#5 - “Paranormal Activity”
A period piece taking place in a time long gone (2007), “Paranormal Activity” is a classic example of a haunted house movie. Sparingly shot and cast, this movie strips away the usual Hollywood polish to deliver scares that are frighteningly real. The movie is formatted as found footage, a genre that some find middling, but others appreciate for its authentic style. Horror hits harder when it’s more believable to its audience, afterall. Sometimes all you need is a video camera, a couple of young people in their underwear, and a house chock full of pissed off ghosts.
#4 - “Brooklyn 45”
I adore this movie. It takes the time necessary to get us invested in the characters, and then wham, ghost hands are coming out of tables and there’s a dead war hero on the floor. Set in 1945 just after the end of the second world war, five old war buddies spend the night trapped in a haunted apartment building, and in order to escape they have to murder an innocent civilian woman. Maybe. This movie is definitely going to make you think, and you’ll find that no character is free of good or evil.
#3 - “The Grudge”
A surreal journey following a handful of Americans woefully out of their depth in suburban Japan, “The Grudge” is easily one of the most terrifying movies I have ever seen. It’s presented as a series of events out of chronological order, leaving it up to the viewer to solve the mystery themselves. One of the best aspects of the movie are the ghosts, who are so creepy it makes my tongue sizzle. Bonus points to anyone who watches the original Japanese version, although in my opinion the American remake does it justice.
#2 - “Malum”
“Malum” will shock you. It’s shocking. It’s unsettling. It will stick with you after you’re done watching it. Imagine if you will, Haunting of Hill House meets the Manson family, except instead of a banging mansion it’s a shitty police station. And that’s just scratching the surface! A light watch this is not. But if you’re ready to get scared, question everything, and kill an hour and a half, I can think of no better way to do it than to watch “Malum”.
#1 - “Terrifier 2”
The gore? Immaculate. The monster? Nightmarish. The acting? Not that great. You may be wondering why I chose to put “Terrifier 2” on this list and not “Terrifier 1”. “Terrifier 1” doesn’t have ghosts in it. Also, contrary to the majority of sequels, “Terrifier 2” improves upon its predecessor. Art the Clown, our titular terrifyer, made a splash with his debut movie, and the sequel cements him as a horror movie legend. If you’re a horror junkie, do yourself a favor and watch “Terrifier 2”.
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Art by Willow Troise