These movies will wake even the most grateful dead

Many of us are probably planning on a night in with a cozier rather than a creepy vibe on Halloween, but there is something to be said about spooky. One might just look to the nightly news in order to obtain sufficient fright but I would say that is why we need spooky season. 

Distractions can’t always just revolve around placid music or scenic vistas, sometimes you need a scare in order to get rid of our 2020 hick-ups. Here are four classic movies to get your fill of goosebumps.

“The Exorcist” 

This movie is the definition of a classic, and I have recommended it to almost everyone I meet. It may seem old but the way this film was put together will scare even the most hardened among us.

It focuses on a 12-year-old in the grasps of a demon and the priest sent to expel the entity from the young girl. There are very little jump cuts because the movie relies (like most good horror films) on pushing our own boundaries. The possession leads the girl to act and behave in ways that anyone would find frightening.

“The Babadook”
One of my least favorite things about some horror movies is that I feel too safe during the plot. This is usually a consequence of there being too many people in the scenes. Like in “The Conjuring,” I just don’t see the need to be scared when there are so many people walking around and smiling at each other.

This film is dynamic and devastatingly psychological. A young widow is left alone with an erratic child and a book that seems to be an omen for their combined mental depletion. The film makes you feel exhausted by the end and plays on all of our human instincts to run and hide.

“Sinister”
I haven’t watched this one in a while but I do remember being legitimately scared of it. The film uses our own curiosity against us as a true crime writer moves into a house where a family has been murdered. He discovers a box of Super 8 film in the attic and a dark secret that haunts all that live in said house.

With the growth of true crime, many will see their own curiosity’s turned against them as the movie goes on. And this one does have jump scares.

“The Orphanage”
This Spanish language film is often overlooked but reminds me of the greatest horror movies ever made. This film relies on our sense of hopelessness and loss as a mom loses her severely ill son in the maze that is an orphanage. She has a dream of turning the home into a place for sick children.

Like Babadook the film relies on our imaginations and not necessarily “real” paranormal events. I like that, our brains provide enough material for horror as it is.