7 Classic Horror Movies to Watch This Halloween Season

As October kicks off, I’m excited to share my list of 7 must-watch classic horror films that will immerse you in the Halloween spirit.

These timeless classic horror masterpieces remain terrifying, no matter how many times you watch them. Moreover, most of these films were made before 1980, during a period when filmmakers relied more on raw performances and clever, homemade scares than on special effects.

Top 7 Classic Horror Movies

Psycho (1960)
Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho delivers the chilling tale of Marion Crane, a woman fleeing after stealing $40,000 from her employer. As she attempts to make her escape, she stops at the eerie Bates Motel. There, she encounters the unsettling Norman Bates, which ultimately sets the stage for a series of shocking events.

Night of the Living Dead (1968)
In Night of the Living Dead, George A. Romero shows a group of desperate survivors taking refuge in an abandoned farmhouse as the dead rise from nearby graves. The reanimated corpses, hungry for human flesh, relentlessly hunt the living, turning the night into a brutal fight for survival.

The Exorcist (1973)
Loosely based on real events, The Exorcist follows Regan, a young girl who begins to display terrifying and unnatural behavior. When medical treatments fail to explain her condition, her mother eventually turns to a priest, leading to one of the most iconic battles between good and evil.

Halloween (1978)
On Halloween night, six-year-old Michael Myers brutally murders his sister and is sentenced to a psychiatric institution for 15 years. On October 30, 1978, while being transferred to another facility, Michael escapes by hijacking a vehicle and returns to his hometown of Haddonfield, Illinois, setting off a terrifying chain of events.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
After discovering their grandfather’s grave has been desecrated, Sally and her paraplegic brother, Franklin, decide to investigate. Their search takes them to their family’s abandoned farmhouse, but a deadly detour occurs when they stumble upon a group of deranged outcasts living next door. The monstrous Leatherface, wearing a mask made of human skin, begins hunting them down one by one in a terrifying bloodbath.

Dracula (1931)
Starring Bela Lugosi as the infamous Count Dracula, the story follows the vampire as he relocates to London and begins preying on young women, turning them into vampires with his bloodlust. When Mina, the daughter of a well-known doctor, becomes his next target, it spurs Van Helsing into action, determined to hunt down the sinister count and end his reign of terror.

The Shining (1980)
In an attempt to overcome his writer’s block, Jack moves his family to the isolated Overlook Hotel in Colorado. However, as his writing falls by the wayside, the hotel’s sinister past begins to unravel, driving Jack into a violent descent that threatens to tear his family apart.

October is packed with countless classic horror films and subgenres to explore, making it the perfect month for chills and thrills. Stay tuned—I’ve got plenty of upcoming lists filled with top recommendations for the ultimate Halloween scares.

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