2025 Halloween Viewer's Guide

HALLOWEEN VIEWER’S GUIDE

So my favorite season - spooky season -  is upon us!! And that means people may need to know what to watch over the Halloween weekend.

I am not what you’d call a horror afficionado, but I do enjoy the genre and every October I gorge myself on all things scary…so I have some thoughts on the subject.

There are all kinds of horror films within the genre…for example there are slasher movies, and monster movies, and zombie movies and supernatural movies and on and on. I will try and touch upon different sub-genres to mix things up.

I tend to watch movies in bunches…so I’ll watch a series of zombie movies back-to-back-to-back…things like that…if that isn’t your thing you can just ignore those recommendations.

Alright gang, let’s buckle up and dive head first into the Halloween Viewer’s Guide!!

SLASHER MOVIES

Slasher films were a staple back when I was growing up. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre kicked off the era of my childhood and led into a series of stellar films in this genre.

Opinions may vary with some loving Freddy Kruger and the Nightmare on Elm Street movies, others dig Jason in the Friday the 13th films…me? I’m definitely a Michael Myers guy…so sign me up for…

Halloween (1978) – John Carpenter is a really great moviemaker and his greatest may be Halloween. Jamie Lee Curtis and Donald Pleasance are the leads in this movie…but slasher icon Michael Myers is the star. A can’t miss Halloween movie!! Available on multiple weird streaming services I’ve never heard.

In a Violent Nature (2024) – For something more modern, check out In a Violent Nature…a weirdly meditative slasher movie that is essentially shot from the killer’s perspective. Some of the kills in it are astonishing – if you’re into that sort of thing. Available on HULU.

CLASSICS

So every October I watch a bunch of classic Universal Monster movies. I get how people think they aren’t scary now…and some of it can be dated…but goddamn I really love these movies and love the craft and skill that went into making them.

Dracula (1931) – Dracula kicked off the big run of Universal monster movies in 1931. Bela Lugosi is great and it is a moody masterpiece that runs just over an hour. Available on Prime.

Frankenstein (1931) – Frankenstein came out nine months after Dracula and it is a decidedly creepy monster movie. The finale…which is filled with harrowing wails from the monster…is truly unnerving. Boris Karloff is amazing in the lead role. It too runs just over an hour long. Available on Prime.

Nosferatu (1922) – A phenomenal non-Universal 1922 silent movie from German master F.W. Murnau. Max Schreck as the vampire is one of the more alarming screen presences in history. There are different versions of the film available…all of them run between an hour and an hour and a half. Available on Prime.

NEWER SCARES

Late Night with the Devil (2024) – A very clever horror film that uses a late night 70’s tv show as its vehicle to supernatural scares. A terrific lead performance by David Dastmalchian, and deft direction make this a terrific choice for scary viewing. Available on HULU.

TI WEST TRILOGY – X, Pearl, MaXXXine: Ti West’s fun homage to 70’s and 80’s horror starts strong with X, and keeps going with Pearl, but then stumbles with MaXXine, but it never fails to be entertaining. A twisted and sexy Mia Goth is the perfect scream queen companion for this Halloween. Available on HBO Max.

ZOMBIES!!

Here is a really great grouping of zombie movies to watch together.

Start with…

Night of the Living Dead (1968) – George Romero’s classic is an exquisite piece of horror movie making and it never fails to be very affecting. Available on MGM+

Then go to…

28 Days Later (2002) – In this Danny Boyle update to the genre, zombies have evolved and humans are devolving. A truly unique play on Romero’s masterpiece. Available on Netflix.

Finish with…

World War Z (2013) – This Brad Pitt movie is flawed but it is a natural extension of 28 Days Later…and it has some pretty creepy moments and well-executed action too. Available on Paramount+

GENUINELY HORRIFYING

These are the movies that genuinely frighten me…so much so that I actually try not to watch them…and when I do it is during the daytime!!

The Exorcist (1973) – Not just a great horror movie…but a great movie. This film literally keeps me up at night which is a testament to its mastery. I even hesitate to write about it because it scares me so much. Available on HBO Max.

The Shining (1980) – Kubrick’s moody and menacing take on the Stephen King novel is brilliant and bizarre. A twisted nightmare of a movie that unsettles from start to finish. Anchored by a gloriously gonzo performance from Jack Nicholson. For a Shining double feature - Doctor Sleep: Director’s Cut (2019) – Dr. Sleep is a distant sequel to The Shining…and while it isn’t anywhere near the movie The Shining is…it is actually really good. Rebecca Ferguson gives a fantastic performance in the film that features one of the most disturbing scenes in recent memory. Be sure to watch the Director’s Cut only…the theatrical version is weak sauce. Both Available on HBO Max

TECHNICALLY NOT HORROR BUT TRULY HORRIFYING

Zodiac (2007) – David Fincher’s masterpiece…and yes, it is a masterpiece…is an unnerving and moody meditation on the darkness deep under the surface of the American psyche. The scene at Lake Berryessa is one of the most both brutal and horrifying ever made.

If you really want to dive in watch Zodiac and then watch Fincher’s Netflix series about serial killers – Mindhunter. Great and very scary stuff… and what makes both Zodiac and Mindhunter so scary…is that it’s real. Available on MGM+

Jaws (1975) – I saw Jaws as a kid and am still scared to get into the water…and I’m not just talking about getting into the ocean. I’m scared to go into a lake, a pond, a pool, a kiddie pool and even a bathtub. Great and very scary movie. By the way…if you want to see where Spielberg got some of his shot ideas for Jaws…go watch the Universal Classic Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954). And if you listen close enough you can even hear the iconic riff that John Williams uses to such great effect in Jaws – no lie. Available on Netflix

Alien (1979) – The tagline for Ridley Scott’s Alien was “In space no one can hear you scream”…unfortunately for my neighbors  I don’t live in space because I scream my ass off when I watch this movie. A truly original film that is expertly made by the master Ridley Scott and features a terrific lead performance from Sigourney Weaver. Available on to rent or buy.

ARI ASTER

One of the great modern masters of the horror genre is Ari Aster. Aster is a terrific filmmaker – as evidenced by he’s recent work of genius Eddington. But his first two films are fascinating examples of elevated horror.

Hereditary (2018) – A genuinely creepy movie that keeps pushing viewers to the limit. A great lead performance from Toni Collette makes this movie a must see. Available on HBO Max

Midsommar (2019) – This bizarre and maniacal meditation subtly sucks you in then unleashes a world of madness upon you. Florence Pugh is brilliant as the self-centered sad sack who goes to Sweden for a much-needed vacation and ends up a diabolical Norse goddess. Available on HBO Max

ROBERT EGGERS

The other great master of the elevated horror genre is Robert Eggers.

THE WITCH (2015) – A meticulous exploration of witchery in the early Massachusetts colonies is a gripping tale that features a mesmerizing performance from Anya Taylor-Joy. A must see. Available on HBO Max.

NOSFERATU (2024) – Eggers’ take on the horror classic features a spectacular performance from Lily Rose-Depp and some of Eggers’ usual cinematic mastery. A beautiful film to look at and a wondrous addition to the vampire genre. Available on Prime.

Alright gang, those are my recommendations for this Halloween weekend. I hope you all have a great holiday and that you keep the ghosts and goblins at bay and the candies close at hand!!

©2025

Halloween Viewer's Guide - A Horror Movie Round-Up for the Harrowing Holiday

Horror Movie Round-Up And Halloween Viewer’s Guide

It is Halloween week so I thought I’d put together a quick movie guide to help you set the tone for the spooky times ahead.

I love Halloween, always have, and have spent the last few weeks gearing up for the festivities by catching up on some of the horror films released this year, and the last few years, that I’ve missed.

Here are the films I watched for the first time in recent weeks (all rated on the “1 to 5 horror movie scale” not the “1 to 5 regular movie scale”).

MaXXXine (2024) - Available on Max: This is the third movie in Ti West’s trilogy – which began with X (2022), then Pearl (2022), and now MaXXine. MaXXXine is hands down the worst of the three films. X was terrific and Pearl was pretty good too, but MaXXXine is just an incoherent mess that never finds its footing or a distinct flavor. It’s a mish mash of 1980s nostalgia stuffed into a dour and dull narrative that doesn’t really know what it wants to be.

Yes, Mia Goth is an intriguing screen presence, but even she can’t overcome the flaccid and foolish script for this seriously sub-par film. Very disappointing and definitely not worth watching. 2 stars out of 5

Late Night with the Devil (2024) - Available on Hulu: An extremely clever and well-executed movie that deftly uses the medium of 1970’s late nite tv to plumb the depths of devilry and the demonic depravity of the ruling elite who sell their souls to the dark lord at Bohemian Grove.

David Dastmalchian gives a fantastic performance as a desperate late night talk show host trying to catch Carson in the ratings. A very effective and captivating film…especially if you lived through the 70s. 4 stars out of 5.

The First Omen (2024) - Available on Hulu: Speaking of the 70s!! The First Omen is a surprisingly well-made and executed prequel to the iconic 1976 film The Omen. The First Omen won’t change your life but it will keep you mildly entertained and reasonably spooked for its two-hour run time. 3 out of 5 stars.

Immaculate (2024) - Available on Hulu: This is a not great movie but serves as a decent enough vehicle for Sydney Sweeney to keep building the foundation to her movie stardom. A rather forgettable film with a tenuous premise but the luminous Sweeney, who still manages to be insanely sexy even in a nun’s habit, makes the most of it…especially in the final scene. 2.5 out of 5 stars

Doctor Sleep – Director’s Cut (2019) - Available on Amazon Prime: A shockingly well-made and completely compelling sequel to The Shining which, like Late Night with the Devil, casts a severely jaundiced eye toward the ruling elite and their demonic ways, which include feeding off of the pain and suffering of regular people, most notably children. It’s impossible to watch this movie and not think about the infamous pedophile rings involving people of power, including the Jeffrey Epstein ring, the P Diddy accusations and the horrific Franklin Affair…not to mention the wholesale sickening and senseless slaughter of children in Gaza by the Israelis.

Doctor Sleep features two great performances, the first by Ewan McGregor, who gives a subtle, layered and impressive performance as the adult Danny trying to navigate life after the horrors he endured in The Shining. The other by the absolutely luminous Rebecca Ferguson. Ferguson is so good, so charismatic, so gorgeous and so sexy in Doctor Sleep it is astonishing.

I completely skipped Doctor Sleep when it came out in 2019 because I thought “a sequel to The Shining? No thanks!”. To me The Shining is one of the greatest horror movies of all time…and to be clear Doctor Sleep is nowhere close to being an equal of The Shining in terms of the filmmaking or storytelling. But…it really is a fantastic horror movie.  In some ways I’m glad I missed it in the theatre though because my first watch of it was of the three-hour Director’s Cut which is available on Amazon Prime. I highly recommend you watch the director’s cut and not the theatrical release.

Know this going in though, Doctor Sleep – The Director’s Cut, has one of the most disturbing scenes I’ve seen in a film in a long time. It deeply disturbed and unnerved me – which may say more about me and my life’s circumstances, but still…this scene was tough to watch, but necessary to see. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Smile (2022) - Available on Hulu: Smile came out in 2022 and has a sequel out this month…but I never saw the original so I watched it last week. Smile is a decent enough piece of trauma porn horror movie making. It’s got some clever story lines and keeps you engaged through out. I thought Sosie Bacon did a solid job as the lead, and she had some very heavy lifting to do. In some ways Smile is a typical middle of the road horror movie, but to its credit, it works. 2.5 out of 5 stars.

As for the rest of a Halloween Movie Guide…

My usual go-to horror films are previously mentioned The Shining (1980), The Exorcist (1973) and Rosemary’s Baby (1968). They are, to me, the best horror films around and they never fail to scare the living shit out of me.

I also love the Universal Classic Monster movies like Frankenstein (1931), Dracula (1931), The Wolf Man (1941) and The Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954). Another old movie classic is F.W. Murnau’s masterful Nosferatu (1922), which is creepy as hell and well worth watching.  

Other less ancient notables would be most anything by David Cronenberg, his remake of The Fly (1986) is particularly fantastic and his films The Brood (1979), Scanners (1980), Videodrome (1983) and The Dead Zone (1983) are solid choices as well.  

You also can’t go wrong John Carpenter’s Halloween (1978) and The Thing (1982), which are all time horror classics that never fail to frighten no matter how many times you’ve seen them.

More current horror films that are most worthy of a watch are Robert Eggers’ extremely eerie The Witch (2015), and Ari Aster’s formidably frightening and fearsome Hereditary (2018) and Midsommar (2019).

And finally, one movie which is not technically categorized as a horror film but which is as creepy, frightening, disturbing and unnerving as any movie out there, is David Fincher’s Zodiac (2007). Zodiac is a great film that pulsates with a darkness of such depth that haunts you for days and weeks after after watching.

And thus ends the Halloween viewer’s guide!! I hope everybody has a Happy Halloween and gets a bevy of tricks AND treats!!

©2024