13 Movies To Keep The Halloween Spirit Going All Year Long

By Victoria Tomis On Nov 2, 2019

Are 31 days in October not enough to scratch your horror movie itch? Well, hang on to your pumpkins, and cauldrons full of candy, Halloween junkies, because we’ve got thirteen Halloweenish movies to keep the Spooktober vibes going all year.Whether you crave being scared witless with sinister horror flicks, or prefer a generous helping of cuteness to compliment the creepiness, there’s something for everyone here!

An American Werewolf in London

Beware the moon, lads! The 1981 supernatural horror-comedy in which two backpacking American tourists become ensnared in the malevolent myth of the werewolf is a cinematic masterpiece. Ping ponging between hilarity, heartbreak, and horror, An American Werewolf in London pays homage to werewolf lore while embracing the energy and enthusiasm of classic monster movies of Hollywood past. Thrillingly brought to the screen with a veritable arsenal of practical effects and groundbreaking, stunningly grotesque makeup and prosthetics there’s a reason fans of the movie are still howling about it. Even in 2019, David’s (David Naughton) werewolf transformation scene, an agonizing shift from man to beast under the white-hot light of the London flat he locks himself in, is utterly arresting and horrifying. Posing questions like, what exactly is a monster? And if David (the American who survives a werewolf attack only to be “turned” into a werewolf himself), is so vulnerable, isolated, and even at times emotionally fragile, how could he be to blame for the cold-blooded killings committed by the beast inside him? Werewolf sets itself apart from the influx of mindless monster movies.

Hush

A game-changing home invasion thriller, 2016’s Hush takes a stab at flipping the script of what could’ve been a typical slasher flick and empowering its female main character. Deaf and mute author Maddie (Kate Siegel of The Haunting of Hill House) is terrorized by a murderous, masked man. Her car tires slashed, electricity in her house cut off, and her neighbors…incapacitated, it seems like Maddie is a goner. Siegel’s talent for expressing all the shades of Maddie’s intense emotions without verbal dialogue is dynamite and powerful performance is captivating. With its limited locations, scant cast of characters, and crumbs of dialogue, Hush could’ve been a disaster. Instead, it’s a tightly-written and genuinely unsettling game of cat-and-mouse that’s alarmingly grounded in reality. Through its minimalist lens and superb cinematography Hush is a surprisingly effective and powerful showcase of one woman’s resilience, resourcefulness, and uncompromising will to survive.

Sleepy Hollow

A brooding gothic horror take on Washington Irving’s seminal short story of the same name, Tim Burton’s 1999 film starring horror icon Christina Ricci as Katrina Van Tassel, and the ever-versatile Johnny Depp as Ichabod Crane, does some reimagining of the classic. Depp’s Ichabod, a brilliant detective from New York City who is dispatched to the small Sleepy Hollow village to determine who’s behind the “Headless Horseman” murders in 1799. This is a quirky, darkly comedic, and a lushly atmospheric supernatural horror film that embraces a more artistic approach to the all too often gimmicky genre, making this one of the most rewatchable and unforgettable horror films.

Crimson Peak

In Guillermo Del Toro’s Victorian-era gothic horror Crimson Peak a naive and bookish author, Edith Cushing (Mia Wasikowska) goes from penning ghost stories late into the night to living her own nightmarish ghost story that’s anything but fiction. Not long after mourning the tragic loss of her father, Edith is swept up in a whirlwind romance with a dashing and enigmatic Baronet – Sir Thomas Sharpe (Tom Hiddleston) – an Englishman who ventured to America to get funding for one of his many ambitious inventions– a clay harvesting machine. The two marry quickly and Edith accompanies Thomas, and his sister Lucille, back to their aristocratic Cumberland dwelling– Allerdale Hall. But as Edith sinks deeper into the shadowy secrets of the sprawling estate and the Sharpe siblings, spectral apparitions reveal themselves to her, tangling her in a twisty turny mystery that’s endured beyond the grave. Meticulous set design, a stirring score, and lush visuals harmonize with potent performances from Wasikowska, Hiddleston, and Jessica Chastain to fashion together a swoony, but chillingly romantic and unsettling gothic horror gem.

The Lodgers

In the 2017 indie horror-drama The Lodgers, Rachel (Charlotte Vega) and Edward (Bill Milner) are Irish-English twins whose fates are shackled to a centuries-long family curse. Until their 18th birthday dawns, bringing with it, the sudden arrival of a handsome young English civil war veteran who has eyes for Rachel. Suddenly, she begins to imagine a new life for herself. One where she isn’t repressed under rigid rules, ostracized from the village, and forced to appease an unseen, dark force that inhabits the mansion every night upon the strike of midnight. Rachel’s liberation and sexual awakening conjures a storm of trouble. In particular, stirring up paranoia and possessiveness in Edward and throwing into relief the darkness he keeps locked inside. Filmed in the most haunted house in Ireland, Loftus Hall, the atmosphere and aesthetic of the twins’ deteriorating mansion– the last of their dwindling inheritance– is deliciously dark. Surprisingly nuanced and thoughtful, The Lodgers plays like an Oz Perkins meets Ari Aster film as it sinks its teeth into its tale of twisted tradition and filthy deception.

Life After Beth

The 2014 off-beat zombie comedy Life After Beth starring the queen of deadpan, Aubrey Plaza as the titular Beth – both before and after her death –is exactly what you’d expect it to be, an unabashedly weird and wacky take on the undead. The ensemble cast, including Dane DeHaan as Beth’s grieving boyfriend, Zach, Anna Kendrick as her childhood bestie, and John C. Reilly as her father, is stellar at selling the absurdity of the story. With dry, cutting, one-liners, and awkward but effective physical comedy (not to mention a particularly hilarious bit with a refrigerator, and an abundance of smooth jazz), Life After Beth is funny and freaky zom-com brilliance.

Apostle

Set in 1904 director Gareth Evans’ Apostle is a slow-burn horror film that’s not for the faint of heart. An isolated cult on a far off island and the increasingly desperate, deranged, and morally abhorrent actions taken by the men who head said cult are the things of nightmares. Featuring Dan Stevens as a moody, mistrustful drifter who sets out to rescue his abducted sister from said cult, Apostle hones in on the ruthless lengths humans will go to take what they believe is theirs. Madness, mythology, and the power of nature and sacrifice round out the essence of Apostle. With its authentic dialogue, show-don’t-tell attitude towards storytelling, and intelligent design, this film is beyond perfect for fans of The VVitch, The Lighthouse and other such movies.

The Descent

A team of all-female spelunkers rappel themselves into a system of unmapped subterranean caves in the gutsy, gory, and grotesque The Descent. Created on a shoestring budget, the 2005 indie horror-thriller is one of the most surprisingly effective, shocking, and tragically underrated horror films. There’s more than just murky waters, and sudden drops in the caves as the women discover the deeper they explore. Ravenous humanoid reptilian creatures – slimy, blind, and carnivorous – begin to emerge, leaving the women to fight for their lives. Unapologetically bloody and visceral, and increasingly claustrophobic as the women delve deeper The Descent you might want to skip the popcorn and candy while watching this one.

The Devil’s Backbone

The Devil’s Backbone opens up to a voice-over that teases us with a question that has endured throughout the ages: What is a ghost? This skin prickling opening monologue guides us into a film that, while embracing the supernatural, is more than a mere ghost story. The Devil’s Backbone is a 2001 Spanish historical horror-drama set in a boys’ boarding school during the tumultuous final years of the Spanish Civil War. One of Guillermo Del Toro’s earliest films The Devil’s Backbone is infused with what is now known as the multi-award winning director’s signature fantasy horror style. In the world of The Devil’s Backbone, there’s a spirit that seeks retribution, hateful characters who proudly brandish their broken moral compasses, and friendship that endures even in death. Ultimately, The Devil’s Backbone goes beyond mere ghosts as it spirals into an achingly tragic tale of corrupted ambition, lost innocence, and unrequited love.

Malevolent

Before Florence Pugh broke the internet with her performance in Ari Aster’s 2019 Swedish folksy horror flick Midsommar, she was in a quiet little Netflix thriller–Malevolent. In the suspenseful 2018 British horror film, Pugh is Angela, an American expat with an uncanny connection to the supernatural. Living in Scotland with her greedy and over-controlling brother Jackson (Ben Lloyd-Hughes) Angela, much to her dismay, is forced to play the part of the psychic medium in his bogus paranormal investigation squad. When Jackson’s most ambitious scam, an investigation of an acutely haunted former girls’ school and historic estate owned by Mrs. Green (Celia Imrie) a widowed elderly woman, goes awry, the ghost hunters and confronted with just how powerful and menacing the spirits lingering in the shadowed halls are. Pugh’s nuanced and convincingly vulnerable performance as Angela propels the increasingly unnerving story forwards. Add to that a string of sinister supporting characters, artful and anxiety-inducing cinematography and tight 90-minute runtime and you get the twisty, tragic, and terrifying Malevolent.

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad

A hidden gem amongst other all-ages animated Halloween features — think: It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, Casper the Friendly Ghost, and The Nightmare Before Christmas– is Disney’s 1949 take on Washington Irving’s Legend of Sleepy Hollow— The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad. In The Adventures of Ichabod, we meet the hook-nosed, scarecrow-like Ichabod Crane, Sleepy Hollow New York’s newest schoolmaster, Katrina Van Tassel, the wealthy, beautiful woman he falls in love with, and Brom Bones, a brutish brawler and Ichabod’s romantic rival for Katrina. Slapstick, spooky, and set to a soundtrack (and narration) by 1930’s crooner Bing Crosby, Irving’s short story is vibrant, vivid and utterly enchanting in its animated form. It’s a timeless treasure and absolute delight.

Nosferatu

The 1921 German silent horror film Nosferatu may be most notoriously known as an unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula but it’s also a damn good vampire movie. In fact, as one of the earliest monster movies, Nosferatu predates actor Bela Lugosi’s and Universal Studios Dracula by a decade, and as such it has the honor of setting up the look and the lore of Hollywood’s classic vampires: pale, black-clad and distinctly inhuman beings. With its portrayal of the crypts, castles, coffins and Count Orlock (cough Dracula) Nosferatu is atmospheric, engaging, and even playful. Although it’s not terrifying by modern-day standards, this supernatural horror masterpiece is a shining example of the boundary-pushing creativity in the genre and its abilities to tap into our emotions.

The Hole in the Ground

The 2019 Irish indie horror The Hole in the Ground is inspired by the Fae, the OG child-stealers and baby-swappers of legend and lore. These spider-devouring, shadow inhabiting otherworldly beings are particularly murdery as a single mom, Sarah (Seána Kerslake) finds out. When her little boy Chris (James Quinn Markey) disappears into the dense forest one evening, only to emerge a little later, Sarah is relieved…until she realizes that her son might not be her son at all. Visceral and psychological, The Hole in the Ground immerses us in Sarah’s increasingly frantic, claustrophobic, and unsettling life as the disturbing truth about Chris dawns on her. What happened in those dark woods? And just what is that cavernous black sinkhole in the middle of it? This ominous and thrilling supernatural horror is not to be missed.