Staff Picks: Wesley Thomas Drops His Picks for 10 Scariest Movies

Written by: Wesley Thomas

Have the past few horror movies you’ve seen not been that great? Are you in a bad horror movie slump? Wanna snap out of it? Then this list is the perfect way to do so. I guarantee that these movies will chill, frighten, and horrify you! From breathless tension, jump-out-of-your-seat moments, and scarring scenes of terror, this list has it all.

1) The Conjuring 

With Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson, this movie revolves around strange goings on in an old house. While many horror movies have that same premise, this one stands out from the rest. Genuinely scary!

2) Insidious

A young boy has a rather strange ability of dream-travelling. Sounds cool, it isn’t. Not when he leaves his body vulnerable to possessions from various demons. Also, starring Patrick Wilson, alongside Rose Byrne, this is sheer terror in a film. Jumpy. Tense. Frightening.

3) Sinister 

An author prepares for his next novel, predicting another bestseller. His research takes him into darker places than he ever imagined, including tapes of family deaths in the attic of his new house. A house where many a murder took place. Truly unnerving and constantly unsettling.

4) Evil Things

A group of young people head out to a cabin to celebrate a birthday. They expected laughs, alcohol, frolicking and good times. They didn’t foresee being stalked by something beyond their comprehension. Low budget but terrific! This film challenges horror movies with Hollywood budgets as it achieves genuine thrills and chills.

5) Insidious 2

I know, I know. Sequels don’t seem to be popular with horror fans, personally I love them, if they are done for the right reasons and add to the story. This one does. The family are now suffering the consequences of the dream-travelling child and what they went through to get him back. Now the horror is a little closer to home. Again, sensationally sinister, but the part that will haunt your dreams about this movie, is the villain: mind-numbingly horrifying.

6) Lights Out

Stemming from a short film, comes a feature length movie of perfect horror. Sticks to all the rules, yet doesn’t get boring or predictable for one second. A young girl helps her brother battle a supernatural being that’s been plaguing him. Many jumps. Many scares. All woven through an intriguing story.

7) 30 Days of Night

Vampires have never scared me, until this movie. Darkness consumes an Alaskan town for a month, leaving it vulnerable to attacks from unnatural beings. The fear factor of this movie is the vampires. Disturbing fiends. Foreign language. Blood-thirsty. Smart. Strong. They are the beasts that monsters have nightmares about. Melissa George and Josh Hartnett star.

8) Paranormal Activity

A home invasion by a ghost. Sounds overdone, right? Wrong! This movie actually offers goosebump-moments in abundance. Tip, if you are one of those annoying movie watchers that can’t pry their phone or tablets from their hands, even during a movie, maybe forgo this one, or leave technology at the door. This is only terrifying if you pay attention. The horror is in the subtly and realism.

9) Don’t Breathe

While scariness is slight, there is a wealth of tension practically throughout the whole movie. Never have I watched such an excellently tense movie. A threesome of youngsters break into a house, hearing the owner is blind and therefore weak and disadvantaged to a burglary, should he wake up. They didn’t take into account that this man isn’t your typical blind person. Tense. Tense. Tense. You have to watch this!

10) The Visit

Do some old people creep you out? They will after this movie. Two kids reconnect with their grandparents only to discover these aren’t your ordinary Gramps and Grams. Something is seriously wrong with these senior citizens. Steady pace stitched with bizarreness and creepiness, that leads to a superb yet horrifying ending.