Have you ever watched something so horrifying that you ran upstairs after turning off the lights? Have you ever bought a Disney nightlight after watching something scary because you never want to step into a dark room again? That, my friends, is the impact of a good horror movie.
During spooky season, we get used to things like being afraid of the dark and feeling unnerved when we walk past the stairs to our basement, because Halloween is all about inviting the creepy in. Of course, there are some spirits that should never be allowed in, and some horrors so terrifying that they don’t care if they’re invited in or not. With less than a week left of spooky season, we’re focusing on the top in horror tonight and giving you a list of movies that will make you think twice before doing, well, just about anything.
While I didn’t add this one to this list because it felt a bit too cliché, you might want to channel your inner Nightmare on Elm Street survivor before watching these because you certainly won’t want, or be able to sleep after watching them.
When A Stranger Calls
When a Stranger Calls and its more modern remake are both terrifying, and for the same reason that many of these spook us. Someone is somewhere they shouldn’t be, and it’s not just intimidating but downright threatening. A babysitter is alone in a house (we’ll touch on this again later), and someone calls with threatening messages. Soon, she realizes that she may not be alone in the home with the children after all — and what’s scarier than that?
Hereditary
Hereditary, we can’t talk about scary movies without including this one, and rightfully so. This is one of many supernatural movies on this list, and it’s an Ari Aster movie, which means it really packs a punch. Haunting spirits, unsuspecting victims, the feeling of tiptoeing between reality and some alternate universe where everything is creepy and out to get you? What is a good night’s sleep, again?
Infinity Pool
Infinity Pool combines sci-fi with body horror, and I never knew how much body horror bothered me until recently. The film reminds us a bit of Midsommar, not exactly because of the content, but because it left us feeling unsettled for days after watching it. Cloned versions of yourself, an inability to function, not knowing who to trust, and being trapped in your own skin…sort of? This one is hard to get through, and it’s hard to sleep after.
The Grudge
The Grudge is horror at its finest; the idea of a curse that haunts you because someone died in such misery, sorrow, and despair is pretty unsettling in and of itself. The fact that the curse then turns you into its next victim, causing you to tiptoe towards a terrible death, is, well, the worst. Some of the scenes in this one are really hard to watch; Kayako herself is enough to make your skin crawl, too.
Cabin Fever
This one isn’t exactly so terrifying that it leaves you sleeping with a Disney nightlight or fearing being home alone. Still, it’s pretty disturbing in other ways, like making you fear lake water (which you should already because brain-eating amoebas are a thing, and that’s another level of terrifying) and not wanting to go camping in a cabin anytime soon. Cabin Fever is a zombie-esque thriller that’ll haunt your nightmares with visions of skin-peeling shaved legs and diseases that feed on you, quite literally.
Poltergeist
Everyone remembers the first time they watched Poltergeist and likely the amount of nights they spent sleepless because of it. The supernatural horror movie set a precedent back then, and to this day, it has ensured that images of the poltergeist are seared into our memories forever.
Sinister
This movie…truly needs no explanation for being on the list, but I’ll give you one anyway — it’s horrifying. When an author moves his family into a home where a great tragedy has occurred, he thinks they can handle it. He quickly learns, however, that he’s dead wrong. Not only has he moved them without their knowing the tragedy that took place there, but he’s also ill-equipped to handle spirits who suffered as greatly as the family that perished there. What happens to Ellison Oswalt and his family next will keep you up for weeks.
Paranormal Activity
Look, say what you will about Paranormal Activity, but the first movie really made it hard to sleep for a few days after watching it. Haunts hiding out in your home? A supernatural presence in your home makes it very clear that it has no desire to leave but would rather you hit the road. Consider my boxes packed. Actually, the ghost can have it all; I’m out.
It
This one might not be all-terrifying for everyone, but if you want to know how to cause havoc in my heart, it’s with a clown. These things scare the bejesus out of me. It (1990), It (2017), and It: Chapter Two (2019) all made it hard for me to sleep for quite a while after having watched them. There’s something about Pennywise that is genuinely terrifying, and I’ll make it a step scarier for you.
Did you ever hear of the clown statue and the babysitter? I’m not sure if it’s quite an urban legend or if it’s just a spooky story that got passed around at sleepovers and camp, but it stuck with me. The way I remember it is that a babysitter was taking care of a baby with a room decked out in clowns — which is all the reason in the world to fake sick out of that job, but I digress. Instead, the babysitter decides to sit for the family and notices a clown statue in the baby’s room. She checks on the child again, and suddenly, the statue has moved; when she returns to the room to grab something for the baby, it moves again.
The sitter calls the family to see what’s up with this weird statue, and the family informs her that they don’t have a clown statue. BYE!
Turns out, the clown is an escaped patient from a mental facility, and just…no. I cannot think of clowns without thinking of that, and few things are as unsettling as someone taking up residence in your home without your knowledge. No. Thank. You.
The Strangers
With one of the most terrifying lines in horror history, I couldn’t talk about the scariest movies ever without mentioning The Strangers. This movie is deeply upsetting for a few reasons. One: home invasion movies are terrifying on their own, and if you’ve ever had any reason to be more fearful of your own home, these movies sting just a little more. Two: the line of dialogue at the end consists of just four words that turned my world upside down: “Because you were home.”
That’s right, Kristen McKay and James Hoyt (Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman, respectively) were stalked, tortured, and terrorized simply because they were home. So, like…what should we do now? Do we constantly live on the move? Do we use nail glue on every window and door in our homes to ensure that no one gets in and slowly tortures us simply because we had the misfortune of not enjoying being in public for too long?
How does one feel safe at home after watching The Strangers? I’m not sure, but horror movies are meant to do one thing: scare us, and this one terrified me in the deepest parts of my soul.
I’d say sweet dreams, but I’m not quite sure you’re going to get any rest tonight. So I’ll say this, instead — good luck.
