Immersing yourself with the perfect scary film is the best way to celebrate Halloween. As the holiday approaches rapidly, horror movies are at their prime. With the abundance of new releases and old classics, it is often hard to choose what’s worthy to watch. Here are three horror movies franchises to binge-watch this Halloween, as recommended by THHS students.
Scream Franchise :
One of the most-watched horror franchises during Halloween is the Scream franchise. The original Scream film came out in 1996 and currently spans a total of seven films. The seventh one will be released in March 2025. In the recent films, the storyline follows the survivors of Ghostface, a masked murderer who took the lives of many students in previous films. Scream VI opens with the murder of Laura Crane, a professor at Blackmore University who was catfished by one of her students, Jason Carvey. Although he is the original Ghostface, he is later replaced by a new murderer who is hunting for the remaining survivors of the university. Junior Tasnia Khandaker said, “The Scream Movies are super interesting, but I prefer the earlier versions as they can capture the iconic feel of many 80’s horror films. Both versions are worth the watch though. They have well-developed plots and action for those who are interested in quality storytelling.”
Exorcist Series :
The newest installment to the Exorcist series recently hit theaters on October 6, titled The Exorcist: Believer. The plot follows the disappearance of two girls, Angela and Katherine, who return home with no memory of their disappearance. When the girls begin to show signs of demonic possession, a series of eerie events unleash, and leads the father of Angela to seek out Chris MacNeil, the only known person who can deal with the situation. The film opened with major box office success, and garnered an abundance of reviews noting the fascinating and frightening aspects of the movie. Freshman Harrison Zhu said, “[The movie] made me afraid of the unknown and what may lurk beneath the surface with its jumpscares and suspense. It gets really intense in some parts of the movie, but that’s what makes it even more exciting to watch.”
The Conjuring Franchise :
The Conjuring movies are another hit horror series that have become increasingly popular, and the films are an all time favorite for some horror movie fanatics. This series is centered around two paranormal investigators, Ed and Lorraine Warren, who are summoned to investigate a family’s house. However, the house is not as inviting as it may seem, sparking fear in the neighborhood, and sending the family through an adventure of paranormal activity, exorcists, and possession.
Junior Rina Chen said, “I don’t watch a lot of horror movies, but The Conjuring is one of the few I have. It’s bone-chilling.” The Conjuring franchise features three films with the title Conjuring, and is connected to the “Annabelle” universe, giving fans a multitude of options to explore this paranormal universe. The franchise brings the audience into a whole new world of supernatural forces and frightening monsters, and as the ending screen rolls on to say “based on a true story,” it only adds to the thrill of the experience. Sophomore Bella Chen said, “the [Conjuring] movies are a thrilling roller coaster ride with intense suspense and creative death [sequences]. They always keep me on the edge of my seat. I would definitely recommend this movie for the Halloween season.”
