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Beneath the Reel: 31 Knights of Fright

The 31 best movies to watch each day of October

Hunter Knight is a junior advertisement major and writes "Beneath the Reel" for the Daily News. His views do not necessarily agree with those of the newspaper. Write to Hunter at jhknight@bsu.edu.

Hunter Knight

I am bringing you a huge list of horror movies to binge watch this Halloween season. The list starts in the '60s and goes all the way to present day to give the highlights of notable horrors throughout the decades. So, grab some pals, get a bucket of popcorn, and hopefully jump out of your seat and enjoy the horrific stylings of the 31 Knights of Frights. 

  1. "Psycho" (1960): One of Alfred Hitchcock’s most notable films, brings the true suspense to life through its most popular scene and creates one of horror’s most iconic characters: Norman Bates.
  2. "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" (1974): Tobe Hooper’s (may he rest in peace) first critically successful film. The film is so horrifying that some audience members during the sneak previews walked out, so Hooper tried to push for a PG rating.
  3. "The Shining" (1980): The film strikingly composes insanity at its finest, with a notable performance by Jack Nicholson.  
  4. "Friday the 13th" (1980): One of the first successful camp slasher films that made the Horror Icon, Jason, famous. 
  5. "Evil Dead' (1981): A campy, yet scary, film that launched Bruce Campbell’s B-movie career, almost truly defining the meaning of a cult film. 
  6. "A Nightmare on Elm Street" (1984): The start of the Horror Icon: Freddy Krueger’s career in horror blends jump scares, terror, and gore. 
  7. "Fright Night" (1985): "Fright Night" provides viewers with another cult horror classic that focuses on a teen’s escapades when he finds out his new neighbor is a vampire. 
  8. "Re-Animator": This is a film based on H.P. Lovecraft’s story about experiments that are centered on re-animated dead tissue. 
  9. "Evil Dead II": A somewhat of a rehash of the original, "Evil Dead II" focuses more on the horror comedic side of things, thus maintaining its cult charm. 
  10. "Army of Darkness": It is the third film in the "Evil Dead" trilogy that focuses on Ash’s time-traveling exploits. The film delivers its kooky horror humor just as "Evil Dead II" did. 
  11. "Dead Alive" (Brain Dead): It is known as the goriest film of all time and was Peter Jackson’s ("Lord of the Rings") third film. 
  12. "Scream": Wes Craven developed his take on a killer that terrorizes teens through horror film-themed games that results in their death.
  13. "House of 1000 Corpses": Rob Zombie created a horror movie to pay homage to "Texas Chain Saw Massacre," but it also pays homage to exploitative films as well as the Bettie Page pornographic era of “pin up” girls. 
  14. "The Devil’s Rejects": It’s a sequel to "House of 1000 Corpses", but this time it's a fun and terrorizing riot that only pays homage to itself. 
  15. "Fright Night" (2011): Remakes are never really as good as the first, but this one delivers great laughs and chills as "Fright Night" gets its “second-chance” debut for a mainstream audience. 
  16. "The Cabin in the Woods": This takes horror clichés to the next level with its over-the-top gore, yet surprisingly wicked twist.
  17. "You’re Next": A twist to the home invasion horror genre that has a female lead and comedy sprinkled throughout. You will definitely not want to be “Next” after seeing this film. 
  18. "Evil Dead" (2013): This movie combines the premise of "Evil Dead" I & II, but it leaves out the corny jokes and focuses on pure terror and gore that will leave the viewer speechless. 
  19. "We Are What We Are": It's an eerie indie film that has high suspense and undertone chills as the viewer uncovers this family’s deep dark secret. 
  20. "The Babadook": This Australian terror delivers a jaw-dropping psychological horror with subtle jump scares as a mother and her son are visited by an unwelcome guest. 
  21. "It Follows": The premise is simple. It’s a horror movie about sexually transmitted diseases, but it captivates your tension with its unexpected jump scares and indie dialect. 
  22. "The Witch": It's a folklore tale of witches brought to the silver screen. It may be slow, but the dialect is enticing; you’ll never be able to look at goats the same way after watching this film. 
  23. "We Are Still Here": This low-budget horror reels you in on its unique take of a small town with big secrets, but it leaves you bewildered by its ending. 
  24. "Hush": It’s an indie home invasion with a twist: the victim is deaf. 
  25. "I Am Not a Serial Killer": The premise is exactly what the movie is about, except the film brings in fantasy horror elements into the mix concerning who — and what — the killer really is. 
  26. "Don’t Breathe": Twists like wildfire make this horror home invasion a masterpiece of true suspense. 
  27. "The Void": This pays great homage to classic gore cult cinema with dark humor.
  28. "Get Out": It has a predictable plot but captivates you in its smart dialect and fantastic execution. This is the horror film for modern viewers.  
  29. "It Comes at Night": This is an indie apocalyptic horror that leaves you terrified in many different ways. 
  30. "It" (2017): This blockbuster horror thrills at a cheap indie budget price and makes you scream and laugh all at once.  
  31. "Mother!": This is a film that generates horror through thought-provoking characters and a script that was brought to you by Darren Aronofsky ("Black Swan" and "Requiem for a Dream"). 

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