MOVIES | THE SCARIEST MOVIES TO WATCH THIS HALLOWEEN

So in the past I’ve spoken about some of the worst b-list horror movies on this blog but I’ve never shared my idea of the scariest movies!

First up, a scary movie is kind of hard to define. Some films scare me as in they make me jump out of my skin. Some end up disturbing me a little and it’s where my mind goes AFTER the movie that continues to freak me out. And some are just so damn gory that I get all squeamish. As a result of this, I probably wouldn’t say there are a lot of movies that downright scare me so much that I simply cannot watch them again.

But for the sake of this blog post, I’m going to mix all of the above. So these are some of the scariest/most disturbing or gruesome movies in my opinion. Some of which you might not agree with and some of which you might. I guess we will see…

THE FOURTH KIND

The Fourth Kind in my eyes is hands down one of the creepiest and most disturbing films I’ve ever seen. I’ve seen it so many times now that some parts of the movie don’t creep me out as much, but there are definitely parts that are visually scary as well as the whole film overall being creepy. It’s all to do with the idea of alien abduction and preys on a persons vulnerability whilst they are asleep – after all, how are you supposed to know what’s happening to you if you’re not even entirely conscious?! The film itself is very interesting from a film fans point of view with fab editing effects and on screen transitions to help tell the story.

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY
Okay, here me out. Before they started releasing millions of sequels that refused to clear up or answer any questions we had about the series, the first one (or two) was kind of really scary. I absolutely loved how it went back to basics and was, at it’s heart, a film about a haunted house. There was no blood and no murders…just odd happenings going on around the house. It was extremely realistic and definitely freaked me out.

NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET
Both the original and the remake of this film are super scary with dark undertones and a seriously messed up killer. Whilst the remake takes on a less humorous approach then the original and is definitely more gory, the original has some real old school scares and pretty much set the path for the ever so famous slasher genre. The original might seem dated now but can still scare me silly, and there’s always that underlining fear of Freddy Kruger visiting me in my dreams…

INSIDIOUS 
Insidious is another film that kind of goes back to basics and even does some serious throwbacks to those old, classic Psycho era horror movies, with the loud violins and almost medieval font when it comes to the title screen. Based around again, a haunted house and things that go bump in the night, this film draws you in and it’s so easy to find yourself in the shoes of the main character Renai, stuck at home all day and a husband that doesn’t believe her when she knows something is going on in the house. The film then takes a twist to include the idea of astral travelling (that’s kind of like when someone goes to sleep and can travel to another realm in an out of body experience to me and you), which is so diverse and different – and certainly creepy. Insidious also draws upon the old horrors to build up the tension really well, so the perfectly timed jumpy parts in this film are bang on.

TEETH
Teeth isn’t scary per sa, but it’s kind of creepy and again, a very original idea. If you have seen it then the less said about it the better really, although I do think it’s a very good film, just not one I’d necessarily talk to my family about. If you haven’t seen it, google it. Why does it work as a horror movie? Well, it’s just the thought of it all really. Can you ever imagine being in her position and having teeth, well, there? No, me either, but luckily this film showed me what it would be like so I wouldn’t have to think about it myself. But it did really bloody scare me.

SIGNS
And finally, Signs. Signs probably wouldn’t be described as a horror movie – in fact, probably more so a family film or even a thriller (I lied. It described as a thriller on Wikipedia) – but it is creepy and disturbing and WILL get you thinking. My favourite scene is towards the end when a character drops a flashlight and the camera focuses on it, and all you can hear is the scuffle of whats going on. It’s super freaky because of what you CAN’T see – it’s your mind really that conjures up the worst. It’s incredibly smart and the whole film will play on your emotions and make you believe in aliens. Ever wondered what creates crop circles? Well, now you know.

THE EVIL DEAD REMAKE
Not that the original wasn’t good – because it was – but I watched the remake first and loved it. So much blood and gore! So many jumpy parts! So disturbing! I’m not really one for blood and gore – I agree, it works, but it makes me sad when films have to resort to that to become scary instead of using more classic techniques. But this film works damn well, even if it it’s more of the type of film you’d see on a date in the cinema instead of at home by yourself hiding behind a cushion. And it has the sex god that is Shiloh Fernandez. That fact should sell the film to you alone.

These are just seven films that both tend to scare me AND be some of my favourite films but to be honest, this is just seven of many. Ginger Snaps scared me as a child, and even Tremors.