I'm not a massive fan of Halloween itself, but I do love any excuse to have the bejeus scared out of me by my Netflix subscription. These are my picks to have yourself a truly unsettling October 31st, so grab all those sweets you bought to pretend to give to the kids that never knock on your door and buckle up for the ride:
Hush
Young attractive female author lives in the middle of nowheresville and uses the isolation of her home to inspire her writing. Although her location is completely silent, you soon realise that her world is, too, when we figure out that our heroine is deaf.
No one can hear her scream, and she can't hear him coming for her...
It's fast paced and creepy as hell. So creepy, in fact, that I had to stop it after half an hour because the Very Bad Man that was stalking the house was wearing an intensely horrible smiling mask. Also: she doesn't seem to own any blinds, so he can watch her from anyvantage point he chooses. Close the curtains, woman!
I initially blew this movie off as another crappy teen slasherfilm, but it's anything but.
The Others
This is an old movie, from waaaay back in 2001, which is like, centuries ago. It's a good one, though. Starring Nicole Kidman and Eric Sykes, the plot is structured around an old house, a strict Roman Catholic, children that are sensitive to light, and some generally odd goings on.
Basically, it has all the main ingredients associated with a thoroughly creepy flick.
When Grace (Kidman) and her kids, who she keeps in the dark as much as possible, hire some outside help, things suddenly start to get really odd in the house. Her kids start drawing pictures of people that they've seen around the property and she herself starts to experience the forces at play.
It's one of those movies where you're never quite sure what's true and what's being imagined and that's what adds to the creepiness of the whole story. Also: it has the freakiest communion scene ever. If that doesn't put you off religion for life, I'm not sure what will.
Rosemary's Baby
This classic is even older, but made when thrillers were somuch better (worse?).
The psychological story is way more terrifying than any masked intruders or self-recorded snot fests in the woods could ever be.
More than standing the test of time, this Roman Polanski movie was initially released in 1968 and is considered one of the best scary movies ever. Rosemary is played by Mia Farrow who, with her husband, move to an oddly unsettling apartment block in New York which is, rather obviously, filled with some fairly eccentric characters. After the couple decides to have a baby, things get way too real.
The conception is a horrifically disturbing affair and Rosemary soon begins to suspect that evil forces have plans for her unborn child. If nothing else, this movie has put me off having children...and moving to New York.
It also sums up perfectly why I don't stand around chatting to my neighbours.
The Babadook
Horror movies with #psychic or just plain weird children in them tend to freak me out, and this was no exception. To be perfectly honest, this film doesn't even ease you in gently; the kid is thoroughly creepy from the start. His Mum's no better.
Amelia is a rather frazzled single mother trying to cope with her young son, Sam, who is displaying some seriously odd behaviour. He thinks that a monster is coming to gethim. And he's not wrong.
When his Mum starts reading him 'The #Babadook', which is possibly the creepiest pop-up children's book EVER, things go from bad to worse.When Sam startschatting with the sinister monsterand manages to scare the hell out of everyone he knows, his Mum starts to act a little oddly and her hair gets more and more unkempt as the plot thickens.
I guess when there's something weird stalking you, a brush is the last thing you're concerned with.
If watching this movie doesn't make you nice to your Mum for a bit, there's something wrong with you. It's crazy.
