13 Underrated Horror Movies to Watch This Halloween!

It's October 1st and you know what that means.... Only 30 more days till Halloween and only 30 days to cram in as much Halloween-themed activities/food/scares/fun into those days as you possibly can! And we all know one way to get into that ghoulish holiday spirit is to watch scary movies. (Though I usually watch horror movies all year round, I watch the largest concentration of them around Halloween time, just to get in that creepy, is-there-a-ghost-or-serial-killer-behind-me mood)  Now, you could always go with a tried and true classic horror movies to get you in the Halloween spirit (pun totally intended!): The Exorcist, Halloween, Friday the 13th, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre or even some newer classics like the Saw films, the Paranormal Activity movies, and The Conjuring are all great and scary and sure to scare the pants off of you and make you sleep with the lights on for days afterwards (night lights aren't just for kids. They're for adults that watch way too many scary movies and know that total darkness is NOT the way to go).

Orrrrrrrr.....Maybe you want something you've never watched before that will send some shivers down your spine and make your stomach sink with dread, and then make you think that there's something behind you just waiting to drag you back to the grave with it... (because Halloween!)

If you like feeling how what I mentioned above from watching scary movies, then this post I've compiled is just for you! As an avid horror film viewer and lover of all things creepy and frightening, I have compiled some of my favorite underrated and lesser known horror movies to creep you out and keep you up at night (sorry about the sleepless nights you'll be having after watching them!). Not only are these movies scary and most of them revolve around ghosts (serial killers are always scary, but the paranormal is my jam and is the subject matter I tend to find the most eerie), they may be some movies you haven't seen before and it's always more much spooky to watch something you haven't seen before, with all new scary story lines and heart-stopping jump scares to make you leap out of the safe cocoon you've made for yourself out of blankets and pillows and possibly your pet.

So grab some snacks, your friends, a blanket to hide under, and turn off the lights because you only have 30 days to watch these 13 movies before Halloween. Get ready to be scared!!! (In like, the best most safest way possible, of course!)

For When You Just Want a Good Ol' Ghost Story- With a Really, Really Good Twist:

DreamWorks SKG

This is hands down one of my favorite modern horror movies. I had an ex-boyfriend who thought this was a terrible movie and told me I had terrible taste in movies. Notice the word "had." :D If you don't think this is a fantastic horror movie, then we can't be friends. Also, this movie features my forever girl crush, Emily Browning, in it. Did you know this is one of the four movies she's been in where she plays a patient in a mental hospital? (That's not a spoiler, she's a patient in the beginning of the film) Oh, and the soundtrack to this movie is literally gorgeous in a totally spine-chilling way.

For When You Always Knew That There Was Just Something So Creepy About Mirrors But Could Quite Explain Why:

Relativity Media

You'll be so suspicious of mirrors after seeing this movie. That light bulb scene though! *screaming face emoji*

For When You Grew Up Catholic So It Makes Emily Rose's Possession Way Too Scary and Real:

Screen Gems

Seriously. This is basically what I thought would happen if I didn't go to confession. Also, I now freak out a bit every time I wake up at 3am randomly. Because that means DEMONS!

For When Your Friends Say "Old Movies Aren't Scary" Then You Show Them This And They Sh*t Their Pants During The Last 20 Minutes:

Warner Bros.

While this movie is more of a thriller, it's still suspenseful and scary, and all leads up to a frightful climax at the end that will leave you short of breath (those 20 minutes mentioned above). Plus, Audrey Hepburn is beautiful/gorgeous/effortless/luminous and is literally just perfect to watch.

For When You're Not Feeling a Super Scary Movie and You Just Want Something Kind of Dark and Little Bit Funny to Watch With Your Friends:

20th Century Fox

Imagine if Heathers and Mean Girls had a baby that was born on Halloween. That's the kind of movie Jennifer's Body is. It's a total underrated dark comedy/horror movie that deserves to be a cult classic!

For When You Want to Show Your Friends That Having a Phobia of Ventriloquist Dummies Is a Totally Valid Fear (This Movie Proves It!):

Universal Pictures

This is one of James Wan's first movies (horror movie genius of Saw, Insidious, The Conjuring fame) and the sheer combination of creepiness and camp is just the perfect blend for Halloween. It'll scare you, but not leave you with that disturbing feeling for hours afterwards that some horror movies will give you (especially some of the gory, gross out nasty ones). Plus, there's nothing creepier than a ventriloquist dummy. NOTHING. (Why have those dummies not been burned in a giant bonfire yet???)

For When You Want To Watch a Horror Movie That Rings Too True to Real Life (And Will Make You Fear Your Forgetful Nana) :

© 2014 Millennium Entertainment

This mockumentary about an elderly woman who's supposedly suffering from Alzheimer's will add a definite real factor to all of the spooky vibes this movie gives out. You feel like you're actually watching a sad documentary about the deterioration of a woman's memory, but something far more sinister is lurking.

For When You Want to Have a Halloween Date Night With Your Honey And You Want Something Romantic and Just a Little Scary:

Drafthouse Films/FilmBuff

I heard great things about this movie when it first came out; someone described it as a monster movie/Before Sunrise-esque film and I was intrigued and just had to watch it. And guys: I legitimately cried at the ending of this movie. It was literally a monster movie and Before Sunrise romance movie (they weren't wrong! They were right!) all meshed into one and I was totally into it. I've never heard of a horror movie that's romantic before, but I think I found one in Spring. Please watch it. It's so different from anything else I've ever seen and I loved it so much. It'll make you believe in love. And monsters.

For When You Thought Being Blind in a Thriller (Like Wait Until Dark) Would Be the Worst Situation Ever, Then You Realize Being Deaf Would Be Just As (or More) Scary:

Blumhouse

There is nothing creepier than a stalker/home invasion movie. Well, maybe one where you're deaf and can't hear who's trying to break in. Get ready to take some self defense classes and sleep with a baseball bat under your bed after watching this one. Human beings are way more scary than any silly ghost (usually). This movie proves it!

For When You Always Thought That the Concept of the Tooth Fairy Was Always a Really Strange Thing to Tell Children About and You Knew Deep Down the Tooth Fairy Was Actually a Witch (True Story):

Columbia Pictures

Aren't you glad the "Tooth Fairy" never did any of this after you lost any of your teeth when you were a kid? (Also featured in this movie: a young Emily Browning! I love this girl, she keeps popping up in all of these horror movies! She's also in the horror B-movie Ghost Ship. The movie is forgettable but Emily Browning is delightful, as always)

For When You Feel Like Your Family Is Screwed Up And Then You Watch This and Then You Feel Much Better About Your Family Situation:

Nostromo Pictures/Kinology/Magnolia Pictures

Another found footage film with family drama/tension and the paranormal at it's center. Touching, heart-warming, and utterly terrifying. (So basically it's a movie you can watch with the whole family, right?)

For When You Just Want to Be Scared Out of Your Mind By A Fantastic Found-Footage-Exorcism-With-Creepy-Southerners Horror Movie:

Lionsgate

Dear God. This movie. It's just....so scary and creepy and horrifying. And so, so underrated but so, so good. Seriously. It's crazy how good and eerie this movie is. Watch it. You won't be disappointed!

For When You've Been Watching a Lot of Ghost Hunting Reality Shows and You Want Something That Skews That Genre While Also Being Scared Out of Your Freaking Mind:

Digital Interference Productions/Twin Engine Films

I'm not going to lie: I looooooooove ghost hunting shows. So much! As cheesy and fake as some are (I think some are real, but most are edited with extra sounds to make them sound more exciting), I find it thrilling to see people possibly make contact with a ghost or witness paranormal activity. So when I first watched Grave Encounters, I was delighted to see a movie skew the silliness that a lot of ghost hunting reality show seem to have but also adding in that clever element of a fake ghost hunting show actually encountering angry, vengeful ghost in an old insane asylum (because OF COURSE that's where they would film a ghost hunting episode!). With commonly seen "characters" from all of those ghost hunting shows on TV, like a quack of a medium along with a douchey Ed Hardy wearing team of ghost hunters, this was the perfect blend of comedy and horror and I was the perfect combination of entertained and scared while watching the movie. It's the perfect Halloween movie for the ghost hunting show fan who knows all of the tropes! (like me! Truly, this movie was borderline genius!)

What did you think of my list? Are you as big of a Halloween fan as I am? Have you seen any of these movies? Will you watch any of them? If so, let me know what you think of them and we can discuss! Also, hooray for it being October 1st

Stay Weird,
Emily

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