Ten Movies To Watch From Behind the Sofa This Halloween

October is here, which means the evenings are drawing in; it’s time to get snuggly at nighttime and scare yourself witless as you count down to Halloween. We have compiled a list of ten movies that we feel will help set the spooky Halloween vibe.

We don’t believe that a horror movie must contain a gallon of blood and guts in every scene. Granted, a little splattering here and there is good, but it’s not a prerequisite. The whole ambience of a scene should be enough sometimes to make you want to hide behind the sofa. With that in mind, our curated list has its fair share of gore but is not gore-heavy. So, in no order, here’s our list of creepy movies to help you feel terrortastic.

DON’T LEAVE THE ROOM ON YOUR OWN

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari - 1920

Who says a silent movie can’t be a horror movie? Not us. This iconic German piece of cinematography is proof that visuals alone can have a huge impact on the human psyche if done right. Robert Wiene did this better than just right; his ability to create the most perfectly creepy atmosphere is spot on. After watching this, it’s easy to see where Tim Burton has drawn inspiration.

Das Cabinet Des Dr. Caligari  is available from Orbit DVD for $19.99.

Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror - 1922

Another silent German movie (don’t worry, that’s not all this list is compiled of), this time based upon Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1897). This production was a totally unauthorised adaptation, and so names were changed - however, it was kind of easy to still see the origins of the tale. Stoker’s heirs sued Murnau, yet Nosferatu remains a centre point of horror movie history.

Nosferatu is available from Orbit DVD for $16.99.

Creature From the Black Lagoon - 1954

As you can probably tell, we are pretty large fans of old-school black-and-white horror movies. The Universal Monsters family has some superb characters. The Invisible Man is a legend. Frankenstein’s monster needs no introduction, but our favourite is Gill-man. He’s just a piscine amphibious humanoid trying to live his best life and just wants to be left alone. We can all relate to that emotion, at least sometimes.

Creature from the Black Lagoon is available from Orbit for $16.99.

The Evil Dead - 1981

A Sam Raimi classic, his humble beginnings. There is nothing to not love about this low-budget 80’s horror flick. The spooky cabin is epic, Bruce Campbell is epic, the script is epic - everything about The Evil Dead is epic. As much as we said gore isn’t a prerequisite, it just works so well here.

The Evil Dead 4K Ultra HD is available from Zavvi for $28.99.

House of 1000 Corpses - 2003

Rob Zombie’s directorial debut is firmly cemented into the world of pop culture. Drawing inspiration from the horror genre of the 1970s, Zombie has successfully created a masterpiece. Sid Haig (RIP) as Captain Spaulding is one of our all-time favourite horror characters, despite our suffering from coulrophobia! His crass, thoroughly unapologetic ways are a high point, and just how you would expect a psychotic clown to act.

House of 1000 Corpses is available from Orbit DVD for $12.99.

Nightmare On Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors - 1987

Wes Craven hit on something special when he created Freddy Krueger, and Robert Englund perfectly executes the role. Whilst we enjoy virtually all the Nightmare on Elm Street instalments, Dream Warriors is our favourite due to the marionette scene. We shall not give anything else away.

A Nightmare On Elm Street UK Exclusive 4K Ultra HD Steelbook is available from Zavvi for $38.99.

Halloween - 1978

No horror list is complete without at least one John Carpenter entry, and the original Halloween is just what is needed on a cold, dark October evening. Michael Myers does maybe lose a little of his macabre edge when you discover that the mask was initially a mould of William Shatner’s face (Captain Kirk) painted white! Nonetheless, Halloween for the win on Halloween and watch out for men hiding in your hedge in blue coveralls.

Halloween Trilogy UK Exclusive 4K Ultra HD Steelbook (With Slipcase)is available from Zavvi for $64.99.

They Live - 1988

Crossing the horror genre with science fiction, They Live is based on a short story from 1963. Despite not receiving rapturous applause on release, John Carpenter’s eleventh movie has garnered quite the cult following as time has gone on. It is now considered to be one of his best movies. This movie is not great for people who are somewhat paranoid that all is not as it seems.

They Live - 4K Ultra HD is available from Zavvi for $28.99.

Midsommar - 2019

Labeled as “folk-horror,” this may deter some people from watching, but we beg you to press play. It’s never possible to entirely predict what on earth is going to occur next in this Swedish-based horror. The peculiarity of the cult is great, and we encourage you to watch this movie; it makes the Wicker Man look tame.

Midsommar is available from Orbit DVD for $17.99.

Candyman - 1992

Based on a Clive Barker short story, “The Forbidden”, Candyman is 101 minutes of perfect 90’s horror. Candyman is the movie for you if you enjoy a bit of a twisted folklore/urban myth. It's not gore-heavy at all, but if you have a phobia of bees and hooks, then it could be best to avoid it.

Candyman is available from Zavvi for $28.99.

We hope this has been helpful and maybe given you an idea or two something to watch over the coming weeks. What is your favourite horror movie? Let us know in the comments below who creeps you out the most.