Halloween-Horror-Spooky Movies Watched This Season

 I do enjoy this time of the year.  I watch as many of these movies and/or series as I can.  Some were watched throughout the year.  It had been some time since I last watched Skeleton Key starring Kate Hudson, Gena Rowlands and Peter Sarsgaard.  Lots of suspense and it just keeps the creepy vibe going.  I really like twist at the end.  This is a movie you enjoy watching a second time knowing the end because you see it with such a different eye.

Plenty of good movies on the list below and a few that I will never see again.  Movies marked with an "*" are movies I watched for the first time.  Amongst the first-time watches, Sinners was my favorite.  Have a great, safe and fun Halloween!

Scream 7

Sinners*

Legend of Boggy Creek

Friday the 13th 2

Friday the 13th 3

Marvel Zombies*

MaXXXine*

I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025)*

V/H/S*

Skeleton Key

The Fog

The Village

Scream 7

Scream 7:  I'm a big fan of the Scream franchise and really enjoyed this one.  Neve Campbell and Courtney Cox are back and take on big roles in the movie.  In ways it felt more like the original than some of the others but that isn't a knock on the other movies in the franchise.  Bottom line is I enjoyed this movie.  It'll has twists and turns which played into many of the rumors leading into the movie's release.  I really liked Isabel May's part in the movie as well.  I say give this one a watch.

MaXXXine (2024)

MaXXXine is the final film in the trilogy that included X and Pearl.  All three are different types of movies.  X with its classic 70s slasher vibe, Pearl with its suspense and character development while MaXXXine takes us to the glam of 1980s Hollywood while building up the anticipation.  I thought I saw where MaXXXine might take us but I was wrong.  I liked the suspense and the story.  The last 30 minutes or so felt like a bit of a letdown.  After Pearl I expected something different as the movie built to a climax.  Don't take that too negatively.  Just my expectations as I watched.  I recommend all three movies in the trilogy.  X was my favorite with Pearl right behind it.  And Kevin Bacon plays a prominent role in the movie.

The Legend of Boggy Creek

 The Legend of Boggy Creek is one that I'll always remember from my childhood.  It was released in 1972 but I'm sure I watched in the mid '70s on KTLA.  And man, it scared me.  I was under 10 so that makes sense.  This watch was personal wanting to revisit a movie that made a big impression on me.  As an adult, is it that scary?  No.  But it was a fun walk back through time.

The movie itself centers around a bigfoot esque creature that terrorizes locals in Arkansas.  The movie shows both encounters with the "Fouke monster" as well as "eyewitness" interviews similar to a docudrama.  I did like some of the low-budget cinematography and how they built the story up.  I'm not saying I recommend this one, but I did want to put it out there for my nostalgia if nothing else.

V/H/S

V/H/S is a 2012 horror movie that follows men who are paid to retrieve/steal a VHS tape.  While doing that they view some of the tapes which show gruesome tales unfold.  All the while they are in their own horror movie unbeknownst to them.  V/H/S is alright.  The shaky camera was a bit shaky at times, but the stories were fine though I would have appreciated a more creepy vibe at times.  There are 9 movies in the V/H/S lineage including a new 2026 release (V/H/S/Mixtape).  I didn't see enough in V/H/S to make me want to watch more of this series this year but I can see myself watching the subsequent movies over the years.

I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025)

IKWYDLS:   I'm always in the mood for an old school slasher film.  I liked the original from 1997, and I didn't remember this one coming out.  It follows new characters dealing with a killer similar to what we've seen before in this series.  We also have returning characters from the original.  Overall, it's okay but it didn't really hit for me.  I just couldn't get invested in the characters and it felt too similar to the original at different points.  It's a shame.  There are some good pieces and parts here but overall, not a movie I really enjoyed.

Friday the 13th: Part 2

Friday the 13th Part 2 is one I'm not 100% sure I'd ever seen before.  One night I was in the mood for an old school slasher and this one popped up.  So why not.  It does stay somewhat true to the same feel as the first one.  Is it as good?  No, but it was an easy watch and scratched the itch for some fun horror from that era.  Not gonna say "recommend" but if this genre is your thing it may work for you.

Sinners

 Sinners: I was a bit late watching this one but really glad I did.  It's a movie that really sets things up.  So much so that at some point I was swondering if it was a horror movie.  A horror movie it is and it is a good one.  Michael B. Jordan does a great job as the lead and there's plenty of good supporting actors and actresses who make this one a good movie.  As you can tell I recommend you add this one to your spooky season watching list.

Halloween-Horror-Spooky Movies Watched This October

 Great time of the year for me as I love spooky movies and all that goes with Halloween.  I seek out favorites, classics and new movies.  I got plenty of movie watching in this year which isn't always easy with all the sports going on.  I always seek out classics I love like Halloween, Universal Monsters, Jeepers Creepers, and Sleepy Hollow.  Amongst movies I'd never seen before, my favorites were Pearl and The Black Phone.  Some of the other new movies on the list were some stinkers but it's fun trying to find a hidden gem.  Movies marked with an "*" are movies I watched for the first time.  I hope you have a fun and safe Halloween!

Halloween (1978)

Dracula (1931)

Frankenstein (1931)

The Wolf Man (1941)

Beetleguice Beetleguice*

Slender Man*

The Black Phone*

Pearl*

The Jester*

The Babysitter

Jeepers Creepers

Jeepers Creepers: Reborn*

Butterfly Kisses*

Fear Street Anthology*

Fear Street: Prom Night*

Sleepy Hollow

Fear Street: Prom Queen

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024)

 

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice came out last year and I finally got around to watching it.  I liked it.  As much as the orginal?  No.  But this one was entertaining.  It did a good job bringing back original characters while adding new ones including Astrid, Lydia's daughter, played by Jenna Ortega.  I won't over analyze this one.  I'll just say I liked it.  Happy Halloween!

Butterfly Kisses (2018)

Butterfly Kisses:  Butterfly Kisses falls into the found footage horror genre.  In this one, two college students invoke a local legend and document it on film.  Where it is different, is that a filmmaker finds the footage and tries to prove they it is real.  People don't believe him which spirals him into a bad place.  Add on top of that, the filmmaker is unlikable throwing in more questions about the footage.  The questions about the authenticity is where this sets it apart from other found footage movies.  I liked it.  It's not great but the subtle difference makes it a good watch.  The ending was not as fulfilling as I would want but it doesn't mean you shouldn't watch the movie.  Its newish take on the genre is good. 

The Black Phone (2021)

The Black Phone sequel is in theaters now, so I decided to give the original a watch and I'm glad I did.  The plot and acting are good.  I won't give too much away but it's set in the 70s amidst children being abducted and has the suspense you're looking for in this type of film.  I recommend this one.  

Jeepers Creepers: Reborn (2022)

Jeepers Creepers: Reborn isn't a movie I was aware of.  I watched this one based on my like of the first two in the series.  That was a mistake.  I should have looked up ratings.  It's a low budget movie sucking in folks like me who liked the others.  I've seen worse and I liked the premise when I read it.  It was just the plot, acting and how the movie is done that turned me off.

I enjoy the original Jeepers Creepers and Jeepers Creepers 2.  They are both flawed but I do like them.  Jeepers Creepers 3 was bad.  I guess there is a Jeepers Creepers Returns.  Better ratings than this one but after watching the trailer I'm out on it.  

Slender Man (2018)

Slender Man came out in 2018. When I saw it pop up on my horror search, I wanted to give it a try.  It is alright.  Not great. Fairly easy watch but for some reason I thought it had done better in the theater and in reviews.  Typical teens make a poor decision and bad things involving a supernatural entity ensue.  I don't see myself rewatching it.  I wasn't invested in the main characters as much I would have liked, and the plot wasn't engaging.

There is some controversy around this mythical figure as there were real life events involving Slender Man that almost cost a youth their life.  There was another movie, Mercy Black, released based on the character as well.  

Fear Street: Prom Queen (2025)

FSPQ:  I definitely wanted to do two separate posts in regard to the Fear Street movies.  This one isn't the same as those three movies and has a different tone.  It takes on the horror trope of prom gone wrong.  I liked many things about the movie while there were a few disjointed parts and pieces.  It's an easy watch and it has a classic horror vibe.  The connections to the original trilogy are subtle and they could be missed.  Watch the post credit scenes.  If you watch the trilogy then there's no reason not to watch this one but don't surprised with a bit different take here.

Fear Street Anthology: 1994, 1978, 1666

I'm not sure why I never posted something about the Fear Street anthology but it's worth the note.  This one came out on Netflix in 2021 and iss one I really enjoyed.  There were three movies:  Fear Street: Part One - 1994, Fear Street: Part Two - 1978, Fear Street: Part Three - 1666.  Residents on Fear Street are terrorized by a satanic entity.  The source of this evil goes back 300 years and is interconnected by the cities of Sunnydale and Shadyside. These movies do a good job going back through time to see how we got to where we are in 1994.  They weave this throughout the three timelines while not making it too complicated.  It's a fairly straightforward watch and enjoyable.  I thought Netflix did a good job on this one.

The Jester (2023)

The Jester:  I didn't want to scroll forever looking for a horror movie to watch and found The Jester on Roku.  It was the look of the bad guy who pulled me.  I'll say it was watchable but really wasn't that good.  Again, I like the look of the Jester himself.  The plot itself just didn't suck me nor did the characters.  The basic plot is the Jester torments two sisters after their father dies.  I just couldn't get invested.  I don't mind taking chances on horror movies.  Nothing lost here.

Pearl (2022)

Pearl:  Pearl is a prequel to X which I really enjoyed last year.  It's not a thriller.  It's a slow grind it out movie I couldn't stop watching.  And I didn't want to.  I don't think there are any huge surprises but there's plenty of suspense as the story and main character, Pearl, played by Mia Goth progress and develop.  I liked this movie.  There's suspense even though you think you know where it's going.  You want to see how it ends.  You want to see how she becomes the character we see in X.  Pearl is also a character you somehow emphasize with throughout the movie.  It gets my recommendation and is a good watch in October. 

Halloween-Horror-Spooky Movies Watched This October

 October/Halloween is always a favorite time of the year for me.  I try to get in as many scary movies as possible.  With college and NFL football, baseball playoffs and the NBA starting up it isn't easy.  But I can't not seek these out as they are so much fun.  I actually got to see The Nightmare Before Christmas in the movie theater with my oldest grandson.  That was fun.  Movies marked with an "*" are movies I watched for the first time.  Scream VI and Tragedy girls were the two movies I like most amongst those I saw for the first time.  This is my second year listing these out and I enjoy sharing.  I hope you had a fun spooky season.

The Conjuring

The Conjuring 2

Halloween (2018)

Play Hooky*

Tragedy Girls*

Haunted Trail*

Scream (2022)

Scream VI*

Smile*

Hell House LLC Origins: The Carmichael Manor*

The Nightmare Before Christmas (in theater)

Scream VI (2023)

Scream VI:   Happy Halloween!  I'm a Scream guy and somehow, I never watched this after it came out last year.  I remember wanting to watch it in the theater which I obviously never did nor did I watch it via streaming.  It somehow fell off my radar after that - FAIL.  I really enjoyed Scream VI.  I liked the 2022 Scream "requel" and I really liked this one as well.  Not a ton of setup and the movie jumped straight into the action.  The "Core Four" from the 2022 movie are back and going to college in New York.  Ghostface comes after them once again.  While the possible murder suspects is normally fairly small, it's still not a slam dunk on who is behind the mask.  And it's almost impossible to know the "why".  This movie has tons of direct nods to the past movies which is fun.  There are some things I wish they had done differently but I can say that every movie.  I really enjoy the characters/actors in the last two movies.  A thumbs up from me and say watch it.

Sounds like the next Scream installment will drop in early 2026.  Unfortunately, the main characters from the last two movies, Sam and Tara Carpenter, will not be returning due to various reasons.  We'll see Sydney back as the Final Girl.  Mixed feelings on that as I really enjoy where the franchise is today.  I'll continue to shame myself for not watching this last year when it came out.  My grandsons, not of age to watch the movie, were the ones who actually got me to watch it by asking me all kinds of question about Scream VI.  If they hadn't been so nosy I wouldn't have looked back at the movie.