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13 Scary Halloween Movies to Re-Watch in 2018

13 Scary Halloween Movies to Re-Watch in 2018
Carly Jacobs

Weird fact you may not know about me but I love horror movies. I never used to. They terrified me as a child. We had a VHS tape of Silence of the Lambs when I was kid and I didn’t even like it to touch my Dirty Dancing and Pretty Woman videos. The opening sequence of The X Files terrified me to my very soul and the second I heard the first few notes I’d take myself off to bed.

For some strange reason as an adult, I adore scary shit. I’m a massive true crime fan (which I personally think is way scarier than horror movies) and this just kind of seeped into a love of being scared. I wrote an article a little while ago about documentaries to watch on Netflix and I included ones that are quite old like Bowling for Columbine, just in case anyone missed them the first time around.

This list isn’t the most recent list of horror movies, it’s just a great list of horror movies I’ve watched that I think you should watch too. I’ve also included snack ideas because snacks are life.

1. The Babadook 

This is an Australian horror film and it’s one of the scariest things I’ve ever seen. The weird thing though is that technically, this isn’t a horror film. I mean, it is but you need to watch right to the end to understand why it’s very different to other horror films. It’s still terrifying as hell though. It stars Essie Davis who is a spectacular performer. It’s about a mother and son who are haunted by a story book character.

Snack recommendations: Popcorn. There’s many pearl clutching moments in this movie and it’s much easier to cough up popcorn than M’n’Ms. Those bastards will block your airways right up.

Extra tip: Don’t watch this one alone.

horror movies

2. Don’t Breathe 

I watched this one recently and it was really bloody good. I missed it when it was first released but a mate recommended I watch it and it was a hoot. Just a really great romp. It’s about three burglars who break into an old man’s home to steal his cash and they get a lot more than they bargained for.

Snack recommendations: Something soft that can be eaten quickly like ice cream. There’s a reason why this movie is called Don’t Breathe and that’s because you won’t breathe the whole freaking time so don’t eat anything that requires a lot of chewing otherwise you’ll spend an hour and a half with soggy corn chips in your mouth because you’re too scared to crunch.

Extra tip: Watch this in a big group. It makes it extra fun.

3. Pan’s Labyrinth

This movie is totally bizarre, extremely terrifying and worth every second you spend watching it. The storyline is kind of like a really fucked up Alice In Wonderland.

Snack recommendations: Eat all your snacks in the first half. There’s a scene about half way through that may make you reconsider eating for the rest of the movie.

Extra tip: Wear your glasses, this one has subtitles. 

scary halloween movies

4. The Cabin In The Woods

This is a great, traditional, teenagers in an isolated-cabin-style movie but it doesn’t end the way you think it will.

Snack recommendations: Pizza and beer. Go full traditional on this one. 

Extra tip: Keep an ear out for a familiar voice at the end… don’t Google it!

5. Shaun Of The Dead 

I wasn’t going to include this because it’s actually a horror comedy but if you’re watching for a laugh and you’re not keen on zombies, you should really avoid this film. It’s pretty gross but there are some amazing zombie fight scenes that rival proper slasher films. The cast of this film is also incredible – it has almost every single one of my favourite Brit Com actors in it.

Snack recommendations: A Cornetto as this movie is part of what the creators call The Cornetto Trilogy (Shaun and of The Dead, Hot Fuzz and World’s End) as Cornettos appear in all of the movies, usually consumed by Nick Frost.

Extra tip: Watch Hot Fuzz and World’s End immediately afterwards. They’re all amazing.

6. Little Shop of Horrors 

I only saw this as an adult and it’s one of the best movies I’ve ever seen. I don’t know how it escaped my attention for so long. I’m a musical theatre/horror junkie. Again, I debated whether or not to include this because it’s not strictly horror but it’s pretty scary so I thought I’d include it. Plus everyone should watch it at lease once because it’s totally ace.

Snack recommendations: Anything but meat.

Extra tip: Even people who don’t like musicals will like this. Steve Martin’s song ‘Dentist!’ is brilliance and everyone will love it.

scary halloween movies

7. Misery 

This one is an absolute classic and one of the most underrated horror films of all time. Kathy Bates is spectacular. The story is based around a writer who is injured in a car crash and he’s ‘rescued’ by his number one fan… did you just get chills reading that?

Snack recommendations: Dom Perignon champagne of course.

Extra tip: Read the book first. It’s a real page turner. Save it for your next holiday.

8. 28 Days Later 

Another must watch zombie flick, although technically they’re not zombies but they still kind of are. This movie really cemented what makes zombies terrifying. It’s all to do with how fast they can move. I’m fine with slow moving zombies, I’ll just shuffle along in front of them out of arms reach and I’ll be fine. The zombies in this movie? Yeah… they’re not slow.

Snack recommendations: Not pizza. In dim light, melted cheese and pepperoni isn’t very appetising when you’ve been watching rotting corpses for the last half hour.

Extra tip: Watch 28 Weeks Later too. It’s also very good.

9. 10 Cloverfield Lane

This is one of my top recent recommendations. It’s more psychological than traditional horror but it’s one of the most engaging movies I’ve seen in years. It’s a bunker style, apocalypse kind of deal.

Snack recommendations: Not that you would, but avoid anything in tins. I don’t know too many people that would crack open a can of spam for a horror movie but there’s a lot of unappetising tinned food in this movie.

Extra tip: Guessing what the fuck is going on in this movie is all part of the fun.

10. Paranormal Activity 

A lot of horror movie aficionados were’t keen on Paranormal Activity but I adored it. By ‘adored it’ I mean I didn’t sleep for about three weeks after watching it. It’s done in the same realist vein as The Blair Witch Project and it’s about a woman who gets possessed by a demon type creature. The thing I like most about this film is that it breaks all the rules of self protection. You know how you think you’re safe when you’re in bed? Yeah… nah.

Snack recommendations: Solid snack items that are less likely to go flying everywhere when you jump out of your seat. Magnum = good. Clinkers = bad.

Extra tip: Don’t watch all of the paranormal movies. There are too many now and they’re just getting silly. Like the Saw franchise.

scary halloween movies

11. What Lies Beneath 

Again, one of the most underrated horror films of all time. It’s Michelle Pfeiffer and Harrison Ford and every second is brilliant. It’s about a woman who thinks there’s a ghost living in her house and her husband won’t believe her.

Snack recommendations: I feel like this is a fancy Friday-night-in kind of film, I’d go with a good bottle of red wine and a fancy cheese platter. I mean it’s Ford and Pfeiffer. They deserve the best.

Extra tip: There are a shit tonne of red herrings in this movie and it’s awesome.

12. The Ring 

This is another one of those films that was super popular so a lot of people were all ‘It’s not even that scary!’ but I can assure you it is and it’s an excellent watch. It might make you irrationally scared of phones and TV screens though…

Snack recommendations: A shit tonne of sugar and caffeine. Sleeping will be difficult after watching this so you might as well try to prevent it in any way you can.

Extra tip: If you really want to fuck up your sleep patterns for the rest of your life, watch the original Japanese version. It’s messed up.

13. The Orphanage 

This is an excellent film that not too many people have seen. It’s properly scary.

Snack recommendations: Tapas and paella. It’s a Spanish film.

Extra tip: Put your phone away, this one has subtitles so you’ll need to concentrate.

Do you have any plans for Halloween this year? It’s not something I’ve ever celebrated or really cared much about but if I remember, I’ll always take the night off from writing and watch a scary movie. The problem is I’ve watched all the ones in this list and I need some new suggestions…

So tell me… what are you favourite scary Halloween movies?

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