This year I compiled a list of Halloween movies/TV entertainment in 15 different categories. If you like this list, check out my post from last year, Monster Movie-a-thon.

I created several categories with options for everyone from your scaredy cat friends, to youngins to fans of all things horror. Some of the categories will overlap but I did my best to keep them organized as groups of five.

ONLY IN THE 80’s:

Movies that are so raunchy & politically incorrect, they could have only happened in the 1980’s. Mad Man & Slaughter High have two of my favorite & campiest film scores of all time. Sleepaway Camp is famous for an exploitative ending that literally made my jaw drop. Night of the Demons is full of some of my all time favorite movie quotes, particularly from Stooge. That character is so sexist & offensive he can only be laughed off. Also, Evil Dead, an effective horror movie with plenty of scares & laugh out lout moments. It’s a cult classic that became a trilogy, comics (revolving around the main character, Ash), video games, musical, a 2013 remake & is soon to air as a TV show, Ash vs. Evil Dead.

• Mad Man (1982)
• Slaughter High (1986), aka April Fool’s Day
• Sleepaway Camp (1983)
• Night of the Demons (1988)
• Evil Dead (1981)

SLASHERS:

This could also be called classics or masked killers. These are 5 of my favorites to watch for Halloween. These 5 movies shaped my love for horror, the only movie genre that gives me the same thrill as riding a roller coaster. When watching a scary movie, I’m hiding my face in fear & then screaming & laughing out lout at the same time. They have all been remade in some way or another but the originals will always be the scariest.

• Halloween (1978)
• Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
• Scream (1996)
• Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
• Friday the 13th II (1981)

FOUND FOOTAGE:

This is one of my favorite forms of horror movie. It feels very personal & somehow makes you more connected to the characters. When something bad happens to them, you feel that much more terrified & devastated. Again, the categories overlap & more found footage films will be listed in other categories. Still, if I have to choose my five favorite for this particular style, these five might be it.

• Creep (2014)
• Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006)
• Quarantine/REC (2008)
• Blair Witch Project (1999)
• The Sacrament (2013)

HORROR-COMEDY:

Horror movies are so silly & there are so many terrible ones. Of course, it’s very easy to poke fun at this genre. And again, this category really overlaps with some of the others I’ve chosen. Creep, Behind The Mask, Dead Alive & several other movies in this post could easily fit in this category as well. I love a good horror-comedy. These are 5 of my favorites.

• House Bound (2014)
• Cabin In the Woods (2012)
• Tucker & Dale vs Evil (2010)
• Evil Dead II (1987)
• Idle Hands (1999)

FOR SCAREDY CATS:

I have plenty of friends who don’t like horror movies. It’s okay, I get it. Well, no I don’t. But I still want to spend time with them. Here is a list of movies with many good “Halloweenie” elements minus the parts that run your scaredy cat friends out of the room.

• Sleepy Hollow (1999)
• The Burbs (1989)
• Zombieland (2009)
• Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
• Shaun of the Dead (2004)

KID FRIENDLY:

Kids love Halloween! I couldn’t narrow this list down to just 5 movies because there are so many good ones to choose from. Here are 9 of my favorite, G & PG rated movies to show the kids this Halloween. These are so well known, I’m going to give myself a break & skip posting the links for these.

• Casper
• Hocus Pocus
• Paranorman
• Hotel Transylvania
• Frankenweenie
• Addams Family
• Monster House
• Beetlejuice
• Ghostbusters

BLOODY & DISGUSTING:

So much of the horror genre is gross. I’m not usually into the gory stuff but I have given it a fair shot. These particular movies are so disgusting they might make you want to barf. Gross.

• Braindead, aka Dead Alive (1992)
• Seven (1995)
• House of 1,000 Corpses (2003)
• Saw (2004)
• Cabin Fever (2002)

PARANORMAL:

Spirits, supernatural powers & evil genies…the paranormal genre might be the most terrifying for me. These are the movies that gave me nightmares & made me afraid of the dark. I think it’s because, well they’re paranormal, therefore unexplainable…until the sequels.

• Paranormal Activity (2007)
• Wishmaster (1997)
• Oculus (2013)
• The Shining (1980)
• The Ring/Ringu (2002)

VAMPIRES, WEREWOLVES & ZOMBIES:

Oh my! Last year I recommended monster movies that included Nosferatu & Dracula (link at the top). I’m not the biggest fan of vampire & zombie movies, mostly because there are too many of them. But these black & white classics ooze Halloween creepiness & shadow play. Night of the Living Dead is the original zombie movie & is terrifying because of the impending doom the characters must face. 28 Days Later depicts the rapid destruction of mankind & the few left fighting to survive. This is always a horrifying concept because, you never know, it could happen. And finally, Dog Soldiers, a movie about a group of soldiers being hunted by werewolves. In my opinion, there aren’t many good werewolf movies on the market. This one is by far the best!

• Nosferatu (1922)
• Dracula (1931)
• 28 Days Later (2002)
• Night of the Living Dead (1968)
• Dog Soldiers (2002)

FOREIGN:

What better way to experience foreign languages & culture than through movies about murder!? You won’t be able to look away, that is if you need subtitles, but you’ll wish you could.

• Audition – Japan (1999)
• High Tension – France (2003)
• Dead Snow – Norway (2009)
• I Saw the Devil – South Korea (2010)
• The Host – South Korea (2006)

Don’t Mess with HELL:

Hell don’t play so just don’t do it! Watch these perfectly nice people suffer the possession of demons. They will ultimately be cursed to suffer in hell & carry out hellish acts during their time left on earth. What could be scarier than that?

• Hellraiser (1987)
• Drag Me To Hell (2009)
• The Last Exorcism (2010)
• The Exorcist (1973)
• Sinister (2012)

TV HORROR:

Something amazing & wonderful has happened to TV in the past few years. It has embraced horror! It’s not always great but I have enjoyed watching the genre really expand outside of movies and into full series & anthologies. Some might argue with me about this, but as far as American Horror Story is concerned, I only recommend Seasons I & II, “Murder House” & “Asylum”. If you choose to watch the show beyond that, I cannot be held responsible for your disappointment & frustration. Scream Queens is from the same creator as AHS. Still it’s been a very comedic & somewhat horrifying season so far. It’s also an anthology series & holds promise for future seasons. Bates Motel, follows Hitchcock’s Norman Bates, his creepy relationship with his mother & a town full of criminals, as he develops into the Psycho we all know & fear. Scream is the MTV recreation of Wes Craven’s slasher of the same name. It is marketed for teenagers, of course, & has some decent scares & laughs.  Tales from the Crypt for anyone feeling nostalgic, aired on HBO when I was a kid & gave me many nightmares. Particularly the episode with acid soap. I still think about that whenever I’m using a new bar of soap.

• American Horror Story – Season I & II only (FX)
• Bates Motel (A&E)
• Scream (MTV)
• Scream Queens (Fox)
• Tales from the Crypt – not currently on air (HBO)

TOURISM:

A list of movies that will make you want to stay at home. These tourists are not welcome & things end badly for them, as you might have imagined.

• Chernobyl Diaries (2012)
• Hostel (2005)
• Turistas (2006)
• Wolf Creek (2005)
• A Perfect Getaway (2009)

MONSTER:

Large creatures with sharp teeth, alien beings & over sized animals with a craving for human flesh. These monsters hunt humans & lurk in the dark waiting to attack.

• Animal (2014)
• Feast (2005)
• Jaws (1975)
• The Descent – United Kingdom (2005)
• IT (1990)

SO 90’s:

Something happened in the late 90’s & horror went soft. Real soft. The movies were all about those good looking young actors with minimal blood & really obvious plots. Still, I was a teen at this time & I sometimes feel nostalgic for the movies of my youth. Give these a watch if you’re missing choker necklaces, the CW & want to see the Breakfast Club turned into a nightmare.

• I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)
• Urban Legend (1998)
• The Faculty (1998)
• Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)
• The Craft (1996)

There it is! 15 categories of options for your Halloween entertainment this year!

Which movies will you be watching this Halloween? Which great movies/shows did I forget to mention? Let me know in the comments section below.