Last week, we shared with you our favorite not-so-scary Halloween recommendations! This week we are bringing you some of the most terrifying movies and games to get your adrenaline pumping. If you’re looking for some bone-chilling fun, then these are the recommendations you have been dying for. *Evil Laugh*
Yali’s Pick – Anabelle: Creation
“Annabelle: Creation scared the absolute crap out of me and because of that it is one of my favorite horror films. I saw this in the theater, and I swear the whole audience was terrified. I love when a film can use the absence of sound to create bone-chilling suspense. The story was superior to the first film and the third. Also, the scenes on the acorn stairlift will forever haunt me.”
Teresa’s Pick – Kitty Horrorshow Anatomy
“Kitty Horrorshow Anatomy has left me speechless. Though an indie game of only 45 minutes, this game will stick with you! The object is simple: collect tapes around a house and listen to tapes of a seminar comparing the said house to a body. Amazingly, a walking simulator can be so unnerving and chilling!”
Jaz’s Pick – Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
“While Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street did not scare me, it is horrific! One of the MANY Tim Burton/Johnny Depp team-ups, it follows a barber named Benjamin Barker, who gets exiled by Judge Turpin for a crime he did not commit so that he can seduce Barker’s beautiful wife. Barker returns 15 years later under the alias of Sweeney Todd, now seeking his family and revenge. Todd teams up with a baker (Mrs. Lovett) who owns the shop below him and makes pies out of the bodies Sweeney Todd murders. This particular story was originally a 1979 Broadway musical by Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler. This is not your average slasher flick.”
Joe’s Pick – Hellraiser/Hellraiser 2
“It’s hard to pick JUST one, but between Hellraiser and Hellbound: Hellraiser II, there’s one complete arc so I’m going to go with that! Hellraiser warped my Jr. High mind, but in an okay way? The movie(s) don’t lean on jump scares and overwhelming tension, instead, they lean on cosmic horror and an insatiable hunger for feeling alive, something everyone can relate to. Paired with powerful imagery around body horror, intense gore, and the very real condition of humans being the worst monsters, Hellraiser is an amazing series of movies; even the worst of them are pretty good. I’m also a huge fan of how the primary “monster” of the series, Pinhead (a.k.a. The Hell Priest in some of the books) is handled. Less of a mindless murderer, more of an alien arbiter of lessons and pain.”
Erin’s Pick – Insidious
“Insidious is my absolute favorite horror movie. I love a good jump scare and this movie has some great ones. The story was different from the usual demon possession movies I’d seen. Rather than the spirit automatically taking control of the host, it inches closer as he’s stuck in the dream/spirit world. The fact that Dalton isn’t the first victim was a twist too. His dad had a similar problem as a child and is the only one who can save him. There’s a somewhat happy ending but also a gruesome and scary one that sets up the sequel, which was just as good to me. I still jump and get the creeps no matter how many times I’ve seen it.”
Rachel’s Pick – House on Haunted Hill
“I love classic horror films and House on Haunted Hill is a must-watch! Vincent Price plays a millionaire who invites a variety of different people over to his enormous mansion. Whoever can stay through the entire night gets $100,000. The catch? They’re already trapped inside the mansion. This movie is somewhat scary and though some of the jumpscares/scary tactics are kind of ruined by the low-budget effects, the film has a good cast of actors and an eerie atmosphere. It has a great suspense factor and viewers are entertained by seeing who will survive the night by the mansion’s evil doings or die at the hands of greedy contestants who want to win the prize money.”
Scott’s Pick – Scream
“This one was extremely difficult to pick! There are numerous films that I had to choose between, but ultimately I have to go with Wes Craven’s 1996 masterpiece, Scream! The film subverts the genre with its meta approach to classic tropes, whilst paying homage to some of horror’s most iconic entries. Tense, bloody, and violent, it hits all the right marks, even adding effective comedy along the way. Scream redefined the genre and became the definitive film of an entire generation, whilst creating one of horror’s most iconic figures in Ghostface.”
We hope our scary recommendations make it to your playlist! Share with us your favorite scary movie, game, tv show, or even a book! Talk spooky with us in the comments and online via social media.
