Boo! It’s a spooky season. Trick or treating might not be your thing and whilst large gatherings are out the window for the meantime, you can spend the night tucked away in your hotel room without feeling guilty for it.
After all, the best part about Halloween is treating yourself to chocolates and sweets whilst tricking yourself that maybe this year you could cope with a horror movie…
Why do we put ourselves through it?
There is almost an ironic comedy in watching horror films, it’s an endurance test of our own pride and resilience. Even after believing we have become desensitised to the gore and horror, we find ourselves curled up in a ball losing sight of whether it is even enjoyable to watch in the first place. Yet, somehow the addictive emotional turmoil makes it so appealing to watch, turning our stomachs over and transfixing our eyes to their every next move.
Our Top 10 Horror Movies for Halloween
Here are some of our favourite horrors and thrillers, from cult classics to modern favourites, that are sure to get your heartbeat racing this Halloween.
Train To Busan (2016)
This apocalyptic dystopian fiction corners all stereotypes of horror. With an ironically relatable storyline, a zombie virus breaks out in South Korea and we are taken on a journey following their survival from Seoul to Busan. Unlike ourselves, their inability to control the spread of the virus and disastrous decisions unfold, inducing a whirlwind of emotional mayhem.
The credit can be given to the film’s immaculate sound production, mastered with atmospheric instrumentals and chilling screams. More often than not, sound production can be the make or break of a film, either being disappointingly satisfactory or too unrealistic. With this being such a difficult scope to perfect, Train To Busan captures the true essence of horror.
Horror Level: 8/10 – Watch out for sweaty hands and an unsettled stomach!
Get Out (2017)
As a young African-American visits his caucasian girlfriend’s house for the weekend, the suspicious nature of her family begins to unveil itself. What makes this film so intriguing is the powerful acting, particularly in the scenes between the house-maids and the main character, Chris, that make it so uneasy to watch.
With lots of scenes of gore, the film’s true horror bleeds from the emotional storyline, touching on the history of black slavery and Chris’ journey to freedom.
Horror Level: 7/10 – Be prepared to be glued to the screen for one hundred minutes…
Insidious (2010)
Picture this: it’s 9 pm and you’ve already navigated through the horror films category five times on Netflix, yet you find yourself gravitating towards one film… Insidious.
Everyone you know has probably already seen this film but what makes it so captivating is how it scares you just as much each time. The idea of giving children possessive demonic characters makes it even more horrifying and almost close to realistic – as we all know what having children can be like!
From the filmmakers of Paranormal Activity and Saw, the story centres on a family’s child who enters a comatose state. He is accompanied by a collection of spirits who want to inhibit his body in the astral dimensions known as ‘The Further’, making it worryingly challenging for him and the family to bring him back.
Horror Level: 9/10 – Perfectly horrifying and will be living in your head rent-free for weeks!
The Exorcist (1973)
Though horror films have moved on dramatically, the 1973 Exorcist will always be an iconic film. William Friedkin unknowingly shaped the forthcoming blow-up of horror in the late ’70s, exposing us all to the beauty of horror. The film itself is based on a true story of an exorcism of 14-year-old Maryland boy, Roland Doe. With that in mind, it makes the film particularly horrifying.
Like all horror films, a priest tries to resurrect the child and finds themselves in extreme difficulty. The exorcist itself is a masterpiece, with an undeniably ground-breaking plot that keeps all audiences engaged. What makes it truly frightening is that during the filming Linda Blair actually fractured her spine and, for the final cut, the directors decided to use the shot so that her screams were real!
Horror Level: 7/10 – You’ll question why you decided to put yourself through this halfway through…
Hereditary (2018)
The story of a family unravelling their terrifying ancestry after their “mentally-ill” grandmother passed away and their harrowing fate.
With reviews such as ‘traumatising’, ‘twisted’ and ‘disturbing’, this film will grip you to your core making you question all your surroundings. Make sure you have everything you need when you watch this, as you won’t want to leave your bed after this experience. It might be worth keeping the volume at a reasonable level in your hotel room so your neighbours don’t assume murder is happening next door.
Horror Level: 9/10 – Because you must have a screw loose if you watch this!
The Shining (1980)
Here at Signature Suites, we love a hotel horror storyline, so it’s perfectly fitting to watch The Shining. The recognisable ‘Here’s Johnny!’ quote is quite possibly one of the most iconic lines of all time that can strike fear into your heart – mainly because of what it entails afterwards.
Based on Stephen King’s novel, the film’s central character is a recovering alcoholic who accepts the position of an out of hours care-taker at the Overlook Hotel. However, we soon discover the hotel’s dark past as his son develops possessive psychic abilities. With lots of gore and horror, the disturbing scenes of blood and decapitating limbs make it truly difficult to watch. You might want to skip on the movie snacks for this one…
Horror Level: 7/10 – Disgustingly entertaining and never gets old!
Monster House (2006)
Need one for the kids? This one is perfect for shutting them up for an hour and a half and is entertaining for all ages – especially for those that are scared of their own shadow!
As the parents of a 12-year-old go on holiday, his curiosity leads him to snoop around his neighbour’s haunted house and his inevitable struggles can only unfold. With both engaging animation and familiar voices such as Mitchel Musso and Spencer Locke, this one is a thrill for all of the family – or at least for all us scaredy cats!
Horror Rating: 5/10 – We won’t judge, we all need minimal jump scares after this crazy year…
Blair Witch Project (1999)
Allegedly based on a true story, three film students embark on a school project to film a documentary about a local legend known as Blair Witch. As the events unfold, their paths are lost yet their equipment and footage are discovered a year later.
All of the footage in the film was shot by two cameras by the two main actors and, as we follow their journey, we unravel the riveting scenes that cause their disappearance.
Horror Rating: 7/10 – You’ll be recreating the iconic snotty tears – if you know, you know!
It (2017)
An evil shape-shifting entity that lives in the sewers and comes out every 27 years to feast on children? This film is pretty much our worst nightmare growing up! Between sewers and an abandoned house, you’ll be on the edge of your seat waiting to see what’s around the corner…
Whilst the film isn’t the most gruesome out of the horror category, it still manages to capture the essence of horror and highlight our own concept of fear in both children and adults. By including the stereotypical ‘clown’ as a fearsome object, it objectifies our conceptualisation of fear and phobias for a lot of people.
Horror Rating: 8/10 – There’s nothing like your childhood terrors coming back to haunt you!
Split (2016)
Split is an epic masterpiece from start to finish. It touches on mental health disorders in a different light making it a film that will resonate with you for long after.
The film follows a man with 24 different personalities who kidnaps three teenage girls and we are taken on a journey following his state of consciousness. The director, M. Night Shyamalan, is a philanthropist known for making films with contemporary, supernatural plots and twist endings. Make sure to pay attention from start to finish, you don’t want to miss anything important…
Horror Level: 7/10 – A super creepy storyline which will give you the shivers long after…
Have a safe and spooky Halloween!
Although Halloween may be cancelled this year, it doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate it in style by dressing up and watching spooky movies in your hotel room. During these scary times, we’ve taken extra precautions to make sure you feel as safe as possible. Just make sure to pack an extra teddy bear to go to sleep with after watching these films!