Yes, it’s almost THAT time again. One of the big party occasions of the year – Halloween. With October 31st fast approaching, you have two weeks to organise your outfit, organise a party or grab tickets for the countless Halloween events happening around the country.
It’s not just about the kids donning scary masks and trick-or-treating their way around the local neighbourhood. In 2024, it’s a serious adult-focused money-making opportunity for pubs, clubs and fancy-dress outlets. And adults are just as eager to dress up and get into the party spirit – maybe even more so than the kids.
From Instagram make-up tutorials on how to recreate scary faces to costumes of Amy Winehouse in bloodied ballet pumps to your favourite celeb in their underwear – and also just an excuse to wear a sexy catsuit (my go-to), Halloween has come a long way thanks to the influence of our cousins across the pond.
But what if you fancy a lower-key Halloween, with just Netflix, your other half and the sofa for company this scary season?
Here are mh ultimate scariest movies of all time – all available at the touch of a button on your remote. So, turn off the lights, get your fingers ready to cover your eyes and choose one of these classics.
Poll voted for by RottenTomatoes.com
William Friedkin’s adaptation of the novel about a demon-possessed child and her family’s attempts to banish a demon became the highest-grossing horror film ever, and the first to be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars (it earned nine other nominations and took home two trophies). The film is well-known for the mass hysteria it inspired across the country, from protests over its controversial subject matter to widespread reports of nausea and fainting in the audience. Its outdated effects may seem a bit mediocre compared to some new horrors, but there’s no denying the power the film continues to have over those who see it for the first time.
2. THE CONJURING (2013)
This inspired-by-true-events chiller based on the experiences of real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. There’s nothing scarier than a real-life horror.
3. THE SHINING (1980)
Literally dozens of Stephen King’s novels and stories have been adapted for the big screen, and several of those films are considered classics today, like Carrie, Misery, and Pet Sematary (and that doesn’t even account for non-horror stuff like The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile and Stand By Me). But the mother of them all is easily Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of The Shining. A genuinely unnerving take on the traditional haunted house story, The Shining features an iconic Jack Nicholson performance. The film’s relatively few jumpy scares are still absolutely chilling, but its true power lies in the way it crawls under your skin and makes you experience Jack Torrance’s slow descent into madness. It’s rightfully considered one of the greatest horror films ever made, I would’ve made it No.1.
4. THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (1974)
The first low-budget slasher movie I ever saw – loosely inspired by the crimes of Ed Gein. Multiple attempts have been made to breathe new life into the franchise, but none have matched the original in sheer, over-the-top, power tool-inspired terror.
5. THE RING (2002)
The ghost of a young girl in a white dress with long black hair covering her face scared the hell out of audiences no matter where they were from. While the film wasn’t initially that well-regarded, it’s grown to be considered a classic, featuring a committed performance from a then up-and-coming Naomi Watts, and for many, it served as an introduction to East Asian horror cinema.
6. HALLOWEEN (1978)
This is the film that introduced the world to all-time scream queen Jamie Lee Curtis and put John Carpenter on the map. Halloween is frequently cited as one of the earliest examples of the slasher genre as we know it today, and while it may not feature the same kind of realistic gore we’ve come to expect of films in that category, it packs a lot of tension and some inventive thrills in a relatively small-scale package.
least one report out there that says it’s the scariest movie ever made, so that has to count for something.
7. INSIDIOUS (2010)
A supernatural thriller about a young boy who falls into a coma and begins to channel an evil spirit. The bare bones of the story weren’t the most ground-breaking, but the end result is an effective chiller featuring what is frequently regarded as one of the best jumpy scares ever put on screen.
8. IT (2017)
I was TERRIFIED when I first saw this film and I don’t have a fear of clowns! But the fear of clowns is a very real thing. 2017’s IT, based on the Stephen King novel of the same name, went on to beat The Exorcist’s 44-year record as the highest-grossing horror film ever. This big-budget adaptation drew on nostalgia to tell its story of children scarred by trauma, while Bill Skarsgard’s take on Pennywise the evil, shapeshifting clown was bizarre and unsettling in all the right ways. Add a healthy dose of jumpy scares, a handful of impressive set pieces, and some top-notch CGI, and you’ve got a recipe for a horror film that’s both fun and full of scares.
