Halloween special: Six horror films to keep you up at night

Halloween season is finally upon us and what better way to celebrate than watching a scary film to give you a nightmare or two.

Here are our top picks:

6: The Descent

In 2005, Newcastle born director Neil Marshall took claustrophobia to a whole new level and gave us The Descent, a low-budget and stripped down horror flick that had absolutely no right to be as good as it was. The story resolves around a group of friends on a caving expedition that goes horribly wrong. As they descend further and further down, one dark and incredibly tight crevice after another, they become trapped and subsequently stalked and hunted by something monstrous.

One of the cleverest aspects of any horror is taking peoples fears and phobias and exploiting them as much as possible, making the viewer feel as disturbed and as uncomfortable as possible. The Descent is one of many prime examples of a film knowing exactly how to get under your skin. With jumps and anxiety inducing set-pieces, this is a great kickstarter. Try and watch with the lights off if you can. Available on streaming.

Photo credit: Pictorial Press Ltd / Alamy

5: It Follows

Not your average offering. The first feature film from writer/director David Robert Mitchell, It Follows takes teenage anxiety about sex and gives it a frightening and effective new perspective. Maika Monroe plays ”Jay Height” who, after a sexual encounter, is suddenly stalked by a supernatural entity that only she can see.

Instead of solely relying on jump scares – which this had surprising lack of – we are instead given a smarter and m0re contemplative take on the idea of unknown forces terrorizing us. Despite not being quite as scary or creepy as I anticipated it being -most reviews upon its release back in 2014 talked about how scary it was which I didn’t find- It Follows knows has message to tell and does so in an unforgettable and refreshingly disturbing manner. Available on streaming.

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4: The Babadook 

Written and directed by Jennifer Kent and adapted from her own short film, this is an old school and shiver some gothic horror about a mother and son who become terrifyingly paranoid about a monstrous force taking over their home. This said monster is spawned from a dark and creepy book her son is obsessed with entitled ”Mister Babadook” that they gradually become more and more possessed by.

As with all truly great horror, this is about far more than what initially appears on the surface, and the darker it is the more fascinating, gripping and emotional. Without wishing to give too much away, the film tackles very personal and tragic issues and hooks you from minute one. The scares are subtle but still managed to reduce me to unsettled goosebumps. Available on streaming.

Photo credit:Lifestyle pictures / Alamy Stock Photo

3: Hereditary

One of the scariest films ever. Ari Aster burst onto the independent horror scene in 2018 with A24’s Hereditary. This complex story is about a grieving family mourning a loss that has very disturbing and tragic consequences. A film whose marketing campaign and promotion involved armies of critics tripping over themselves raving about it; the height of it all being when it was compared to The Exorcist. 

The best horrors are not jumpy but disturbing and skin crawlingly effective in its purposes. Featuring a career best performance from Toni Collette – who should have been nominated for an Oscar, this has a proper message it is trying to communicate across and does so in true horror fashion. Available on streaming.

Photo credit:Lifestyle pictures / Alamy Stock Photo

2. Smile 2 

The scariest film of all time? Taking a naturally creepy concept, such as someone smiling at you for an extended period of time without blinking and turning into a horror feature is something the genre of horror is the best at doing. Following on from 2021’s box-office success ”Smile” in which a woman was being stalked by an entity that used people to smile demonically at her, the same notion applies this time round. Naomi Scott plays ”Skye Riley”, a fictitious singer who is followed and stalked by that very same curse.

This is a horror sequel that remembers what made the first one good and manages to out do it with more scares, jumps and gore without tarnishing anything. One of the best horror sequels ever made and now my second favourite horror flick of all time. You can find my review on the Spark website. In cinemas now.

Photo credit:Pictorial Press Ltd / Alamy Stock Photo

1. Talk to Me 

Finally, my favourite horror film of all time, my favourite film of 2023 and my favourite debut feature. The second film on the list from A24 and the first film from Youtube filmmakers RackRacka (aka Danny and Michael Philippou) who specialised in stunt work and action short films. Talk to Me resolves around a group of teenage who come into the possession of a haunted artefact that allows you to talk to and interact with spirits. As is always inevitable, things quickly spiral out of control. Not only a ferociously enjoyable, physically convincing and nasty shocker- thanks to their expertise with stunts and physical action- this has some excellently thought through moments that serviced the story perfectly and emotional moments that work very well.  Available on streaming.

Photo credit:LANDMARK MEDIA / Alamy Stock Photo