Horror genre newbie picks top seven flicks after home movie frightfest

By Stephanie Perez, Staff Writer & Assistant Copy Editor

Stephanie Perez

About eight years ago I was invited to a birthday party at the theater. I was excited about going expecting to watch some animated film that had come out during that time or something else. Never did I expect we would be watching a scary movie. At this point in my life I have avoided scary movies just cause I got scared easily and my parents always strayed me away from that genre. Going into it, I honestly felt pretty confident about watching the entire movie, but was I wrong. Long story short, my mom had to save me from the theater and I was scarred for life. Well, until this year. I have decided to watch some fan favorite movies and find out if I really missed out on anything all along.

In the end, I ended up watching seven films and ranked each on how afraid they made me feel and how well they worked as a standalone. Overall, I learned that I have really misjudged scary movies and I can promise you that I will continue to explore the depths of this genre.

  1. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984): A Nightmare on Elm Street follows the story of a group of teenage friends experiencing dreams about a man with metal claws who chases and tries to kill them. One by one they get increasingly frightened about getting hurt by the man in their dreams.

The only thing I knew about this movie was that everyone is scared of “Freddy Krueger” coming for them, and after watching this movie I can see why. The song choices for when Krueger actually shows up on screen really threw me off and made me expect something to happen, therefore ruining the jump scares and the build up for the next scene. As a standalone movie compared to the rest, it was not the best. But as a movie series, I will have to watch to find out. For me I will sleep soundly because I know that Freddy Krueger will not be coming for me in my dreams.

  1. Insidious (2010): Insidious follows the story of a family just moved into their new home when their youngest son falls into a coma without an explanation. Scared of what is going on as the mother begins to see things around their house, they seek help from experts in the paranormal world.

I have very mixed feelings about this movie. Although it was very entertaining and kept me scared, it just wasn’t my favorite story. The movie seemed too fast paced to build a good foundation for the ending. As a standalone, it was very forgettable.

  1. Halloween (1978): Set in 1963 Haddon field, Illinois, Halloween takes place on a cold Halloween night when Michael Myers, at age 6, murders his own sister. He is locked away for 15 years until he escapes and returns to his hometown seeking his next victims.

Every time I think of Halloween, the first thing that comes to mind is the movie’s theme song. I always wondered what the movie was actually about and I’m happy to say I was not disappointed with the film. Some of the times Michael would just randomly appear on screen actually did catch me off guard and made the movie turn into a Where’s Waldo? game trying to predict where Michael would appear again. The entire movie had a basic scary movie story plot, but for the year it was released there is nothing wrong with that. Without discrediting how entertaining this movie actually was there was nothing unpredictable that happened.

  1. The Conjuring 2 (2016): The Conjuring 2, released three years after the first installment of the series, is set in 1977 London and follows the story of a family experiencing demonic possession. Freshly moved into their new home, their youngest daughter starts acting unnatural. Ed and Lorraine Warren try their best to not get involved but as the family starts to get desperate for help.

Going into this story, I expected to see another remake of the first movie with another family and that’s it. The way this story dives deep into Ed and Lorraine’s relationship made this movie stand out so much to me. Adding this element of humanizing them regardless of what they do, lets the audience see the first movie from a different angle. Truly one of my favorites, this movie will not get old as you keep rewatching it.

  1. The Shining (1980): The Shining follows the story of family man, Jack Torrance, given the opportunity to take care of the Overlook Hotel in Colorado for the winter where he and his family will be isolated for a few months. The previous caretaker murdered his entire family in the hotel with an ax, but Jack pushes away this fact and takes the job. As the film progresses, tension within the family grows and secrets about the true history of the hotel emerge.

The Shining is one of those movies that people talk about, mainly because of the “Here’s Johnny” meme that would be on my Twitter feed on the daily. I didn’t know the story and I was not expecting how the movie turns out. The performances from all the actors are phenomenal. This is definitely a must watch for everyone.

  1. The Conjuring (2013): The Conjuring, set in 1970, follows the story of a family experiencing supernatural activity throughout their new home in Harrisville, Rhode Island. The children hear strange noises at night and start seeing shadows in the dark. Frightened of what they see, they run to their parents for help. Eventually the parents start experiencing things as well and decide to contact two de-monologists, Ed and Lorraine Warren.

The Conjuring was the first movie I watched out of the seven. Wanting to get the full experience, I attempted to watch this movie at night and home alone which did not go as planned. I ended up watching half of the movie this way and ended up calling a friend over who helped me finish the movie. The character development of each family member as well as Lorraine and Ed Warren’s makes the ending seem a lot more impactful. This film is touted as a true story which makes everything about it even more scary.

  1. Us (2019): Us dives deep into a family’s struggle to fight back mistakes from the past. Away on vacation, they come across a carnival that the mother attended when she was younger and had an unforgettable experience in one of the mirror mazes. Scared of her memories, she tries to run away but her past catches up to her in a version of herself. Secrets emerge, changing the life of her and her family forever.

At the top of the list, Us made me feel both entertained and completely terrified. The actors’ performances and the beautiful directing made this movie as good as it is. Although I was completely terrified, I could not get my- self to stop watching. Compared to the new scary movies I have seen, which have the same story line and have nothing unique to them, Us completely destroys boundaries. The pacing for the story sets up everything so perfectly for the ending that the audience is left feeling satisfied and connected to the characters. This movie truly sets high standards for scary movies and it is a must see.