Tom Falite
The leaves are changing, the weather’s getting cooler, and Halloween is getting closer and closer. Now that we’re about halfway through October, it’s the perfect time to bundle up and watch some scary movies. In no particular order, here’s my list of modern favorites to stream around this time of year.
Hereditary (2018)
Family drama! Some would say Midsommar (2019) is the better Ari Aster film, and some would be wrong. Easily one of my favorite horror movies of all time, I’ll never forget experiencing this in the theater. A must see.
- Scariness – 5/5
- Gore – 3/5
- Humor – 1/5
Get Out (2017)
Jordan Peele’s iconic directorial debut that turned him into a household name. You think your significant other’s family is tough to deal with? Watch this movie and realize it could probably be much, much worse.
- Scariness – 3/5
- Gore – 2/5
- Humor – 4/5
Sinister (2012)
A true crime author moves his family into the house of a murder victim he’s writing about. What could go wrong? Just don’t check the attic for anything suspicious. Another all time favorite of mine.
- Scariness – 4/5
- Gore – 4/5
- Humor – 2/5
The Conjuring (2013)
A massive franchise was spawned from this movie, but this is pretty much the only good one. Classic family possession story, 1970s nostalgia, set in New England!
- Scariness – 4/5
- Gore – 3/5
- Humor – 3/5
Insidious (2010)
Son won’t wake up? Definitely ghosts. This could be seen as a run-of-the-mill possession movie nowadays, but it helped lay the groundwork for so many similar films through the 2010s and still manages to be damn scary. It also spawned a sub-par series of sequels, but those don’t even touch this one.
- Scariness – 4/5
- Gore – 1/5
- Humor – 1/5
The Invitation (2015)
Not to be confused with The Invitation (2022), I think it’s best if I give away as little as possible about this one. Per IMDb, “A man accepts an invitation to a dinner party hosted by his ex-wife, an unsettling affair that reopens old wounds and creates new tensions.” Aaaand that’s all you get.
- Scariness – 3/5
- Gore – 2/5
- Humor – 3/5
It Follows (2014)
Chilling urban legend vibes from this one. “It” could look like anyone, and is always following you… unless you pass it on to someone else. It’s kind of like the immortal snail, but with more sex.
- Scariness – 4/5
- Gore – 3/5
- Humor – 3/5
The Cabin in the Woods (2011)
A bunch of hot people go on vacation to a cabin in the woods. Seems like a boring and cliché movie trope, but that’s one of its strong suits; this is a great subversive horror flick with one of my favorite endings on this whole list.
- Scariness – 3/5
- Gore – 5/5
- Humor – 5/5
Evil Dead (2013)
Blood and guts galore. Regrettably I’ve never seen the original, but this is a top tier modern supernatural gore-fest. Greg Nicotero of The Walking Dead fame also got his start with special effects on the original, so why not check that one out too?
- Scariness – 5/5
- Gore – 5/5
- Humor – 3/5
Ready or Not (2019)
Hide and seek with a deadly twist. Imagine if your in-laws were this hardcore?
- Scariness – 2/5
- Gore – 4/5
- Humor – 5/5
The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016)
Jane Doe arrives at the morgue, last body of the day. Seems straightforward enough, but this one’s not like the others. A pretty barebones premise cranked up to the max. My expectations were blown away with this one.
- Scariness – 4/5
- Gore 2/5
- Humor – 2/5
Green Room (2015)
What’s worse than being boo’d off stage? Fighting for your life in a confined space against crazy Nazi’s. This movie makes me enter panic mode, do what you will with that info.
- Scariness – 4/5
- Gore – 5/5
- Humor – 1/5
Vivarium (2019)
Raising a kid probably sucks, but I bet it’s better than what goes down in this flick. Imagine being stuck in sprawling, never-ending suburbia with an alien! Jessie Eisenberg and Imogen Poots are both gems.
- Scariness – 3/5
- Gore – 1/5
- Humor – 2/5
The Babadook (2014)
A single mother at her wit’s end finds a mysterious picture book on her son’s bookshelf, and the spooky character on the pages starts to creep its way into the real world. Some grade A parenting in this one!
- Scariness – 4/5
- Gore – 1/5
- Humor – 1/5
Terrified (2020)
Genuinely one of the scariest movies I’ve ever seen. I still have some of the images burned into my head to this day. If you don’t speak Spanish and/or don’t like relying on subtitles, make an exception with this one, it’s worth it.
- Scariness – 5/5
- Gore – 5/5
- Humor – 1/5
Happy streaming, and Happy Halloween!!
