It’s that time of year again, and all the streaming services have their Halloween sections ready for your viewing. I love a good scare, so I compiled this quick list of spine-tingling favorites to set your mood for October. Have you seen them?
1. The Conjuring (2013)
The Conjuring is a supernatural film based on prominent cases of haunting investigated by paranormal trailblazers and authors Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga).
Set in 1971, it explores a haunted farmhouse in Rhode Island occupied by the Perron family, and it is terrifying. There are several literal jump scares and a story that grips you from beginning to end. The sequel is equally scary and entertaining.
2. What Lies Beneath (2000)
What Lies Beneath is a psychological supernatural horror movie that will palpitate your heart. It follows former cellist Claire Spencer (Michelle Pfeiffer) and her husband Norman (Harrison Ford), an accomplished scientist and professor.
When Claire begins seeing a ghost, it leads her down a path of a shocking revelation that will forever change her life. This one is creeping me out just writing about it! You won’t see it coming.
3. Talk To Me (2022)
I recently watched Talk To Me, and holy cow, it is horrifying. The story was so engaging that I rewatched it the following day. Mia (Sophie Wilde) and her friends have a party where they are introduced to a mysterious embalmed hand with frightening powers.
Holding it and saying, “Talk to me,” allows a person to commune with a spirit, followed by saying, “I let you in,” which enables the spirit to possess them. If the connection isn’t severed before 90 seconds, the spirit binds itself forever to the person. CREEPY!
4. Sinister (2012)
Sinister is one of the only horror films I’ve watched as an adult that lingered and made me uncomfortable. It follows a struggling true-crime writer (Ethan Hawke) moving his family into a home where a family was murdered. He finds a projector and several reels of Super 8 film labeled as home movies.
Each film shows a family being murdered, but the cameraman is not seen. As he dives deeper into the mystery, strange occurrences begin. The ending is an out-of-nowhere conclusion that will leave you silent for minutes after the credits roll.
5. A Quiet Place (2018)
A Quiet Place is an original concept with minimal conversation but plenty of heart palpitations. It follows a dad (John Krasinski) and a mom (Emily Blunt) struggling to survive and raise their children in a post-apocalyptic world inhabited by terrifying blind extraterrestrial creatures with an acute sense of hearing.
6. The Ring (2002)
The Ring is the stuff nightmares are made of. It tells the story of Rachel Keller (Naomi Watts), a journalist determined to find a way to escape death after watching a cursed videotape that kills the viewer seven days after watching it. The closet and crawling out of the TV scenes are permanently engrained in my brain.
7. Creep (2014)
Creep is a found-footage psychological horror movie with no visible gore, and it is chilling. It follows a struggling videographer named Aaron (Patrick Brice), taking a job at a remote cabin. His client, Josef (Mark Duplass), explains that he has an inoperable brain tumor and will likely die before his pregnant wife gives birth.
So, he hires Aaron to record a video diary for his unborn child. However, it’s not long before Josef’s eccentric behaviors giveaway that something is off. The ending is a shock and completely unexpected.
8. The Skeleton Key (2005)
The Skeleton Key has one of the most unsettling endings in cinematic history. It tells the story of a New Orleans hospice nurse (Kate Hudson) who takes a job at a Terrebonne Parish plantation home caring for Ben (John Hurt), a man who suffered a debilitating stroke.
She discovers a room in the attic where the old homeowners perform Hoodoo rituals and spells, and things get very creepy quickly. Gena Rowlands delivers a heart-pounding performance as Ben’s wife.
9. Gothika (2003)
Gothika is an underrated horror film that follows Dr. Miranda Grey (Halle Berry), a psychiatrist who finds herself incarcerated in the prison in which she works, accused of brutally murdering her own husband (Charles S. Dutton). Her colleague, Dr. Pete Graham (Robert Downey Jr.), provides treatment as she works hard to uncover the truth of what happened that night.
10. The Strangers (2008)
The Strangers is a psychological horror film inspired by actual events. It tells the story of Kristen (Liv Tyler) and James (Scott Speedman), whose stay at a vacation home is disrupted by three masked criminals who infiltrate the home. This may be one of the more unsettling horror flicks of our time.
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Elizabeth Ervin is the owner of Sober Healing. She is a freelance writer passionate about opioid recovery and has celebrated breaking free since 09-27-2013. She advocates for mental health awareness and encourages others to embrace healing, recovery, and spirituality.