Halloween is coming up fast, and as Spirit Halloweens are opening up around the country, it’s safe to say the spooky season is upon us. As a horror movie fan, Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays, so I feel qualified to recommend to you my top ten movies to get into the scary season.

1. “Killer Klowns from Outer Space”
I’m starting this list off strong with a movie following a group of extraterrestrial beings who, as you can guess, are clowns. These clowns set up living in a circus tent placed in a small town. They thrive off turning people into cotton candy which they depend on for sustenance. They terrorize this town tearing apart convenience stores and breaking into the local jail. This movie is hilarious and campy, but just creepy enough to put you in the Halloween mood.

2. “Idle Hands”

A slacker teen’s hand is possessed by a strange entity with the intent to kill. Alongside his zombie friends, our main character must stop the hand before it’s too late. Idle hands are a cheesy 90s horror film with a solid soundtrack featuring Offspring and Rob Zombie. It’s a super fun horror comedy that anyone can enjoy.

3. “Ginger Snaps”

This movie follows a young girl, Ginger, who is viciously attacked by a wild animal on the night of starting her first period. She starts going through changes, and it’s up to her sister to help her. “Ginger Snaps” stars an amazing cast of horror movie celebrities such as Kris Lemche, Katherine Isabelle, and Emily Perkins. If you’re into werewolf movies, then this one’s for you. Even though I’m more of a vampire girl, I really love this movie.

4. “Suspiria”

Just to be clear, I mean 1977 one, and not the more recent remake starring Dakota Johnson. I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t recommend at least one Dario Argento film. “Suspiria” is a technicolor fantasy, involving witches at a ballet school.  Argento’s films, if nothing else, are gorgeous to look at. With bright colors, brilliant set design, and a great performance from our lead actress, Jessica Harper, this movie has it all.

5. “Night of the Living Dead”

A classic zombie movie directed by the legendary George A. Romero, this film was released instantly into the public domain due to an editing error and is incredibly easy to find. It’s one of the most important zombie movies ever made and had a big impact on the horror industry. It’s a social satire and was one of the first modern zombie movies.

6. “Slumber Party Massacre 2”

One of my personal favorite movies ever is this slasher film with a killer who has a rocking style and plays the guitar. He even performs while chasing someone down. The Driller Killer is the lead role played by Atanis llitch, whom you may not recognize since he had no prior film credits. But you may know his dad as the owner and founder of the one and only Little Caesars Pizza. Although the first movie is good, it’s not totally connected to the second movie, and anything that is connected gets explained. So you can either have a double movie night or go in totally blind. Either way, you’re in for a ride.

7. “An American Werewolf in London”

Another werewolf film, this movie has some of my favorite practical effects. The werewolf turning scene is done totally without CGI and is instead filmed with numerous limbs and heads to turn our lead actor into the terrifying creature. The transformation scene itself took a whole week to shoot. It’s a classic horror-comedy film, and not super scary. It’s a good movie for getting into horror or just a scary movie for people who don’t usually like horror movies.

8. “Addams Family Values”

Another classic movie, “Addams Family Values” is one of my favorite movies to watch around fall. This movie has an amazing cast, and although it isn’t scary, it’s perfect for the fall season. It’s a cult classic commonly something people think of when you think of Halloween movies.

9. “The Haunting Hour”

This one is an honorable mention from my childhood. One of the reasons I loved Halloween was because I would rewatch episodes of “Goosebumps” and “The Haunting Hour,” so when I found out about this movie, I was stoked. I remember watching it every night to fall asleep in fall. It’s a children’s horror movie, but I associate it so much with this season, I think it’s only right that I mention it.

10. “Garfield’s Halloween Adventure”

Although it’s very different from the rest of my recommendations, rewatching this on Halloween was a big part of my childhood, and I feel the need to mention it. It’s only about 30 minutes long and a super quick watch. It’s also pretty decently spooky with some ghost pirates. It’s something everyone can enjoy, because who doesn’t love Garfield?