As the air cools, leaves begin to abandon the branches and the fall season approaches, people often long for rainy morning walks, knitted wool sweaters, Gilmore Girls, and pumpkin spice lattes. Then October knocks—and it doesn’t always knock kindly. Because for horror lovers, fall means something else entirely. It’s when spooky fills the air. Pumpkin isn’t just a cozy drink mixed with coffee beans; it’s the hollow, carved fruit glowing from within that sends chills down your spine. Wool isn’t just a sweater—it’s the blanket we pull over ourselves while watching a scary movie.
As a lover of the horror genre for God knows how long, I still wonder what made a nine-year-old girl eager to watch a movie about a cursed doll named Chucky—and actually enjoy it. Then came a series of others: The Grudge, The Ring, Final Destination and so on. Maybe it was the adrenaline rush, or the hunger to know what lurks in the dark. Or maybe it runs in my blood—my mother often told me the story of how my late father once took her to the cinema to see the famous Egyptian horror movie El-Ta’witha (The Spell) back in the day. Needless to say that she got startled and fell asleep in the beginning of the movie. Nevertheless, kudos, dad, for the good cinematic taste. But regardless of the reason why, one thing is for sure: the feeling is like no other.
And then there’s the company you keep—being surrounded by people who share the same passion. Sitting and talking for days about horror shows with true devotees. Seeing eye to eye over some works, playfully arguing over others. Either way, you find yourself immersed in all the festivities of terror with the like-minded.
That being said, fall is indeed a unique season, and everyone celebrates it in their own way—whether walking with a hot drink and an umbrella or spending the night with terrifying movies.
Now, in case you got hooked, I wouldn’t wish to leave you empty-handed. Here’s a list of horror movies—assembled by a great group of true horror enthusiasts—whose themes vary from demonic presence, psychological horror to gruesome murders.
31 movies for 31 days of October. Go get spooked!
1. Talk to Me (2022)
2. The Exorcist (1973)
3. Sinister (2012)
4. When Evil Lurks (2023)
5. Hereditary (2018)
6. The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)
7. Carrie (1976)
8. The Substance (2024)
9. Nosferatu (1922)
10. Longlegs (2024)
11. The Conjuring (2013)
12. The Conjuring 2 (2016)
13. Smile (2022)
14. Smile 2 (2025)
15. Final Destination 3 (2006)
16. [REC] (2007)
17. Mama (2013)
18. The Wailing (2016)
19. Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
20. Lake Mungo (2008)
21. Midsommer (2019)
22. The Grudge (2002)
23. Tremors (1990)
24. Angst (1983)
25. Videodrome (1983)
26. The Medium (2021)
27. Inside (2007)
28. The killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)
29. The Sixth Sense (1999)
30. Horror Express (1972)
31. Dancing with the Devil (Al-Raqs ma’a Al-Shaitan) (1993)
