It’s spooky season! October marked the official start of the holiday season; the leaves are changing color, the weather is getting colder, and people are switching from T-shirts to cardigans and sweaters. And to top it all off, at the end of the month, kids and adults alike are all able to dress up in costumes, have fun, and eat candy in the name of Halloween.
Unfortunately, at a certain age, we become culturally ineligible to go trick-or-treating, unless you dare! Luckily, we can always watch a scary movie and relax on the couch instead. With the abundance of recent horror movies, like “Obsession,” “Iron Lung,” and “Backrooms,” there is a lot to choose from. If you’re debating which one to sink your teeth into this holiday, look no further.
“Dracula” (1931): This is one of the original horror movies, starring Bela Lugosi, and is considered the OG Dracula. It is a black-and-white film directed by Tod Browning and Karl Freund with a run time of 1 hour and 14 min, first released on March 11, 1931. This film is based on a 1920s stage adaptation of Brahm Stoker’s novel of the same name. The film begins with an English man named R.M. Reinfield who goes to visit Dracula in his castle in Transylvania because he is arranging a lease for the Count of a property in England.
The film follows Dracula as he preys on young women, and walks the streets of London looking for victims. In the wake of his killings, Dracula’s true identity is revealed and he must fight to keep his life.
“Halloween” (1978): “Halloween” is a classic horror movie that introduced the notorious Michael Myers. Unlike “Dracula,” it is filmed in color. It was directed by John Carpenter and has a run time of 1 hour and 31 min, making it a quick, spooky watch. This film was released on Oct. 27, 1978.
The film was written by John Carpenter and Debra Hill and stars Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode.
The film follows Michael Meyers who, 15 years after killing his sister, escapes from a mental hospital and terrorizes the town of Haddonfield, Illinois on Halloween. This movie is certainly a halloween classic and scares people every year. The Halloween franchise has 13 movies in total starting with the original in 1978 and ending with “Halloween Ends” in 2022. It’s a perfect marathon watch!
“Scream” (1996): Similarly to the aforementioned movie “Halloween,” “Scream” is another classic horror movie that introduced a character that we all know to this day, Ghostface. It is directed by Wes Craven, with a run time of 1 hour and 51 min and was released on Dec. 20, 1996. The film was written by Kevin Williamson and stars Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, and David Arquette. This movie is about high schoolers who must use their horror movie knowledge to unveil the masked killer in their town. There are currently 7 movies in the “Scream” franchise so far. If you want a horror movie with classic 90s stars, and a masked killer, this is certainly the movie for you!
“Backrooms” (2026): Now on to one of the newest and already one of the most iconic scary movies, “Backrooms.” The film is directed by 21-year-old Kane Parsons and has a run time of 2 hours and 6 minutes. It was just released on May 29, 2026. It was written by Will Soodik and Kane Parsons, and stars Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve. This film has a very different and interesting premise, as it follows an architect named Clark, who witnesses a gap open in his basement. From here, Clark descends into madness as this maze threatens his livelihood and sanity.
Whether you plan on taking a trip to the past with “Dracula” or want to enjoy a modern horror with “Backrooms,” there is truly nothing more thrilling than watching horror at this time of year.
