The 10 Scariest Movies, Shows, or Web Series To Watch This Halloween

Halloween is one of my favorite times of the year. I am a scary movie buff and am always looking to broaden my horror movie horizons. Here are the 10 films, shows and Web series that I intend to peruse this Halloween.

(I attempted to keep this as spoiler free as possible!)

Now turn the lights off, pour all the candy on the table and get started.

NOTE-I have provided you with scenes/trailers from each item presented below, viewer discretion is advised.

10.CABIN IN THE WOODS- This is a fun pick for me, CABIN is a Joss Whedon (THE AVENGERS) pet project, and is the total destruction of the horror genre. It may not be the scariest movie but contains plenty of quality scares and a mind blowing final half hour that will have you second guessing the plot and your leading characters.. Don’t forget by the end of the film, you won’t look at a horror movie the same again.

9. Bravo’s 100 Scariest Movie Moments- This is one of my all time favorites. Originally appeared on Bravo in October of 2004 and was re-aired for years following. The countdown gathered enough attention that a Sequel was made a few years later counting down “30 Scarier Movie Moments”. The countdown’s include interviews from critics, actors, directors, comedians, etc and include brief moments from each movie in the countdown. It takes you through new and old movies and counts down some of the greatest scares in movie history. I watched the countdown with my college roomates during a black out in our house at night, we got no farther then #76 . It may not appear on TV but bits and pieces can be found online on Youtube. Check out # 11 on the countdown, Japanese film Audition, one of the crazier movies on the list.( Maybe not for the faint of heart)

8. AMC’s “The Walking Dead”- The Zombie Apocalypse has become one of the most popular horror scenarios in recent memory. People are OBSESSED with it, and the best way to live in your own zombie apocalypse is to enjoy the absolutely outstanding TV show on AMC. The first two season’s are available on Netflix, trust me when i tell you your heart will be pounding through two full seasons of Zombie scares.

7. Freddy and Jason- When you first start getting into Horror movies, the first series of films you watch are most notably NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET and FRIDAY THE 13th. You are introduced to two very different villains. Freddy Krueger is a slimy  often sarcastic and cruel man who creeps you out because he kills in one of the most intimate ways, through your dreams.  The type of scares in the Freddy films are both creepy and unrealistic which is why they works so well. As for Jason Voorhees, he never speaks even 1 line of dialogue  he is a cold, calculated, machine and often times gets characters in situations that would make any sexually active teen think twice.

6.  ALIEN 1 and 2-Ridley Scott created quite the world in ALIEN and James Cameron followed that up with a pretty scary sequel. ALIEN is terrifying for what you don’t know about the world your entering and for most of the movie Scott creates a very good Sci-Fi film. Yet as the film progresses it takes a HARD right turn toward pure horror. ALIEN 2 follows that with more of the same, except James Cameron goes for more scares, taking less time to set up his plot and more time in scaring the pants off his viewers. Check out the first ALIEN’s most terrifying scene.

5. THE RING- I was going to make this, any Japanese made film over the past 15 years but because that was wayyyy too broad i decided to single out THE RING. Based on the 1997 Japanese horror film, THE RING  became that horror movie that a friend of yours saw and the next day would say “Saw THE RING last night and i didn’t sleep at all”. THE RING takes a fairly interesting premise of a video you watch and 7 days later you die. Simple right? well the ring takes that premise and turns it into 2 hours of horror. The visual of the girl with the hair in front of her face and the mystery of what exactly is killing these people makes THE RING an enjoyable and successful horror flick.

4. HALLOWEEN-HALLOWEEN director John Carpenter was assigned to make nothing more than a horror film about teenagers getting murdered on Halloween and what he created is one of the single greatest slasher films of all time. Halloween takes a little bit from FRIDAY THE 13TH, but adds it’s own wrinkle. Michael Myers escapes from an insane asylum and unleashes terror on a small town on Halloween night. Myers is practically invincible, dressed in a William Shatner “Star Trek” Mask and armed with brute strength and a knife, Myers creates a terrifying opposition for teenagers everywhere.

3. THE EXORCIST- In my opinion THE EXORCIST is one of the scariest movies of all time. While people disregard the scarier scenes because of the age of the film, THE EXORCIST still shocks and appalls some and if you watch it in the dark in a quite room it will manage to make the hair on the back of your neck stand up. A Demon takes over the body of a young girl, and priests attempt to remove the being from her body. The terrifying visiuals of the young girl crab walking down the stairs, or the conversations between the demon and the preists make viewers cringe and make it one of my favorites.

2. PARANORMAL ACTIVITY Series- The highest grossing movie of all time thanks to it’s $30,000 budget has turned into one of the most successful horror movie franchises in Hollywood history. A set of found footage films that move the genre in a scary direction, as Katie and Michah find that they are being haunted by a dangerous and angry spirit, there actions only excellerate the activity as the demon continues to haunt them to a bloody ending. The 3 followups have been well crafted sequels/prequels and keep the story fresh as the activity get’s worse and the cheap tricks used in the films make continue to scare the crap out of it’s fans. Scariest if watched in a theater but a pitch black, dead quiet room will do the trick.

1. “Marble Hornets”- Everyone who reads this will say “What is Marble Hornets!?” which is sad but true. A student film, turned YouTube phenomena. A young filmmaker named Alex witnesses a strange man looming around his home and the shoot of his drama “Marble Hornets”. He captures the man on camera and in time strange things start occuring. When Alex disappears, one of his friends finds his footage and begins to notice strange occurrences. Neat, cheap, camera and editing tricks allows the viewer to be detached from their senses for long or short periods of time.  While it is not perfectly acted or written, “Marble Hornets” is the creepiest thing i have ever watched, there is a difference between feeling goosebumps and the feeling you get during most of the videos for Marble Hornets. The Youtube page so far has over 60 videos and growing, the videos as short as under a min and as long as 20 and all have some sort of importance. The perfect thing to watch sitting in a dark room with everyone in front of the TV or in front of the computer.