Welcome to Owl Book World! With October being here, I know most of us are excited about watching horror movies and reading horror books. So what are some of the 31 must-watch horror movies for Halloween?

I know, I know, if you are a horror fan, then you more than likely watch horror movies throughout the year. I know I do anyways. With that being said, it seems like horror movies just hit different in October and maybe in September when we’re ready for October.

For me, I know I tend to get more excited about horror movies around spooky season. Even though, yes, I do watch horror movies throughout the year, I don’t think I watch as many in a proximity as I do in October.

*Gasp* I know. Does that make me a true horror lover? Yes. It does actually. Just because I’ve been in a rut with horror lately doesn’t mean that I’m not a true horror fan.

But how do you find some of the must-watch horror movies that are worth your time this October? Here’s my curated list of 31 must-watch horror movies that I absolutely loved and feel like you might too. There’s a mix of old movie and new movies. Well known movies and movies you may not have heard of. Either way, there’s a movie on here for everyone.

31 must-watch horror movies

A lot of these movies are just my opinion on what my 31 must-watch horror movies are for those of you out there. I know at this point, watching 31 must-watch horror movies before Halloween might be a little too much at this point but hopefully there’s some on here that you actually like.

What movies were on your 31 must-watch horror movies?

Barbarian

I actually went into barbarian blind when I went to go see it in theaters. I feel like that may be a little risky, especially since I didn’t know what it was about, and I didn’t know if I was going to like it or not. But it also seems like a lot of previews spoil the whole movie for the audience. So, now I don’t really bother watching them anymore.

With that being said, I was pleasantly surprised by Barbarian and wound up loving it. The movie is about a woman and a man who find out they are double booked for an air bnb. Everything started fine at first, that is, until they found things under the house.

13 Ghosts (31 must watch horror movies)

13 Ghosts for me is a classic on the 31 must watch horror movies, and it is one of my absolute favorite. For the longest time, no one was really talking about this movie. I figured I was one of the few who watched it and liked it, but now I’m starting to realize that there has been kind of a cult following for this one for a while.

13 Ghosts is a movie that follows a family that has just found out a relative has just passed away and they were left his home. They take up the opportunity to move in there because their quarters are starting to get too small for them. But when they get there, they find out that the house is fully made of glass and there’s something else just a little bit off about it.

I don’t think I was old enough to watch it at the movie theater, but when it came out to rent, then my hands were all on that. I’m pretty excited to find out that they are going to be doing a show on it. I just hope that they do it right.

The Others (31 must watch horror movies)

The Others is one movie that actually kind of surpised me with how it ended. Back when this movie came out, I always had an easier time actually figuring out the ending, but I didn’t with this one.

This is another movie on the 31 must-watch horror movies list that is kind of a mainstream movie, but you don’t hear a whole lot about it. To me, it is definitely worth watching. I loved it, and I know I will be trying to watch it this Halloween.

The movie follows a family in a secluded home. The husband is off at war while the mother and two children are at home. That is, until they get help. The curtains are always closed, making it dark inside the home. The children aren’t allowed to play outside because they are basically “allergic” to the sun. Soon, the family thinks they are being haunted inside the home, and all sorts of crazy things start to unfold.

The Babadook (31 must watch horror movies)

Honestly, I don’t remember a whole lot about this movie. It has been a while, and I remember the son kind of pissing me off. I know that this is probably bad to say, but I’m so glad that my son isn’t anything like this. Every family and kid has their own problems, I get that. But the kid in this movie was terrible.

With that being said, I really can’t remember if I liked this one or not. It seems like there was a part of me who liked it at least a little bit, but all I can really remember is that kid.

For those of you who watched this movie, what did you think?

The Babadook follows a mother and son. The son is absolutely obsessed with a fictional monster called The Babadook. His mom is trying to get him to get over it, but his mind can’t do that. As she tries to figure out how to handle all of this, she starts to believe that they just might have a haunting on their hands.

Talk to me

I don’t know how I was feeling when I went to the theater to watch this one. I’m still pretty glad that I wound up going to see this one, though. I feel as if I’m very picky when it comes to things that I watch, and I wound up loving this one.

It seemed like Talk to Me had a really cool concept, and I’m so glad that horror movies are starting to come out that are at least a little unique.

Talk to Me follows a group of college students at a party. One of the party games is bringing out a statue hand that allows you to talk to the dead. But is it real? What happens the more you use it?

The Cabin in the Woods

I went into this movie not really expecting anything from it. This one isn’t complete horror, though. I would probably consider this one, maybe a horror comedy, even though I don’t find it as funny as some of the others.

What makes it funny, though, is that it makes fun of your typical horror movie and pokes at all the stereotypical stuff that was put into a lot of the older stuff. But I also think that this kind of puts a unique twist on things as well. Parts of me wish that they would do a sequel or at least do something with a lot of the cool monsters they had in the movie.

The Cabin in the Woods is about a group of college kids who go on vacation to have a little bit of fun. But when they get there they realize that it’s a cabin in the woods that looks like a shed. They were warned not to go there, but they did it anyway, and they ultimately started to change into people they aren’t. When one gets killed, they realize that they have entered your stereotypical horror movie. Will any of them be able to escape?

Freaky (31 must watch horror movies)

I went to go see Freaky at the movie theaters, and I know a lot of die-hard fans of horror are probably going to say that this is horror. It’s too comedic to really be horror. I’m sure a lot of people were surprised by Vince Vahn being in the movie too. He’s typically a comedic actor, and he’s been typecast in that.

I’m going to say this, though: have you seen Adam Sandler in one of his drama roles? I have, and I loved them. I think Vince did an amazing job in this movie, and I kind of wish that he would take on more roles like this.

Here is what Freaky is about.

Freak is basically a horror version of Freaky Friday. It follows a killer and a high school girl who ultimately switch bodies. The killer is on the hunt again, but now he’s able to get away with it unnoticed since he’s now in a girl’s body. Will her reputation be killed without it even being her fault?

The Lost Boys

If you haven’t heard of The Lost Boys, then where have you been? This is an eighties movie that I know is pretty popular. I feel like I was a little bit later than some when it came to watching it, but I finally did when I was a teenager.

My aunt is the one who told me about this movie, and she would never let me watch it. I get it, though I was young, and I wouldn’t let my son watch it at the age I watched it. But back then, I was basically your tablet kid who was never monitored, so by this time, I was already watching movies that were way worse than this one.

It really is true that eighties movies (and if I’m honest, nineties as well) are really the best and just don’t do the same to the movies today.

Here is what The Lost Boys is about.

The Lost Boys is about a family who moves in with their grandpa after falling on hard times. As the kids try to make some friends around the city, they realize that something is wrong with the city and a group of boys who live there.

Weapons

Weapons is by the same guys who made Barbarian. When I found out about that, I just had to go to the theaters and watch this one too.

I’m going to be honest that the first half of the movie was a bit boring to me, but with the second half of the movie it picked up a lot and got really better. I’m a little surprised with how the movie ended as well. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised that, since Barbarian ended that this one would end crazy as well.

Here is what Weapons is about.

Weapons is a horror movie that follows a couple of adults after a whole class of kids disappears: the whole class but one kid. Now, the parents are blaming the teacher for all the kids disappearing, until they realize that more is going on around town.

The Clown in the Cornfield

I feel like a lot of people were giving The Clown in the Cornfield crap. They were saying it wasn’t scary enough and that it was stupid. I don’t think many people realize that this movie is based on a young adult novel.

Young adult novels aren’t supposed to be catered to grown adults. This is a perfect movie (and book) for absolute beginners and is such a great entry level for those who want to get into it.

If you’ve watched this one, then what did you think about it?

Clown in the Cornfield follows high school kids who have a party in the cornfield, only for things to go incredibly wrong. Can the kids survive the disasters?

Late Night with the Devil

This was another movie that I kind of went into blind. That’s something that can be kind of hit or miss, and I know a lot of people would rather not do that. I’ve noticed that I have watched some of the best movies blind.

Late Night with the Devil is no exception. I did find this movie to be a little odd, though. That’s especially with how it ended, and honestly, I’m still confused with how the movie ended.

With that being said, I know many of you probably won’t like the movie at all because of that very reason. When I say that this movie is unique in the horror world, I mean it.

Late Night With the Devil is a movie that takes place in the 70’s and follows Jack. Jack is a late-night talk show host, and his show is failing. To get ratings back up, he decides to have a Halloween special and invites a girl who is the only survivor of a cult mass suicide and claims to be possessed by the devil.

Lisa Frankenstein

I didn’t go into this one blind, but I didn’t completely understand what it was about. I’m pretty sure I never watched the full trailer for it.

I have to admit that this one might be a bit of an oddball on the 31 must watch horror movies. That’s mostly because it’s not a complete horror or even really scary for that matter.

Even though this movie was a little out of my comfort zone, I still really loved it! It was weird and funny and completely worth watching. If you’ve been debating whether or not to watch it, then do it!

Lisa Frankenstein is a romantic comedy that takes place in 1989. The story follows Lisa, who accidentally manages to bring a handsome corpse back to life. She tries working on her feeling for him as they figure out their love, happiness, and, unfortunately, his missing body parts.

Five Nights At Freddy’s

My son is obsessed with Five Nights at Freddy’s, and I’m going to be honest, I never heard of it before the movie. Usually, movies based off of video games aren’t really that great. So I was a little hesitant about watching it.

I think a lot of people wound up liking this movie, though, and I’m pretty excited about the second movie coming out. Have any of you watched this movie yet?

Five Nights At Freddy’s is about a security guard who takes on a job at Freddy Fazbear pizzeria as a security guard. The longer that he’s ther,e the more that he realizes that something is off about this job and this place.

The Black Phone (31 must watch horror movies)

I’m going to be honest, I wasn’t a huge fan of this one. I thought it was a bit boring, and the storyline was just a bit meh for me. But I know a lot of you will probably enjoy it.

I’ve always been a little weird about horror movies, so there are quite a of movies that a lot of people like that I’m not really a huge fan of. So, take my opinion on this one with a grain of salt!

Good thing is that the second movie comes out soon, I believe!

The Black Phone is a movie that takes place in the 70’s and follows Finely, who is kidnapped by a serial killer. He finds himself in a soundproof room with a disconnected rotary phone. Eventually, to Finely’s surprise, the phone rings, and it’s the kids who were killed before him. They are there to help guide him to escape.

Scream

If you haven’t heard of Scream, then where exactly have you been? Scream is a series that is actually going. I loved the first movie, and the last movie kind of made me mad.

I feel like this series really does belong on the 31 must-watch horror movies. Whether you like it or not, the movies are done really well. Plus, by this point, I feel like the movies have a mass following. At least the first movie does.

If you haven’t seen this movie, then I highly suggest that you do!

Here is what Scream is about.

Scream follows a bunch of high school kids who are getting killed off. But the killer is after one person and killing those who are in his way.

Final Destination

If you haven’t heard about Final Destination, then are you living under a rock? The Final Destination series was widely popular back in the early 2000s, and there’s good reason for that. I’m almost positive that it scarred a lot of Millenials. I know it did it to me anyway.

From here on out, I won’t even stay behind a log truck because of how the second movie handled things. If you’ve been living under a rock, then here is what Final Destination is about.

The story follows a group of high school kids who are about to head off to France for a school trip. When one of the kids has a premonition of what’s about to unfold, he and a small group of others get off the plane. This ultimately sets off a trigger of events where death is angry and it’s out to get them.

The Skeleton Key

The Skeleton Key follows a hospise nurse who goes to help take care of an elderly man who can’t talk. Everything is fine, and the work isn’t all that hard for her. But when she finds a hidden room up in the attic, she finds a bunch of hoodoo stuff. Doing some research on the house, she finds that its occupants aren’t exactly who they say they are.

I know there are probably many people out there who probably didn’t care about this movie and more than likely found it predictable. But I never did. To me, this is one of the movies on the 31 must watch horror movies list that you don’t really hear a lot about.

Sometimes I question if anyone has even really watched it! Have you?

Nightmare on Elm Street

I think most of you will know about Nightmare on Elm Street. The premise of this story is so awesome to me. Just the thought of something being able to terrify you in your sleep is crazy to me. If you’ve been living under a rock, Nightmare on Elm Street is about a man who was burned to death. He comes back later and “haunts” the people’s kids’ dreams.

Just the idea of something being able to come and haunt you in your dreams is a scary thought. If something like this were to happen to any of us, then we would be completely screwed.

Freddy is probably one of the horror characters that I would be the most scared of if he were real. He’s fast, and all of us have to sleep at some point.

How do you think you would outdo him?

Friday the 13th

If this is another one you haven’t seen, then I don’t know what to tell ya. This story follows a man who drowned when he was a kid. Now he’s back to kill the counselors at Camp Crystal Lake. It doesn’t matter if they didn’t have anything to do with it; to him, they still deserve to die.

I swear it seems like the eighties were the height and boom of horror. It doesn’t seem like any quite hit the same as those do. I would have loved to have been able to actually go and watch this one for the first time in movie theaters.

Honestly, a lot of these 90’s and ’80s movies are ones that I would really like to watch in theaters when everyone was first watching them.

Childs Play

Surprisingly, my son is obsessed with Chucky. He’s only seven, but has seen him on my phone and for some reason has liked him since.

I feel like a lot of kids who haven’t seen the movies or anything are actually pretty obsessed with the movies. Just last year, my son actually dressed up as him for Halloween.

Just about all eighties movies, including Child’s Pla,y should be worthy of watching during spooky season. Especially when you have one about a possessed doll!

If you don’t know what Child’s Play is about, then it’s about a kid who has been wanting a Good Guy doll for a long time. It’s the most popular new thing that a lot of kids have been wanting. When his mom manages to get one for him as a Christmas gift, it winds up being one of the worst possible gifts for him.

Hell Raiser

I was a little late watching the Hell Raiser movies. If I’m honest, I’ve only really liked the first two of them, and that’s about it.

Hell Raiser is about a man who bought a puzzle box that is able to bring demonic creatures from a different universe.

I always assumed that this movie would be super cheesy. There were a couple of times that I even tried watching it a couple of times but I would quickly turn it off. Eventually, I did wind up giving it a chance and loved it.

In fact, I know I will probably be watching this one this month as well.

Sinister

Sinister is one of my all-time favorite movies! I loved it so much, and I loved being able to go see it in theaters.

It’s so funny because this is the only movie that I’ve ever seen my husband jump in towards the end. The movie is all sorts of creepy and keeps you on the edge. I know there are many people who feel this way about the movie too! Definitely worth the watch if you haven’t watched it yet.

Sinister follows a man who writes true crime books. He brings his family where someone was murdered in the house so he can do some research, only for them to fall into a trap.

I highly recommend watching this movie if you want to watch something pretty creepy. I’m sure many of you are looking for something scary!

Ghost Ship

Ghost Ship deserves all of the love and all of the hype. I don’t know if I’m just on the wrong spot, but I very rarely see anyone talking about it. Sometimes it does pop up for me, but it definitely doesn’t get the love that it should. That very first scene was amazing, and I think it scared a lot of us when we were young!

I think I have always been a sucker for a paranormal movie, and this one just hit all the spots. Granted, I probably shouldn’t have been watching this movie when I did. Part of me wishes I could watch it for the first time again.

To me, this movie isn’t super scary, but it is gory, so be forewarned with that.

Ghost Ship is about a fancy boat setting off to sea, never to be seen again. Forty years later, a salvage crew stumbles on the boat. When they get onto the boat, they realize that the people on the boat never fully died.

Bring her back

This one for me, I was a little disappointed with this one. In all honesty, I was getting a bit bored with it, and the pacing wasn’t all that great.

I still know that a lot of you would probably enjoy it, though. The ending is kind of sad, though. It wasn’t enough to make me cry, but I still felt really bad for their foster parent in the end.

Maybe I’m weird for that, and I wonder if anyone else felt the same way that I did.

Bring her back follows two step siblings who find themselves orphaned. When they are brought to their new home, everything seems nice at first. The person who’s watching over them now seems nice enough for now, until she’s not. Things don’t take long to go for the worse for them.

The Uninvited

I feel like so many people forget about this movie, and it’s been piled under other movies. Am I the only one who remembers anything about this movie?

The story is absolutely crazy to me and really needs to be on your 31 must watch horror movies. Why? Well, because the movie will take you on a wild ride. I know that a lot of people will probably guess how this movie ends, but when I watched it never did.

I loved it for that, though. Maybe I should watch this one again because I haven’t seen it since I was a teenager. Do you think it would live up to the hype that I remember it from?

The story follows a girl named Anna who just got back home from being in a psych ward. When she gets back to her home, she suspects that her mom’s nurse is the reason her mom died under suspicious circumstances. As she starts to investigate the truth unfurels like a wild fire.

The Faculty

The Faculty is another ninties movie that is well deserved on this list. The story follows a group of high school kids who had okay teachers. That is, until they start to change and become meaner.

Just like disturbing behavior, I don’t think I would have found out about this movie until much, much later in life if it wasn’t for cable. I just so happened to be couch surfing when I did and stumbled upon it, and decided to watch it.

I’m really glad that I did, though. It seems like a lot of the nineties and eighties movies just had a different feel to them, and I loved them. I think at one point I heard something about this one getting a reboot, but I’m not completely sure how true that is. I’ll have to try looking into that again and seeing if I was right. Even if there is going to be one, I’m not completely sure how I feel about that.

If you decide to watch this one, then let me know what you think about it!

Smile (31 must-watch horror movies)

Smile follows Dr. Rose who is a therapist. When she’s in the middle of a session with one of her patients, she forms a creepy smile and then ultimately kills herself. After that, Dr. Rose ultimately starts having hallucinations everywhere she goes, and no one believes her about what’s going on.

Parts of me enjoyed this one, and parts of me kind of didn’t. Still, I feel like this one deserves to be on the list. Smile was probably one of the first unique horror movies that we have gotten in a while.

There’s also a second movie that’s out too that you can actually watch after this one if you wound up liking it!

Oculus (31 must-watch horror movies)

Surprisingly, Oculus wasn’t a movie I really liked all that much the first time that I watched it. Over the years, I have really grown to love it. I’ve really enjoyed watching movies with Karen Gillan because I feel like she does so well. I know I’ll be pretty excited when I start seeing her in more things that’re not Guardians of the Galaxy.

Oculus follows siblings Tim and Kaylee as they navigate Tim’s release. For a while now, Tim has been in a psych ward, accused of killing. Now that he’s been released, Kaylee brings him in to take care of him. But instead of really helping, she brings up their past trauma and the mirror they believe to be haunted, and what really caused the killings. Something that should have ultimately been left alone just now my break their family apart.

Definitely go and watch this one if you haven’t heard about this one!

Stir of Echoes (31 must watch horror movies)

Stir of Echoes is a Kevin Bacon movie that makes you second-guess having someone hypnotize you. I know that it’s something that can really and truly help, but what are some things that it might wind up messing up?

Honestly, I don’t even know how I found out about this movie. I more than likely stumbled on it when I was renting out movies one Friday night and just picked it up.

Stir of Echoes follows a man who is talked into getting hypnotized by a family friend. He doesn’t believe in anything whatsoever, and the only reason he’s doing it is because he was dared to. The thing is, it worked. When he wakes back up, he doesn’t feel any different, but as the days go on, he starts seeing things. Seeing things that no one else can see. His mind has been opened up, but will he be able to close it?

Disturbing Behavior (31 must watch horror movies)

I don’t think I would have ever known about this movie if I hadn’t seen it on cable. I’m going to be honest, when I did, I had just put it on randomly without really knowing anything about it. Considering that I had never heard it before at the time, I’m so glad that I wound up putting it on. I don’t think I ever would have found out about this movie if it weren’t for that.

Please tell me that some of you guys have seen this one, too?

Everything seems all right in the world for the outcasts. Everything is where it needs to be. That is, until the popular kids start to change. They seem to be too perfect, and now they are talking more properly than most kids their age. Soon they find out that they are being controlled by mind control, and they have to stop it before they wind up being next.

Conclusion 31 must watch horror movies

There are so many horror movies out there, and I know it can be hard to figure out which one might be for you. This list is at least a good start. None of the movies are considered extreme horror, but I would still look into what might not work for you if you’re a newbie with horror. Some of these are beginner friendly as well.

If you’re a horror movie lover, then let me know what some of your favorite horror movies are to watch this time of year!

If you enjoyed this post, then make sure to join our newsletter! I’m going to be trying to include more about movies on here, along with books!