My first experience with horror films was on Halloween when I was 5 years old. After trick-or-treating, my step-dad Bill showed my sister and I the movie Child’s Play(1988), which scared me to the point that I couldn’t look at my toys for weeks. I thought, “if that’s the beginner's level of horror, how much more nightmarish can it get?”

Fast forward to my teen years where I was more willing to watch a scary movie just to see if I was brave enough. In my adult years, horror always found its way back to me, whether it was a horror movie film college course, or a spooktacular horror craft party & movie screening at my old movie theater job. As a millennial woman who loves horror, I figured it only makes sense to give some advice on how to get spooky!

Since Halloween is here (currently 6 days ‘til Halloween 2021) now is the best time to watch unique horror movies and give some love to the classics. This is a horror movie film list for lovers of the fall season and halloween fans alike. This is a 7 day horror movie countdown!

I will also be rating them on a sliding ‘bat scale’ to keep it festive:
1 Bat - fun, not very scary
2 Bats - a little scary
3 Bats - Some really spooky parts with humor
4 Bats - Scary! Like actually scary.
5 Bats - Terrifying, even with blankets pulled up to your chin

(there are no 1 Bat rankings on the list today! FYI)

7. The Love Witch (2016)

The Love Witch (2016) Director: Anna Biller

This film looks like a 70’s classic with victorian gothic houses, cabin aesthetic, and a femme fatale imagery thanks to the main protagonist. Elaine is a young beautiful witch who wants more than anything to be loved, and she’ll do anything to meet someone who will love her. This film is unique because it has a full technicolor look, along with witchy and 70’s medieval aesthetic.

This film is just vibes. If you enjoy unique cinematography, and beautiful set design, this is a good film for you. I personally love vintage finds and 60’s and 70’s fashion and music, so it's a no brainer for me. It’s not so scary, but it does feel like a fever dream.

Rank: 2 / 5 Bats!

(Available for streaming on Shudder and Amazon Prime)

6. Freaky (2020)

Freaky (2020) Director: Christopher Landon

Millie is a teen who comes in contact with the knife of a serial killer, but the event takes a turn, as Millie escapes and awakes the next day in a man’s body– the killer’s body too be exact. The serial killer wakes up in a teen girl’s body, ready to kill all the unsuspecting teens. A Freaky Friday body switch must be made before it’s too late.

Freaky is great for anyone who loves a good Freaky Friday. This film was a surprising breath of fresh air. A comedy horror is exactly the right vibe for the week leading up to Halloween. It’s like if The Hot Chick was a horror movie, and with better jokes.

Ranking: 3 / 5 Bats!

(available for streaming on HBOMax)

5. Deep Red (1975)

A fortune teller reads the mind of someone in the crowd who has killed in the past, and later she is murdered for knowing the secret. A man named Marcus witnesses the crime from outside on the street and calls the police. His curiosity leads him to investigate on his own, but the more people he comes in contact with, the more witnesses begin dying under mysterious circumstances.

If you’re looking for a deep cut (no pun intended) into horror, you absolutely must get into Italian Horror (giallo). Dario Argento is most commonly known for his surreal horror classic, Suspiria, but I think there’s more slasher scares in Deep Red/Profondo Rosso. Argento loves blood, mysterious black gloved murders, and twist endings. If you liked Malignant (2021), then check this film out, because the director of that film was inspired by the giallo (pronounced: jee-all-oh) horror and mystery genre.

Ranking: 4 / 5 Bats!

(available to stream for free on Tubi TV, also available with Shudder Subscription)

4. Re-Animator (1985)

Re-Animator (1985) Director: Stuart Gordon

Medical students bringing the dead back to life doesn’t seem like it would be funny, but it is. In Re-Animator, a H.P. Lovecraft tale is retold in the 80’s with two medical students who are roommates bringing body parts back to life. Though bringing the dead back to life can make some hungry for power. After bringing back small things like limbs and dead cats, one of the students turns to, well… killing people.

This film sounds like it would be terrifying, and don’t get me wrong, there are some very gruesome and gory scenes. With that being said, there are also some very funny and silly moments as well. Still, at the end of the day, the idea in general gives me the creeps!

Ranking: 3 / 5 bats!

(available for free on Tubi TV, or also with Shudder subscription)

[REC] (2007)

Journalists interviewing the local fire department join on a ride to an emergency call. Upon arrival, they enter an apartment building which seems to be normal. Upon interviewing the tenants, the events of the documentary take a turn as people begin getting sick in an unsettling way. The journalists must find a way out of the apartment, but they can’t because they are locked in due to the building being quarantined by the government.

This film was once called “one of the scariest horror movies ever made,” and that's absolutely true. If it sounds familiar, that's because there was an American remake called Quarantine(2008). The remake is basically a frame-for-frame of the original, but I think we need to give more foreign horror films a chance. I usually like the foreign versions better anyway, because I watch everything with captions on so I don’t miss a word, and that’s basically what subtitles are for too!

Because it still haunts me to this day, especially during the pandemic:

Ranking: 5 / 5 Bats!!

(available for free on Crackle, or for rent with Amazon Prime)

Trick ‘r Treat (2007)

There are rules to Halloween and everyone must follow them. This is a horror anthology that takes place on (you guessed it) Halloween! This film has everything! You want blood and gore up to your eyeballs? This film has it! Supernatural occurrences? This film has it! You want the soft whisper in the cold crisp air on a full moon night? This movie absolutely gives you that.

Its pretty simple why this one is a must-watch before halloween. It’s scary, but campy. It's funny, but frightening. It created a lore for a holiday that I will now never forget.

Ranking: 4 / 5 Bats

(available for streaming on HBOMax, Hulu, and Shudder)

Ginger Snaps (2000)

In a small suburban town, there’s a rise in dog killings. Two sisters, Bridgitt and Ginger are obsessed with death and have a pact for moving out of the suburbs before turning 16, or die together. When investigating the dog deaths in the night, the two sisters, more specifically Ginger get attacked by a large dog. After the attack, Ginger starts acting strange. Those around her chalk it up to hormones and becoming a woman. Her sister Bridgett thinks its something far more sinister.

Okay, so… Ginger Snaps walked so that Jennifer’s Body could run! If you’re a fan of Jennifer’s Body, you have to see Ginger Snaps! There’s nothing scarier than teen girls seeking the blood of boys. It's funny, it's sad, it's definitely a classic that everyone has to see at least once in their life, so it might as well be on Halloween, the scariest day of the year! This one is VERY CLOSE to 5 bats. A lot of body horror and gore.

Ranking: 4 / 5 Bats!

(available for free on Tubi TV, Pluto TV, Amazon Prime, and Peacock)

Honorable Mentions & Thanks!!

If you loved these suggestions, I also had a list of honorable mentions! I think I said before, but I can’t make a top 10 movies list to save my life, so I stuck to 7 really good ones, and here are the films that ALMOST made the cut!

The Craft (1996)
Mandy (2018)
Sleepy Hollow (1999)
Maniac (2012)

Thanks again for reading the blog! If you have any movies that I missed, please comment below or tell me on Instagram, because I am always down to talk about horror movies, honestly. Like Halloween is just the vessel for this list specifically. I watch horror movies year round, and you can read my horror film reviews on my Letterboxd profile!

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Oct 25 7 Horror Films to Watch the Week Before Halloween 2021