The 10 Best Horror Films to Watch This Halloween

The best horror films don’t just make you jump. They get under your skin and stay there long after the credits roll. With Halloween around the corner, there’s no better time to dim the lights, grab the popcorn and press play on something truly terrifying.

But with decades of scary movies to choose from, where do you start? We’ve narrowed it down to the 10 best horror films to watch this Halloween. The list mixes timeless classics with modern masterpieces, so there’s something for slasher fans, lovers of the supernatural and anyone who enjoys a slow-burning psychological chill.

Each entry comes with a short synopsis (no major spoilers) to help you build the perfect Halloween horror movie night.

The 10 best horror films to watch this Halloween

1. Halloween (1978)

Director: John Carpenter · Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Donald Pleasence

No Halloween watchlist is complete without the film that shares its name. On Halloween night in 1963, six-year-old Michael Myers murders his sister. Fifteen years later he escapes from a psychiatric hospital and returns to his hometown of Haddonfield, Illinois, where he begins stalking babysitter Laurie Strode and her friends. His former psychiatrist, Dr Loomis, races to stop him. Carpenter’s chilling score and patient, prowling camera made this the blueprint for the modern slasher, and it remains one of the best horror films ever made.

2. The Exorcist (1973)

Director: William Friedkin · Starring: Ellen Burstyn, Linda Blair, Max von Sydow

When 12-year-old Regan begins behaving strangely, her mother, actress Chris MacNeil, turns to doctors for answers. As the girl’s condition grows violent and inexplicable, Chris seeks help from Father Karras, a priest struggling with his own faith. Together with the experienced Father Merrin, he attempts an exorcism. Often called the scariest film of all time, The Exorcist is as much a drama about faith and helplessness as it is a horror story.

3. The Shining (1980)

Director: Stanley Kubrick · Starring: Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall

Struggling writer Jack Torrance takes a job as the winter caretaker of the isolated Overlook Hotel in the Colorado Rockies. He moves in with his wife, Wendy, and young son, Danny, who has psychic abilities. As snow cuts the family off from the outside world, the hotel’s dark past begins to seep into Jack’s mind. Based on Stephen King’s novel, Kubrick’s slow, hypnotic nightmare is packed with images that horror fans never forget.

4. Psycho (1960)

Director: Alfred Hitchcock · Starring: Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh

Office worker Marion Crane steals $40,000 from her employer and flees town. Caught in a storm, she checks into the remote Bates Motel, run by the shy, awkward Norman Bates and his unseen, domineering mother. What follows is one of the most shocking turns in film history. Hitchcock’s black-and-white masterpiece rewrote the rules of suspense and is essential viewing for anyone exploring classic horror films.

5. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

Director: Wes Craven · Starring: Heather Langenkamp, Robert Englund, Johnny Depp

The teenagers of Elm Street share the same terrifying dream: a scarred man in a striped jumper and fedora, wearing a glove of razor blades. When the dreams turn deadly, Nancy Thompson realises that whatever happens to you in your sleep happens in real life. She must uncover her parents’ dark secret and stay awake long enough to fight back. Freddy Krueger became a horror icon overnight, and the film’s dream logic still feels inventive today.

6. The Thing (1982)

Director: John Carpenter · Starring: Kurt Russell, Wilford Brimley, Keith David

At a remote research station in Antarctica, a team of American scientists encounters a shape-shifting alien that can perfectly imitate any living creature it absorbs. Trapped by the weather and unable to trust one another, helicopter pilot MacReady and the crew must work out who is still human. Paranoid, claustrophobic and famous for its groundbreaking practical effects, The Thing is the perfect pick for fans of sci-fi horror.

7. Scream (1996)

Director: Wes Craven · Starring: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette

A year after her mother’s murder, high school student Sidney Prescott is targeted by a masked killer who quizzes victims about horror films before attacking. As the body count rises in the small town of Woodsboro, Sidney, a tabloid reporter and a local deputy try to unmask the culprit. Smart, funny and genuinely scary, Scream knowingly plays with slasher clichés and makes a brilliant choice for a Halloween party crowd.

8. Get Out (2017)

Director: Jordan Peele · Starring: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Catherine Keener

Photographer Chris Washington nervously travels with his girlfriend, Rose, to meet her wealthy parents for the first time. At first their overly welcoming behaviour seems awkward but harmless. Over the weekend, a series of disturbing discoveries leads Chris to a truth more horrifying than he could have imagined. Jordan Peele’s Oscar-winning debut blends social satire with sharp suspense and is one of the best horror films of the 21st century.

9. The Conjuring (2013)

Director: James Wan · Starring: Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Lili Taylor

In 1971, the Perron family moves into a farmhouse in Rhode Island and soon experiences increasingly sinister events. Desperate, they call on real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. The Warrens discover that a malevolent presence is attached to the house and its history. Built on old-fashioned scares and expertly timed tension, The Conjuring launched one of the most successful horror franchises of all time.

10. Hereditary (2018)

Director: Ari Aster · Starring: Toni Collette, Alex Wolff, Milly Shapiro, Gabriel Byrne

After the death of her secretive mother, Annie Graham and her family begin to unravel. A sudden tragedy pushes them further into grief, and strange occurrences suggest they have inherited something far darker than family trauma. Toni Collette gives a ferocious performance in this deeply unsettling film. Hereditary is a modern masterpiece for viewers who like their horror slow, disturbing and impossible to shake off.

How to plan the perfect Halloween horror movie marathon

The right order can turn a handful of scary films into a night to remember. Try these tips:

• Start light, finish dark. Open with a fun crowd-pleaser like Scream, then build up to heavier picks such as The Exorcist or Hereditary.
• Pick a theme. Pair Carpenter’s Halloween and The Thing for a director double bill, or Psycho and The Shining for a classics night.
• Set the mood. Turn off the lights, silence phones and add a few candles or carved pumpkins.
• Plan your breaks. Short intermissions between films keep everyone fresh, and give the faint-hearted a chance to recover.
• Check the ratings. Most of these films are rated 15 or 18, so choose carefully if younger viewers are joining in.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best horror film of all time?

There’s no single answer, but The Exorcist (1973) is most often named the scariest and best horror film of all time. Halloween, The Shining and Psycho are close contenders.

What is the best horror film to watch on Halloween night?

John Carpenter’s Halloween (1978) is the classic choice. It’s set on Halloween night and captures the atmosphere of the holiday perfectly.

What are the best modern horror films?

Get Out (2017), Hereditary (2018) and The Conjuring (2013) are three of the best horror films of recent years, each praised for fresh ideas and genuine scares.

Which horror films are good for beginners?

Scream and The Conjuring are great starting points. They deliver plenty of scares without being as relentlessly disturbing as Hereditary or The Exorcist.

Final thoughts

From Hitchcock’s Bates Motel to the cursed Graham family home, these 10 best horror films prove that a great scare never goes out of style. Whether you’re planning a full Halloween marathon or a single late-night viewing, any film on this list will deliver.