Fear Not: There's a Horror Film for You

And no, I'm not just talking about Hocus Pocus.

Oct 31, 2024

Everyone should watch horror movies. Thankfully, the stigma around the horror genre as just a repository of gore, misogyny, and jump scares has waned in the wake of recent auteurs like Ari Aster and Jordan Peele, but it still takes a lot of convincing to get some people in front of the spectral glow of a good scary film.

To each their own, BUT know that you’re missing out on some of the most emotional and innovative storytelling out there! A good horror film is a thoughtful reflection of our societal fears, a playful exploration of the human psyche, and perhaps most importantly, an opportunity to confront the things that challenge us most in life and come out on the other side feeling invigorated and alive!

Also, many horror movies are pretty campy and queer-coded, so that is rad.

With all of this in mind, here are my hopefully helpful recommendations for horror films to watch this Halloween based on your relationship to the genre. I promise my list includes some truly scary picks but mostly leans in the highly-watchable and approachable, not too gory nor too terrifying direction (while avoiding family Halloween films like Hocus Pocus or The Nightmare Before Christmas, which while fun are not horror films by any stretch).

You can survive them, horror haters, I believe in you.

If jump scares are a “Hell No!” for you…

Rosemary’s Baby (1968)

Generally speaking, if you’re allergic to the nowadays quintessential jump scare, opt for older horror movies. They’re usually better written anyway, using story to create suspense and unease instead of relying on contemporary special effects.

Released over half a century ago, Rosemary’s Baby hasn’t lost its punch. It masterfully blends supernatural and psychological horror while following our unsuspecting heroine, Rosemary (played with haunting grace by Mia Farrow), as she grapples with an apartment full of neighbors who are… definitely not taking their vitamins.

This film is a delightful descent into paranoia (an epitomic example of gaslighting before it became everyone’s favorite word), and there are no jump scares. Instead, it plucks at the strings of your sanity by forcing you to question everything. I also think the film manages at times to be quite funny, a plus for those not into gritty horror.

Honorable Mentions: The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017) & The Blair Witch Project (1999). Both tonally much darker, but no jump scares!

If your horror experience needs to be “aesthetic”…

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

Few things scare me more than contemporary usage of the word “aesthetic” (just a joke, language is meant to evolve). The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is legitimately scary, but it’s also vibing. Aspiring to find the beauty in the grotesque is not uncommon to the horror genre (perhaps thanks to this film itself). In part due to its independent nature, the film’s grainy texture and muted color palette evoke a sense of desolation and decay, immersing us in a gritty world where innocence has been stripped away.

At the same time, this is the first film that comes to my mind (until Ari Aster’s much later Midsommar in 2019) when I think of horror that occurs during the daytime. Natural light enhances the documentary-like feel, making the standout horrifying moments all the more visceral and immediate. The 70s hair and outfits. The haphazard Leatherface mask (creating the genre of masked killers, Michael Myers owes dues). It all comes together in a look that’s immediately identifiable and often praised and recreated, like in Ti West’s recent horror homage X (2022).

If you like your killers in cinematic dappled sunlight, this one’s for you.

Honorable Mentions: Suspiria (1977) & The Witch (2015). These two recommendations are basically opposing Instagram filters.

If you don’t want kids and know that’s okay but still need validation due to external societal pressures…

The Omen (1976)

Honorable Mentions: Village of the Damned (1960) & The Exorcist (1973)

If you prefer spooky to scary and don’t mind heavy-handed themes…

The Sixth Sense (1999)

I won’t spend too much time here since my last post was all about Shyamalan, but his films are perfect for spooky season! They are more contemplative and symbolic than they are ever frightening, shot with a romantic, nostalgic, Spielbergian sensibility. His movies explore themes of grief, faith and family and always have a great twist! The Sixth Sense is a prime example of this—and it’s his best film.

Honorable Mentions: Signs (2002) & The Village (2004)

If you like your horror to be not subtly but OVERTLY homoerotic…

A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge (1985)

All of the Nightmare on Elm Street films are pretty campy and not too scary for most (they can be a bit gross though). In this sequel, the film follows Jesse Walsh, an often shirtless inversion of the “final girl” (a “final twink”?) who’s not just battling Freddy Krueger; he’s also dealing with some confusing feelings for his buddy Grady. There’s an infamous pool party scene where Freddy’s nightmare fuel turns into a metaphorical coming-out moment, with Jesse struggling to escape not just his nightmare but the confines of his own identity. It was the 1980s, so it’s not technically in the text but… it’s leaping off the page. Not to mention moments where Freddy is oddly caressing Jesse, and a sequence where a guy gets literally spanked to death in a locker room…

I had to include this film still, the peekaboo jock reveal is just wild.

Honorable Mentions: Jennifer’s Body (2009) & Hellbent (2004)

If you want horror, but make it gothic literary vibes…

Rebecca (1940)

Based on the famous gothic novel by Daphne du Maurier, this chilling film adaptation is a must-watch! It’s Hitchcock directing, so you know it’s going to be good. Set against the haunting backdrop of Manderley, the grand estate that feels almost like a character itself, the film immerses us in a world where shadows linger and secrets abound, weaving an atmosphere thick with mystery and psychological tension. The oppressive presence of a deceased first wife, named Rebecca, looms over the protagonist Mrs. de Winter, manifesting in the eerie whispers of the house and the obsessive behavior of the housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers. Hitchcock expertly blends elements of romance and suspense, crafting a tale where the past exerts an unrelenting grip on the present, leaving us to be captivated by the intertwining of love, jealousy, and a pervasive sense of dread. (Also, it’s not actually jump-out scary, so a great pick for my scary movie wimps!).

Honorable Mentions: Crimson Peak (2015) & The Others (2001). Both not too scary!

If you’re looking for a horror sequel that doesn’t completely suck…

Doctor Sleep (2019)

Kubrick’s The Shining (1980) is often celebrated not only as one of the best horror films of all time, but also simply as one of the best films of all time in general. So, to make a sequel seems like a bad idea, and it probably would’ve been if not for the secret ingredient: Mike Flanagan. The dude knows how to do scary, but more importantly, the dude knows how to do story with complex character development and a lot of emotional heart behind it (he is the creator of one of the best television horror series I’ve seen, The Haunting of Hill House).

All of this to say: Doctor Sleep is a (somewhat hidden gem?) sequel to The Shining directed by Mike Flanagan, and it’s a pretty awesome movie!

The film reintroduces us to Danny Torrance (played by Ewan McGregor), now a troubled adult wrestling with his own demons—yes, he’s an alcoholic, just like dear old Dad—but also a hospice orderly using his psychic gifts to comfort the dying. His hope for a peaceful existence shatters when he meets Abra, a teen who shares his extrasensory gift of the "shine." Together, they form an unlikely alliance to battle the True Knot, a vampiric cult whose members feed off innocents to become immortal.

What Flanagan achieves here is a testament to his prowess as one of the most significant horror filmmakers of our time, bolstered by captivating performances, especially the delightfully sinister Rebecca Ferguson as Rose the Hat. But perhaps what resonates most deeply for me in this film is the opportunity for reconciliation between Danny and his father, and an exploration of how cycles of generational trauma and addiction can be broken. I could go on and on, but I think it’s clear that this is a sequel worth watching!

Honorable Mentions: Aliens (1986) & almost every Scream sequel

If you’ve seen the classics and want something more obscure…

Coherence (2013)

Underrated. Hidden Gem. Different. Call this category what you will. It can go several different ways, and I’m sure not all of these will be discoveries for everyone, but they are horror films I liked that I believe are less seen and talked about.

I’ll start with my top pick Coherence. This also fulfills a sci-fi horror category, which is a subgenre I love and haven’t pulled from yet. The film explores the concept of parallel realities during a suburban dinner party. Its low budget results in a deeply unsettling picture (not found footage, but video camera adjacent), and it’s pretty intellectual for a horror film.

Lots of Honorable Mentions: Oculus (2013) & Hush (2016) & anything else that’s early Mike Flanagan (I feel like his early films are not as popular as his TV shows), Late Night with the Devil (2023), The Cabin in the Woods (2011), Black Christmas (1974), Funny Games (1997), Raw (2016), The Invisible Man (2020), and lastly I Saw The TV Glow (2024) which is not only my favorite horror film of this year but my second favorite film of the year so far overall!