Scary Halloween Movies

Looking for scary Halloween movies? You’ve come to the right place. This Halloween movies list is filled with scary Halloween movies that take place on or around the holiday. Watching Halloween themed horror movies is always a great way to prepare yourself for October festivities and get in the spooky spirit.

Scary Halloween Movies List

There is nothing like watching your favorite characters celebrate the holiday while surrounded by jack-o-lanterns, skeletons, and other Halloween eye candy. This Halloween movies list is for scary movies filled with the spirit of Halloween. You won’t find movies here that have a single pumpkin in the background somewhere.

The Houses October Built 1 & 2 

First up on the scary Halloween movies list is The Houses October Built part 1 (2014) and part 2 (2017). 

These are found footage films with a reality tv vibe. The premise of the first movie is that the five friends who star in it: Brandy Schaefer, Mikey Roe, Jeff Larson, Zack Andrews and Bobby Roe, go on a road trip together. They go to find the best haunted house attractions in America and hear rumors along the way of a dark underbelly in the Halloween scare attractions scene.

At times the friends do whatever it takes to get in and film secretive haunted attractions. This gets the attention of a group of scare actors who end up stalking and harassing them. 

I like haunted houses so I enjoyed going from haunt to haunt, but some people may find these parts of the movie boring. The scare actors both in and out of make-up, also made for interesting characters that kept my attention. The Houses October Built has a lot of startle scares. One problem with the film is that sometimes it’s just too dark to tell what’s going on… especially when they cut to different cameras really quickly.

While it’s not the best movie ever, The Houses October Built made the scary Halloween movies list because it’s unique and worth checking out. However for best results, I recommend keeping your expectations low going in.

The sequel came out in 2017 and it follows where the first movie left off. For this reason, there won’t be a synopsis that could give away spoilers about it. I do recommend seeing both movies, in order.

These scary Halloween movies have a lot of shaky camera footage! Avoid it if they make you motion sick.

Satan’s Little Helper (2004)

Satan’s Little Helper is one of those Halloween themed movies that leaves you with an unsettled feeling. It all starts when nine year-old Douglas dresses as a character from his favorite video game “Satan’s Little Helper” on Halloween. Douglas comes across a masked man and becomes his little helper without realizing the man is a psychopath. The two begin to torment people around them and only too late does Douglas figure out he has teamed up with a real killer, who is now after his own family.

Satan’s Little Helper is a horror comedy so expect to be entertained  more than grossed out. However, it still made the scary Halloween movies list because of the strong Halloween theme. Also, there is enough suspense and killing to qualify as scary. I recommend this movie when you’re in the mood for scary Halloween movies, but don’t feel like watching women screaming and running around in the dark.

This is one of those old style Halloween themed movies that is great when you’re looking for a film driven by dialogue and character interaction. This is not an action packed, blood and gore type of movie. Its strength lies more in slowly building suspense and the fear that comes from knowing a killer is close by and unpredictable. There is also something disturbing about the film that is hard to shake off when you’re done watching it.  

Ginger Snaps (2000) & Unleashed (2004)

The first Ginger Snaps film takes place throughout October with all the drama climaxing on Halloween night. These are both great scary Halloween movies that focuse on two sisters. The sisters deal with overwhelming changes after one of them is bitten by a werewolf. Even before the tragic incident they were outcasts in their suburban neighborhood. In part, because of their gothic death-obsessed personalities. This movie is different from others on the scary Halloween movies list because it centers around female characters who become empowered as they deal with the reality of their situation.

Ginger Snaps has a good story line that keeps the viewer watching. It also has enough blood and guts to keep any horror movie fan happy. 

It is also a great werewolf horror movie and it’s unique because it relates lycanthropy to puberty as the girls come of age and deal with the physical changes that come with both situations. I highly recommend both Ginger Snaps and the sequel Ginger Snaps 2 as scary Halloween movies to watch in October of 2018.

House of 1000 Corpses (2003)

House of a Thousand Corpses has the same feel as many of Rob Zombies movies. It takes place on Halloween in 1977 and has a similar mood to the The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Both this movie and 31 are Halloween themed movies by Rob Zombie. However, 31 falls more into the torture porn movie category. 

In this film a group of teens travel through America and end up at Captain Spaulding’s museum of oddities. They get caught up in learning about a legendary local known as Dr. Satan and ultimately end up with a group of sadistic hicks on the night before Halloween.

What follows is pure predictable Rob Zombie with the eye candy costumes, the loud music, the gore, and the in-your-face violence. If you like Rob Zombie or the style of Texas Chainsaw Massacre than this is one of the scary Halloween movies you will really enjoy watching.

Trick ‘r Treat (2007)

Trick ‘r Treat is a solid addition to the Halloween movies list. The great thing about this movie is that it’s all Halloween! While the movie isn’t terrifying or full of gore, it’s what scary Halloween movies are all about… Halloween.

Trick ‘r Treat is made up of four intertwining stories set in a neighborhood celebrating the many traditions of Halloween. The movie is fun, scary, entertaining and definitely worth a watch. There is one more great thing about this movie: SAM! Sam embodies Halloween like Santa embodies Christmas.

If you love Halloween and love horror movies, than I recommend checking out Trick ‘r Treat.

Tip – Don’t confuse this movie with the movie Trick or Treat which is not nearly as good.

Boo (2005)

Boo is the next film on our scary Halloween movies list. The atmosphere and setting of this film are probably the best parts of it. The shadowy halls, creepy elevator, and overall dark tone sets the mood for scares. The spooky music adds to the terror and there’s enough blood and violence to make any horror fan happy. 

In real life Boo was filmed at Linda Vista Hospital in Los Angeles. Since the hospital’s closure many films and even paranormal investigations have taken place there.

Boo has a good Halloween centered story. Friends decide to spend Halloween night in an abandoned, and rumored to be haunted hospital. Soon the friends  discover they are trapped inside the building and then strange hauntings begin.

Boo isn’t one of the best scary Halloween movies out there, but it’s worth a watch in October to get you in the mood for the holiday. One issue that holds Boo back is that the acting isn’t great. This makes it hard to get invested in the characters. However, if you are a fan of non-Halloween scary movies like Grave Encounter, you will enjoy giving Boo a watch.

Halloween 1 & 2 by Rob Zombie

I have to bring up these Halloween reboots when looking for scary Halloween themed movies. I listed the Rob Zombie reboots before the original John Carpenter films for people who enjoy a more current movie experience (2007 & 2009) and just can’t take the old-school production value of the original Halloween movies.

Rob Zombie’s versions of the Halloween movies have much more on screen violence than the original films and have the very distinct Rob Zombie feel to them.

The first Rob Zombie Halloween movie is pretty good, but if you’re a fan of the scary Halloween movies franchise, Zombie’s movies lose something in the translation. They seem to take away from Michael Myers’ supernatural presence by giving him an updated backstory to explain why he became a psychopathic killer. However, many casual horror movie fans may enjoy having a backstory.

Halloween 2 has a solid amount of on screen kills and in your face violence. However, Zombie added a strange white horse storyline that’s very hard to explain or justify. (Feel free to leave a comment on our Facebook page if you have any clue about the white horse.) Overall, both of these are great Halloween themed movies. They are entertaining horror flicks to watch in October, or even on Halloween night, and no Halloween movies list would be complete without them.

A good reason to revisit these scary Halloween movies if you’ve already seen them is because there will be another Halloween film coming out October 19, 2018! 

Rob Zombie will NOT be involved in that film, but Jon Carpenter from the original movies will be executive producer. I can’t wait!

Halloween 1,2,4-6

Part 1 & 2: The Halloween films are obvious additions to any scary Halloween movies list because they are all about the holiday. These two films are fun go to films when you are looking for great Halloween themed movies. They were made in 1978 an 1981 so they have a slower burn and less on camera violence than todays films. However, they are classics and also star Jaime Lee Curtis.

Both of these scary Halloween movies leave more to the imagination than current day Horror movies, but this doesn’t mean Michael Myers isn’t a great masked villain.

Myers is a terrifying force to be reckoned with because he is supernatural in nature, which makes him stronger and scarier than any ordinary human killer. The viewer doesn’t know where he comes from, what drives him, or how to make him stop. All we know is that he keeps coming no matter how much you hurt him.

A great thing about Halloween and Halloween 2 by John Carpenter is that they are from a time when viewers identified with the hero (Jaime Lee Curtis) instead of the killer. This is very different from Rob Zombie’s versions.

Another reason to watch these movies now is because Jon Carpenter announced there will be a new installment in the Halloween franchise on October 19, 2018. This happens to be forty years after the first movie debuted. The new Halloween movie will not involve Rob Zombie, but will have John Carpenter as an executive producer. Very exciting for Halloween fans!

 

If you’re looking for a classic horror movie with fear and tension but without all the gore and on screen violence, then these two films are a great choice every Halloween. They are also a nice start to any October scary Halloween movies marathon.

Halloween Part 3

Technically this is one of the scary Halloween movies in the series and it is definitely a Halloween themed movie. However, it has nothing to do with Michael Myers so I’m not recommending it as part of this Halloween movies list. To repeat, if you’re having a Halloween movie marathon this year, you don’t need to rent or purchase Halloween III. It’s a rogue film in the franchise and doesn’t have anything to do with Michael Myers.

As an unrelated Halloween themed movie it’s not bad, but it’s a huge disappointment if you’re waiting for Michael to appear.

Halloween Part 4-6

Halloween four, five and six are good enough to make the scary Halloween movies list but they aren’t the best of the franchise. While these scary Halloween movies are good quality old school horror, they aren’t as great as Halloween 1 and 2.

So, if you only have time to watch a couple of the Halloween films this season, make it part 1 & 2 or part 1 & Halloween H2O.

However, if you’re like me and enjoy a Halloween horror movie marathon all throughout October then go ahead and check out parts 4-6. They are all Halloween themed movies that celebrate the season.

Halloween 4 takes place ten years after the first movie and it’s a pretty good classic horror film. In part four and Halloween 5, Myers is out to kill his niece. For some reason, his mask continues to be get worse instead of better as the series moves on. (I’m keeping it brief so that I don’t spoil the story line.) These are good scary Halloween movies that feature some old school startles, and a lot of Michael Myers skulking around in the dark creeping people out before the killing begins.

Halloween 6 is a good watch mostly because it reveals a lot about Myers’ supernatural beginnings and why he is always hellbent on killing anyone related to him. It’s worth watching if your having a marathon. However, some have criticized it for making Myers more relatable as a character by letting the viewer in on some of his history.

However, by movie six viewers were demanding to know more about why Myers couldn’t be killed. So Carpenter revealed more of the story. 

Halloween H20: Twenty Years Later

Halloween H20 is my favorite of the franchise on this scary Halloween movies list. When Halloween H2O came out (1998) it was so exciting. For one thing, Jaime Lee Curtis was completely famous and still came back to play a lead role in a modern day horror film. In the film, her character has to face her worst nightmares.

After 20 years of being afraid she just might be ready to stand up to her worst fear…Michael Myers.

Another fun thing about H20 is the story line. Ever wonder how repeatedly getting terrorized by Micheal Myers will affect a person as an adult? Watch this movie to see the answer.

Halloween H20 has a strong cast and it’s great to watch a John Carpenter Halloween movie that’s made in 1998 instead of the 80’s.

I recommend this as one of the Halloween themed movies you watch this season. If you can only see two of the Halloween movies this year. Make it Halloween and Halloween: H2O!

Halloween: Resurrection

Halloween Resurrection barely made the scary Halloween movies list. Ok, I have to come clean and tell you that I’m bias and not a fan of Halloween: Resurrection. However, I will try to be fair about it in case you’re planning a Halloween movie marathon. Unlike Halloween 3, you should plan on watching this one if you’re having a Michael Myers marathon.

First, don’t be deceived by the cast list, Jaime Lee Curtis is only in this film for the beginning sequence. Second, they finally got Michael’s mask right in this movie. It looks good and stays consistent through the entire movie. This has been surprisingly hard for the franchise to do in past movies, so it is an achievement. Some other good things about the movie are that it’s focused more on making Myers seem creepy. Also, there is a lot of skulking around in the shadows. There is also more killing with a high total body count.

If you enjoyed watching the rest of these scary Halloween movies in a horror movie marathon this October, you might as well finish off the franchise by watching Halloween: Resurrection. After all, you can’t watch all these movies and skip the last one. Also if you do watch it, you’ll see why some fans still deny this movie was ever made.

Halloween themed movies can really help get you in the holiday spirit. Finding good scary Halloween movies be hard to do, especially with all the bad horror movies out there. Don’t fall for guides that list movies with one pumpkin as Halloween themed movies to get you excited for Halloween. Our list only includes movies that are all about the spirit of Halloween.

Use our scary Halloween movies list as a guide to get you through this Halloween season. If you are still looking for more films check out our list of great underrated horror movies here.