30 Scary Movies In 30 Days! Can YOU Take This Year’s Scary Movie Challenge?
30 Scary Movies In 30 Days!
Well, it’s hard to believe it’s already time for this year’s list of Scary Movies! Time’s fun when you’re having flies! Some of you may feel like we’re dropping the 2024 list a little bit early. Well you’re correct! It’s STILL “30 in 30” – but we’re gonna give you a little extra time to take the edge off. Trust me: After watching just 5 scary movies in 72 hours, I was already getting a little twitchy! So I understand if you need an occasional breather. Is this list scarier than previous lists? Probably!
My list-making slowed to a crawl when I discovered the “Extreme Horror” genre. Man, it’s just TOO MUCH! If you want to go that far, I’d suggest hitting up your local Wikipedia and search Extreme Cinema. Also, Reddit has a decent thread posted by a few twisted, DEADicated souls. But, for the most part, those gore-fest torture flicks won’t be included here. This is just good old-fashioned terrifying cinema. So! Let’s rip right into it, shall we? (evil laughter)
As in years past, all the titles below are linked to a trailer, so you can just click on ’em and make a more informed decision. I’ve left out tons of “Slasher” films, because… where’s the fun in those? The subjects that frighten me the most – that make you feel like something is watching you – are primarily “Insanity” and “Demonic Possession”. Because you can’t run away from your own craziness! And you can’t call the cops on Beelzebub. There’s no winning. Just frightening.
I warn y’all every year: THESE ARE NOT KID’S MOVIES! These are primarily ‘Rated R’ adult horror movies. Best watched during the month of October. I only watch movies like this during the brief window of early-fall, and only so I can make this list, right? (riiiight, Johnny) The idea here is to watch 30 of these films in the 30 days before October 31st. Can you handle it? I guess we’ll find out! Here we go!
1. Infinity Pool – Brandon Cronenberg’s father (director David Cronenberg) practically invented Body Horror. And well, like father like son! Plus, I’m in love with Cleopatra Coleman. AND! Mia Goth has been crowned the new Scream Queen! You’ll be glad you streamed this one. It’s a great one to start your list. Not quite stark-raving terror, but creepy enough to get your blood moving. HULU
2. VVitch – Another one from the twisted folks over at A24. That’s really all you need to know! But it stars a young Ana Taylor-Joy (before she learned to play chess) and some Game of Thrones alum. Well-written and expertly directed by Robert Eggers, you can find it on MAX
3. When Evil Lurks – Wow, we really jumped right onto the neck of this list, eh? Whew! Okay, well? Let’s do this! This one hails from Argentina and is a masterful horror film! Not a lot of hokey VFX, and the spooky music is used sparingly. And, like Witch (above) it co-stars a very scary goat. This one gave me the full-on CREEPS! It’s currently streaming on HULU
4. Martyrs – Okay, full disclosure: This one is straight from the “Extreme Cinema” list. Hey, I didn’t say they were ALL bad. But this one’s a definite blood-fest. And trust me, you’ll want to see the original 2008 French version. NOT the anemic 2016 American version. And it’s totally in French with English subtitles. You can handle it. I streamed this one on PRIME and paid the $4. It’s also on Tubi.
5. Midsommar – One of our Returning Champions! From Ari Aster and A24, Midsommar has been on the last 3 lists concurrently. And Florence Pugh is amazing in it! The entire cast – even those weird Swede-types. And the music is delightful, and it makes my entire spine hurt! Just a wonderfully frightening film. MAX
6. Bone Tomahawk – A horror Western? Whaaat? Well, sure. And this one’s got everything! Starring Patrick Wilson and…(say it with me) Kurt Russel! How can you go wrong? Unleash a group of hell-bent-for-revenge Cowboys on a tribe of psychotic Troglodytic indigenous Americans? Do it! And you’ll also find some pedigree horror movie co-stars like good ol’ Richard Jenkins. I’m in! NETFLIX
7. Late Night With the Devil – A jump back to 1977…remember Johnny Carson and the Late Night Wars? And characters like The Amazing Randi, who had a standing offer of $1,000,000 if anyone could prove psychic phenomena is real? Well, this little indie gem rolls all that nostalgia-weirdness into one very groovy movie! You may hafta search around for this newcomer…last I saw, it was on HULU
8. Hereditary – Hands down the absolute scariest movie on the list! And if you haven’t seen it, let me just warn you that this one will stay with you for a few days after you’ve watched it. It brings a lot to the table – demon incarnation, fatal traffic accidents, and family turmoil. It has a great cast: Toni Collette, Gabriel Byrne, and it’s directed by the masterful Ari Aster. You’ll hafta pay $4 to stream it on PRIME. I finally just downloaded this one. It’s just that good.
9. Gerald’s Game – If American horror author Stephen King had a month dedicated to celebrating his long and prolific career, it should be October. Without question. And he finally has a few movies that have successfully realized his written work with satisfaction. Gerald’s Game is one of those films. Starring Carla Gugino and Bruce Greenwood, this one made me feel uncomfortable from start to finish! NETFLIX
10. Psycho – Let’s face it: Alfred Hitchcock was the Scary Movie Master! So maybe he doesn’t pass the Cancel Culture test. But the original Psycho, starring Janet Leigh and Anthony Perkins, will set your hair on end! It’s a timeless classic, and it’s streaming on NETFLIX
11. Inside – When you settle in to search for “Inside,” you may get as many as THREE results. The one you want is the 2007 French version of this extremely unsettling movie. It seems the French have had a horror renaissance of sorts in the last decade or so, and some of their movies are CRAZY scary! This one falls into that category. Featuring Beatrice Dalle and Allyson Paradis, plus what I can only imagine was a huge budget for sticky red stage blood. This one made me walk across the couch on my booty cheeks. PRIME (or TUBI)
12. Videodrome – From the body horror master David Cronenberg and starring Deborah Harry (of Blondie fame), this is just a fever-dream of futuristic insanity. Oh, and James Woods does some of his best work. It’s a classic. You can stream it on PEACOCK.
13. Nothing Bad Can Happen – Okay, this one may be upsetting for some folks. It’s in German with subtitles. And might be hard to track down (although I found it right away on Amazon Prime for $3). A teenager who recently became enamored of the Holy Spirit endures torture at the hands of a sadistic couple, and assumes it’s because his faith is being ‘tested’. Tough to watch but masterfully executed. PRIME
14. Lighthouse – Another genius film effort from the A24 team, this hallucinatory black and white fever-dream stars Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson. This one makes that inevitable trip to the bathroom a little bit difficult. MAX
15. Evil Dead (2013) – This is my favorite of all the “Evil Dead” movies. “Five friends blah blah blah…in the woods…yada yada creepy old cabin”. But! The cast (Jane Levy) and a wonderfully reimagined premise bring this one into the 2020s and may scare the beejeebies out of even the toughest scary movie watcher! It’s on MAX
16. Pearl – So this one is the second entry of a strange trilogy from director Ti West via A24. First “X” then Pearl, and now we have “MaXXXine”. The initial release, X, currently has the highest ratings of the three from Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb. But Pearl…that’s the one you wanna watch to find out of you’re interested enough in these characters to seek out the other 2. Mia Goth (see #1 on this list. “Jaaameseeee!”) is without question this generation’s new Scream Queen. And that close-up fade-to-black shot at the end? Holy smokes! What is that…a 2 minute shot? She holds that pose for 2 solid minutes while the end credits roll? Incredible! Currently streaming on NETFLIX
17. Hostel – Eli Roth has turned in some pretty gritty horror over the years, as well as decent acting chops, like his turn at Donny “The Bear Jew” Donowitz in Tarantino’s “Inglorius Basterds”. And this gore-fest horror flick has both of those guys’ fingerprints all over it. Tough to stomach at times, it’s streaming on STARZ
18. A Quiet Place– The tag line says it all, “If They hear You, They Hunt You”. That’s really all you need to know. It’s written, directed, and starring John Krasinski (The Office) and some amazing ensemble actors, like Emily Blunt and spellbinding newcomer Millicent Simmonds. All 3 of these “Quiet Place” movies are currently streaming on PARAMOUNT+
19. Rosemary’s Baby– Directed by Roman Polanski (I know, I know…but this is a classic horror flick!) and starring Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, and…Charles Grodin? Whaaat? Trust me, this one belongs on this list! Their website says it’s on PARAMOUNT+ or you might hafta plunk down $4 to stream it on PRIME
20. The Shining – Heeeeeere’s Johnny! Man, I can’t tell y’all how many times I heard THAT when I was growing up! But it’s a great horror flick! And one of the few that still manage to give me goosebumps, even after multiple viewings. Jack Nicholson and the late great Shelley Duvall work like ice cream and cake in this Stanley Kubrick masterpiece, currently streaming on MAX
21. Dr. Sleep – If you’d told me that Hollywood was working on SEQUEL to the above “Shining” I’d roll my eyes and scoff in disbelief. But they did, it is, and I’m very happy about it! At 2:32, it’s almost twice as long as other movies on this list. But Mike Flanagan fills every minute with something special and unique. And Stephen King FINALLY gets his perfect horror story told the way he wanted! MAX
22. Omen – In 1976, folks were still talking about The Exorcist, and Hollywood deal-makers were still trying to figure out another way to make some serious coin off scaring us! They did just that with this “supernatural horror film” directed by Richard Donner. It even ahd some Hollywood Royalty in the starring roles (Gregory Peck and Lee Remick). If you’re like me, and things from the Evil Supernatural World tend to srace you silly, then this is a great watch! Streaming on HULU
23. Get Out – I remember thinking that Jordan Peele couldn’t possible direct a decent horror movie! The Key & Peele guy? Whaat? But sure enough, he’s done 2 VERY scary films and one not-so-scary one. The best and scariest of the bunch has gotta be “Get Out”. Streaming on PEACOCK
24. World War Z – If “written by the son of Mel Brooks and starring Brad Pitt” doesn’t set you up for a killer horror movie, I’m not sure what will. Maybe “these Zombies no longer shuffle along slowly but instead can run very fast” might get you on-board? It’s a thrill-ride of a movie! Last time I checked, it was on NETFLIX
25. Silence of the Lambs – Okay, raise your hands if you remember the 1986 Michael Mann movie called “Manhunter”. Yeah…me too. But this is THE movie that introduced us all to Hannibal the Cannibal, Anthony Hopkins. When he says “I ate his liver. With some fava beans and a nice Chianti” you believe every word! I’ve heard it said that it’s currently on MAX
26. Exorcist – Tell me, what’s better than the original soup-spitting original in all it’s head-spinning glory? Nothing! It tell you, this movie is the TOP of the Scary Movie mountain! Introducing Linda Blair to the world, and featuring stellar performances by Ellen Burstyn and Max Von Sydow, this is one you’ll return to again and again, just to get that rush! It’s streaming on MAX
27. House of 1,000 Corpses – The premiere horror movie from Rob Zombie (and starring his lovely auteur Sheri Moon) I remember folks in the internet world saying lots of bad stuff about this one. But it scared me for REAL! And that;s anouth, isn’t it? You can find it on TUBI
28. Texas Chainsaw Massacre – This 1974 slash-fest is all Tobe Hooper. He wrote, directed, produced and did a lot of the music. And the finished product? It looks just crappy enough to be an effective indie horror flick! It’s on TUBI
29. Cabin In the Woods – C’mon…just go with me on this! It’s pretty scary, and there’s actually some meta-laughs buried in there! This is one of those movies where the directors and producers got lucky that ALL the stars became uber-famous AFTER the movie tanked. Chris Hemsworth, Kristen Connolly, Bradley Whitford, Richard Jenkins and Sigourney Weaver are all in this freak-show of a movie! It’s on PEACOCK
30. Black Phone – Hooo-wee! I’m glad this is the last one! My butt-bone is sore from sitting here, writing all this! But back to “Black Phone”. That picture of Ethan Hawke? I’m so IN on this thing! He plays “The Grabber”. Do you really need to know anything else? Oh, it’s on STARZ
*Honorable Mention: Poor Things; Dogtooth;