Halloween is great in many ways. In fact, what makes it great is the fun costumes, large amounts of candy, or really just how enjoyable it is to have parties and fun with friends; no matter what, a big part of the holiday is the scares that come with it. The holiday is typically an enjoyable one for children to go trick or treating and for people to hand candy to those said children.

Still, if you are anything like me, you don’t really find joy in running around at night and would much rather spend time inside with a friend (or friends), watching creepy movies and trying your best to freak them out. So, here’s a list of horror movies, popular and not:

 1. The Conjuring

A movie based on, supposedly, a true story. It follows the Perron family as they moved into a new house. The rather large family begins noticing strangely supernatural occurrences, steadily increasing from spooky to downright, well, demonic.

As a result, they search out the help of famous paranormal investigators, a couple commonly known as Ed and Lorraine Warren, to come to the home and help figure out what truly is tormenting the poor family.

The movie, though not very scary to me, has dark themes beneath it that can send chills down your spine when you realize that the Perron family was a real family in 1970s and that the Warren couple actually has a ‘museum’ in which they have a bunch of cursed, possessed, and just downright creepy items they had found/taken from their cases over the years.

2. The Killing of a Sacred Deer

Though this movie isn’t as popular as The Conjuring, it is just as entertaining to me. The movie follows a cardiovascular doctor named Dr.Steven Murphy and his wife and two children. Their lives are all pretty normal up until a new mystery rolls into their lives.

That new mystery can be only described as a teenage boy who claims to have no parents and to need help, named Martin. The boy is a complete unopened book for most of the movie until finally, his true intentions are revealed.

The movie is truly one of those psychologically confusing, dramatic, and all in all, entertaining. It has so much put together all at once and will truly leave you wanting more and more, and wishing the movie didn’t move and ultimately end so quickly, though it is 2 hours long. I promise you, if you’re into movies that mess with your mind, you will love this film.

3. Don’t Breathe

This film is disturbing even to someone like me, a person who can almost always look at anything that others cringe at, and chuckle. It truly becomes something you don’t expect at all in the end.

The main characters of this film, Rocky, Alex, and Money, are known thieves living in Detroit. They tend to enjoy, specifically, breaking into the homes of the rich and taking for themselves. But when a veteran, who is blind mind you, wins a big cash prize, the 3 teens instantly hop on the chance to get some money really easily and quickly.

Only, when they show up at the house one evening, prepared to have an easy night, they are slapped in the face with the realization that though the veteran is missing his eyesight, his other senses are increased greatly.

As a result, they spend a lot of the evening running and hiding for their lives from the incredibly angry older man that wants the teenagers, rather than just caught by the police, dead.

The movie is unnerving, creepy, and just downright has a massive twist that will disgust but intrigue you. The movie is more than just a thriller, it’s a true showcase of insanity.

4. The Shining

Of course, I couldn’t leave out such a classic horror phenomenon. This movie is the type of thing that is a slow burn, something that you have to be prepared to wait to get started. But once it does really get going, its the sort of horror that’ll put you on edge the whole time.

The storyline is based on Stephen King’s story of the same name. A family finds themselves staying by themselves at a hotel named the Overlook Hotel during the winter as the father, Jack, begins to unravel into a homicidal maniac that only wants to kill his family.

Still, Stephen King’s amazing ideas help turn the movie to one that’ll make you repeatedly cringe at the thought of  “What would I do if I was in that situation?”

The movie has creepy images, unnerving hallucinations, and ICONIC scenes that even those who haven’t seen the movie still reference. 

“HERE’S JOHNNY!”

5. Raw

To preface this, this movie is not for those of you who do not like watching movies in different languages. This is a French film, but it is still easy to follow if you pay attention and read the subtitles.

The main character of this story, Justine, is a raging vegetarian. She hates the idea of eating any form of meat. She even becomes a veterinarian as her career. She truly just hates the idea of killing animals just for food. But then she is put in a situation where she feels out of place. The people around her eat meat, all of them. She hates the idea of feeling like such an outcast, especially when she’s starting a new job, and is forced against her moral code to eat meat. But what happens when she actually enjoys it? Furthermore, what happens when she begins craving it?

This movie is dark, creative, and…cannibalistic, to say the least. If you can put up with reading subtitles, and if you have a dark movie interest, you will definitely enjoy it.

That concludes The Jacket Journal’s October 2018 horror movie list. We hope these movies will help spook you and your friends out this holiday. I recommend inviting some friends over, possibly dressing up in costumes just for you all to enjoy, and get a bunch of snacks to carry you through the night along with these movies! Happy Halloween!