13 Horror Movie Collections That Will Have You Screaming All the Way to Halloween
Starting today, August 1st, there are exactly thirteen weeks left until All Hallow’s Eve. What’s a better time to start binge-watching some of the greatest collections of horror? Prepare to travel back in time, starting with the true horror originals, and working your way up towards the most bone chilling tales of our generation. Read on to see if your personal favorite spine tingler made the cut.
Collection 1: The Original Movie Monsters
It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost a century since these films first graced the silver screen. So groundbreaking for their time, these monsters can still be seen throughout pop culture today. The lack of color in these pictures does not take away from the story being told, and in fact adds a surrealness to the whole ordeal, knowing that most, if not all, involved in making these films are now long since deceased. Do you dare to watch?
- Dracula, 1931.
- Frankenstein, 1931.
- The Mummy, 1932.
- The Wolf Man, 1941.
- The Bride of Frankenstein, 1935.
- Creature from the Black Lagoon, 1954.
Collection 2: Vincent Price and Edgar Allen Poe
Now we’re up to a wonderful mashup of two of my all-time favorite horror figures: The macabre showman Vincent Price, and the widely known king of despair Edgar Allen Poe. Poe’s work has a magnificent way of capturing the inner workings of a madman, and Vincent Price has an uncanny ability to display it. Roger Corman did justice to the world of horror when he brought the two together to form a series of films that are still binge-watched today.
- The House of Usher, 1960.
- The Pit and the Pendulum, 1961.
- The Raven, 1963.
- The Haunted Palace, 1963. (The great Lon Chaney is in this one too, horror fans!)
- The Masque of the Red Death, 1964.
- Tomb of Ligeia, 1964.
- The Oblong Box, 1969. (Spot Christopher Lee in this one!)
Collection 3: Stephen King
While by no means an exhaustive list of films for which the horror author can be credited, no list of horror movie collections could be complete without an honorable mention of King. With film and television adaptations ranging from the 1970’s to today, Stephen King is responsible for the nightmares of at least three generations of horror fans.
- Carrie, 1976
- Salem’s Lot, 1979
- The Shining, 1980
- Creepshow, 1982
- Creepshow 2, 1987
- Pet Sematary, 1989
- Misery, 1990
- Secret Window, 2004
- 1408, 2007
- The Mist, 2007
- IT: Chapter One, 2017
- Pet Sematary (Remake), 2019
- IT: Chapter Two, 2019
- Doctor Sleep, 2019
Collection 4: Halloween
When binge-watching in the name of the Halloween holiday, this horror franchise cannot be overlooked. These films kicked off the popular slasher movie style of the 1980’s. Outside of disciplined horror buffs, it is typically unknown that Halloween was originally meant to be an anthology series, with each sequel telling a different tale of Halloween horror. As such, Halloween 3 will not be included in this list, given that it completely deviates from the Michael Myers story. Killing to a soundtrack that is impossible to hum, this masked killer made a lasting impact on the horror scene.
- Halloween, 1978.
- Halloween II, 1981.
- Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, 1988.
- Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers, 1989.
- Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, 1995.
- Halloween H20: 20 Years Later, 1998.
- Halloween: Resurrection, 2002.
- Halloween, 2018.
(Rob Zombie fans, just hang on. He’s got his own collection).
Collection 5: Alien vs. Predator
Long before one of the biggest horror crossover events in history, each film was its own standalone franchise. Whether it was creatures bursting out of bodies or spines hung in trees, the gore-ific imagery of the films create a haunting memory for the viewer. Given that these two creatures from space created a shared sci-fi nightmare, it is only right that they share this spot on the list together, whether they like it or not.
- Alien, 1979
- Aliens, 1986
- Predator, 1987
- Predator 2, 1990
- Alien3, 1992
- Alien: Resurrection, 1997
- AVP: Alien vs. Predator, 2004
- AVPR: Aliens vs Predator Requiem, 2007
- Predators, 2010
- Prometheus, 2012
- Alien: Covenant, 2017
- The Predator, 2018
Collection 6: Friday the 13th
Did you get Ghostface’s question wrong in Scream? “Who’s the killer in the first Friday the 13th?” Jason Voorhees fans know that the hockey-mask wearing icon as many know him today is far from the image with which the infamous horror series began. While the image took time to solidify, the memorability of the murders did not. Bunk beds at camp will never feel the same again.
- Friday the 13th, 1980
- Friday the 13th Part 2, 1981
- Friday the 13th Part 3, 1982
- Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, 1984 (Spoiler alert: they lied)
- Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning, 1985
- Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives, 1986
- Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood, 1988
- Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan, 1989
- Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday, 1993
- Jason X, 2001
- Freddy vs. Jason, 2003
- Friday the 13th (Remake), 2009
Collection 7: A Nightmare on Elm Street
Where you find Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees, Freddy Krueger is never far behind. Freddy stands out amongst the three, however, not only because he kills in such a different way than his predecessors, but also because of the gleeful temperament Krueger displays as he plays cat and mouse with his victims. Although Freddy Krueger’s humorous nature creates a comedic atmosphere in later films, the horror in the concept is never lost on the viewer. Inspired by a true story, this notion where if you fall asleep, you will not wake up again ensured that no one would feel safe: even in their dreams, because “Every town has an Elm street.”
- A Nightmare on Elm Street, 1984
- A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy’s Revenge, 1985
- A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, 1987
- A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master, 1988
- A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child, 1989
- Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare, 1991
- Wes Craven’s New Nightmare, 1994
- Freddy vs. Jason, 2003
- A Nightmare on Elm Street (Remake), 2010
Collection 8: Child’s Play
Coming in on the heels of six foot tall monsters, at first glance, the miniature killer doll seems to be a simple adversary. However, what Chucky lacks in stature, he makes up for in strength, speed, agility, and rage. The Child’s Play franchise introduced a horrific concept to parents and children alike: What if the worst of the monsters was already in your home, hidden amongst the toys in your children’s room?
- Child’s Play, 1988
- Child’s Play 2, 1990
- Child’s Play 3, 1991
- Bride of Chucky, 1998
- Seed of Chucky, 2004
- Curse of Chucky, 2013
- Cult of Chucky, 2017
- Child’s Play (Remake), 2019
Collection 9: Rob Zombie
He dug through the ditches and burned through the witches, and created a brand of horror that left scary movie fans rooting for the Firefly family and Captain Spaulding. While the legendary characters are only involved in three films on this list, the impact Rob Zombie had on the horror genre cannot be ignored, and thus all of his films are included. Before Rainn Wilson played Dwight Schrute on The Office, he first went on a murder tour that led him to…
- The House of 1000 Corpses, 2003
- Devil’s Rejects, 2005
- Halloween, 2007
- Halloween II, 2009
- Lords of Salem, 2012
- 31, 2016
- 3 From Hell, 2019
Collection 10: Saw
The Saw films brought “torture porn” to the forefront of American horror cinema. While the first Saw film is relatively tame in terms of gore as compared to its successors, the horrific legacy of the franchise cannot be denied. Notorious for elaborate traps, body mutilation, and twist endings that viewers never see coming *cue the memorable theme music*, the Saw films have left many viewers to wonder how they would fare should Jigsaw ever want to play a game with them.
- Saw, 2004
- Saw 2, 2005
- Saw 3, 2006
- Saw 4, 2007
- Saw 5, 2008
- Saw 6, 2009
- Saw: The Final Chapter, 2010
- Jigsaw, 2017
- Spiral: From The Book of Saw, 2021
Collection 11: Paranormal Activity
Found footage films were first popularized by The Blair Witch Project, but that did not stop Paranormal Activity from being the franchise that made this style of filming horror as commonplace as it is today. These haunting films have a way of making it feel as though the ghosts are right at home with you. Because of this, and the directors’ artful work in building suspense, every scene needn’t be action packed because the quiet scenes stand out all the more.
- Paranormal Activity, 2007
- Paranormal Activity 2, 2010
- Paranormal Activity 3, 2011
- Paranormal Activity 4, 2012
- Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones, 2014
- Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension, 2015
Collection 12: The Conjuring Universe
Do you want to play hide and clap? New Line Cinema has done something special with the Conjuring films, as they are often regarded as the scariest mainstream films of our time. Based on actual cases experienced by paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, these films have introduced horror icons into the industry that will undoubtedly withstand the test of time. This series seems to be doing it all: vengeful witches, haunted dolls, demonic possession, and even an evil nun. With more movies rumored to be on the way, The Conjuring universe isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
- The Conjuring, 2013
- Annabelle, 2014
- The Conjuring 2, 2016
- Annabelle: Creation, 2017
- The Nun, 2018
- The Curse of La Llorona, 2019
- Annabelle Comes Home, 2019
- The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, 2021
Collection 13: The New Classics
Before any of the aforementioned films became part of a memorable collection, they were standalone greats that left shocked audiences yelling “Encore!”, forever shaping the future landscape of horror. Some directors’ films may appear on this list more than once: this is how we spot the Wes Cravens and John Carpenters of the next generation. The films that follow are not intended to be connected to each other in any tangible way other than that they are all modern standalone films that have already left their imprint on both the horror genre and those that have been (un)fortunate enough to view them.
- Insidious, 2011
- V/H/S, 2012
- Sinister, 2012
- Oculus, 2013
- It Follows, 2014
- Creep, 2015
- Hellhouse LLC, 2015
- Don’t Breathe, 2016
- Train to Busan, 2016
- Split, 2016
- Ouija: Origin of Evil, 2016
- Get Out, 2017
- Hereditary, 2018
- Us, 2019
- Midsommar, 2019
- Haunt, 2019
- The Dark and The Wicked, 2020
When the collections in this list inevitably end up giving you nightmares, don’t forget that they are just dreams and therefore, cannot hurt you…probably.
Happy Halloween.
