Commentary: Halloween movies for every kind of moviegoer

My roommate, Aubrey, and I are experiencing a roadblock in our (so far) harmonious living situation… When it comes to movie preference, she is a wimp and I am a wacko. She enjoys watching Hallmark movies and rom-coms, and I’ll only watch a movie if there’s some type of disclaimer at the beginning to warn children or if it’s some ghost story that includes the tagline, “based on a true story.” This stark contrast in our preferences has made it difficult for us to choose something to watch in our shared downtime, ESPECIALLY since it’s spooky season, and I’m ready to bring on the scary movies!

Whether you’re a weenie like Aubrey, a psychopath like me, or some kind of normal person in-between, I believe there’s a perfect genre of scary movie for EVERYONE to enjoy this Halloween. Luckily, you have me — a self-proclaimed fanatic of everything spooky — to give you the recommendations you need to get yourself in the season.

For Wimps: For people who are self-identified weenies when it comes to horror, I firstly recommend any movie made before 1990. Although many of these movies are definitely twisted horror classics, certain elements of them are so laughable that they are highly unlikely to keep you up at night. These movies include Hitchcock’s “Psycho,” Spielberg’s “Poltergeist,” the original “Halloween” (1978), “Friday the 13th” (1980) and any original movie adaptations of Stephen King novels like “The Shining” or “Carrie.” Many of these movies were the pioneers to today’s silly scary movie stereotypes; between the predictable plotlines and often-dated special effects, I don’t think these movies are anything to be afraid of, but they still give you some horror movie cred!

For the in-betweens: For those who put themselves “somewhere in-between” on the scary-movie-preference scale, I recommend suspense/thriller movies. Lots of people debate whether or not these movies should be categorized as “horror” at all, but so many of them have elements that definitely stick with you. Some of my favorite older psychological thrillers include “The Silence of the Lambs” with its following movies and TV adaptations, “Primal Fear” and the classic psychological ghost-story “The Sixth Sense.” The movie “Blair Witch Project” is another suspenseful thriller that many people enjoy, but full disclosure, I personally dislike that movie for too many reasons than I have space to talk about, so watch it at your own risk. There are also many newer psychological movies that I really enjoy, including, but not limited to, “Hush,” “Split,” “Get Out,” “Parasite” and any of the “Purge” movies.

For the Crazies: I’d like to extend a warm welcome to my fellow psychopaths who have made it this far. Below is a list of all my all-time favorite scary movies from all different types of genres.

For those who like ghosts and spirits, I recommend “The Devil’s Backbone,” “The Ring” (the 2002 American version), the “Insidious” series or “The Conjuring” series. Narrowing that genre further, for those extra-crazies who like religious ghost stories, I enjoy “The Nun,” “St. Agatha,” “The Unholy” and OF COURSE “The Exorcist” (the original 1973 one), along with the plethora of other films that begin with “The Exorcism of…”

For anyone who never wants to sleep again, a couple scary “J-horror” films are, “Ringu” (the original Japanese version from 1998), “The Grudge” and “The Host.” Are you one of the few humans who doesn’t fear clowns or dolls? I’d recommend “Child’s Play,” “The Boy,” the “Annabelle” series and — though I personally detest these movies as well — the “IT” franchise. Lastly, for those who are into the gorey and gross, try out “Antichrist,” “The Midnight Meat Train” or “Human Centipede.”

Although this list is only a slim representation of the many scary movies out there, I hope it gives you enough suggestions to get you started in boosting your Halloween cred.