October may be coming to a close soon, but that doesn’t mean that Spooky Season has to end. In fact, Halloween is just the peak of the best season to watch horror movies. Over the years I’ve accumulated a wealth of knowledge on the subject, ranging from campy slashers to philosophical horror. Thus, from my mental library, here are five moody and autumnal horror movies to check out this Halloween. I have ranked them from least to most scary.
The Wicker Man (1973, Robin Hardy)
Watch The Wicker Man if Midsommar was too much for you. After a conservative policeman arrives on a remote Scottish island to look for a missing girl, he begins to realise that the pagan community around him aren’t what they seem. This movie is a great blend of atmospheric and eerie; I’d describe it as cult-movie-lite, but there’s enough weird masks, rituals, and off-putting nudity to keep more seasoned horror fans satisfied. The setting of the Scottish isles in the springtime is also the perfect mood to be watching this Halloween.
House (1977, Nobuhiko Obayashi)
House is a completely off-the-rails acid trip of a haunted house movie. One schoolgirl takes a group of her friends to visit her aunt’s country home, but they quickly discover supernatural entities and have to fight for their survival. This movie is pretty campy and ridiculous, and the acting and special effects are bad in such an over-the-top way that it cancels out and makes it good. This is a fun movie to watch with your friends if you want to scream, but not feel too scared.
Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992, Francis Ford Coppola)
I like to think of this movie as a hidden gem. It follows the plot of the classic novel Dracula pretty accurately, and there’s wonderful gothic period costumes and sets. It’s scary as a vampire movie on its own, but there’s some extra spooky elements such as werewolves and cool vampireness I didn’t expect and loved. There’s some fantastically silly acting in this movie, complete with Keanu Reeves trying his absolute best at a British accent. The other stars include Winona Ryder and an unrecognisable Gary Oldman as Dracula.
Suspiria (1977, Dario Argento)
Suspiria is a fun-house light show of blood and synth music. After a young girl arrives at a dance academy in Berlin following the disappearance of one of the students, she has strange encounters in the school that lead her down a rabbit hole of mystery and magic. While the plot of this move comes secondary, it provides as an excellent backdrop to the beautiful neon red lights, candy-like spooky score by Goblin, and the hypnotic vibes. Watch with your friends while getting tipsy at Halloween prinks.
The Exorcist (1973, William Freidkin)
The original The Exorcist is the most terrifying movie on this list. An actress notices disturbing changes in her tween daughter’s behaviour, and after making substantial efforts to explain the changes both medically and psychologically, she finally realises that something much more sinister is happening to her. Apart from being exceptionally frightening, this movie is atmospheric and autumnal in a way that is so pleasing to watch. The beginning lulls you into its suspense in a way that is so hypnotic, that once the film has dropped into complete insanity, you’re immersed and down for absolutely everything.
Honourable Mentions
Videodrome (1983, David Cronenberg), for techno-body-horror realness.
Carrie (1976, Brain de Palma), for queen Sissy Spacek full of female rage.
Suspiria (2018, Luca Guadagnino), for extreme gore and body horror (for real, big content warning for bloody/disturbing/violent content).
WORDS: Coco Goran
