It’s that time of the year once again when we step away from the light & head into darkness. As the wall between the normal and the paranormal becomes weaker, as social networking sites get flooded with photos of Jack O’ Lanterns, costumes of yesteryear, costumes of this year, costumes worn at Comic Con, it’s time to embrace the darkness once again, Halloween is here. And on this occasion, we at Economy Decoded bring you a list of movies that’ll entertain your ‘dark passenger’. Here we go…
1) The Exorcist (1973):
This is first name that pops into one’s mind while thinking of “Horror movies”. It’s most arguably the one of the best in the entire genre, the first horror movie to be nominated for an Academy award (10 nominations) and one of the highest grossing movies of all time. It is first horror movie I ever watched as a five year old kid and as a result, this gave me nightmares for a very long time. Based on a novel that’s based on a true story (the exorcism of Roland Doe), this is “the ultimate Halloween time-killer”
2) The Shining (1980):
‘The tide of horror that swept America’ (the UK poster of the film). A hotel on an ancient burial ground? Not a good idea. Based on Stephen King’s novel of the same name it stars Jack Nicholson in one of his most crazy, memorable and amazing performances. Directed by the one and only Stanley Kubrick and based on just one emotion (which I can’t reveal), it is considered a masterpiece. Not just Halloween, this movie’s a must watch for any movie buff.
3) The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974):
Considered one of the best horror movie in cinema history, this movie gave rise to a completely new genre (the exploitation film) and made another (slasher film) extremely famous. The movie shows two “normal” hitchhikers going for the most terrible ride of their life with a family of cannibals and is able to subtly comment on the era’s political climate. Watch it for Leatherface, a chainsaw wielding cannibal based on the real life crimes of the murderer Ed Gein.
4) Psycho (1960):
This critically acclaimed movie is no stranger to such lists. Regarded as of the greatest movies ever made and the first modern slasher film, this suspense/horror movie is what defines both suspense and horror genres. Directed by the great Alfred Hitchcock, the movies is based on a book by Robert Bloch which is loosely inspired by the crimes of murdered Ed Gein (a pretty famous murderer who has quite an influence on popular culture). Watch this movie for its boldness, music, suspense, oh and the horror.
5) 28 Days Later (2002):
I’ve always loved movies with post apocalyptic themes and the best ones to watch are Zombie flicks. This is no Resident Evil-over the top-bland story-many sequels; this is by far one of the best Zombie movies ever made maybe because Danny Boyle (the director) shows what true human nature turns into after a plague has ravaged an entire civilization, and maybe because he’s the only one to show how zombies would eventually starve after all non-zombies have been eaten. Watch this one because it’s amazing.
6) A Tale of Two Sisters (2003):
A Tale of Two Sisters is the highest grossing Korean horror film based on the Joseon era folktale Janghwa Hongryeon jeon. The plot focuses on two sisters who, after returning home from a psychiatric hospital, experience increasingly disturbing events involving both them and their stepmother. The movie loves to play with your head a lot with its absurdities and odd events. Watch for the sake of getting scared and amazed at the same time.
7) The Conjuring (2013):
Yup, this year’s scariest movie. After the success of the numerous Saw films and Insidious, director James Wan spooked the daylights out of everyone with this movie based on the real life events of paranormal investigators Ed & Lorraine Warren. The movie was in the works for almost 20 years and 2013 was the lucky year to encounter fear with a distinct touch. Watch this movie because it’s pretty good and if you like Insidious, you’ll love The Conjuring.
8) The Omen (1976):
A classic in the horror genre and the movie still makes people feel uneasy. An American diplomat in Rome discovers that his son Damien is the evil incarnate/antichrist/devil’s son. How good could such a movie be on Halloween you ask? Real good I say. The song ‘Ave Satani’ won the Academy award for best original song and as creepy and scary as the movie itself. Watch this movie because of the devil’s son Damien and the jump scares.
9) The Sixth Sense (1999):
One of the few M Night Shyamalan movies to really watch (the other being Signs) and not dismiss like Twilight. The Sixth Sense is a critically acclaimed Academy award nominated horror film. Though 50 First Dates completely ruined this movie for me, it’s still worth sitting and paying attention to. An 8 year old boy starts seeing ghosts and a child psychologist (Bruce Willis) is called for help, sounds like any other horror movie right? Well this isn’t like any other horror movie. Watch because it’s mind blowing.
10) Paranormal Activity (2007):
Paranormal Activity is no stranger to a movie lover. Presented in the style of “found footage”, it brought back to life what was last experienced in 1990’s The Blair Witch Project and paved the way for four more sequels and numerous “found footage” movies like Grave Encounters, V/H/S, Cloverfield and many more. Watch this movie because of its simplicity and some good horror moments.
11) [REC] (2007):
Another outstanding and critically acclaimed movie presented in the form of “found footage” is the Spanish horror film [REC]. The title is an abbreviation of the word “record”, as it appears on a video camera. It shows a television reporter and cameraman follow emergency workers into a dark apartment building and are quickly locked inside, but they’re not alone. Watch [REC] as it is one of the best movies of the last decade.
12) The Ring (1998)(2002):
Well The Ring is scary, no matter if it’s the American version starring Naomi Watts or the original 1998 Japanese version titled Ringu (the highest grossing horror film in Japan and considered the most frightening horror film in Japan). Based on the novel of the same name by Koji Suzuki, the movie shows the mystery of a videotape that causes the death of the viewer within a week unless the viewer can solve the mystery. Watch it for its cold, chilly and spooky environment and Samara (Sadako in the Japanese version).
13) Halloween (1978):
On Halloween night in 1963, a six-year-old Michael Myers murders his older sister by stabbing her with a kitchen knife. Fifteen years later, he escapes from a psychiatric hospital, returns home, and stalks teenager Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis in her acting debut)and her friends. Michael’s psychiatrist Dr. Sam Loomis suspects Michael’s intentions, and follows him to try to prevent him from killing. John Carpenter, the genius filmmaker behind this amazing piece of art of a movie. A Halloween is not Halloween if you don’t watch Halloween and a list of best movies to watch on Halloween never misses out on Halloween. Watch this movie because it is the ultimate movie to watch on Halloween.
Special Mention:
The Evil Dead (1981):
Sam Raimi’s an amazing guy and a really amazing director and his first full length feature film is nothing short of awesome. Though it’s not really as scary as the movies mentioned above (it’s more like a comedy of errors) The Evil Dead was a fresh breath in the genre that made Bruce Campbell rise to “Badass” status. Watch this movie whenever you wish as it simply amazing.
And the ones I haven’t seen but have heard are really good:
Rosemary’s Baby
Poltergeist
Stephen King’s IT
