Everyone knows that October is the spoopy season, when you get an entire month to prepare for the spoopiest day of the year. (That is, other than Tax Day.) Of course, the best thing to do to prepare for Halloween is to cuddle up with the ones you love, grab a pumpkin spice latte, and watch some horror movies! Today I’ll tell you about some of the best movies for various minigenres of spine-tinglers. I will score these movies on the Izzy Spoopy Scary Scale (or ISSS—patent pending), which is purely based on how scary it is.

Demonic Possession

This is by far my favorite of the ten genres, so I couldn’t settle for just one movie. This category includes movies which deal with demons, exorcisms, and Hell. Among the most popular of these films are The Exorcist and The Amityville Horror. I think most horror fans would say newer possession flicks are good films, but I feel they aren’t as scary as in the past, and it would be a much better use of time to watch these films.

• Recommendation: The Warren Series. This series of eight films [Ed. Note—as of October 2022, because there’s definitely going to be another 8 by next year] includes the Conjuring and Annabelle films as well as the spin offs La Llorona and The Nun. If you watch these films get ready for a good amount of unease and jumpscares, as well as general Spoopyness. They all include great characters, villians, history, and settings. These films are a must watch for any horror buff wanting a good scare. 8/10.
• Honorable Mention: The Insidious series. These three movies are very similar to the Warren series, just not as good despite having some great jumpscares. 7/10

Paranormal

These films are typical ghost movies, usually centered around the dead haunting the living; that is why the Warren series, which is based heavily around demons, doesn’t qualify.

• Recommendation: Poltergeist. The movie is about a ghost inhabiting a home who terrorizes the family and, well, horror hijinks ensue. It is an all-time classic and a great spoopy movie for the Halloween spirit. Admittedly, it’s not my favorite, but it’s a great movie in this genre. 6/10
• Honorable Mention: Sinister. When I tell you this movie was unsettling to me, I mean it. There are some pretty sickening things in this film. The second movie wasn’t the best, but they are good if you don’t have anything else to watch. This movie does include varying amounts of violence, so I recommend you avoid it if that is a problem for you. You have been warned. 9/10

Monster Horror

Very simple movies about some sort of creature terrorizing people. Simple idea, scary presentation.

Recommendation: The Mist. One of the best Stephen-King-based scripts. Great actors, great plot, and one of my favorite movies. Not necessarily the scariest, but beyond an intense plot, it wins points for showing what happens after a disaster. 5/10

Slasher 

Without a doubt the OG of modern horror movies, including some of the most popular films in history, so I couldn’t let it go at just one film.

Recommendations: Scream and Halloween. Both of these film series are iconically spooky in their own ways, and both have some good and some bad entries. I would recommend both original films for these series, as well as the modern versions, since they all include great casts and stories. I don’t find these films particularly scary, but I do think they are all well-made in their own ways.

Also, Laurie Strode is the best heroine in all of film history. Change my mind. You can’t. 5/10

Zombie

Zombie movies probably deserve a piece of their own, but I included it here so everyone can enjoy these movies. While they may not be scary for everyone, they are great movies for the season.

Recommendation: Zombieland. This is a great comedy playing off of the normal “zombie movie” cliché, including plenty of jokes, action setpieces, zombies, and Woody Harrelson. What more could you want? This movie is a classic in my book. 4/10

Gore

These movies are not for the faint of heart. They include a lot of violence, so be warned.

Recommendation: Saw. These movies are the original classics of the genre; they show what happens when a man who has suffered some adversity decides to improve the world around him, which he attempts to accomplish by kidnapping people who he thinks have done terrible things and gives them “second chances” by subjecting them to lethal traps. Great movies with lots of scares. 7/10

Psychological Horror

These movies are often less about actually being scary and more about being scared. They are most likely also metaphors about something that is happening in the real world.

• Recommendation: The Ring. This movie shows how horrible humans can be to each other. You know the deal: there’s a tape of a girl that causes you to die within seven days of viewing it, and it gets passed around by a bunch of people. In the movie, several of the characters view it and go on to show others, which subjects them to the tape’s curse as well—and in doing so forces them to confront the fact that they will die and can do nothing to stop it. There’s of course the spiritual successor It Follows, as well. 8/10
• Honorable Mention: Get Out, which is a pretty complex movie about racism, abduction, and bodily autonomy. The story can get confusing at times, but it’s a great perspective on the pervasiveness of racism. It was well-made, and there were some scary scenes, but my favorite part of the film was the great character of Rod. 7/10

Comedic Horror

These are the comedic side of horror (you’ve probably guessed that already) and include some great spoofs.

Recommendation: The Scary Movie series, also known as the perfect mix of spoofiness and spoopiness. They spoof almost every movie on this list and plenty more. Hilarious, but don’t play them for the children; they’re pretty inappropriate. I love every one of these movies, even though I have to admit they decrease in quality as they get newer. 1/10

I hope you all have a very spoopy Halloween. Be safe, get some good candy, and . . . LOOK BEHIND YOU.