With Halloween right around the corner, this list provides viewers with no shortage of scares, thrills, and even some laughs

Annabelle

Rated R

Released October 3,2014

Runtime: 98 minutes

Directed by John R. Leonetti

If you are starting out in the scary movie genre, this is a good movie to begin with. A soon to be father buys a beautiful doll for his expecting wife. Everything is quite happy until one night a satanic cult invades their home smearing blood on the nursery wall and on a doll, Annabelle. This soon opens a doorway to a great evil. The couple must find a way to defeat the evil presence.

Pro Review: “The late-60’s Satanic panic and housewifely ennui make for a surprisingly complementary mix of fear and paranoia in “Annabelle,” said Inkoo Kang, the wrap.com.

Cabin in the Woods 

Rated R

Released April 13,2012

Runtime: 95 minutes

Directed by Drew Goddard

Five friends (Jesse William, Fran Kranz, Chris Hemsworth, Kristen Connolly, Anna Hutchison) take a vacation to a secluded cabin in the forest. They thought this trip would be a good break for them; what they didn’t expect was the horrors waiting for them. They are soon terrorized by demonic creatures that slowly pick members off one by one. What the group doesn’t realize is there is an influence in the game –  two scientists (Bradley Whitford, Richard Jenkins) who control what happens in the cabin. As chaos continues, there is more than meets the eye. This isn’t just your average horror movie; it’s uniquely terrifying and mysterious.

Student review: “I enjoyed the movie due to all the little hidden secrets in the background,” said senior Kyle Doyle.   “[It’s] thought provoking and disturbing.”

The Ring

Rated PG-13

Released October 18, 2002

Runtime: 115 minutes

Directed by Gore Verbinski

A videotape containing disturbing images leads to a strange phone call saying the viewer of the video will die mysteriously exactly one week later. After four teenagers all die mysteriously within a week of watching the disturbing tape, journalist Rachel Kelller (Naomi Watts) investigates. After finding the video and watching it, Rachel has seven days to solve the mystery or she may suffer the same fate as the fallen teenagers.

Student review: “It was kind of scary,” said freshmen Rachel Kothe.  “[The best part is] when the lady crawled out of the T.V.”

Sinister

Rated R

Released October 12,2012

Runtime: 109 minutes

Directed and written by Scott Derrickson

A writer (Ethan Hawke) finds a box of strange home movies in his family’s new home. As he watches them, he sees gory and disturbing images. What happens next is what he didn’t expect. The videos and house open a gateway for a dark evil to take over and terrorize his family.

Student review: “It was different than a lot of horror movies because a lot of other horror movies are like a jump scare, ghost, and this is more like a gruesome thriller type of deal,” said senior Thomas Dinneny. “[It was] sinister and haunting.”

The Conjuring

Rated R

Released July 19,2013

Runtime: 112 minutes

Directed by Carey Hayes, Chad Hayes

Telling the story of Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga), who are well-known paranormal investigators who are called on by Carolyn Perron (Lilli Taylor) claiming her family is experiencing strange situations that have escalated too high for the family to handle. As the Warrens look around the house, they realize this will be their most challenging and horrifying case yet.

Student review: “[It was] creepy, eerie, and intense” said freshmen Mariah Powell.

The Conjuring 2

Rated R

Released June 10,2016

Runtime: 133 minutes

Directed by James Wan

This is a continuation of the story of Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine Warren’s (Vera Farmiga) paranormal investigations. The pair travel to London in order to help a single mother (Peggy Hodgron) of four children (Madison Wolfe, Lauren Esposito, Benjamin Haigh, Patrick McCauley) as she claims something evil is in the house and torments them almost every single night. The Warrens believe the story as there are signs of possession in the daughter Janet (Madison Wolfe).

Student review: “I love horror movies. Movies like this that are intense I’m obsessed with,” said freshman Helen Flamenco. “[It was] intense and  scary, mysterious and suspenseful.”

Silence of the Lambs

Rated R

Released February 13,1991

Runtime: 118 minutes

Directed by Jonathan Demme

Claire Starling (Jodie Foster) is number one at the FBIs training academy. Known for her knowledge and understanding of serial killers, she is given the assignment to track down a murder named Buffalo Bill. He is known for torturing and killing young women. To get information on Buffalo Bill, Claire must turn to Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) who is former psychiatrist turned psychopath for information on Buffalo Bill. Dr. Hannibal Lecter’s information comes with a price; Claire must tell him about her dark past. Hannibal uses her past against her with mind games to weaken her when she needs to stay strong the most.

Teacher review: “Absolutely terrifying, hideous, and gruesome,” said English teacher Jason Walker. Walker continued to say, “People need to know that going in; if they don’t, that’s on them.”

Annabelle Creation

Rated R

Released August 11,2016

Runtime: 109 minutes

Directed by David F. Sandberg

A prequel to Annabelle (see movie #1 up top), a sweet couple that is still grieving the death of their daughter, Annabelle, happily welcome orphaned children into their house. As the children explore, one child enters a forbidden room and finds a beautiful doll that seems innocent and warmly until it appears to have a life of its own and terror strikes fast.

Pro Review: “Annabelle Creation is no lifeless dummy. Plotting may run a bit thin and coincidental, but David F. Sandberg whips up bone-chilling scares and hefty doses of peek-through-your-fingers imagery,” said Matt Donato from Wegotthiscovered.com

IT

Rated R

Released September 8,2017

Runtime: 135 minutes

Directed by Andy Muschietti

When children start to strangely disappear throughout the town of Derry, a group of kids called the losers club face their fears when they must defeat a shapeshifting clown, Pennywise, who rises from the sewer every 27 to feast on the town’s children. This movie version of Stephen King’s It ties in humor along with terror, which gives it a fresh spin compared to the 90s miniseries

Student review: “Scary, funny, freaky, and weird,” said freshman Marcus Almendares.

The Babadook

Rated NR

Released November 28,2014

Runtime: 94 minutes

Directed by Jennifer Kent

Years after her husband’s death, Amelia (Essie Davis) is lost and sad. She struggles to take care of her son Samuel (Noah Wiseman) who keeps mentioning that there is a monster under his bed. Strangely the book called ‘The Babadook’ is found in the house, and Samuel is convinced that the Babadook is the monster that he has been seeing. As Samuel becomes more violent and acts out more, strange things happen in the house, and Amelia sees the outline of some creature. She starts to believe there may be a monster in their house.

Student review: “The movie is more creepy than scary,” said freshmen Emma Henon.

Happy viewing!