According to a survey of Spicylocals users, watching horror movies together on a date increases your chances of success by providing you with an additional topic for discussion. This particular genre might not seem like the most obvious choice for a date night compared to, say, a rom-com or adventure film, especially if there’s a lot of gore and you are frequently watching the action unfolding through the gaps in your fingers. But sharing the experience of a terrifying couple of hours will bring you so much closer together than soppy romance. Jump scares are the perfect excuse to throw yourself into your partner’s arms! With so many awesome titles to choose from, covering every horror sub-genre from haunted mansions to zombies, vampires to serial killers, the hardest task is narrowing down your date night choice. Here are five especially recommended Halloween thrillers.
1 Trick ‘r Treat – Official Trailer (2009)
One of the most memorable horror themes is taking shorter stories and interweaving the narrative, hearkening back to the days when suspense thrillers were often serialized in pulp magazines. Contemporary storytellers, such as Steven King, still rely on cramming as much white-knuckle action as they can into shorter fiction. Trick ‘r Treat focuses on the residents of a small American town at Halloween time, revealing that there are far more sinister spirits at large than the ones being impersonated by partygoers. These tales of terror reveal the drastic consequences of a Jack-o-Lantern being extinguished before its rightful time (midnight). There is always something about spooky Halloween decorations like pumpkins with eerie faces carved into them. Pick of the related stories is one where a mean old resident comes face-to-face with an infinitely more worrying supernatural prankster.
2 When A Stranger Calls (2006)
In this psychological thriller, Belle (Jill Johnson), a babysitter, starts being plagued by nuisance phone calls from a mysterious stranger (played by Tommy Flanagan and Lance Henrikson). The film’s opening sequence sets the creepy tone for the rest of the movie when sheriffs investigate the aftermath of a multiple murder scene in a house. The killer has despatched three kids and their babysitter with his bare hands. 125 miles away from the carnage, a babysitter in Colorado finds herself being stalked. The situation worsens when Belle sees a shadowy figure lurking in the guesthouse. Is there a connection with earlier events? What do you think? Just order in the takeaway food and prepare to be spooked every time the phone rings.
3 The Cabin in The Woods (2012)
This unusual horror feature is definitely worth watching on date night. The intriguing plot unfolds after engineers in a mysterious underground testing lab discuss plans for some kind of ritual. Then we cut to the titular cabin in the woods, where American college students are enjoying a break, only to come under the influence of mind-altering drugs that boost libido, but seriously impair the ability to make rational decisions. Soon the youngsters are facing ever more treacherous scenarios until it becomes apparent they are the guinea pigs in some nightmarish reality TV show. Also featuring zombies and werewolves, as well as the overarching plotline (a hallucinogenic R-rated version of Big Brother or The Truman Show) this quirky feature will have you perched on the edge of your seats throughout.
4 The Conjuring (2013)
Perhaps lower on gore than the aforementioned cabin, The Conjuring is a seriously disturbing paranormal thriller that will get the goose bumps prickling. We flashback to 1971 when a family moves into an isolated farmhouse in Rhode Island. That their pet dog initially refuses to enter, and they discover a boarded-up cellar does not make for the most welcoming of entrances. Then the daughter, Sadie, claims to have seen a spirit, one that is even less welcoming to their newcomers. There follow various scary events as the occupants contact demonologists to investigate the ever-creepier goings-on. Eventually, a priest is summoned to perform an exorcism. Demonic presences may crop up in a lot of these films, but that doesn’t make them any less scary or unpredictable. The good news is that you’ve got your partner within arm’s length when you need someone to comfort you!
5 Midsommar (2019)
US college students are writing theses about ancient Northern European folklore. One of them has relatives in an isolated Swedish community, who celebrate a pagan festival once every 90 years. That this coincides with an investigative visit by the Americans is most opportune. What is less opportune is the fact that these cultists also welcome fresh blood when it comes to appeasing their ancient gods with sacrifices. The overall atmosphere of affable hippy-like commune dwellers just makes the secrets they are harboring all the more terrifying.