Scary Movies to Watch in October
A cozy night in with friends watching scary movies is a perfect way to embrace the fall season as the weather cools down.
Here are some of my personal favorites:
1. Prom Night
When a deranged high-school teacher kills the family of the girl, Donna, that he loves, in a disturbed attempt to force her into a relationship with him, the man is caught and sent to prison. However years later, at her high school prom, Donna is about to come face to face with the murderer once more. Will Donna and her friends escape the psychopath?
2. The Uninvited
After spending time in a psychiatric facility, young Anna (Emily Browning) finds significant changes in store at home. Her widowed father (David Strathairn) is now engaged to her mother's former nurse, Rachel (Elizabeth Banks). One night, the ghost of Anna's mother appears, screaming for revenge and accusing Rachel of murder. Anna and her sister, Alex (Arielle Kebbel), start to investigate, but they may be unprepared for the lethal battle of wills that ensues.
3. Orphan
Devastated by the loss of their unborn baby, Kate (Vera Farmiga) and John (Peter Sarsgaard) decide to adopt a child. At the orphanage, both feel drawn to a little girl (Isabelle Fuhrman) named Esther, and soon the couple take their new daughter home. But when a dangerous series of events unfolds, Kate begins to suspect that there is something evil lurking behind the child's angelic exterior.
4. Trick R Treat
Interwoven stories demonstrate that some traditions are best not forgotten as the residents (Anna Paquin, Brian Cox, Dylan Baker) of a small town face real ghosts and goblins on Halloween. Tales of terror reveal the consequences of extinguishing a Jack-o-Lantern before midnight and a grumpy hermit's encounter with a sinister trick-or-treater.
5. Last House on the Left
Mari and her friend look forward to a holiday at the remote Collingwood lakehouse, but instead an escaped convict (Garret Dillahunt) and his crew kidnap them and later leave them for dead. Mari makes her way back home, where her parents, John (Tony Goldwyn) and Emma (Monica Potter), have unwittingly offered shelter to the thugs. When John and Emma find out what happened to their daughter, they decide to make the strangers rue the day they harmed Mari.
6. The Haunting in Connecticut
When their son Matt (Kyle Gallner) receives a diagnosis of cancer, Sara (Virginia Madsen) and Peter (Martin Donovan) Campbell move to Connecticut to be closer to his doctors. At first all is well, but then Matt becomes increasingly disturbed by what appears to be paranormal activity. Sara turns to a priest for help, and the ghosts are seemingly banished -- but Matt's condition takes a sudden and unexplained turn for the worse, and the lives of Sara and the rest of her family are endangered.
7. Halloween
On a cold Halloween night in 1963, six year old Michael Myers brutally murdered his 17-year-old sister, Judith. He was sentenced and locked away for 15 years. But on October 30, 1978, while being transferred for a court date, a 21-year-old Michael Myers steals a car and escapes Smith's Grove. He returns to his quiet hometown of Haddonfield, Illinois, where he looks for his next victims.
8. Texas Chainsaw Massacre
When Sally (Marilyn Burns) hears that her grandfather's grave may have been vandalized, she and her paraplegic brother, Franklin (Paul A. Partain), set out with their friends to investigate. After a detour to their family's old farmhouse, they discover a group of crazed, murderous outcasts living next door. As the group is attacked one by one by the chainsaw-wielding Leatherface (Gunnar Hansen), who wears a mask of human skin, the survivors must do everything they can to escape.
9. The Conjuring
In 1970, paranormal investigators and demonologists Lorraine (Vera Farmiga) and Ed (Patrick Wilson) Warren are summoned to the home of Carolyn (Lili Taylor) and Roger (Ron Livingston) Perron. The Perrons and their five daughters have recently moved into a secluded farmhouse, where a supernatural presence has made itself known. Though the manifestations are relatively benign at first, events soon escalate in horrifying fashion, especially after the Warrens discover the house's macabre history.
10. Insidious [not pictured]
The first two films center on a couple who, after their son mysteriously enters a comatose state and becomes a vessel for ghosts in an astral plane, are continuously haunted by demons from a forbidden realm known as the Further until they take from the family what they want most: life. The couple hire a team of paranormal investigators to help get their son back.
11. Paranormal Activity [not pictured]
Soon after moving into a suburban tract home, Katie (Katie Featherston) and Micah (Micah Sloat) become increasingly disturbed by what appears to be a supernatural presence. Hoping to capture evidence of it on film, they set up video cameras in the house but are not prepared for the terrifying events that follow.
12. Sinister [not pictured]
True-crime writer Ellison Oswald (Ethan Hawke) is in a slump; he hasn't had a best seller in more than 10 years and is becoming increasingly desperate for a hit. So, when he discovers the existence of a snuff film showing the deaths of a family, he vows to solve the mystery. He moves his own family into the victims' home and gets to work. However, when old film footage and other clues hint at the presence of a supernatural force, Ellison learns that living in the house may be fatal.
I hope you guys enjoy! Let me know if you have any other scary movie suggestions or if you watch some!
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You know, there's nothing quite like cozying up on a chilly October night with a genuinely terrifying movie. While my list covers a range of horror, I wanted to chat a bit more about some specific types that really get under your skin and make for the ultimate fall movie night. First, let's talk about those classic haunted house movies. There's just something inherently chilling about a house with a dark past, isn't there? It’s not always about jump scares; often, it’s the slow build of dread, the unsettling atmosphere, and the feeling that something unseen is lurking just out of sight. *The Haunting in Connecticut*, which I mention in my list, is a fantastic example of this. Based on alleged real events, it really plays on the fear of a home, a supposed sanctuary, becoming a source of terror. What makes these types of films so effective, in my opinion, is how they prey on our sense of security. We all want our homes to be safe, so when a film like The Haunting in Connecticut shows that safety being violated by restless spirits or malevolent entities, it hits a bit too close to home. When I watch these, I'm always looking for movies that prioritize psychological tension over gore. Think creaking floorboards, unexplained whispers, and the chilling realization that the characters are trapped alongside you, the viewer. If you loved that one, The Conjuring and Paranormal Activity from my main list also deliver that hair-raising, 'something's in my house' vibe perfectly. They are definitely some of the best scary movies to watch this October if you're into supernatural scares that linger long after the lights come back on. Then we have a film like *The Last House on the Left*. This one is a completely different beast, and I think it's important to acknowledge its impact on the horror genre. It's not a ghost story; it's a raw, visceral, and often disturbing look into human cruelty and the lengths parents will go to for revenge. When I first watched it, I was genuinely shocked by its intensity and the uncomfortable questions it raised. It pushes boundaries and explores very dark themes, making it one of those films that sticks with you long after the credits roll. It’s certainly not for everyone, as the content is quite graphic and deals with sensitive subjects, but if you're looking for a horror film that challenges you and focuses on the terror of human evil rather than supernatural scares, it's undeniably powerful. It’s a stark reminder that sometimes the most terrifying monsters are human, and that true horror can stem from very real-world situations. Including it in my scary movies lineup shows the diverse spectrum of fear that I seek out in my October movie marathons, from the paranormal to the deeply psychological and human. Whether you prefer the eerie whispers of a haunted mansion or the unsettling reality of human depravity, these films, among others on my list, promise to deliver that perfect dose of fright for your spooky movie night. I hope these deeper dives help you pick your next chilling watch and make your Halloween season extra spooky!
