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| Like "Fido", which is on my list! |
Technically, a lot of these are actually going to fall under the label of "Horror Comedy" rather than just plain "Horror" but they're all still good movies. So pop some popcorn, spice some pumpkins, get under a big cozy blanket, and try one of these out!
10. "Grave Encounters"
This one drags a bit in its third act, but other than that it's fairly creative and has some spectacularly horrific imagery. It's difficult to make the "found footage" gimmick feel fresh and new, but "Grave Encounters" felt fresh when it came out, and though it's a bit dated now, it's still enjoyable. The basic story is that the cast of a fictional ghost hunting show (like "Ghost Adventures") goes to a haunted asylum which is actually haunted and won't let them leave.
There are gifs of this movie all over tumblr. Have you seen the gif of a girl in night-vision green who looks at the camera and her eyes go black and her mouth stretches out? That's from this movie. How about the one where a bunch of unworldly black hands begin reaching out from the ceiling? Also from this movie. So it's worth seeing once. It's pretty spoopy. But again, the third act drags, and it's not a great movie.
9. "The Witch" (Sometimes stylised as "The VVitch")
Personally, if I was rating these solely based on how much I liked them, this would be rated much higher. I love this movie. I really love this movie. But if you're not already well-versed in Puritan history and in 17th-century beliefs about witchcraft, it's a really difficult movie to get through. The director and writer of this movie did four years of research before even starting to make the film, and it shows. It is the most historically accurate movie I have ever seen. And it's creepy as hell.
If you're really into the idea of history-based horror? You'll love this movie. It's very well made.
8. "Lost Boys"
I don't like vampire movies. I really don't like vampire movies. And yet I like this movie. This is my exception to my personal 'no vampires' rule - it's that entertaining. It's got that special blend of 1980s teen movie cheesiness and comedic moments and some genuinely terrifying scenes and somehow it all just works. It's basically about a group of punk rock teen vampires that plague a beach town, and two sons from a family that moves to that town discover them. One son falls in with them, and the other wants to defeat them.
This movie, while set in a fictional town, was at least partially filmed in Santa Cruz, California. Part of my affection for this movie is because these locations are so recognisable to me, especially the opening sequence filmed at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.
7. "Ginger Snaps"
From a vampire movie to a werewolf movie. "Ginger Snaps" is a Canadian independent horror film about two horror-obsessed teen sisters whose closeness is threatened when one of them is turned into a werewolf. The movie very explicitly spells out how lycanthropy is a metaphor for puberty, and there have been a lot of feminist readings of this movie. Whether or not you choose to seek any of those out, it's still a pretty entertaining watch.
The movie is a good standalone movie, but steer clear of the sequels, which are just completely batshit. What were the filmmakers thinking?
6. "Cabin in the Woods"
Another more comedic horror movie, though definitely still skewing more towards the horror side of things. It's difficult to say anything at all about this movie without giving the twist away. Just know that it is clever and witty and unbelievably entertaining. Also, at one point there's a unicorn that impales someone with its horn. That alone should be enough to entice you to check it out if you haven't already!
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| "The Witch" |
5. "The Craft"
This movie is notable for hiring someone to do research on actual Wiccan practises... and then throwing most of that research out the window because it turns out that accurately depicting Wicca makes for a really boring horror movie. This is basically like a 90s proto-"Mean Girls" with a goth teen witch coven instead of The Plastics. Robin Tunney stars as likable protagonist Sarah, but it's Fairuza Balk (who is Wiccan in real life!) who really steals the show as the witch leader and fashion icon Nancy. For the most part, though it is kind of silly at times, this one is wildly entertaining.
Just, uh, if you are gonna watch this one? Major trigger warning for attempted sexual assault, the one part of the movie I always have to skip. Luckily, I've seen this movie so many times, I know exactly when it's coming.
4. "Zombieland"
I love zombie movies. It took a lot of willpower to make this list not completely zombie-based. Zombie comedies have gotten more popular in recent years, most likely due to the success of "Shaun of the Dead" (which is another good one), but this one, in my opinion, is the best zombie comedy out there. It's both the funniest and the scariest, following a group of survivors on a road trip across post-zombie-apocalypse America. So it has other elements I love in movies - road trip movies and found family themes.
It also has the best possible cameo that any movie has ever had. Ever.
3. "Little Shop of Horrors"
There are two movies with this title, and while I like them both, the one I'm referring to here is the 1980s musical version starring Rick Moranis. (Yes, that Rick Moranis - he can actually sing really well.) I was obsessed with this movie when I was 17, and I still am fond of it.
Based on a stage show that was based on a 1960s B-movie, this musical is about a giant plant that eats people and sings in a menacing baritone. The movie changed the rather Faustian ending of the stage musical, and opinions vary over whether that's a good or bad thing. But it's entertaining nonetheless, and the songs are catchy as hell.
2. "Fido"
Another zombie movie - told you I liked them! This one isn't too well-known - it's an independent film and it doesn't really have any big name A-list stars in it, but its premise is unique. It takes place in an alternate version of the 1950s where the zombie apocalypse not only already happened, but zombies have been domesticated and are now kept as domestic servants!
It's definitely more comedy than horror, and very tongue-and-cheek comedy at that, until the third act when it starts to sway more in the horror direction. But even then it's a lot of fun, especially if you like that retro fifties aesthetic.
1. "Paranorman"
This one is more horror-themed than actual horror, but it has zombies in it so it still counts. And hey, I had to include it! It's not just one of my favourite zombie movies - this is one of my favourite movies of all time! I've seen it hundreds of times, to the point where I nearly have it memorised. I just never get sick of it. It's a perfect movie, at least in my eyes. Perfectly written, perfectly cast and acted, and Laika's animation is the stuff of legends.
At first glance, the plot seems normal enough. A kid named Norman Babcock (who is legit one of my favourite fictional characters ever) can see ghosts, but no one in his small New England town believes him, so he's an outcast who is frequently bullied at school. He's called upon to stop a witch's curse that'll raise zombies. But... things are not what they seem, and he ends up uncovering something even more surprising than anything he's ever seen before. I'm being purposefully very vague about it, but just trust me. You have to see this movie if you haven't before. All of Laika's movies are great fun, but this one will always be my favourite.
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| One of the theatrical posters for "Paranorman" |
-Nym
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