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Spooky season is upon us, meaning it’s officially time to indulge in all your bloody and gory cravings. And what better way to induce some much-desired fear than with a spine-tingling horror movie?
There’s no shortage of thrilling and creepy films for horror buffs to binge through the month of October, and luckily streamers such as Paramount Plus make it easier than ever to stream some of the best ones. From violent slashers and sinister classics, to high-speed blockbusters and hair-raising vampire flicks, there’s a wide range of scary movies in Paramount’s library for every type of person.
Here are the best, spooky horror movies to get you into the Halloween spirit.
The sound-hating monsters from the first “A Quiet Place” movie get more screen-time in the sequel, making for a faster-paced hour-and-a-half. The 2021 film, which came out in May, picks up where the first left off, following a widowed Evelyn (Emily Blunt) as she attempts to bring herself, two children and newborn to safety in a world taken over by death Angels that will kill anyone that makes a sound. Amidst the suspense and jump scares that make for an enthralling horror movie, the film also digs deep into the meaning of sacrifice and bravery, just like the one before it, particularly in Cillian Murphy’s Emmet who uses his cochlear implant to ward off the blood-thirsty monsters.
‘Night of the Living Dead’
Horror fans with a penchant for zombies are in luck. The streamer has dozens of zombie films but “Night of the Living Dead” might be one of the best. The 1968 film was one of the first to introduce the signature slow shuffle of the undead, as a group of strangers on a remote farmhouse band together to escape the clutches of cannibalistic corpses come to life.
‘The Omen’
There’s nothing creepier than a homicidal child, particularly one whose main targets are his own loving parents. “The Omen” is an early example of the possession genre that gave way to classics such as “Rosemary’s Baby” and “The Exorcist,” in which a devil child (and in this case the literal son of Satan) wreaks havoc to all those around him. The best part of this movie are the eerie surprises that Harvey Stephen’s Damien brings to every scene.
‘Invasion of the Body Snatchers’
Don Siegel’s “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” is a must-watch horror film that’s always worth a re-watch when you’re in the mood for a good scare. The 1977 film transports viewers to San Francisco where Matthew Bennell begins to notice that his friends have begun to lose their sense of individuality. As it turns out, his friends are among millions of victims of a catastrophic epidemic slowly turning the population into intolerant and aggressive drones.
‘The Ring’
Nothing promises the fright you might be craving quite like “The Ring,” whose entire premise centers around one grisly videotape whose contents are so sinister that it kills anyone who watches it. The 2002 film, a remake of a 1998 Japanese horror film, follows Naomi Watts’ Rachel Keller, a Seattle newspaper reporter on a mission to find out whats on the mysterious, deathly cassette.
‘Cry of the Banshee’
“Cry of the Banshee” offers all the folksy galore of the supernatural for the witchy horror fans among us. The Elizabethan-era set tale follows one ruthless witch hunter whose dark magic and madness spark a devilish retaliation from his own family.
‘Fright Night’
Charley is a happy-go-lucky senior in high school when his new next door neighbor’s suspicious activity makes him conclude that he’s a vampire. This 2011 remake, based on the original 1985 film of the same name, follows the same major plot points as Charley unsuccessfully tries to expose his blood-drinking neighbor only to set out to destroy him on his own.
‘Area 51’
Named after the highly-classified U.S Air Force facility that many believe to be a meeting ground for aliens. In the 2015 film, a group of UFO-obsessed friends and wannabe journalists travel to the mysterious and remote military site to find out what’s actually there.
‘Whoever Slew Auntie Roo?’
Joan Crawford, Bette Davis and Shelley Winters star in this classic horror film, in which a wealthy widow (Winters) invites a pair of local orphans to spend the holidays at her house. But as the movie goes on, the siblings begin to suspect that the unassuming Ms. Roo isn’t what she seems.
‘Halloween V1: The Curse of Michael Myers’
It isn’t October until you’ve invited Michael Myers into your home, at least through the screen. This 1995 Halloween movie centers around everyone’s favorite maniacal mass murderer, who visits the quiet town of Haddonfield, Illinois on Halloween to celebrate the festivities. This chapter in the Myers saga introduces Tommy Doyle, a reclusive adult who saw the masked murderer battle his babysitter when he was a child, and is now determined to figure out the famous killer’s motive.
‘Spell’
After an intense storm derails the plane that Marquis and his family is on, he wakes up wounded and alone in Ms. Eloise’s attic. The unassuming woman claims she can bring him back to health using a voodoo figured made from his own skin and blood. With no way to reach his family, Marquis is left trying to break free from Eloises’s dark magic and a sinister ritual that he knows is waiting for him.
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