Super-scary Halloween movies can help get everyone in the holiday spirit throughout the month of October or add appeal to any Halloween party for adults. There have been some classic horror movies over the decades, but horror flick enthusiasts will have only the best this time of year. For some, the gorier the better! Others though, prefer the thrill of the psychological fear. Possibly the best options for super-scary Halloween movies are the ones that manage to combine both.
Bloody Good Super-Scary Halloween Movies
If slasher films are your thing, than the gore factor has to be high. The two that seem to be in an ongoing competition for the best of the slasher flicks are Friday the 13th and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. This isn’t much of a surprise because the main fear element in both of these is a blood thirsty lead killer, one wielding an ax and the other a chainsaw. While Jason, from the Friday the 13th movies, keeps his identity hidden under a hockey mask, Leatherface from Texas Chainsaw has, well a “mask” made of the flesh of once living creatures.
Of course, almost all half decent zombie flicks are a “must see” among the super-scary Halloween movies. Even the more recent black comedy Zombieland has some truly grotesque scenes involving blood and guts. Possibly the goriest zombie flick to date is Day of the Dead, though Night of the Living Dead or Dawn of the Dead aren’t too far behind.
Though it doesn’t end up in as many of the top horror movie classics, the Hellraiser movies, especially the first one, are scary and have an elevated level of gore. The movie delves into some violent acts involving hooks, nails and flesh. That alone should give one an idea of the amount of blood and gore to expect. If you’re looking for something more recent, the Saw movies series is a gore-fest worthy of an entire evening of back-to-back viewing.
A Mental Scare-Fest
Some movies get more under your skin by getting inside your head. It’s one of the reasons flicks such as Silence of the Lambs remain classic psychological thrillers. For some, just knowing any of the super-scary Halloween movies are supposedly based on a true story is the epitome of fright. Also, movies that have the element of feeling like they could be real because they don’t involve fictional creatures to steal the show can be terrifying.
For that reason, The Blair Witch Project nailed the element of horror by the use of cinematography. Not to mention, the clever attempt to start an urban legend prior to the opening weekend on the film that it was true. Some reports were that the film contained original footage and others claimed that the original film had been studied and reenacted to tell the true tale. Either way, movie goers were curious. This seems to be a flick people either love or hate, but if you can really buy into the fear of these students documenting being tormented in the woods, it can be a great pick for a super-scary Halloween movie.
No information about super-scary Halloween movies would be complete without a mention of the 1973 classic The Exorcist. This movie was so horrific during the original theatrical release that a majority of movie goers reportedly left during the movie. Believe it or not, that was the edited version. A more recent re-release of the film included the scenes too disturbing to be left in the 1973 version.
The Best of Both
Many super-scary Halloween movies include both gore and mental scares to some degree; some just do it better than others. The previously mentioned Texas Chainsaw Massacre is an example of this type of horror film. Many horror movie fanatics also feel Rob Zombie’s 2003 movie House of 1000 Corpses ties with Texas Chainsaw in the top of this category.
There are plenty more, though. The Omen, for instance, is a chilling tale of the devil incarnate as a young boy. No one is safe from this child’s evil ways, parents included, and there are some creative ways for people to die in this classic. Often movies that focus on haunted houses fall under this category since a person can relate to what it would be like to live in a spirit filled home. Flicks such as Poltergeist or The Amityville Horror are two examples of this genre of horror film.
While it may not always be agreed upon which horror movie is the best of all times, there are plenty to choose from that are in the running when searching for super-scary Halloween movies.