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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

4 hours ago

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

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