Halloween Movie Horror
By Jerry Shi & Ramona Chae
Halloween season is here and the spooky holiday is right around the corner. It’s the time where we all get dressed up in costumes and the children go trick or treating but more importantly, it’s the season for amazing horror movies.
Horror is the biggest theme of Halloween as we all look to scare and fright and horror movies do that the best. Being in the spooky season and feelings, here are our top 5 horror movies to watch during Halloween.
MOVIE LIST
1. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
The 1974 Texas Chain Saw Massacre, directed by Tobe Hooper is a must watch for how it changed the horror genre both fundamentally and psychologically. Despite having a low budget, this horror classic created an atmosphere of raw, tense and unfiltered terror that felt extremely realistic for its viewers at the time. The film used a style of gritty, documentary-like realism that made the audience feel trapped in the room alongside the victims.
What makes this iconic film stand out so much is its relentless intensity. Its usage of handheld camera work, natural lighting and disturbing sound design creates a claustrophobic feeling without relying on an excessive usage of blood or special effects. The film also introduced Leatherface, one of the horror genre’s most iconic villains—a chainsaw-wielding embodiment of rural madness and family decay.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a must watch, not just because it’s terrifying, but because it redefined what horror could be. Its influence echoes in many other iconic modern horror cinema today.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
2. Coraline (2009)
Everyone I know seems to have a memory about innocuously watching this as a child, finding the film much more unsettling than the cover images let on, and coming out of it terrified. Nonetheless, Coraline remains a classic in the world of PG-rated horror and even animated movies at large.
The story follows a girl named Coraline Jones who feels her life lacks adventure. She is frustrated by her parents who seemingly do nothing but work, and moving to a drab new house away from all her friends. The turning point comes when Coraline discovers an entrance to an alternate world, one she finds completely opposite her own dreary life. However, Coraline soon learns that some things are too good to be true as she finds herself in danger within this new world.
Coraline holds its spot in my "Favorite Movies Ever" list largely due to its artistic and stylistic choices. It obviously stands out from the other films on this list due to it being animated (in stop-motion no less!), but Studio Laika's dedication to their craft is apparent in every minuscule detail. From the countless tiny household items shown in backgrounds for a split second, to each subtle shift in characters' facial expressions, the sheer skill and effort involved with creating something like this will never not be impressive to me.
The visuals aren't only technically impressive, but stylistically effective as well. The movie has a very dreamy, maximalist feel to it with colors, shapes, and textures filling the screen at every scene. Combined with the sweet yet slightly eerie folk-ish soundtrack, Coraline makes for a wonderfully kitschy dark fairytale.
Coraline (2009)
3. The Conjuring (2013)
One of the genre’s biggest franchises, The Conjuring is a horror classic as it dives into the deep roots of the supernatural and paranormal horror bringing along with you, the renowned demonologists, Ed and Lorraine Warren.
Based on true events, the film follows Ed and Lorraine as they travel to Rhode Island to investigate the Perron family haunting. As the haunting intensifies, the Warrens uncover the home’s violent history and battle to save the family from a demonic force.
Directed by James Wan, the film redefined the haunted-house-horror genre and set a new gold standard for supernatural/paranormal horror. It brings us back to the genre’s original roots of atmospheric horror and belief.
Instead of relying on a heavy amount of gore and jumpscares, Wan built fear through slow-burn tension, long camera takes, and subtle sound design. The film highlights psychological uneasiness over bloodshed, creating horror through suspense rather than just spectacles.
The film also shows Ed and Lorraine as compassionate lovers confronting evil forces with not just tools, but with conviction and empathy. The emotional focus also gives the film a moral and emotional depth, framing horror as a battle for the soul rather than just survival.
The Conjuring stands out to be more than just a terrifying ghost story. By blending together heartfelt humanity with relentless suspense James Wan crafted a film that not only chills the audience but reminds them why the supernatural still fascinates and frightens us. It’s a modern classic that truly shows what it means to be haunted.
4. Bring Her Back (2025)
This 2025 summer release may stand out against some of the other more classic titles in this list, but this psychological horror holds its own without a doubt.
The story centers around high schooler Andy and his visually impaired younger sister Piper who are adopted by an eccentric woman named Laura following the death of their father. But as the two settle into their new home, it quickly becomes obvious that something is amiss.
The synopsis was left purposefully short because this film is the kind that's best enjoyed blind. It's extremely effective in building tension and at no point could I anticipate what was coming next, which made the protagonist Andy's fear and confusion all the more palpable. This rollercoaster ride of a movie also wraps up beautifully as all the emotional build up comes crashing down, leaving audiences feeling haunted. If anyone is actively looking to have an evening ruined, this would be the film to watch.
.jpg)
Bring Her Back (2025)
5. Hereditary (2018)
This movie hits all the marks of a "standard" horror flick, as it follows a family plagued by paranormal activity, the occult, and numerous gristly deaths. And like some other previously mentioned films, Hereditary is very effective in establishing a constant state of stress and unease. We fear for the characters as we watch them slowly get backed into a corner and descend into madness.
But Hereditary adds an arthouse spin to the classic formula. It portrays these fantastical tropes alongside matters such as family dynamics and generational trauma. In fact, much of the movie's most infamous and harrowing moments involve no supernatural elements and are instead carried by the real, raw subject matter. The multi-faceted nature of Hereditary may be why it was able to appeal to a large variety of moviegoers.
With this being Ari Aster's debut feature length as well as A24's highest-grossing film for years after its release, Hereditary also played a big role in establishing both Aster's style and the A24 style of horror.