For the first time ever in my life, Halloween is right around the corner, and I will not be able to host a party, dress up, or go trick or treating. Mother Nature showed my family no mercy this year, and when it seemed like one person was getting better, the next got sick. So yes, I will be sending my Halloween indoors this year, tending to my ill infant and emptying my husband’s throw-up bucket.
Boo-hoo, I know, it sucks.
Since I am not one to dwell, and getting into the spirit of this holiday is a necessity for me, I have conjured up other plans. It includes chamomile lozenges because it’s the closest I can have to candy and a mug of lemon water.
To make sure I don’t feel left out, I’ve decided to spend All Hallow’s Eve rewatching some of the best horror films ever produced. Some are classics, some are new, but one thing they have in common is they’re sure to leave you scared shitless.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
If you have yet to watch The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, my advice to you is not to watch it alone. I don’t care how tough you are, how emotionally capable you are; it’s not meant to be watched alone.
While the movie is based on a true story, it’s really more based on the crimes of the murderer the movie is portraying, Ed Gain. You may recognize him as the cannibal wearing a leather face in the film (great stuff, right?). Gain, who eventually went to the crazy house for being completely insane, would excavate bodies from their graves and make keepsakes out of their skin and bones (furniture, masks). The chainsaw was an added effect by Tope Hooper (the director) and was not used by the actual family.
The Witch
This story follows a New England family in the mid 17th century after they are banished from their pilgrim community because of their different views on religion. They’re left to fend for themselves in the wilderness where superstitious elements begin to befall upon them. William and Katherine (the parents) build a home and plant crops to survive with their five children. It’s not long before disaster strikes, and their newborn, Sam, vanishes into thin air.
As they unsuccessfully look for Sam, Katherine blames her firstborn daughter on all the evil and wrong in their life and slowly descends into insanity. Will the family survive or fall victim to black magic that is unraveled by their sins?
Don’t Breathe
You’d think robbing a blind guy would be a piece of cake, right?
In this edge of your seat thriller, a trio of friends (Rocky, Alex, and Money) make a living by robbing valuables from secured homes and selling them. When Rocky decides to take her sister away from her abusive mother, she and her friends hatch a plan to kidnap an ex-veteran for 300 grand and run away to sunny California. At first, it doesn’t seem like anything could go wrong, but what if there’s more than meets the eye with this Gulf War veteran? Will Rocky get away with the money to fund her dreams? Or did she embark on a nightmare she won’t be able to wake up from?
It Follows
The plot of this film is relatively simple. If I’m honest, it’s more creepy than scary, but a great addition, nonetheless.
After a brief sexual encounter, Jay Height is suddenly haunted by a walking figure that follows her everywhere she goes. The figure appears as a different person every time, and the only way she can get rid of it is to have sex with someone else. With no one else to see these phantoms but her, Jay sets out to escape from its deadly grasp. Her friends tag along, hoping to help Jay, who they believe is losing her mind. Is there a way out of this curse, or will Jay have to pass it onto the next person in order to survive?
The Conjuring
After moving into a secluded farmhouse in Rhode Island, the Perron family’s lives become anything but ordinary. They are haunted by nightmares, noises, spirits, and paranormal events. Desperate for help, the Perrons contact Lorraine and Ed Warren to investigate the house. They later discover that a witch who once lived in the house had sacrificed her baby to Satan and had possessed any other mother residing on that land to do the same.
As they continue to gather evidence and plan their exorcism, will the Warrens be able to detach the darkness from the Perron family? Or will the whole family be doomed to a life of evil?
The Sixth Sense
After failing to heal one of his patients, child psychologist Malcolm Crowe decides to take on the case of a troubled eight-year-old boy who is cursed with the visions of the deceased who still walk this earth.
Desperately wanting to redeem himself after his ex-patient committed suicide, Crowe is convinced that the little boy is “seeing things”. After spending some time with the boy, Crowe starts to perceive things differently and starts to believe that his patient is seeing dead people who don’t know they’re dead.
Not only was this classic horror/thriller nominated for six Academy Awards, but it was also the highest-grossing movie of 1999! So grab your candy, popcorn, and a buddy! Don’t miss out on these awesome films this spooky season.
