In this post, you will find the best scary picks to watch with friends for your next October movie night.
Growing up the best part of fall is the cooler weather, leaves changing colors, upcoming holidays, pumpkin picking, and so much more! So to kick off the fall season with Halloween around the corner, we made a complete list of scary movies for your October movie night! This list is packed with the best films you have to watch if you haven’t already.
We have listed 41 movies ranging from classic horror films to newer horror and suspenseful thrillers. The best part about having a movie night is kicking back and having fun with friends or your significant other. These movies picked are not kid-friendly and are rated PG-13 to R. Most if not all of the films can be found on Amazon, Netflix, and Hulu.
These items can be found on Amazon and if you haven’t already, I highly recommend you sign up for an Amazon Prime account. If you aren’t an Amazon Prime member currently, you can access most of these movies today for free, when you sign up for the free 30-day trial!
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The Classic Horror Movie Series
This section will go over the classic horror movies that have multiple movies to choose from within that franchise.
1. Halloween
What better way to kick off an October movie list than with the classic, Halloween! This franchise has many films to choose from, ranging from 1978-2022. Even though they are connected, some movies and their sequels were directed by different people and had slightly different vibes and twists.
For example, if you don’t mind the updated version with more gory violent scenes, then the Rob Zombie version would be a fit. However, do make sure there are not any kids around as this movie is rated R. Watch the movies here!
2. Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Like Halloween, this movie also has multiple versions to choose spanning from 1974-2022. The films from the early 2000s are a lot better when it comes to scary factors. However, the latest film to come out in 2022 has its scary moments and gory scenes! Watch the movies here!
3. Candyman
This franchise also has quite a few movies. However, the best ones are also a sequel. The film Candyman from 1992 follows a college student named Helen who learns about the legend of Candyman. As she digs deeper, she’s left with no return. This film is followed by the latest Candyman movie that came out in 2021! Watch the movies here!
4. Jeepers Creepers
This isn’t the scariest option on the list compared to others. However, it’s a choice I had to add to a Halloween list. Jeepers Creepers also has multiple movies ranging from 2001 and the newest movie is expected to arrive sometime in later 2022. It’s a movie series to watch back to back with friends! Watch the movies here!
5. Friday The 13th
Ranging from 1980-2009 the franchise has 12 movies to watch. This movie series from the 80s may not be super scary like other picks. However, it’s still fun to watch a few and get that scare factor from Jason Vorhees! Watch the movies here!
6. Nightmare on Elm Street
This movie series also has multiple movies spanning from 1984 to 2010. The movie series follows the evil entity Freddy Krueger who fatally haunts teens in their dreams. Watch the movies here!
The Ultimate List of Suspenseful Horror Movies
This section will continue the list of older to newer horror movies to watch!
7. The Shinning
This movie will always be a high fave on my list. Still to this day this movie does not disappoint. If you haven’t seen it already, the movie is focused on a man who lands a job running a hotel in the wintertime while it’s closed for the season. His wife and son also move in with him. While snowed in this hotel, unexplained things start happening and their time there gets worse by the day. Watch the movie here!
8. Rosemary’s Baby
The first time I watched this, I was genuinely surprised that a movie this old creeped me out the way it did. This film was shot in the 60s and is about a young couple who moves to New York to start a new chapter. While settling in they meet the overly nice and super weird and cling elderly couple next door. Rosemary has her suspicions that end up being way worse than her wildest thoughts. Watch the movie here!
9. Amityville Horror– 2005
There are multiple movies to this title. However, the best one in my opinion is the movie made in 2005 starring Ryan Reynolds. This film is based on the Lutz family who moves into the notorious Amityville Horror house located in New York state. The Lutz family bought and moved into the very house where convicted murderer Ronald DeFeo Jr killed his entire family 13 months prior. Watch the movie here!
10. Wrong Turn
This movie gives me the creeps when traveling in remote rural areas. A group of friends gets in a car accident in the mountains of Virginia. While trying to find help, they find way more than what they bargain for. This film is a worst-case scenario for travelers or anyone. Watch the movie here!
11. Hills Have Eyes
Like Wrong Turn, this movie is about a family on their way to California for vacation. However, they end up getting stuck in the middle of the desert and quickly realize they’re not alone. What lurks in the hills becomes their worst nightmare and begins the game of survival. Watch the movie here!
12. Rest Stop
This movie is about a young couple that runaway to California. Everything is fine on their trip until they stop at a remote rest stop. While using the restroom, Nicole’s boyfriend Jess has been abducted from the rest stop leaving Nicole stranded and confused. Watch the movie here!
13. IT
The first movie dates back to 1990. However, for the best scare, I highly recommend the series that came out in 2017 and the sequel in 2019. The movie in 2017 highlights the kids that see the horrifying Pennywise clown and fight for survival. The 2019 film, has those same characters in adult form years later still haunted by pennywise. Find the movies here!
14. Saw
This franchise has 9 movies and would be a great marathon to start and finish! These movies fit well in the horror category and do have gory/bloody scenes if you haven’t seen them already. Highly recommend dedicating a night with friends to watching all the movies!
15. The First Purge
The Purge movie series is good. However, the most creepy one out of all of them to me is The First Purge. I also believe this should be the first movie to watch as it shows how the purge started and continued. This movie follows a brother and sister in a broken community that fight their way through a night of survival. The masks worn, scenes captured, and overall activity from the purge are way creepier than the other movies. Watch the movies here!
16. The Sixth Sense
This movie creeped me out as a kid! However, the movie is so good. The movie follows a young boy about 8 or 9 years old who has a gift of seeing things that aren’t there. This gift terrorizes him until someone helps him through that fear. The movie seems predictable until the end bringing a twist you didn’t see coming. Watch the movie here!
17. The Descent
This is an action-packed movie all the way through. It follows six women who discover an unknown cave and travel through it. However, they quickly lose sight of their goal when they’re faced with the horrifying truth that occupies the cave. Watch the movie here!
18. When A Stranger Calls
This movie is a remake of the classic. However, it’s still good and creepy. In this film, a teenage girl babysits for a family in a remote area. Everything goes fine until she gets consistent calls from a stranger who knows way more than he should. This movie keeps you on the edge of your seat. Watch the movie here!
19. Amusement
This movie follows what happened to three friends that went their separate ways as they grow older. All three become terrorized differently from a horrific clown to finding out the biggest twist. This movie is a reminder to be careful who you’re friends with or mean to in school. Watch the movie here!
20. Dark Water
This dark movie is about a newly divorced mother who is trying to provide the best life for her daughter. After landing a cheap apartment and a new job things start to look up for them. Until strange unexplained things start happening in their new home. Watch the movie here!
21. The Uninvited
This psychological thriller had me guessing the whole time. This is a great movie with some creepy scenes and the ending does not disappoint. A young teenage girl spends some time in a hospital after an accident. However, when she finally comes home it’s apparent things have drastically changed and aren’t what they seem. Watch the movie here!
22. Us
This scary movie leaves you thinking, how are they going to get out of this? The movie is based on a family of four who goes on vacation at their family lake house. On their first night, 4 masked individuals show up making the family face their worst fears. Watch the movie here!
23. You’re Next
What starts as a first-time meeting with the family quickly turns into a night of horror. In this blood-filled action-packed movie, you are left on the edge of your seat not knowing what will happen next or who is behind the mask delivering a massacre. Watch the movie here!
24. The Rental
Two couples booked an Airbnb for a weekend on a beautiful property. As the weekend progresses, their ideal getaway rapidly takes a turn. It’s a mystery who is behind the peeping and why. It leaves you second guessing whether you ever want to rent an Airbnb! Watch the movie here!
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25. Insidious
This movie does have your possessions and ghostly entities providing scary scenes that make you jump. However, it’s not the same scenario when they tell you why these things are happening. This series has a few movies to it but I think the first & second are the best since they follow the same story. The second film is way creepier in my opinion! Watch the movies here!
26. Level 16
This film is more on the end of sci-fi and thriller. However, it’s still horrifying. The movie takes place in what looks like a depressing prison for girls of all ages. As they get older, they move up a level and are told that they will be rewarded. However, the pretty dresses and small rewards they get are far more sinister than you could believe. This film will have you guessing and freaked out. Watch the movie here!
27. Identity
This movie starts as a guessing game of who the killer is when a body comes up at a motel. However, the further the characters get the twistier the situation is. Needless to say, this psychological thriller gave an ending I was not expecting. Watch the movie here!
28. Aftermath
Anytime I see a scary movie that is based on a true story, I am intrigued. In this film, a young couple manages to buy their dream house for an incredibly cheap price. But there is a catch that only they will find out after they move in. This movie is creepy and may leave you looking over your shoulder while you’re home alone. This movie can be found on Netflix!
29. Hush
You may have seen this one listed on Netflix or talked about on TikTok. However, if you haven’t seen it yet this will be a great pick for a scary Halloween movie night! The movie shadows a deaf single woman living in a more rural area. What seems to be a normal night turns into what nightmares are made of.
30. Dark Skies
This is an alien Sci-fi thriller pick that is still creepy and horrifying. This family of four has it all, a nice house, a cute family, and great careers. However, suspicious activity starts happening inside and outside of their home. As the events get worse their family suffers more. This film is creepy in the sense of being watched by beings you don’t see. Watch the movie here!
31. Stay Alive
You gotta love a good scary BlockBuster movie from the early 2000s! This movie follows a close group of friends who discover an unreleased video game after a friend tragically passes. What seems like a harmless night of playing the game, soon turns into a crazy unexplained twist. Watch the movie here!
32. Black Christmas
This movie… This movie is a wild one. It was a re-make from the 1979 classic. However, the film from 2006 has its moments. Do not watch this in front of kids! The movie follows an all-girls sorority getting ready for a Christmas party. However, one by one each member of the house is taken out by an unknown figure and leaves the remaining targets with a fight for survival and a twisted mystery. Watch the movie here!
33. Skeleton Key
In Louisianna, a young caretaker lands a job for an elderly couple in the countryside. She soon learns that the house isn’t the only thing holding secrets. This movie is filled with creepy moments that leave you guessing up until the end. It’s also a perfect example of the saying, “If you stand for nothing, you’ll fall for everything.” Watch the movie here!
34. Orphan
This movie is also based on true events. But let’s face it, even if it wasn’t this movie will still give you the creeps. The movie focuses on a family of four who recently lost their third child. Empty from the loss the family decides to adopt a child in need and complete their family. After adopting what they think is the perfect child, their idyllic life turns into a horrifying situation. I promise you don’t want to miss this one! Watch the movie here!
35. Vacancy
I’ve always feared people watching me when I’m home and have no idea. I guess you could say I’ve watched a lot of scary movies! In this movie, it’s your Peeping Tom fears coming true. A couple stays at a vacant motel after their car breaks down and what they find out about the motel is horrifying. Their night to relax and get some sleep turns into a violent night of survival. Watch the movie here!
36. Turistas
I have always had a love for traveling but have always kept in the back of my mind what could happen. However, after watching this movie, I had no idea what could happen while vacationing in a foreign country. A group of friends all travel to the coast of Brazil expecting fun and memories. However, when they’re robbed of everything after a night of partying, the nice local people seem to have a sinister plan. Watch the movie here!
37. Would You Rather
This movie plays the notorious game of would you rather do this or that? A group of random people is brought in to play what they think is a harmless game for a huge cash prize. However, once their opportunity to leave is gone, the real horror of the game is explained. This movie already gives you a mountain of emotions and fear but the end will throw you through another loop. Watch the movie here!
38. I See You
This movie.. has a twist in every corner! It’s told in two perspectives kind of and it leaves you on the edge of your seat asking so many questions as things unfold. Right at the end, everything is explained but you are left thinking, wtf?! Watch the movie here!
39. The Darkness
A family returns home after their family vacation in the Grand Canyon. However, while in the canyon, the son finds tribal artifacts from an ancient tomb and brings them home. When they return home their nightmare begins. Watch the movie here!
40. The Mist
A small coastal town has a mysterious mist roll in and later the townspeople realize this isn’t any ordinary mist. As the mist gets thicker, stranger things happen. It’s no mystery that Stephen King knows how to write a story. After everything that happens in this movie the end is the biggest twist of all and will leave you speechless for a moment. Watch the movie here!
41. The Haunting In Connecticut
This movie is based on a true story that follows a family living in an old house. Unfortunately, their discovery of what the house was used for is later found out after they move in and experience terrible events. This movie has to lead to other re-makes however, I think this one is the best. If you want more detail on the actual family, there is a documentary where the actual family members speak of the horrors they experienced. Watch the movie here!
There you have it! 41 scary picks you must watch with friends for your next October movie night. A lot of these movies are my fave and were some I generally wanted to recommend after watching. Movies are always a great choice when hanging out with friends during the spooky season of Halloween! Let me know what you think in the comments on the movies you watch!
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