Top 10 Scariest Movies to Watch This October

By Chewed Up VHS

It’s September, the nights are getting longer, and spooky season is just around the corner. Forget college football and pumpkin spice — this season is for the horror fans. The chills, the thrills, and the movies that make you sleep with one eye open are back, and I’ve dug through the vault to bring you the 10 scariest films to watch this October. Get ready to lock your doors, grab a blanket, and maybe reconsider ever turning off the lights again.

The Exorcist (1973) The OG of scary movies. If you haven’t seen a little girl levitate and speak in tongues and then lose it in the middle of the night, have you even experienced terror? This one will make you check under your bed twice.

Sinister (2012) Home videos gone wrong, a demon that hides in plain sight, and Ethan Hawke losing it in slow, terrifying fashion. This one gets under your skin like nothing else.

Hereditary (2018) A modern nightmare that drags you into a family spiral of grief, secrets, and something way darker. Toni Collette’s performance alone is enough to haunt you for weeks.

1408 (2007) John Cusack trapped in a haunted hotel room that seems to warp reality itself. The tension, the scares, the psychological torment — this one will make you think twice before booking a hotel.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) Raw, grimy, and relentless. Leatherface and his gang are the kind of horrors that stick with you long after the credits roll.

The Conjuring (2013) Based on “real” paranormal cases (allegedly), it’s a haunted house story done right — full of jump scares, tension, and that slow-building dread that makes you want to sleep with the lights on.

Halloween (1978) Michael Myers is the ultimate boogeyman. Stalking, silent, unstoppable — this one’s suspenseful, creepy, and perfect for an October night.

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) Freddy Krueger: the guy who can kill you in your sleep. Sweet dreams, losers.

The Ring (2002) Watch a cursed videotape and you have seven days to live. Simple, scary, and will make you paranoid about every old VHS you find in your closet.

Skinamarink (2022) Yeah, this one’s weird. It’s slow, it’s trippy, and it’ll mess with your brain in ways most horror films can’t. Doors vanish, voices warp, and you feel like a kid trapped in a nightmare — perfect for a weird, unsettling October night.