An Essential Horror Movie Playlist for Halloween
With Halloween right around the corner, there’s no better way to get into the spirit than to fire up some scary movies. I’ve put together a chronological, non-ranked list of essential films for the season, movies that are among the greatest in the horror genre.
● The Night of the Hunter (1955)
The only film that Golden Age actor Charles Laughton ever directed, The Night of the Hunter was received indifferently in its time, but in the 65 years since its release, it’s become heralded as one of the greatest films of its era—and for good reason. After a man named Ben Harper (Peter Graves) is incarcerated and sentenced to death for a robbery, Ben’s cellmate, the deranged Reverend Harry Powell (Robert Mitchum), escapes and hunts down Ben’s two young children, who know where the money is hidden. Less an outright horror film than a Gothic fairytale, The Night of the Hunter is filled with haunting and chilling imagery throughout, and Mitchum gives one of the most memorable villain performances in movie history.
● Psycho (1960)
At this point, is there anything that can be said about Psycho that hasn’t already been said? Alfred Hitchcock’s legendary and timeless horror-thriller has become so entrenched in pop culture that it could be hard to view it with fresh eyes, but even with its ubiquity, Psycho still stands as one of the most thrilling and expertly crafted horror films in the genre. Whether it’s Anthony Perkins’ unforgettable performance as Norman Bates, Bernard Herrmann’s iconic violin-tinged score, or the shocking twists and turns that were groundbreaking in its time, there’s not an element of Psycho that’s lost its power all these years later.
● The Innocents (1961)
Although frequently left out of discussions of the all-time great horror films, Jack Clayton’s The Innocents fully deserves to be considered in the upper echelon of the genre. The film follows a woman named Miss Giddens (Deborah Kerr), who is hired as governess to two orphaned children who live in their uncle’s large and wealthy estate, and soon becomes convinced that the estate is haunted by the spirit of the previous governess. The Innocents’ influence can be felt in many haunted-house films since its release, and some of its imagery is among the most bone-chilling in any horror film. With its evocative and creeping atmosphere, ahead-of-its-time sound design, and Kerr’s haunting performance, The Innocents stands as one of the great masterworks in horror history.
● Night of the Living Dead (1968)
One of the most influential horror films ever made, George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead still plays as a fresh and exciting viewing experience, even as almost all of it has been co-opted by other movies since. Credited as the first notable film to center around zombies (fun fact: the word “zombie” is never actually spoken here), more or less every zombie movie since its release owes a debt to Romero’s original. The film was made for a budget of just $114K (and ended up grossing about $30 million), and proves itself as a testament to the innovation and creativity that can be accomplished with the lowest of budgets.
● The Exorcist (1973)
Notorious in its time and often heralded as the scariest film ever made, there’s been a growing sentiment in the years since its release that The Exorcist isn’t actually as scary as its reputation suggests. I envy those who have those feelings, because to me, The Exorcist is utterly terrifying in ways that few films before or after have been. A phenomenon in 1973, William Friedkin’s film was infamous for causing audience members to vomit, faint, and even go into shock when seeing it in the theater. Religious devotees deemed it blasphemous, and it was banned in several countries around the world. It may not elicit such an extreme response nowadays, but there’s still no denying the sheer terror of The Exorcist from front to back. Part of what makes it so haunting is not just the harrowing depiction of the effects of young Regan’s (Linda Blair)
demonic possession, but also in Ellen Burstyn’s performance as Regan’s mother, and her grief over getting torn apart from her daughter by forces beyond anyone’s control.
It’s this, as well as Friedkin’s exploration of how faith can be tested, that gives The Exorcist an enduring power beyond just how scary it is. And it’s scary, too; there are little details like split-second flashes of a demon’s face at random points throughout that help create an atmosphere of unrelenting dread, and there are scenes that are shockingly grotesque even by today’s standards. All this time later, The Exorcist is still one of the most visceral and unforgettable viewing experiences there is.
● Suspiria (1977)
One of the most unique and visually stunning horror films out there, Dario Argento’s Suspiria is perhaps the most well-known example of the Italian giallo subgenre—a maximalist style of horror film defined by lush production design, bright neon colors, campy acting and dialogue, and gory kills that are as strangely mesmerizing as they are gruesome. Argento, along with his contemporaries like Mario Bava and Lucio Fulci, was credited with popularizing these films outside of Italy, and Suspiria is the perfect entry point. The film follows a young American woman named Suzy (Jessica Harper), who travels to Germany to attend a prestigious ballet academy, only to sense that something evil and sinister hides within the school. Suspiria sustains a surreal and nightmarish tone throughout, with scenes involving maggot infestations, possessed dogs, rooms filled with razor wire, and hidden hallways, all soundtracked by one of the most memorable scores in horror history. Toeing the line between campy fun and legitimate terror, Suspiria is an endlessly rewarding experience.
● Halloween (1978)
Is there any other film more deserving of being on this list? John Carpenter’s Halloween is my personal favorite horror movie of all time, and one that will continue to endure and captivate audiences for the foreseeable future. No other film in the genre has achieved such a perfect grasp of suspense, tension, and pure craft expertise. Not a second of its 90-minute runtime is wasted, and not a moment feels dated or lost to time. In the wake of its endless sequels (including one that just released this month, and isn’t worth your time), the iconic reputation of its killer Michael Myers, and the largely uninspired wave of slasher films that it kicked off, it could be easy to forget the relatively humble beginnings of Carpenter’s original. But it’s exactly that that makes Halloween so timeless; rather than the constant kills and buckets of gore of the films it inspired, Carpenter leans into the suspense of knowing that Michael is present in any given scene, but not knowing where he is or when he’ll strike. Additionally, Dean Cundey’s cinematography evocatively captures the autumnal late-October atmosphere; dead leaves blowing in the wind, suburban neighborhoods filled with decorations, and warm orange hues lighting every corner. And Jamie Lee Curtis gives one of the great lead performances in a horror movie as babysitter Laurie Strode. There’s a reason why Halloween is a perennial staple of the October season; it’s as perfectly crafted a horror film as there’s ever been.
● The Shining (1980)
Similarly to other films on this list, Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining has become so iconic and legendary that it’s hard to find new words to describe it. But there’s a reason why it’s been passed down from generation to generation and continues to connect each time—The Shining operates with a rhythm unlike any other horror film. Kubrick builds an atmosphere of unbearable dread throughout the whole movie, heightened by the vast emptiness of the Overlook hotel, the eerie and almost otherworldly soundtrack, the Steadicam tracking shots, and the gradual shift from paranoia to sheer terror. As the performances from Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall increasingly grow more unhinged, Kubrick’s direction remains steady and mannered, creating a dissonance that only adds to the film’s power. Although it was Kubrick’s first foray into horror (and only, although his 1999 masterwork Eyes Wide Shut comes close at points), the mastery and expertise he demonstrated with The Shining was a step ahead of almost every horror filmmaker at the time.
● The Thing (1982)
The second film from John Carpenter on this list, The Thing is right next to Halloween in terms of perfect horror filmmaking. A remake of the 1951 film The Thing from Another World, Carpenter’s film is one of the rare remakes to have surpassed the original in legacy and acclaim—and for good reason. It follows a group of research scientists stationed in Antarctica, led by RJ MacReady (Kurt Russell), who are plagued by a shapeshifting alien that assumes the exact form of its victims. There’s a case to be made that The Thing might have the best special effects work in movie history, with jaw-droppingly gory and terrifying practical effects that never fail to prompt the question: “how the hell did they do that?”. And, like Halloween, Carpenter continues to prove himself as a master of suspense, nailing down the terror of never being able to know where the alien is and whose body it’s inhabited. The audience is always on the same page as the characters, making it all the more shocking whenever the alien reveals itself. And the synth score from the great Ennio Morricone sends shivers down the spine.
● A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Beginning with Halloween in 1978, the slasher film became one of the most popular subgenres of horror, with movies like Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street becoming instant hits with audiences and spawning cash-cow franchises. The latter is one of the entries that’s held up the most over time, due to Wes Craven’s expert direction and his eye for unforgettable imagery.
Elm Street’s concept of a killer infiltrating its victims’ dreams stands as one of the most intriguing premises possible for a horror film, and it makes for some truly creative and inspired sequences that still feel unique and distinctive, even with the film’s ubiquity in pop culture.
● Evil Dead II (1987)
I highly recommend watching Sam Raimi’s original 1981 film The Evil Dead, which is one of the most thrilling and inventive examples of low-budget horror out there, but its 1987 sequel
surpasses it on almost every level. The premise is essentially the same as the first film—a group of friends travel to a cabin in the woods and find an ancient book of incantations, unleashing demonic forces in the process—but Raimi steps it up multiple notches. Instead of the grisly, straight-laced horror of the first one, Raimi opts for a goofier and more campy approach, and there’s an increased budget for the effects. The final result is among the most bonkers, unhinged, off-the-wall, and purely entertaining movies of the ‘80s, if not of all time. Raimi’s filmmaking is like a kid let loose in a candy store; there’s more energy packed into minute-long stretches than most films have in their entire runtime. Not to mention Bruce Campbell’s hilarious, effortlessly charismatic lead performance. Although it may be closer to a slapstick comedy than an outright horror movie, Evil Dead II is a gleefully wild ride from start to finish.
● Scream (1996)
When Wes Craven released Scream in 1996, the genre of horror was essentially dead. The market had become littered with sequels (some of which aren’t bad, actually; for example, 1990’s The Exorcist III is fantastic and very easily could’ve been on this list), and there was nary an original idea to be found. And so Craven chose the perfect time to release his greatest film, a smart and masterfully crafted deconstruction of horror movies and the tropes that had plagued the genre for so long. Part of Scream’s genius is that it works as an amalgamation of all kinds of movies—as a meta commentary on horror movies written and directed by a master of horror, as a time capsule of high school in the ‘90s, and as a straightforward, no-frills horror movie. Craven packs each scene with little details that are more and more rewarding upon rewatch, whether it’s a reference to movies of the past or telegraphing later events in the film, and the set-pieces and sequences are as creative and elaborate as any in horror history. Scream was a massive success upon release, and horror movies saw a resurgence in originality in its wake. Not many movies can claim to have revitalized an entire genre, but that’s Scream for you.
