Eight horror film recommendations perfect for Halloween, sorted by genre – The Observer

We’ve finally reached the scariest month of the year and to celebrate, I’m going to be suggesting horror films of different genres every week! Each suggestion below contains a summary of the film and my thoughts on it – without spoilers.

Animated horror

“The Nightmare Before Christmas” (1993) [PG]

Running time: 1h16m

In honor of Oogie Boogie voice actor Ken Page, who sadly passed away last week at the age of 70, I wanted to highlight The Nightmare Before Christmas. It is a family-friendly “horror” film that follows protagonist Jack Skellington on his journey as he attempts to take on the role of Santa Claus and the Christmas holidays.

This film is full of well-crafted musical numbers and creepy character designs that will definitely give you that October feeling you’re looking for. If you’re not into movies, I’d also recommend checking out the soundtrack, especially “Oogie Boogie’s Song” if you’re into a bluesy, jazzy Halloween sound.

International horror

“Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum” (2018) [Not Rated]

Running time: 1h35m

This Korean found footage horror film follows a group of young adults as they explore a famous abandoned asylum for their horror web series.

This film runs a bit slow, but once the actual horror part of the film starts, things move along very quickly. I was a big fan of her long moments of suspense followed by a jump scare, even though her jump scares seemed a bit disappointing at times. However, I watched the film with my hands in front of my face most of the time, so I’d say it did a good job of scaring me. There’s not a lot of gore, but it’s definitely unsettling, so give Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum a try if you think you can handle it!

A horror TV series

“The Haunting of Hill House” (2018) [TV-MA]

1 season, 10 episodes

This drama TV series tells the story of a family and their experiences in what later becomes the most haunted house in America. Each episode follows one of the siblings in their childhood and how that has shaped them in the present. With all kinds of ghosts haunting their homes, they must reunite as a family and finally put an end to their suffering.

I originally didn’t want to try this series because I was expecting cheap jump scares and a simple story, but that wasn’t the case at all. Sure, there were still a few cheap jump scares, but they added so much to the story, which is nice in its own right. This whole show is just full of love, family, heartbreak and horror. Additionally, there is a long shot of 17 minutes, and if that isn’t enough to impress you, I don’t know what will.

Comedy horror

“Body, Body, Body” (2022) [R]

Running time: 1h34m

When a hurricane destroys their vacation, a group of young adults are forced to stay home all night. After finding one of their friends dead, with no clues to the killer and no internet, they must rely on each other to survive… but can they?

This is a classic crime film with ridiculous interactions between its characters and I really enjoyed it. I think this would be a great film to watch as a group as it is more suspenseful than scary and the ending will result in either a very positive or very negative uproar in reaction. Either way, you’ll laugh and have a great time. Find some friends and give it a try!

Psychological horror

“The Babadook” (2014) [Not Rated]

Running time: 1h34m

After being traumatized by the loss of her husband, a single mother must find a way to comfort her child when he begins to fear a monster in their home. She soon realizes that the child may not be imagining the horrors in her home.

As with most psychological horror films, there is much more to The Babadook than what meets the eye, but I think this film is easier to decipher than most other psychological horror films. There is a clear explanation somewhere on the internet. So if you want to check out this movie and understand it better, there’s definitely a rabbit hole you can dive down afterward. However, even without instructions, this film is very scary, easy to understand, and visually appealing if you’re into strange monster designs.

Science fiction horror

“The Invisible Man” (2020) [R]

Running time: 2h4m

This film is about a woman who tries to escape her husband who torments her after his death because he wears a suit that can make him invisible. Since no one believes her story, she realizes she has to take matters into her own hands.

The scariest part of this film is the hopelessness that its main character portrays. As a viewer, you get a glimpse of what could really happen, but everyone around her constantly treats her like she’s overly paranoid, and it’s so frustrating – in the best way possible. I would say this film is more of a thriller than a horror film, but as I mentioned, their situation is pretty scary to watch.

Cult classic

“The Omen” (1976) [R]

Running time: 1h51m

To avoid breaking his wife’s heart, an American diplomat adopts a baby from the church to replace his stillborn child and pass it off as his own. But when strange satanic things begin to happen around her son on his sixth birthday, the diplomat must put a stop to it before it’s too late.

Since The First Omen came out earlier this year, I decided to give this oldie a chance and I certainly wasn’t disappointed. Being an old film, some sections drag on longer than they should, but the camera work is interesting to watch and it was fun to see how things turned out for Damien (the adopted child) and the rest of the family .

Slasher horror

“Orphan” (2009) [R]

Running time: 2h3m

With a similar premise to “The Omen,” an American couple decides to adopt a child from an orphanage after a devastating loss of their unborn child. As they become familiar with the strange child, the mother notices scary things about her behavior that the rest of the family seems to ignore.

Unlike many others, this isn’t a very scary slasher film, but it does have some gory aspects. It was also really cool to have someone with hearing aids in the main cast and the use of American Sign Language was such a big part of the film. If anything, it’s the sudden loss of sound when viewed from this character’s perspective that really shows how important sound is in everyday life and how effective it can be in a horror setting.