It’s time to get spooky, our writers selected Top 3 horror films to watch this Halloween weekend. Let me know what your favorite. 

Abe Friedtanzer

1. The Sixth Sense (1999)
2. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
3. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Any true horror fan should take my recommendations at face value: I don’t like horror, and I rarely ever watch it. I have strong memories of the few such films that I have screened since I prefer those who are undead to come back only if it’s a government conspiracy, as in a thriller with no reanimated zombies or supernatural killers hunting potential victims. But I have seen several true horror movies, so that’s what I’ll rank here. I still shudder at the thought of the tent being cut open in M. Night Shyamalan’s sensational breakthrough The Sixth Sense, which earned a number of Oscar nominations and kept the terror going all the way up to its famous twist ending. One of the original, formative horror films, The Night of the Living Dead, comes from master George A. Romero, and while its jump scenes aren’t all that scary by today’s standards, the concepts embedded within it are just as horrifying and effective as anything that might be made now. And my third choice, The Silence of the Lambs, which is one of my favorite films, is really cheating, since it’s more of a thriller, but what could be more frightening than a movie where the cannibal isn’t even the bad guy?

Karen Butler 

1. Child’s Play (1988) 

2. The Conjuring (2013)

3. Malignant (2021)

I am a huge horror fan all year round. These three movies represent the subgenres I love the most — creepy dolls, haunted houses and demonic possession. Child’s Play is the film that introduced to the world Chucky, a toy that houses the murderous spirit of a serial killer. The movie has spawned numerous sequels of varying degrees of quality and terror, as well as an excellent new Syfy series. The Conjuring is also part of franchise, one that includes the Annabelle and Nun movies. What I think makes these Conjuring flicks so disturbing is the “based on real events” claim that accompanies them. Malignant is my favorite new horror story. I don’t want to give too much away but it is the ultimate “the call is coming from within the house” tale.

KarenBenardello

   1. The Devil’s Rejects (2005)

   2. Hostel (2005)

   3. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

The most frightening horror films are often driven by the terrifgying, senseless acts that villains commit on protagonists they don’t personally know, especially when the attacks are set in realistic circumstances. With Halloween happening this weekend, the sense of dread that occurs when people encounter strangers in sinister and deserted areas is even more prevalent. Set only a few years after the end of the Vietnam War, The Devil’s Rejects, which serves as the sequel to writer-director-producer Rob Zombie’s House of 1000 Corpses, powerfully reflects on America’s protect of the government interfering with their everyday lives. The movie features the return of the villainous Firefly family as they kill innocent hostages, mainly to protest the Sheriff’s determination to stop their way of life. The initial entry in the Hostel trilogy, which was written, directed and produced by Eli Roth, is equally as startling, as it’s driven by the fight between the rich and poor over protecting and saving their own lives and existences; the rich pay to torment and kill the kidnapped victims for their own pleasure of repressing the lower classes. The original Texas Chain Saw Massacre, which was co-written, directed and produced by Tobe Hooper and launched one of the most successful horror franchises in American cinema history, stunningly showcases the fear that people have of others who are different from them, through both the adolescent travelers and Leatherface and his family’s perspectives.  Despite their highly violent stories, horror movies ultimately prove to capture the attention of viewers who are intrigued by why certain people attack others they don’t know, as well as the victims’ determination to fight back against their pursuers.

Chiara Spagnoli Gabadi 

1.The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

2.Hocus Pocus (1993)

3.The Addams Family (1991) & Addams Family Values (1993)

All Hallow’s Eve is not fully celebrated without a proper sing-along with the magic trio from Hocus Pocus — Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy — “I Put A Spell On You.” Just as irresistibly spooky is the song and atmosphere from The Addams Family and Addams Family Values, that I consider as one, even though they are two films, both directed by Barry Sonnenfeld. The macabre humour, gothic style, and A-list cast featuring Anjelica Huston, Raul Julia, Christopher Lloyd and a young Christina Ricci, are ever so beguiling. Last in description, but first on my list is Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas. As someone who adores Christmas, and has fun of dressing up for Halloween, this motion picture is the perfect match to celebrate both Yuletide and Halloween. Jack Skellington’s melancholic existential journey is one that we can all relate to, through the chimerical stop-motion animation.

Matthew Schuchman

1. The Worst Witch (1986)

2. Trick ‘r Treat (2007)

3. Halloween (1978)

The proto-Harry Potter, The Worst Witch is an overly silly, made for TV movie from 1986…and it’s a glorious pile of viewing pleasure. Trick R Treat on the other hand is much more modern and gory. It was an instant classic when it came out, but due to certain release worries, was given to the world in a direct to video fashion. So, there are still throngs of people who aren’t aware of its presence as a necessary Halloween viewing experience. And finally, while the years haven’t taken anything away from the original Halloween as a turning point for the genre, the mass fervor for the series makes you sometimes forget how well done the film is. So, it deserves its place on the holiday viewing list, still.

Nobuhiro Hosoki 

1. Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
2. Freaks (1932)
3. Deranged : Confession of a Necrophile (1974)

When you think about a great horror or thriller film, you think about “Psycho” or “Silence of the Lamb”, but interestingly, both films are loosely based on a real life convicted murderer, Ed Gein. This film, Deranged : Confession of a Necrophile thoroughly examined the real life convict with absolute horror. 

Freaks, nothing more scary than the judgement of people for lack of notion, Todd Browning made en eye opening film, which was edited for American distribution and banned in England. The film really raise questions about morality and what is normal? Texas Chainsaw Massacre did reinvent the horror genre by putting no BGM, approach with doc-horror style, no direct cut-off body scenes and no star with very little budget, it proves that horror has no rules. (A Quote from John Carpenter)