Scream revived the horror genre in a whole new way. Scream combines dark humor with suspense in a way that makes the movie feel fresh every time I rewatch it. The stars, Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, David Arquette, Drew Barrymore and Skeet Ulrich each deliver an outstanding performance that balances the humor and fear factor of the film. The movie begins in the town of Woodsboro, where a young teenager named Sidney Prescott becomes the target of a masked slasher named Ghostface. In short, Scream is a classic halloween movie that holds up to the test of time.
