spooky scary marathon

November 1 marks the end of spooky season. October: Over. Candy: eaten. Decorations: left up for a few days until your neighbors start to judge you.

There's some of us, though, that like to keep the creepy vibe going all year round - and in 2020, hasn't every season been spooky? Whether you're just not ready to let go of the Halloween spirit or you're looking to distract yourself from the real-world horror outside your window, here are my top 7 favorite horror movies for an extra week of screams.
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7. Halloween (1978)
One of the OG slasher movies, John Carpenter's 1978 classic follows Michael Myers on his rampage through Haddonfield, IL on Halloween night. It establishes the rules of the genre: if you're a sex-crazed teen or the bitchy friend (or both - looking at you, Annie), you're going to catch a knife to the chest. While some of the cast could use a few acting lessons, even the cheesiest moments are still enjoyable, and it's worth catching Jamie Lee Curtis as one of the first Final Girls. Also, John Carpenter's score slaps.

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​6. Halloween (2018)
I had to put these back to back. One of the best horror sequels out there, the film ignores the decades of questionable entries in the Halloween franchise, and we cut straight to Halloween in Haddonfield 40 years after Michael Myers committed the infamous "Babysitter Murders.” Michael is back and ready to finish what he started. Curtis's Laurie Strode is back too, a recluse bent on revenge. The movie still hits on the classic tropes through a modern lens while also grappling with the effects of trauma on three generations of Strode women. Not bad for a slasher sequel.
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5. Hell House LLC (2015)
Blair Witch may have popularized the found footage horror film, but Hell House LLC perfects it. In the frame narrative, a documentary crew is researching the mysterious deaths of 15 people at the 2009 opening of Hell House LLC's haunted attraction in Abaddon, New York. The bulk of the film is composed of first-person footage from the Hell House crew setting up their new haunt in the Abaddon Hotel. The suspense builds slowly as the crew - and the audience - catches glimpses of real-life horrors lurking amongst the props, growing to a fever pitch in the final act. One of the few movies to make me scream out loud.
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4. The Conjuring (2013)
James Wan is a modern master of horror, and The Conjuring launched one of the genre's current most successful franchises. While the quality of the sequels and related flicks is debatable - I personally enjoy them - The Conjuring is the best possession film since The Exorcist. Based on a true story from the lives of famous demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren, the film follows the Perron family as they're terrorized by supernatural entities in their new home. The casting is perfect, and Wan makes you feel for the characters and their suffering. The jumpscares aren't bad either; I will never in my life play another game of hide and seek.
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3. Get Out (2017)
I hate when critics say a horror filmmaker has "reinvented" the genre, but Jordan Peele at least reanimated it with Get Out. Photographer Chris Washington is anxious about attending a family gathering with his girlfriend, Rose Armitage, uncomfortable being the only Black man in a sea of potentially hostile White faces. Strange encounters with the Armitages, their neighbors, and the few Black people in attendance confirm his fears, which only grow as the horrifying secrets of the Armitages' upstate New York community unravel. A cutting commentary on racism and faux-woke White liberalism, Get Out  excels at building dread and serving scares.
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​2. The Thing (1982)
John Carpenter earns a second spot on this list with 1982's The Thing. A group of American scientists at an Antarctic station take in a stray sled dog that has narrowly escaped being gunned down by a Norwegian helicopter. The helicopter crashes in a fiery explosion, and the Americans are unaware of the terror that they have invited into their base. Secluded at the edge of the world, they have no escape from the thing that begins taking over their bodies one by one. With truly awesome 1980s gross-out effects, the extraterrestrial "thing" is almost as scary as the backstabbing paranoia that overtakes the crew. Nothing is quite as scary as what humans will do to each other in times of crisis, a theme that feels all too real in 2020.

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1. Alien (1979)
"In space no one can hear you scream." So reads the tag line for Ridley Scott's 1979 sci-fi/horror masterpiece (and my favorite horror movie). The crew of the commercial vessel Nostromo investigates a distress signal in deep space from a derelict alien ship. When one of the crew, Kane, is injured by a creature from a strange egg, senior officer Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) tries to keep him off the ship. Her crewmates ignore her, and the terror aboard the Nostromo begins. Blending the best of sci-fi and horror, Alien is a masterclass in how to make a creature feature. The production design is stunning, and the practical effects still hold up to modern viewing. I still find myself holding my breath when the titular alien goes on the hunt, ominously stealthy for its size. It's one of the only horror movies my mom has ever seen, and it scared her enough that she would like to keep it that way.

So that's how I'll be spending my week. What about you? What are your favorite films that keep you up at night? Let me know in the comments below, and stay spooky!

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