If you haven't already fired up the horror movies for some Halloween fun, tonight's the night! Where do you even get started? Luckily for you, I watch a lot of horror movies.

Behind The Scenes With The Circus Of Horrors
(Photo by Ian Forsyth/Getty Images)
loading...

9 Horror Movies You Should Watch for Halloween

In my search for the great ones, I've come across a bunch of stinkers. That being said, I decided to save you some time and misery and present to you "9 Horror Movies You Should Watch For Halloween That You Probably Haven't Seen".

Now before we get started, there are a few things we should establish...

First, none of these listed below are suitable for a family movie night, so you'll want to wait until the kiddos go to bed.

Second, I'm weird. My taste can be a little left of center sometimes. I like these movies because they're different from your run-of-the-mill horror blockbusters. So, know that going in you'll want an open mind because while I think these are pretty great, they might not be what you look for in a good horror movie.

1) THE GIRL WITH ALL THE GIFTS

You wouldn't know it by the title, but this is a zombie apocalypse movie. Oh, and it stars six-time Academy Award-nominated actress Glenn Close. Those two factors alone had me like "OK, I've got to watch this". Now, I love zombie movies, even the terrible ones, but this is definitely not terrible. It's actually a very good, fresh, and original take on the genre. It's set in the future, post-zombie apocalypse, and there's one girl named Melanie who is part of a group of "zombie" children. These kids crave human flesh but retain the ability to think and feel. If you're looking for different, but good, this one might be for you.

 

2) THE GREEN INFERNO

WARNING - This might be the most disturbing movie I've ever seen. You could possibly get ill watching this. I'm not kidding. If you're squeamish, you may not want to tangle with this one. This movie is incredibly graphic and can be very uncomfortable to watch at times. This is an ultimate "Wait until the kids are asleep to watch" kind of deal. Better yet, wait till the kids are out of town or sleeping over at a friend's house. A group of college students travel to the Amazon to save the rain forest and very quickly learn they have made the worst mistake of what's left of their lives. I'm actually having flashbacks as I'm typing this. What makes this movie so disturbing is that you won't find any movie monsters, ghosts, pumpkin killers, or anything like that. It's horrifying because it's a story that could absolutely happen in real life. No good deed will go unpunished...Remember, I warned you!

 

3) DEAD SET

Dead Set is an interesting one. The movie takes place during a UK season of the TV show Big Brother. While the contestants are shut off from the rest of the world, a zombie outbreak happens. The contestants have no clue in the beginning, but eventually find out the hard way. The good thing for the contestants is that the Big Brother house is fan-proof, and therefore somewhat zombie-proof. I liked this one because once again, it's a different take on the genre. It has good acting, great special effects, and some seriously frightening moments.

 

4) TRICK 'R TREAT

This is a movie that I don't understand why it's never been a bigger deal. It has some well-known actors and it's very well written. The movie features four different storylines happening in the same town that all come together at the end. The movie also features a fantastic Halloween villain named "Sam" you might even recognize. Now, be advised there is another movie called "Trick Or Treat" from the 80's. It's a fun movie if you like 80's metal nostalgia horror...if that's even a real thing.

 

5) IT FOLLOWS

This one is a real thinker. What is really going on here? Is the movie a social commentary about promiscuity? Also, what year is this movie supposed to be taking place? You'll notice in one scene one of the characters has what appears to be a cell phone, but it looks like a package of birth control. I'm not sure, but I definitely enjoyed it. It's an extremely clever twist on the horror genre.

 

6) SLASHER

This one is actually a TV series, but it plays out like a movie. It's a horror "Who Done It?" sort of show. A woman and her husband move back to her hometown where when she was a girl, her mother and father were brutally murdered on Halloween night by "The Executioner". I won't tell you too much more so I don't spoil it for you. It's a fun little watch, I think. Not too deep, but enough of a decent plot and horror to keep you watching.

 

7) PONTYPOOL

If you're a zombie movie fan and haven't seen this movie, leave work right now and watch it. I guess you can call it a zombie movie, but it's unlike any zombie movie you've seen. It takes place in a radio station where they discover the people in town are somehow contracting a sickness that makes them attack other people. What is it that's making people sick? I won't spoil it for you, but it's an extremely original idea.

 

8) NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1990)

In 1990, George Romero's "Night Of The Living Dead" got a remake, and I loved it. When it comes to remakes of classics, it can be a little dicey but I really enjoy this version. Romero's right-hand man Tom Savini is the main reason why this remake came out so good. The movie stays extremely close to the original, almost frame by frame in some scenes. If you haven't seen it, definitely give it a try.

 

9) SLITHER

"Slither" stars Michael Rooker, aka Merle Dixon from "The Walking Dead". I had been seeing this movie pop up for years, but only watched it a couple of years ago and loved it. It's fun, over-the-top horror. A small town is taken over by an alien plague, turning residents into zombies and all forms of mutant monsters. If you're a Merle fan, you gotta see this one.

LOOK: How Halloween has changed in the past 100 years

Stacker compiled a list of ways that Halloween has changed over the last 100 years, from how we celebrate it on the day to the costumes we wear trick-or-treating. We’ve included events, inventions, and trends that changed the ways that Halloween was celebrated over time. Many of these traditions were phased out over time. But just like fake blood in a carpet, every bit of Halloween’s history left an impression we can see traces of today.

Gallery Credit: Brit McGinnis

More From Classic Rock 105.1