Top 5 horror films which everybody wants to see
The scariest horror movies span decades and themes, but they all have one thing in common: the ability to tap into your deepest fears. Horror films are so unsettling to watch because they play out the very things you'd most like to avoid in real life. Vampires? I wouldn't want to meet one! A haunted house? No thanks. A twisted serial killer who just won't quit? Yeah, that's a hard pass from me.
It follows (2014)
As Hirsch told me, "It Follows is 90% ambiance, which is why this horror masterpiece is at the top of my list. Set in the modern ruins of suburban Detroit, the movie's soundtrack, tech anachronisms (what is that strange seashell Palm Pilot?), constant cloud cover, and not-quite-but-almost-'80s costumes are just 'off' enough to create a whole mood of impending doom. I guarantee this movie will leave you thoroughly spooked but unable to pinpoint exactly what scared you so much."
The witch
In the 17th century, a man named William was excommunicated from a Puritan Christian plantation in New England alongside his family — wife Katherine, daughter Thomasin, son Caleb, and fraternal twins Mercy and Jonas — due to the crime of "prideful conceit." The family is exiled and builds a farm by a large forest. After several months, Katherine gives birth to her fifth child, Samuel. One day, while Thomasin is playing with Samuel, the baby vanishes. A witch in the woods is revealed to have stolen the baby, after which she kills him and uses his blood and fat to make a flying ointment, which she rubs over herself.
Katherine is devastated by Samuel's disappearance and spends her days crying and praying to God. While hunting for food, Caleb confronts his father about the fate of his unbaptized brother's soul while William reveals that he traded Katherine's silver cup for hunting supplies. Back on the farm, the twins play with the family's black goat named Black Phillip, who they claim speaks to them. That night, Katherine reveals that she blames Thomasin for Samuel's disappearance. The following day, Caleb and Thomasin go hunting. The siblings encounter a hare that Caleb and William had seen the day before. Their dog gives chase, and Caleb follows. The commotion causes Thomasin's horse to throw her, knocking her unconscious. After getting lost, Caleb discovers their dog has been disemboweled and is then captured by the witch. Thomasin awakens and returns, but Caleb is not found. Katherine blames her for Caleb and the disappearance of her silver cup.
To save Thomasin from her mother's rage, William admits that he was the one who stole her silver. That night, Thomasin discovers that Caleb, naked and ill, has managed to return to the farm. Katherine suggests Caleb's mysterious ailment is the result of witchcraft. The family prays over him, and Caleb passionately proclaims his love for Christ before dying. The twins accuse Thomasin of witchcraft, and she, in turn, accuses the twins, citing their ability to speak to Black Phillip. Enraged at their behavior, William boards Thomasin and the twins into their stable. That night the witch enters the stable and begins drinking the blood of the goats, terrifying Thomasin and the twins. Inside the house, Katherine has a vision that Caleb, Samuel, and her silver cup have returned to her and, in her joy, begin breastfeeding the infant. In reality, Katherine exposes her breast to a raven, which pecks away at her body, leaving her clothes bloodstained.
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It. (2021)
A chilling story of terror, murder, and unknown evil that shocked even experienced real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. One of the most sensational cases from their files, it starts with a fight for the soul of a young boy, then takes them beyond anything they'd ever seen before, to mark the first time in U.S. history that a murder suspect would claim demonic possession as a defense.
Halloween (2018)
When Glamour contributor Elizabeth Logan reviewed the 2018 Halloween reboot starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Judy Greer, she summed it up perfectly when she wrote, "This movie takes place on Halloween, but I'd consider watching it on Mother's Day. It's a tribute to the many ironies of the mother-daughter relationship. Moms are so annoying! They give you all their issues; they're often critical, smothering, guilt-tripping, and screw you up no matter what. But if you've got a good one, she won't let anyone else mess with you at all. There are no answers to the why or the how of Michael, of evil, of pain. There's only an answer to the question of what we are going to do about it. And that answer is: fight. And call your mom."
Paranormal Activity (2007)
Paranormal Activity is not groundbreaking—it's your basic haunted house story and certainly not the first horror movie to use the found-footage framing—but it is effective. The film makes a lot out of a small budget (think flickering lights, doors slamming, etc.), so much so that it spawned a series of sequels that are just as spine-tingling. There's nothing quite like the original, though.
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