Halloween cover image

I'm a movie expert - and these are 20 horror films guaranteed to keep you up at night

Team HELLO! has chosen their top 30 favourite scary movies

TV & Film Editor
Updated: October 25, 2024

For the ultimate thrills and chills this Halloween, team HELLO! have given their all-time favourite horror films to either to make you jump, make you laugh, or all-out force you to sleep with the lights on for months on end. From beloved animations to horror classics, if you need some Halloween recommendations, we've got you covered… 

1/21

The Descent

A caving expedition goes wrong and has terrible consequences as a group of explorers get trapped underground and pursued by terrible creatures. Claustrophobics need not apply.

2/21

As Above So Below

Another underground horror that will give nightmares to anyone who hates small spaces, this one follows a group who go into the catacombs under the streets of Paris - with horrific consequences.

3/21

Coraline

Anyone who thought they were watching a sweet animation had a rude awakening when watching this creepy movie about a young girl called Coraline who discovers an idealised version of her own life through a hidden door - where nothing is truly as it seems.

4/21

© Miramax

Scary Movie 2

With as many laughs as there are jump scares, Scary Movie 2 is a fun spoof of plenty of horror movies - and the perfect one for those who genuinely hate the real scary movie.

5/21

© Paramount Pictures

Sleepy Hollow

A Victorian romp full of spooky fog and even spookier headless horsemen, Johnny Depp is the cynic inspector tasked with discover who is gruesomely murdering villagers - and who the headless figure truly is. Starring Christina Ricci.

6/21

The Shining

Here's Johnny! This iconic Stephen King adaptation follows a family who become custodians in an isolated hotel over the winter season - only to realise that there is so much more than just the three of them in the hotel - and that the biggest horrors can come from within. For a bonus, check out the sequel starring Ewan McGregor and Rebecca Ferguson, Doctor Sleep.

7/21

© Universal Pictures

Us

Horror king Jordan Peele's brilliant movie starring Lupita Nyong'o follows a happy, contented family who - while on vacation - are attacked by their exact doppelgangers who are known as the 'Tethered', who have lived underground all of their lives - and are ready to take revenge.

8/21

Get Out

In this freaky horror film, Chris meets his girlfriend Rose's parents for the first time - only to become unnerved by her family, their friends - and their apparent fascination with him. The twist is a brilliant shock, and all we can say is to never meet your girlfriend's parents, just in case.

9/21

© Universal

The Black Phone

A young boy becomes increasingly concerned by the disappearances of his schoolmates at the hands of 'the Grabber' - before he becomes the next victim. Trapped in a basement, Finney has to work out his escape, while being helped by the spirits of the murdered boys who attempted to get out before him. Adapted from a short story from Stephen King's son, fellow horror author Joe Hill, this is well worth the watch.

10/21

© Photo Credit: Jonny Cournoyer

A Quiet Place

Aliens who hunt by hearing invade the Earth leading to an annihilation of the human race - leaving few survivors who manage to keep alive by not making a single sound. The story follows a family who, struggling with grief, fight for survival - despite forces growing against them.

11/21

© Paramount

Scream

An iconic horror series, how could we do such a list with including the Scream franchise?! The series follows a group of teenagers pursued by 'Ghost Face', a horror-movie-obsessed serial killer who loves to ask about favourite scary movies while terrorising his victims.

12/21

© Paramount

Smile

A mysterious force causes the infected person to grin wildly before killing themselves - so when a therapist who witnesses one of the horrifying suicides experiences her own terrifying experiences, she realises that she only has a matter of time to save her own mind before it's too late.

13/21

Woman in Black

If you love a spooky Victorian horror, this is the one for you. Daniel Radcliffe stars as a widowed lawyer who travels to a remote country home to settle a widow's affairs - only to become entangled in a local ghost story about the 'woman in black'. The story? If you witness her ghost, then a child dies. We'll give you a spoiler, it's not just a story…

14/21

© Warner Brothers

Nightmare on Elm Street

A classic slasher film that follows a group of teenagers who, one by one, become the victims of Freddy Krueger, a child killer who can murder through dreams - so whatever you do, stay awake.

15/21

© Studio Canal

The Others

Nicole Kidman is terrifying in this jumpscare horror about a woman who lives with her two children - both allergic to sunlight - in total isolation while her husband is away fighting in the Great War. When the house staff suddenly deserts her, she quickly hires three servants who come looking for work - but there is so much more to them then what meets the eye.

16/21

The Sixth Sense

With a famously excellent plot twist, the story follows a child psychiatrist who wants to help Cole, a troubled young boy who has a dark secret that he hides from his mum, a single parent desperate to help him. If you haven't watched, this eerie movie is a must watch.

17/21

© Instagram

The Substance

The latest body horror to hit our screens - this Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley movie is seriously grotesque. The story follows an aerobics star who, worried by her aging, buys a treatment that creates a younger version of herself. The only rule? Share the light equally. And as you can imagine, the rules are broken. 

18/21

Hereditary

As well as giving us an iconic monologue from Toni Collette, Hereditary quickly become a creepy classic following it's release in 2018. The story follows a family who, after tragedy, become haunted by a series of terrifying events. You'll never hear someone clicking their tongue in the same way after this! Or, indeed, hang your head out of a moving car.


19/21

The Ring

A movie so scary that some of us still don't sleep in rooms with televisions, the story follows a woman who watches a horrific movie only to receive a phone call that she has seven days to live. Desperate to save herself, she attempts to trace the source of the call and break the curse - before it's too late.

20/21

Hush

From the horror king Mike Flanagan, the movie follows a deaf-mute horror author who while living a solitary life at her home in the woods, becomes pursued by a serial killer determined to make her his next victim.

21/21

Need more horror movie recommendations?

Here are some other classics that we could watch time and time again: 

The Visit

The Barbarian 

Seven 

The Conjuring 

The Exorcist 

Silence of the Lambs 

Hostel 

Babadook 

I Know What You Did Last Summer 

Wolf Creek

Sign up to Off Camera for all the gossip and goings-on from the wonderful world of TV and film

Email Address

By entering your details, you are agreeing to HELLO! Magazine User Data Protection Policy. You can unsubscribe at any time. For more information, please click here.

More TV and Film

See more