If the Scream franchise has taught us anything, it’s that nighttime scary movie marathons always end with lots of blood and a slew of ironic deaths. But, the key to every Scream movie is that no one obeys the laws of horror movies. (“I’ll be right back, guys!” No you won’t, Jimmy. Not if Ghostface has anything to say about it, at least.) So, with Halloween approaching, it only seems fitting to detail the ten movies that are the likeliest to help you survive should you wind up caught in your own horror movie.
The Shining (1980)
If you haven’t seen this movie, do yourself a favour and wait until it’s very dark outside, turn off all of your lights, and put this movie on. I assure you that you will not regret it. This movie should kick off your Halloween marathon so that you’re extra terrified by time you get to the other movies.
Scream (1996)
Wes Craven’s ultimate pomo, self-reflexive horror film (and my ultimate favourite slasher film of all-time) is a staple of any horror movie marathon. Watch this near the beginning of your movie marathon, as Jamie Kennedy’s character outlines the rules for survival in the horror genre. And then watch the rest of these films and count the number of times each character breaks them and the result of these broken rules. Spoiler alert, they die.
Halloween (1978)
What marathon list would be complete without Halloween? Not only did this film firmly entrench Jamie Lee Curtis as the ultimate Scream Queen, but it also gave rise to the greatest horror movie villain of all-time. No messy backstory needed for Michael Myers. Just pure, unadulterated evil. Nothing scarier than that.
Paranormal Activity (2007)
This movie is arguably one of the most polarizing horror films of all-time. People either love it or hate it. I tend to lean toward the latter. Regardless of the sentiment, though, there is no denying the fact that, after seeing this at a midnight screening on Halloween in 2006, I didn’t sleep right for over a week. If you can, do yourself a favour and grab the copy that ends with a butcher knife and a very, very creepy smile. Your nightmares will thank me later.
Friday the 13th (1980)
In the seemingly unending battle for notoriety between the Voorhees family, Freddy Kruger, and Leatherface, I am firmly on the side of the Voorhees family. The reason that I put this film on the list instead of any other versions in the long and drawn out series is the now-famous twist ending that helped the horror genre establish itself as a legitimate mode of storytelling. And then they went and ruined that legitimate status by making Jason X…
The Orphanage (2007)
This is the only horror film that I have ever had to turn off while watching (out of fear, of course) and go do something else to take my mind off of what I had just seen. I returned to it years later, and I nearly had the same reaction. Taking notes from The Shining, this one is all about establishing a creepy atmosphere and breaking our preconceived notions of what a horror film can do. (Note: This is a Spanish film with English subtitles)
Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Don’t talk to me about the supposed brilliance of The Walking Dead if you haven’t even seen this film. This is the classic that put George A. Romero, the king of zombies, on the map (and forever included in zombie lore).
The Babadook (2014)
Combining elements of traditional haunted house, slasher, and psychological thriller tropes, amongst a multitude of others, and then turning them on their heads, The Babadook currently holds a 98% certified fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. For comparison’s sake, that’s the same rating as films like Vertigo, Taxi Driver, and Chinatown. Absolutely unbelievable.
Session 9 (2001)
Much like Paranormal Activity, this film has received a fairly polarizing response from the horror community. In a similar vein as The Shining, though, Session 9 relies on atmosphere and setting more than jump scares and gore. I’ll take that any day of the week.
Tucker & Dale vs. Evil (2010)
At this point in the night, your horror movie marathon should be just about ready for its grand finale and you’re likely all scared out, so how about a nice horror-comedy to wrap things up? This film does turn the gore factor up to 11, but Reaper and Firefly alumni Tyler Labine and Alan Tudyk are so hysterically funny that you’ll hardly even notice.
If you’re looking for more horror films to add to your marathon, how about these Honourable Mentions: The Cabin in the Woods (2011), Rosemary’s Baby (1968), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), The Conjuring (2013), The Evil Dead (1981), The Descent (2005), V/H/S (2012), The Strangers (2008)
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William Dorey,
The PSJ
The Paper Street Journal 