scary movie playlist, halloween, halloween movies, scary movies, true crime podcasts, true crime, tv series

It’s Spooky Season! With just a few days left until Halloween, have you decided how you’ll spend your night? I know, I know, Halloween is on a Wednesday this year so maybe you can’t get too crazy (or you used this past weekend for that). If you’re planning on a night in—why not turn the lights down, grab a blanket and see how many of these scary movies, shows, and podcasts you can handle.

(For those of you who do want to go out but still don’t know what to wear, look through these EASY last-minute costumes before you give up!)

Movies

I can’t even count the number of scary movies I’ve seen. In college, my cousin Christina and I lived together and had so many nights filled with ciders, pizza bagel bites (don’t judge) and whatever semi-decent looking scary movies we could find. Then we’d spend the night dissecting the characters’ mistakes and coming up with all the ways we’d escape the scenarios we’d come up with.

I literally have the worst memory when it comes to keeping movies straight but I tried my best to come up with a list of the memorable ones I’ve seen more recently.

mood: light-hearted

The Nightmare Before Christmas

I’m a 90’s baby so this one always pops into my mind when I start seeing the Halloween decor be pulled out. Not too sure if this should qualify as a light-hearted Halloween movie, or a dark Christmas movie, but it seems like the season wouldn’t be complete without this one. I’ve always been fond of Jack & Sally (and Zero) and impressed by the amount of details and time that went into creating this stop motion.

Mood: Looking for Thrills

Hush

About an author who lost her hearing as a kid and lives out in the middle of nowhere, I mean come on…What could go wrong? Do you ever wish you could alert the people in scary movies to the killer that they don’t see creepin’ through the window, or standing right behind them? Yea, stressful. But the main character, doesn’t act completely helpless and is determined not to end up the victim, which I love in a scary movie.

Mood: A Lil’ Slasher, A Lil’ Dark Humor

You're Next

Okay so the characters aren’t the brightest…but this one’s not meant to be super serious, as evident in the dark/cheeky humor, and I think that’s what I liked best about it. I don’t really go into scary movies expecting to get blown away by the cinematography or a deep storyline, realistically not a lot of them deliver there (try finding a recent scary movie over 3 stars on Netflix and you’ll see what I mean). Some suspense, thrills, and laughs makes for enough entertainment for me!

Mood: Don’t Want to Sleep At Night

Sinister

Even the name of the movie alone is enough to give me chills. Seriously gripping and creepy (getting creeped out while writing about it, just thinking back on some of the scenes). I saw this again more recently and I was just as terrified by it. That’s how you know it’s done right. Ethan Hawke was also very convincing and keeps you hooked on the storyline that’ll have you hoping you never come across a box of Super 8’s…

Mood: Scared to Walk Around the House

Insidious

Alright, this one was straight up scary. And who else had a heart attack sitting in the theater during the second movie when the main title card blared across the screen?? Good scares without being overly gross, definitely what I look for. And the goofball ghost hunters brought some much welcomed humor.

Mood: Can’t Look, Can’t Look Away

The Conjuring (+ Annabelle Creation)

Very eerie, very creepy, very captivating. Forget what I said about scary movies not being cinematic or having well-thought out story lines. This was another one that brought less gore and more built up scares. A must-see if you haven’t already, and there’s five movies so ya better catch up! Also worth mentioning is Annabelle: Creation, because I saw that one in theaters and spent a good amount of it curled up in the recliner, leaned over to Christina.

TV Series

If you want the scary in slightly smaller but more drawn out doses, here’s some shows to tie you over.

Slasher Parody:

Scream Queens (Season 1)

A comedic take on the typical teen slasher—the girls (and Chad) are obnoxious and horrible, the slayings are over-the-top, and you’re out to narrow down who the killer is.

How it All Started:

Bates Motel

I’ve never actually seen Psycho…But this show tells the story behind it. It’s dark and slowly unravels more and more into that darkness as the seasons—and twists—progress. Even though I hadn’t seen the movie, I generally knew the plot around it, but by the end of this series was still wishfully hoping for a different outcome.

Anthology Series:

American Horror Story

Let me preface this by saying, there’s some seasons that I REALLY didn’t like—I stopped midway through a couple seasons and gave up on them and stopped watching all together partway through the Roanoke one. And even though they all have their dramatic (maybe I should say traumatic?) ups and downs, there’s definitely good storytelling and A+ acting. My favorites have been Murder House, Asylum, Cult, and Apocalypse.

Crime Shows:

CSI (Vegas) · Dexter · Criminal Minds · Hannibal

As honorable mentions I have to throw in my favorite crime shows, because what’s scarier than the things that can and do actually happen around us? CSI and Criminal Minds are more of the typical fictional crime shows, Dexter gets grittier (and considerably more gory), and Hannibal goes from a crime show to an intense, dark fairy-tale like story.

Podcasts

I couldn’t wrap up this post without throwing in some of my favorite podcasts. I’m huge on podcasts of all kinds—comedy, science, helpful life tips, and of course, true crime. They get me through the slower days and entertain me on my daily commutes, I also learn a lot from them along the way.

Light + Comedic:

My Favorite Murder · True Crime All The Time · Thinking Sideways

The MFM gals are relatable, real, and funny but I should also say they don’t care to censor themselves! They do a good job of intertwining comedy with the stories while still being respectful to the victims. True Crime All The Time is along the same lines, but with less of the blunt chit chat and life stories. Thinking Sideways stopped their run a bit ago but I’m still making my way through the back-catalog. If you’re captivated by unsolved mysteries of all kinds (unsolved murder, unexplained disappearances, strange conspiracies, and cooky cryptids), this one’s for you.

Casual & Informed:

Generation Why · Criminology · True Crime Garage

I think this was the first true crime podcast I started listening to. The guys are easy to listen to and tell the stories in a conversational but straightforward way (that isn’t filled with profanity) that makes them easy to follow.

Narrative Storytelling:

I can’t listen to too many of these in a row like I can with the more comedic, conversational ones but if you just want the facts, and some real interview clips, these are two that I listen to.

Well I’m off to go watch some comedy shows now that I’ve compiled this list (who else does that after watching a scary movie??).

Have a fun and safe Halloween!