10 frightening movies to watch this Halloween

No Halloween season can be complete without horror movies. From psychological thrillers to cult classics, here are ten movies you can watch to get spooked this Halloween:

The original The Thing received negative reviews when it was released in 1982, but is now recognised as one of the best science fiction and horror films of all time.

The Thing is a movie about an alien that can take over and morph into any creature. It ends up in a remote research station and infiltrates the team there, and the remaining humans have to find out who “The Thing” is among them before it’s too late.

The film plays on themes of paranoia, distrust and uncertainty to create a sense of dread in audiences. In line with these themes, some scenes in the film are left intentionally ambiguous.

The movie’s visual effects were largely practical effects, involving hand puppets, chemicals, food products, rubber, and mechanical parts. These effects have been praised for their repulsiveness due to the graphic nature of the scenes in which they were employed.

Fans of the game Among Us might sense the similarities between the concept of the game and the movie. In fact, The Thing was one of the inspirations for the game. It is available for purchase or rent via YouTube Movies. Viewer discretion is advised as it has a rating of M18.

A Tale of Two Sisters was released in 2003, and follows the story of Su-mi, who has just returned home after being treated at a mental institution. After seeing bruises on her sister’s arms, she believes that her sister is being abused by their stepmother. 

She tries to get her father to believe her but her father claims that her sister has long been dead. The story ends with audiences discovering the truth about what happened to Su-mi’s sister.

Classed as a psychological horror-drama, A Tale of Two Sisters was the highest-grossing South Korean horror film at the time of its release.

With the story’s twists and turns, this is a movie for those who prefer to be enraptured in a disturbing tale rather than jumpscares at every turn. The movie is available for streaming on Netflix.

Orphan, released in 2009, follows the story of a family who adopts Esther, a nine-year-old girl who isn’t as innocent as she seems.

Although it had mixed reviews, Isabelle Fuhrman’s performance as Esther as well as the movie’s dark humour are iconic.

The movie also has its fair share of scares and blood, so it is not for the faint-hearted.

Orphan is available for streaming on Netflix.

Released in 2018, Hereditary is director Ari Aster’s first feature film, and received critical acclaim across the world. Actress Toni Collette was applauded by many for her performance as one of the main characters, Annie.

The story begins at Annie’s mother’s funeral, where she is surprised at the number of people in attendance. 

As their relationship was turbulent, Annie does not know much about her mother. As the movie progresses, the true nature of her mother is revealed.

The movie contains gore, disturbing imagery, and some nudity. It is rated M18, and is available for purchase and rent on Apple TV.

Doctor Sleep is based on the Stephen King novel of the same name, and is a sequel to The Shining.

Released in 2019, the movie follows the story of an older Danny Torrance, the young son in the original The Shining movie. He has psychic abilities that allow him to connect with another child with the same abilities by the name of Abra.

After Abra witnesses a murder through psychic visions, they hunt down a group named the True Knot which has been killing children.

Stephen King himself approved of director Mike Flanagan’s approach to the movie, saying: “Everything that I ever disliked about the Kubrick version of The Shining is redeemed for me here.”

Doing its best to stay faithful to both Stephen King’s novel as well as Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation, fans of the franchise coming from either medium will be able to enjoy this movie. It is available for streaming on Netflix, and is rated NC16.

Us, released in 2019, is a movie written and directed by Jordan Peele, who previously worked on Get Out, and more recently, Nope.

The movie follows the story of an ordinary family whose lives are upended when a worldwide crisis occurs – doppelgängers begin to appear and attack their counterparts. 

The family themselves are confronted by their doppelgängers, and discover that the mother’s doppelgänger is able to speak, unlike the rest of her kind. She then explains the existence of the doppelgängers appearing all over the world. Throughout the course of the story, it is eventually revealed why only the mother’s doppelgänger is able to speak.

Many interpret the movie with themes of classism, xenophobia and marginalisation. Jordan Peele himself confirmed that a central theme of the movie is American privilege.

The movie is available for purchase and rent on Apple TV, with a rating of NC16.

A movie that hits closer to home, Impetigore is an Indonesian horror film that follows the story of friends Maya and Dini as they try to uncover the truth behind Maya’s past. It was released worldwide in 2020.

They return to Maya’s home village as directed by her aunt, only to discover a curse has been placed upon the village – all babies in the village are born without skin. Eventually, they learn the reason behind it, and Maya’s connection to the curse.

This movie is more supernatural in nature, with Indonesian dukuns, curses and disturbing imagery. It also contains some graphic scenes. The movie is available for streaming on Disney+, and has a rating of M18.

#Alive is a South Korean zombie film that was released in 2020.

It follows the story of a video game streamer who is thrown into a struggle for survival when a zombie outbreak occurs. Before his internet connection goes out, he is able to post a social media post requesting for rescue.

After many days of surviving alone, he begins to lose hope until he spots a laser pointer shone by a survivor in the opposite building. Together, they try to survive until rescue arrives.

The movie received generally positive reviews, but viewer discretion is advised as it touches on the topic of suicide. It is available for streaming on Netflix, with a rating of M18.

Incantation is a Tawianese supernatural horror film, released worldwide in 2022. 

The movie begins with the voice of one of the characters, Li Ronan, encouraging audiences to memorise an insignia that appears on the screen and chant an incantation. This is interspersed throughout the film.

The film’s events are showcased in a found footage style. It follows the story of Ronan, and slowly uncovers the truth behind the insignia and incantation.

The movie’s imagery features a deity known as the Mother-Buddha as well as other supernatural themes. It is available for streaming on Netflix, with a rating of NC16.

Prey was inspired by the Predator franchise, and is a prequel to the four existing films. Naru, a skilled Comanche warrior, finds herself having to protect her people from a humanoid alien that hunts humans for sport.

The film was released in 2022 and received many positive reviews, with some critics calling it the best Predator instalment since the first movie. It was also commended for the casting of Indigenous people.

Prey is available for streaming on Disney+, with a rating of M18 due to the violence depicted in the movie.