In the realm of horror films, hundreds, if not thousands, have been created. There are the classics, such as “Halloween” and “Friday the 13th,” that set the script for horror movies for decades to come. There are also more recent films like “A Quiet Place” that take on a very different format for horror movies.
Most people have heard of some of my favorite horror films, such as the “Paranormal Activity” franchise or the “A Quiet Place” movies. But some are more obscure, including 2014’s “It Follows” or “The Uninvited” from 2009.
The “Paranormal Activity” series started back in 2007. Its most recent movie came out in 2021. As is common with many sequels, every movie has gone slightly more downhill in quality compared to the first.
The movies are shot in the found footage style and follow various families who are haunted by the evil spirit named Tobi.
In my opinion, the first three movies of this franchise are the best. When I watched the series with my family, the fourth movie confused us more and more as it went on.
Another one of my favorite film franchises is “A Quiet Place.” The first film was released in 2018, and the latest film was released in 2024. The films follow aliens that cannot see but have very heightened hearing.
The first two films, “A Quiet Place” and “A Quiet Place Part II,” tell the story of a family with a deaf daughter and how the family survives thanks to their use of sign language.
The most recent film, “A Quiet Place: Day One,” follows a different set of protagonists who are living the first days of the alien invasion.
I think that the first movie of this film series is the best, mainly because the viewer doesn’t know exactly what is happening at first, and half of the fun is figuring out how the aliens operate.
These movies are really good at keeping the viewer on the edge of their seat, especially because they do a great job of connecting the viewer to their characters.
I saw a very creepy movie around Halloween last year called “It Follows.” This film tells the story of a malevolent force that can only move at a walking pace but always knows where its victim is.
The force is passed from person to person through sexual intercourse, and once it kills the most recent victim, it keeps going backwards through the rest of its victims.
I think this film has a great plot that keeps the audience engaged throughout the whole runtime. The ending leaves the audience desiring a sequel, which according to Daniel Roberts, who is a journalist for “Inside the Magic,” will begin shooting next year.
One of my absolute favorite scary movies is called “The Uninvited.” It follows a pair of sisters who lost their mother and are struggling with the fact that their father has gotten into a new relationship so quickly after the death of their mother.
The main daughter is convinced that her father’s new girlfriend was responsible for the fire that killed her terminally ill mother, and the movie revolves around the daughter trying to prove this to her father and local police. The ending of the movie puts its events into an entirely new light, making it fun to rewatch.
One of the most iconic horror movie series’ is the “Ghostbusters” franchise. I’ve heard from both of my parents that the original movie was revolutionary because of how much CGI was used and how good it looked for 1984.
I think what makes the movies so great is how many callbacks are used. Throughout the series, almost all of the original cast makes an appearance other than Harold Ramis, who passed away, and Rick Moranis, who quit acting. Of course, the original movies are the best, but the most recent ones are great tributes to the original movies and Harold Ramis.
From the mainstream to the less well-known, these are just a few of the films in my Halloween horror movie rotation.
Lemke can be reached at [email protected]. Tell her which one of these movies is your favorite.
