It’s October, and unless you are a year-long horror movie fanatic, horror movies are back in season. So in preparation for Halloween and the abundance of candy that comes with it, here are the top 10 horror movies that will get you pumped for Halloween.

10. “As Above, So Below” 

Rated: R

“The only way out is down.” – La Taupe

Archaeologist, Scarlett Marlowe, recruits George (her former lover), Benji (her assistant/cameraman), Papillon (a stranger), Siouxie (Papillon’s girlfriend) and Zed (Papillon’s friend) to explore the Catacombs of Paris to find the Philosopher’s Stone— a stone that can turn base metals into gold or silver. This film is not for the claustrophobic; the main characters find themselves squeezing into tight spaces frequently throughout the movie. It’s filmed like “Paranormal Activity,” having the explorers record it, which adds a sense of anticipation. The movie is mostly in first person,  which makes it more personal. It gives the audience a feeling of the unknown as the main characters search through the forbidden maze of bones and start to realize that they’re deeper in the Catacombs than they thought. 

Warnings: Major blood, violence and nudity.

9. “You’re Next”

Rated: R

“Felix, I knew you were into some sketchy stuff!” – Drake Davison

In an attempt to get the family together, the Davisons request that their relatives come over for dinner. To their demise, they find out that there is a killer among them. “You’re Next” is a horror-comedy that has genuine and funny dialogue. The writers and directors make the Davidsons talk like a real family would. It’s perfect at making the audience suspect everyone and it’s great if you like a good ‘who-done-it’ situation.

Warnings: Violence, flashing lights and some dark humor. 

8. “The Purge”

Rated: R

“Just remember all the good the purge does.” – Mary Sandin

In a world where all crime is legal for 12 hours, viewers follow a family as they try to survive the night. But when Charlie Sandin, son of James and Mary Sandin, lets in a wounded stranger, he puts his entire family in danger. It turns out a group of masked individuals are after the stranger they let into their household. The family has to decide whether to hand over the injured man to death or to keep him safe and protected. It’s suspenseful and its later movies get more into the politics of it all, making a statement on wealth and government power.

Warnings: Violence and nudity. 

7. “Sleepaway Camp”

Rated: R

“If she were any quieter, she’d be dead!”- Meg

Cousins Angela Baker and Ricky Thomas are sent to a summer sleepaway camp. While attending the camp, both face issues of their own. Ricky deals with the stronger teen boys and Angela faces the never-ending scrutiny from the other girls. Angela is bullied for being mostly mute since she was the lone survivor after her brother and father’s death. After only being at the camp for a short amount of time, they find out a killer is on the loose. The camp counselors try to keep everyone safe while trying not to worry them. On top of this, they also attempt to figure out who it is— as the evidence to different people at the camp keeps piling up. Making it difficult to tell who the killer actually is.

Warnings: Child death/abuse, severe burns, and nudity. 

6. “Cloverfield”

Rated: PG-13

“Okay, just to be clear here, our options are: die here, die in the tunnels, or die in the streets. That pretty much it?” – Hud

During a going away party for Rob Hawkins, something hits New York City. A huge creature starts rampaging through the streets infecting people.  In desperation to escape the infection, Rob and some friends hide in the Subway. However, Rob gets a call from his girlfriend who is stuck in her apartment and needs his help. The team must survive while traveling through the middle of the city and underground to save her before it’s too late. The movie is funny and is a top-tier sci-fi horror movie with aliens, an obscure group of friends and infections. It has a few scares and is also filmed like “Paranormal Activity” and “As Above, So Below.” 

Warnings: Severe violence and frightening imagery. 

5. “Us”

Rated: R

“It’s our time now. Our time up there.” – Red

The Wilson family goes on vacation and rents a beach house by a boardwalk where mother, Adalaide Wilson, grew up. She keeps getting a feeling that something is wrong and turns out to be right when four masked strangers show up in their driveway and enter their home. It turns out that the masked strangers look exactly like the family. The Wilson family tries to survive these doppelgangers and figure out where they came from. It’s a good, funny movie that has a sort of political commentary to it about the evil within you and you being your own worst enemy. 

Warnings: Violence and child death.

4. “IT” (2017-2019)

Both rated: R

“Beep beep, Richie!” – Pennywise

“IT” is a two-part series about a group of kids in Derry, Maine facing off against a monster that takes the form of what they fear the most. The first movie follows the “Losers Club” as kids and introduces their personal struggles. They fight their first battle against Pennywise, and win, but they don’t realize the fight isn’t over yet. The second movie is set 27 years later, we follow the kids, now as adults, as they come back to Derry to try and defeat Pennywise once and for all. The two movies are gory and scary, but have a fair share of laughs too. It can be triggering to some audiences, so viewer discretion is advised. 

Warnings: Severe gore and violence, homophobia, sexual abuse, suicide and frightening scenes/imagery.

3. “Escape Room”

Rated: PG-13

“This is the worst game of Twister ever.”- Ben Miller                    

Six strangers with almost nothing in common are called to do an escape room. If they escape, they win a big money prize. No one knows why they were called there and soon realize that not everyone will survive till the end. They start to notice that all the rooms are made to cater each participant’s fears and trauma. It’s got a good plot and is a suspenseful film. The audience will find themselves wondering when the next plot twist or turn will be. 

Warnings: Major flashing lights, frightening scenes and violence.

2. “A Quiet Place”

Rated: PG-13

“You should tell her.” – Marcus Abbott

Monsters with ultra-sensitive hearing come to earth and being quiet is the only way of survival. The audience follows Lee, Evelyn, Reagan and Marcus Abbott through this quiet world as Evelyn prepares to have a baby. It has a balance between apocalyptic silence and family issues. With so little dialogue, the film has amazing sound design and it uses the silence to its advantage with the scares. 

Warnings: Frightening scenes, child death and blood/violence.

1. “Cabin in the Woods”

Rated: R

“Okay, I’m drawing a line in the sand here. Do not read the latin!” – Marty 

Five teens go out to an isolated cabin in the middle of the woods for a weekend.  Main characters Dana, Curt, Jules, Holden and Marty find a basement full of seemingly random objects. In the basement, they discover a book that seals all of their fates in the cabin. It’s revealed that everything is controlled by a group of people in an underground lab. These people in the underground lab have a goal to make sure everyone dies. The movie provides an explanation for every horror movie stereotype. It’s funny, creative and the climax of the story is amazing. 

Warnings: Major blood and violence, nudity and frightening imagery.