Ever want to watch a scary movie, but you don’t know which one? Then this is the right article for you. We are revisiting three iconic horror films, exploring what made them timeless, terrifying, and influential decades later. Not all horror classics have aged well, so we are here to separate the spine-chilling from the just plain boring.
Halloween (1978), 4 out of 5 Candycorns
On Halloween night in 1963, six-year-old Michael Myers brutally killed his sisters in their suburban Illinois home. Which was only the start… he was institutionalized for 15 years before escaping on Halloween night in 1978. Now that Michael is an adult, he heads back to his hometown. Driven by pure, silent evil, he stalks a teen and her friends and begins his killing spree while wearing a haunting white mask. Overall, Halloween is a great classic and very well known. One reviewer on Google exclaimed, ”A timeless classic! Halloween is a masterpiece of horror cinema. It is a film that has stood the test of time and remains one of the most genuinely suspenseful films ever made. Even 45 years later, the original Halloween continues to scare audienes.” It is unnerving and unsettling, but a good watch! If you haven’t seen this movie and want a good scare, it’s the way to go!
Night of the Living Dead (1968), 3 out of 5 Candycorns
One of the first classics that kicked off the zombie genre. On a chilly afternoon in Evans City, Pennsylvania, siblings Barbara and Johnny are visiting their father’s tombstone. It starts with a joke in the graveyard, as Johnny teases Barbra, until a zombie begins coming towards them. The zombie captures Barbara, and Johnny comes to help her, getting taken into the zombie’s embrace instead, as Barbara escapes. She finds a house in the distance where she meets Ben, a man seeking refuge after hearing about the outbreak. Barbara, Ben, and others attempt to survive the night during a zombie apocalypse. Said a reviewer online: ”I’m writing as a 20-some year old who doesn’t watch a lot of old movies, but man, this one is awesome!! Although the acting seems kinda funky at times (mainly because of how old the movie is and its budget), the environment and the scenery [director] George Romero creates is spooky, frightening, and horrifying.” Will they survive the night? Find out for yourself, and start your spooky season movie marathon.
The Exorcist (1973), 5 out of 5 Candycorns
This terrifying supernatural horror film follows the unsettling possession of a 12-year-old girl named Regan. As the film begins, Regan is living a quiet life with her mom in Washington, D.C. As the movie progresses, Regan exhibits increasingly bizarre and violent behavior. She talks in tongues, begins levitating, and displays superhuman strength. Eventually, her mother starts to seek help from the church. A priest arrives and realizes she is 100% possessed just by her behavior. The priest begins a violent and gruesome exorcism, which leads to something even worse. Overall, this movie is absolutely terrifying, but some even scarier things happened during the filming. Numerous actors got hurt, and even the main character suffered a fractured spine. The lore behind the scenes is almost scarier than the movie itself, and if you’re interested, it’s definitely something to look into. Declared one Google reviewer, “I recently watched this again for the first time in a long time, and needless to say, it was every bit as terrifying, but I also realized why that is: it’s an emotional rollercoaster, a seamless blend of both horror and tragedy that amplifies the film’s impact.” The Exorcist has much more to offer than simply being a “scary movie.” It’s the kind of movie that makes you want to cover your eyes with a blanket. Though this was a very great film, you may not want to watch it alone.