With just a week to go until Halloween, we've decided to put together a list of a few movies to get you in the mood for the fright night. Watching a scary movie on Halloween is a time honoured tradition and brilliant way to cap off the night once the fireworks and bonfires are all over. The list we've put together is made up of movies from the last decade you may have missed in the cinema first time around, and one each night for the next week is guaranteed to give you a few scares no matter what type of horror movie sends shivers down your back.
First up is the best horror movie of last year, and one of the most effective in recent memory - The Babadook. A psychological horror that spends as much time dealing with very real fears as it does with the supernatural, it's unlike anything else out there and at it's core is some amazing performances from it's two leads, Essie Davis and young Noah Wiseman. It's one of those movies that divides opinion and won't be to everyone's tastes but in a market dominated by found-footage movies that are happy to skate by on cheap shocks, this film really does stand out as something every true horror fan should seek out.
The Innkeepers is a brilliant twist on the haunted house story, where we follow two employees who set out to uncover the dark past that lies behind the eerily quiet doors of a hotel that's closing down. The slow build only adds to the tension and the scares start to pile up as the staff find themselves at the centre of some freaky happenings in the dying days of the hotel. An excellent supernatural horror, we highly recommend watching with the lights out!
The Descent has, in my opinion, one of the greatest "jump moments" of modern cinema. It follows a group of girls who decide to go exploring some caves in an isolated forest, one of whom is dealing with some personal demons from an accident that haunts her. To say much more would spoil the fun, but this is intense, bloody and will have you chewing your fingernails off by the end.
Let The Right One In is a brilliant take on the vampire story, following a shy boy called Oskar who is being bullied, and his friendship with a beautiful but strange young girl. Modernising the old myths and making them fresh again, without descending into Twilight territory, is no mean feat, and Let The Right One In nails the balance between the touching relationship of Oskar and Eli and the shockingly bloody and brutal violence she is capable of. Try and avoid the American remake, Let Me In, as it just doesn't pack the same punch as the original.
The Orphanage is a Spanish ghost tale as terrifying as it is powerful and emotionally chilling. A woman who spent her childhood in an orphanage returns there 30 years later with her husband and her young son to reopen it as a care centre for disabled children. It's not long before the remnants of the old residents began to make their presence known and the film has some brilliantly creepy and chilling scenes, and more than enough scares for any fan of supernatural horror.
Eden Lake is the kind of horror movie that stays with you long after it has finished. With a very real scenario - group of teens terrorise a couple on a romantic break and things spiral out of control - and great performances from it's leads, Kelly Reilly and Michael Fassbender, it's strange that this managed to pass most people by. Well worth a look over the Halloween period for those who like straightforward bloody and brutal horror.
Finally, REC is another Spanish movie, but this is treat for those of you that grew up on recent crazes in horror. Combining the "found footage" type film with zombies as an apartment block comes under attack, it's an absolute thrill ride from start to finish and easily one of the best horrors of the last decade, spawning an American remake (Quarantine - very poor) and a few sequels that are actually all good movies in their own right. A must watch.
So, there you have it. If you manage to sit through all 7 of these then we salute your bravery! A proper, terrifying horror movie is something no good film fan should be without for Halloween night, so head down to your local DVD store or start planning the next week on Netflix as we help you get in the mood for Halloween with these great films.
Oh, and if you want an idea of how seriously we take our scares here, check out these two great horror shorts, just to get ya in the mood!
