Fall, the undisputed best time of year, is upon us. Crunchy leaves, crispy air, the Starbucks Autumn Menu, it’s a marvelous experience every year. Fall is hands-down the best season, even if it tends to be the shortest. My, and many others, favorite part of fall (besides the county fair, which I attend as many times as possible every year to get at least four lemonades) is October. The haunted houses and horror movies accompanying this month and its well-loved holiday are greatly treasured.
Although there are many great things about fall like football games, homecoming, the weather, and haunted houses, I’m going to be focusing on horror movies. I’ve seen exactly sixty-two of them and plan on at least doubling it. Scary movies are by far the best. Just think about it! They have everything. I’ve seen funnier horror movies with better romantic plots than The Notebook and anything with Will Ferrell. Even if you don’t like being scared, you have to appreciate the creativity and hard work that gets put into horror movies. As a genre, it is far more diverse than people think.
— Possible Spoiler Warning—
Since we’ve established my love for fear-filled films, I’d like to talk about my favorites, directors, some recommendations, etc. Starting with my (and my best friend’s) absolute favorite, Hereditary. Hereditary is definitely the best-made horror movie I’ve ever seen. The actors are incredible, and the plot is very unique. Multiple plot twists are taken to the next level. I understand this movie is not for everyone, considering the open, up-for-interpretation ending and more psychological aspects, but I highly recommend it if that’s your thing. From start to finish, the movie never lacks intrigue or suspense. It’s for sure a five-star movie that deserves more than its praise. Every death and dark corner of the movie is filled with unanswered questions. The best part is that there aren’t plot holes. The questions and overwhelming thoughts you’re left with are from the incredible craftsmanship behind the movie.
Next up is Signs, another personal favorite of mine. Signs was written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. Shyamalan is an incredible director. He’s best known for his horror movies with unexpected twists. Every movie I’ve seen by him so far has been good. Signs is the best, however. Without giving away too much, it’s about a family of farmers in a small town whose crop fields suddenly have patterns cut into them. They don’t know how or why this is happening, along with the sounds and strange occurrences at night. Eventually, it gets revealed that alien sightings have been happening all across the country and that’s what has been creating signs in the crops. The family’s home is invaded by said aliens; they then have to figure out how to defeat the aliens. I know it sounds rather boring and not scary but it is truly a really great movie that I think most people would like, especially those who are more reserved towards scary movies.
The Conjuring series, including all three Conjuring and Anabelle movies, The Nun and La Llorona, are all connected by the real-life stories of Ed and Lorraine Warren. The Conjuring movies are my favorite scary movies based on real-life stories. I’m aware that not everyone believes in such supernatural things, even if they show real footage at the end. Ed and Lorraine Warren were specialists in the field of the supernatural, from possessed dolls to haunted chairs, they covered it all. The Conjuring series is about the Warrens’ most famous cases. They are very well-made movies that I think everyone should watch. They are true horror movies. They include every aspect a viewer could want.
Next, I’d like to mention two great influences in the horror genre, Stephen King and John Carpenter. Carpenter is the director of cult-classic movies like Halloween and The Thing, two incredible horror movies that deserve praise, even if they aren’t my favorite. As for Stephen King, he’s an author of multiple scary novels turned into movies. I don’t even need to name them, they are so iconic. His books and movies are the definition of horror. He’s mastered the writing of his preferred genre.
Speaking of iconic, another incredible series of slasher movies is the original Scream series. As a lover of “old” movies, I refuse to watch the recently released Scream movies. I can’t believe that they’d be even close to as good as the originals. Since I’m basically named after the main character, Sidney, (spelling doesn’t count) I feel connected to these movies. I love these movies. I won’t even talk about the plot so as not to spoil them because everyone deserves to find out who Ghostface is for the first time. Every twist is perfectly planned and unexpected, I give them all a 10 out of 10.
Another aspect of what makes a great horror movie is whether they’re psychological or flat-out haunted-house-style scary. I love movies that have a little bit of both, which, fortunately, most well-made ones do. Psychological movies are great when that is specifically what you want. They are definitely fun to watch and dissect, but not my favorite for movie nights. Just scary movies, on the other hand, are great for movie nights; especially when you’re watching with someone who gets scared relatively easily, but still loves them.
Another thing to consider when choosing a horror movie to watch is whether you’d like something with a paranormal, slasher, or alien aspect. I love them all, slasher is probably my least favorite because they tend not to be as scary but they’re still great!
I believe that everyone should at least give watching scary movies a chance. I was against them for years, and then I finally caved and watched IT, and wow. My life changed. I wasn’t scared during the movie, like at all, and I couldn’t wait to watch more. Please, give scary movies a chance, even the parodies if you prefer comedies. You won’t regret it, even if it only furthers your hate for them, at least you’ll know for sure.
As you can tell, I’ve spent way too much time analyzing scary movies as this is barely the tip of the iceberg for my ramblings about them. Scary movies might sound like a waste of time to some, but to me, they bond people together. My best friend and I have the same favorite scary movie. Even though he hates Signs, I let it slide because we can both appreciate good horror movies. I hope you watch some of my recommendations and enjoy them as much as I do!
