10 Reviewed Scariest Halloween Movies

Is Halloween your favourite holiday of the year? If so, you're probably thinking of holding a movie night.

But there are so many choices out there and sometimes it's difficult to pick just one movie. But don't worry, this is why I've compiled this spooky list.

So grab your popcorn, turn off the lights and get ready to enjoy a night of horrors. We're not going to cover the gross banned films in this article and instead focus on something with a bit more Uhm... plot. These movies are listed in no particular order.

1. Hereditary (2018)

This tongue-clicking girl will make you lose your head, pun intended. Hereditary has been named the scariest film of all time, so if you've got a Netflix account definitely watch this one.

A rough summary of the plot: after tragedy takes Annie's daughter away, the Graham family struggles to come to terms with the loss. The mother attends a support group where one of the members befriends her and suggests holding a seance to communicate with her dead daughter. But as they say, what's dead should be left dead.

Annie tries it out and after that event, strange occurrences start to happen around the Graham family. They get into serious accidents and as the movie progresses it turns out that they're dealing with a malevolent demon. 

In Hereditary you get an insight into how each member of the family tries to cope with the loss. Along with some insights and how they regret that the certain treatment they gave to members of the family. Let's say that every family has its demons but this one has a ton of them.

Personally, I don't mind gore and disturbing scenes as long as they're done tastefully and there's a right place for them in a movie. Hereditary manages to pull that off, leaving you stuck to the screen and waiting for more.

But what's scary about Hereditary is the disturbing imagery and the tension it manages to keep. Besides, that clicking... that clicking sound needs to stop.

2. Oculus (2013)

Oculus follows the story of two siblings (with important flashbacks to the past) whose parents have been possessed by, what they suspect to be, a haunted mirror. During the course of events, the parents attempt to murder their children, and the son, Tim, shoots his mother in self-defence.

When the authorities arrive to help the children all they see is that the son killed the mother. He's taken to a mental institution but not before promising his sister that they will reunite and get to the bottom of what happened that night.

After getting her brother out of the mental institution, Kaylie revisits her home with him to investigate the haunted mirror. They set up cameras and traps in hopes to record the paranormal occurrences and prove Tim's innocence but at the end of the day, it turns incredibly wrong.

This movie is scary because you don't know what's true and what's not. It makes you doubt your reality and you never know whether they're just a crazy family unable to become functioning members of society or if the mirror is actually playing tricks.

Cleverly done, Oculus will definitely stick in your brain and make you think. Unfortunately, you can't see this R-rated movie on American or UK Netflix, but I'm sure Google has some alternative options for you.

3. Midsommar (2019)

Dani's family is murdered in a freak suicide attempt and she ends up being traumatized after the horrific event. She doesn't get a lot of support from her emotionally distant boyfriend, Christian, as well so it makes it all the more difficult to cope with the loss.

As events progress Christian's friend gets invited to a midsummer festival in Sweden and they all tag along. It was supposed to be a simple fun outing that would hopefully bring Dani and Christian closer but in the end, she's faced with more death and betrayal.

Midsommar is available on Netflix so if you want to watch something that's disturbing both psychologically and physically, then it's the movie for you. It doesn't fail to shock and what adds to the feeling of dread is the behaviour of the Swedish characters.

It's brainwashed, cult-like, and almost like they're mirroring feelings of others instead of showing their genuine ones. This makes one wonder, do they have any emotions of their own or do they only know how to imitate what others expect them to feel?

No matter the severity of a situation, they'll always have a twisted explanation for their actions or simply imitate what you're doing. Even if it means crying along with you while looking directly at your face.

Also. Midsommar has one of the most ridiculous sex scenes that's bound to make you either cringe or laugh. There's no in-between, you've been warned.

4. Goodnight Mommy (2014)

Goodnight Mommy is an Austrian film that follows the tale of twins whose mother has gone through plastic surgery that left her unrecognizable for her boys. The children think that's not their real mother and hence try to make her confess through various means.

In the end, they never get to hear what they want their mother to say and it leads to a tragic end. But Goodnight Mommy has an incredible twist that'll make you fall out of your chair.

Honestly, for me, it's the scariest film I've ever seen. Nothing moved me and put me off horrors as much as Goodnight Mommy has and if I was offered to watch it again, I'd decline.

The reason this movie is scary is because of how realistic it is. Not in the make-up/costumes kind of way, there's none of that in Goodnight Mommy.

It's terrifying because this storyline is something you could hear on the news. A tragic past, a problematic family dynamic, and a child who doesn't know any better and did what he thought was best to get his beloved mother back.

Also, you'll probably not look at superglue the same way again. Just a fair warning.

5. Us (2019)

Imagine having a doppelganger. Pretty cool, right? Now imagine that doppelganger is trying to kill you. Not so cool.

Us is a film directed by Jordan Peele who also directed Get Out and is a story of survival. In its storyline it has an underground world of evil doubles, seeking to destroy and replace their original copies.

A family of these evil doppelgangers called the Tethered break in a family's home and that's where the chase begins. The main protagonist tries to fight her evil double and eventually succeeds in defeating her. But that's where the audience figures out it might've not been all as straightforward as it seemed at the start.

The plot twist makes you realize how messed up this movie is and how much people can believe in their own innocence until the very end. And of course, the movie plays on surprising the viewer with the unexpected.

It works perfectly but I think you'll appreciate Us not only for its horror but for its artistic aspect too. The choreographed dance/fight scene is rather impressive and it'll be an interesting game to spot all the metaphors in this film as well.

So if you aren't going to watch Us for the horror aspect of it at least watch it for the sake of a good debate and artistic appreciation. Either way, you won't be disappointed.

6. IT (2017)

Whether you opt for the original or the remake you'll be impressed. IT follows the story of a group of friends battling a malevolent presence who needs to feed on your fears (and your flesh).

In the small town of Derry, children were periodically mysteriously disappearing. But when it was Bill's brother Georgie who got lost the motivation to resolve the century-old problem sparked.

Bill and his friends investigate the town's sinister history and discover a monster they need to battle. The group of friends swears to return to Derry if IT returns.

The newest remake is stretched into two parts and there are many references in the second movie to the first one. IT isn't identical to the book but then again what movie is?

It's also worth mentioning that the movie IT was approved by Stephen King himself. And if it was good enough for him I believe it should be good enough for you.

IT does a good job of showing how the characters struggle with past fears and work to overcome them in order to defeat the monster. I don't know if it will feel relatable but if it does maybe that's a good sign. At least from a cinematic point of view, it means that the movie made you think and therefore IT is a success.

7. Raw (2016)

This French movie will make you look at vegetarians/vegans in a whole different light. Raw follows the story of a young vet student who discovers a craving for meat after she's forced to eat raw rabbit kidneys as part of a hazing ritual.

The cravings get stronger and stronger and there seems to be only one way to get rid of them. Her older sister seems to have been in on the secret all along as she tries to help her embrace her newly discovered self.

Even if it means feeding on human flesh. The sisters seem to have a close bond and love each other but as the story progresses we find out that one of them isn't as caring and loving as she is for her sibling.

Raw is disturbing for many reasons and one of them is the depiction of death and gore. During its premiere, many people walked out of the movie theatre because they were disgusted by the sounds of chewing meat.

Can't blame them but I think out of all the things that happened in Raw a bit of eating is the least to be disgusted about. As a viewer, you're angry at the crueller sibling but when the plot twist hits every puzzle piece gets put together.

Then you're not sure whether you should blame nature or nurture and the family's obsession with vegetarianism becomes crystal clear. Nothing to see here, just another crazy family.

P.S.: I don't know why the top of this poster says "disturbingly erotic", it's... it's honestly not that erotic and has the average amount of sex scenes.

8. 1408 (2007)

The movie 1408 tells the story of an author who spends a night at haunted locations and dispels their myth. His work goes flawlessly and his books sell great until he decides to stay in room 1408.

He found out about this location because of a postcard that he was sent anonymously. As soon as he arrives at the hotel and requests to stay in room 1408 he's greeted by the manager who tries to change his mind and persuade him to choose a different room to write about.

But the author's persistent and in the end gets what he wants but at a big price. That surely made him wish he listened to be warnings sooner.

This movie is terrifying because of the psychological tension 1408 manages to keep throughout the film. You never know what's going to happen next and how soon the main character might break. It tests all aspects of his resilience and just when you think it's all over the haunting restarts again.

Keep in mind, 1408 has two different endings depending on which version you happened to stumble upon and where it was released. So once you're done with watching, go do some hunting for an alternative ending scene. It can bring a completely different twist and feel to the film.

9. The Blaire Witch Project (1999)

The Blaire Witch Project is a classic that must be present during any horror movie night. It tells the tale of three friends who went to investigate a location where alleged murders took place for their documentary.

According to the tales a murderer kidnapped children and killed them in pairs while he made one of them stand in a corner. The trio enters the forest and starts searching for the terrifying location however they get lost and can't find their way out of the forest or towards the house where the murders took place. To make matters more frightening they find out that at one point they were walking in circles. 

The Blaire Witch Project is scary because you never see the paranormal monsters, you just know that something's haunting the three friends. But for us as humans, the fear of the unknown gets to us the most.

This is one of the many reasons why The Blair Witch Project was named one of the scariest movies of all time. What helped add to its chilling reputation is the fact that many people thought this was real footage that was found in the woods. Viewers thought they were looking at an actual disappearance and not a cleverly made film.

Another bonus you might want to know for your Easter egg hunt is that The Blair Witch Project has several endings. So after you finish watching it turn off your Netflix and head to YouTube for all the alternative endings.

10. The Witch (2015)

The Witch is about a puritanical family exiled from their colony over a religious dispute and sent to find a new life somewhere else. Eventually, they do and they build a home in a secluded forest location where they believe they'll live happily.

That is until one day their baby gets abducted while Thomasin the oldest daughter is playing with him. After that, a series of events follow that can only be explained by witchcraft.

Little does this family know that the Devil himself may be present among them as well as a witch. One family member might particularly be to blame.

The atmosphere of The Witch and the way it's filmed especially adds to the grey and dark mood of the setting. This movie's ending is very similar to Midsommar in its metaphorical meaning, the main character finding freedom after a series of deadly events.

Despite the religious tone of the movie you can't help but realise that God isn't helping this family. The sense of abandonment and inability to seek help from the deity that they so worship is what adds to the feeling of dread. And as a viewer, you can't help but watch helplessly as they spiral towards their doom.

Also, it's worth mentioning, the goat Black Phillip in The Witch is amazing. If you're not going to watch the film for its plot, please, please, please, watch it for the goat.

Bonus film: Doctor Sleep (2019)

I'm adding this bonus film here because it's not as scary as it's clever! If you've never watched The Shining, I recommend watching it first before Doctor Sleep to get all the references in the sequel.

Otherwise, they just won't make sense to you. A favourite quote for me in Doctor Sleep? That'd easily be "are you going to take your medicine?"

So perfectly timed and delivered right at the perfect moment to have a lasting impact. Our dear boy Dan is all grown up and is a recovering alcoholic struggling to fight the demons in his head and literal ghosts.

He has to help a girl who also has the shining and she's nothing short of a prodigy in this paranormal field. Together they set on a mission to stop a psychic cult from murdering those with the shining.

Doctor Sleep lasts for three hours and some have dubbed it boring because of its length. But I assure you it's anything but. Doctor Sleep is a cleverly made movie with many references and deep character development.

I hope this list helped choose a movie for your spooky Halloween night.  I hope you don't get any nightmares after watching and have a happy Halloween!