With all the craziness of Covid-19, some people may not feel comfortable trick or treating or partying this year. If you are one of these people, I have an alternative for you. Watching scary movies is one of the best hobbies a person can have, but it’s even better during the spooky season.  As a horror film critic, it takes a lot for a movie to give me chills. Many horror films are too superficial and have bad acting, but there are some that curled my spine. I have five that truly creeped me out, thereby prompting me to recommend them to all horror movie lovers. 

The number five scariest movie to watch during this season is “When a Stranger Calls”, the remake. This movie is not one of those blood and gore slashers; it is a mental game. A babysitter begins receiving creepy calls while at her client’s house, and when the calls become more threatening, causing viewers’ heart rates to increase. The mystery of the movie is who is calling, and from where? The climax of the movie will have any viewer at the edge of his or her seat, and although the ending disappointed me, the movie overall left me nervous to be left home alone.

Number four in the lineup is “The Nun”, which is a part of “The Conjuring” franchise. The idea of a Nun gone bad is scary enough, but to be in an abandoned church is worse. I personally get the most scared by paranormal movies, because I believe in spirits and demons, and this one had me tense the entire time. I recommend watching the entire series to understand the background, but it can also be viewed as a frightening stand-alone.

Number three is “The Conjuring”, the first one of its franchise, and by far the best. There was a stellar lineup, with Joey King, Vera Farminga, and Patrick Wilson, who all provide memorable roles in the movie. A family who just moved into a house starts being tormented by a killer demon, and one of their daughters starts to lose it. If you are a believer in an afterlife, this movie will haunt your memories and make you look around the room before closing your eyes. 

Number two is “Annabelle’s Creation”, the prequel to the “Annabelle” movies. I rank this one so high for one reason only; I love when young kids turn demonic. I know that sounds sadistic, but the scariest movies are when children are the ones who are rotten. This movie shows how the Annabelle doll came to be, and the first place she tortured a young girls orphanage. The unexpected lurks in every scene of this movie, and the last twenty minutes explode after the build up of this entire epic movie. 

Taking the cake of movies that scared the Halloween heck out of me was “Sinister”, starring Ethan Hawke. If you have a younger sibling, do not watch this. If you are alone, do not watch it. This movie had every element of a horror movie made into a masterpiece. Paranormal, brutal murder, crime, anything you could think of, this movie had. The movie had an amazing ending, something that can not be said for a lot of horror movies, and it had a great sequel. The demon in this movie is frightening to look at, and the videotapes the film centers around are disturbing. Overall, this is my favorite horror movie and the number one recommendation to be watching at midnight on Halloween.