I watched 13 scary movies in 13 days

At the end of September, I set out to understand horror movie fans. I always enjoyed a scary movie, from time to time, but never fully appreciated the art of the genre. I decided I would watch 13 scary movies in 13 days as a crash course. I got recommendations from a few dozen horror fans and curated my list. The movies I watched might also be categorized as comedies, dramas, mysteries, or psychological thrillers, but all are supposed to evoke fear and entertain, so let’s see if these well-liked films are winners in my eyes.

1. Rosemary’s Baby 

My scary movie challenge started strong, or did it? I wanted to start with a classic horror film and dived into this 1968 pick, starring Mia Farrow and John Cassavetes. I’ll admit that I was distracted by the signs of the time: Rosemary’s light, high voice and alarming submission to her husband, friendliness of the quirky New York City neighbors, and the amount of debauchery going unnoticed for so long.

A lot of it was comical for me, even confusing at times. The two-hour and 15-minute movie was a slow burn that, while entertaining, was not scary. I understand that the genre looked different 60 years ago and can totally see how a satanic theme could have been horrifying then, but as a viewer today, I give it a 3/10.

Watch on Amazon Prime

2. Jennifer’s Body

On day two, I dove into a 2009 high school flick, featuring two Hollywood starlets, Amanda Seyfried and Megan Fox. I thought I would delight in the 2000’s references, but I realized the movie was filmed mostly in British Columbia, so I was unfamiliar with the slang, but all the cheesy cultural pieces were there. The best friends (who really shouldn’t be friends) have their bond tested when evil takes over. We see some predictable tropes with the goth, jock, and foreign exchange characters, and a girl-on-girl kissing scene from two straight people.

I liked that we do get to see the nerd become assertive and morph into the bad girl. This movie is gory, but not nightmares-level. The ending was satisfying, so I’m giving this a 5/10.

Watch on Hulu 

3. The Conjuring

People are shocked I watched this alone, but I didn’t need witnesses as I yelped and hid behind my hands. This 2013 horror/mystery, set in the 1970s, is framed around paranormal activity experts who investigate restless spirits in houses. They hit the jackpot with a family who has clearly moved into a haunted house. Of course, there’s a spooky story about the former owners, and the spirits look to stage a repeat of their unfortunate deaths.

We see some famous faces in this one, with Lili Taylor and Patrick Wilson acting for their lives, and a young Joey King putting her screen time to good use. This movie has suspense, spiritual and religious themes, a good ol’ exorcism, and a dog trying to warn its naive owners. I give it a 8/10.

Watch on Netflix until Sep 30 or on Max

4. Last Shift

Next on my scary movie challenge was Last Shift. The entire 2016 film takes place in an old, dimly lit police station that seems to be a little bit haunted. A rookie cop is on her first shift on the force, but the night gets so crazy it may be her last. I think it’s hard for any movie to only use one location. I found myself getting bored, because the scenes just lacked visual diversity. There are some small jump moments, but overall, this film didn’t fill my scary cup, nor give elements of humor or psychological thrill to make me ever watch again. I give it a 2/10.

Watch on Peacock

5. The Cabin in the Woods

When you start this movie you think it’s going to be another teen horror. You quickly find out the killers and zombies are a part of a bigger mission to save the world. It’s like the Hunger Games, with supernatural elements and classic movie characters. Expect to see some faces you know, like Chris Hemsworth, Jesse Williams, Bradley Whitford, and Sigourney Weaver. Overall, this movie was unexpectedly entertaining and had just enough humor and existential dread to keep me watching. It’s a 6/10.

Watch on Peacock

6. The Manchurian Candidate

The next day, I watched the remake of the 1962 film with Frank Sinatra and Laurence Harvey, The Manchurian Candidate. Denzel Washington stars as a military major who starts having flashbacks of his time serving in the Gulf War, but his visions are not in alignment with the way he’s always remembered things. He goes on a hunt to find out what really happened to him and his squamates and turns to the one other remaining survivor, who happens to be running for vice president of the United States. A deeper plot is uncovered involving mind control, dirty politics, and capitalism—all things that are truly fascinating to me. The scary in this movie is that it’s realistic and that’s enough for me to give it a 8/10.

Watch on Max

Denzel Washington, Meryl Streep, and Liev Schreiber appear at the 2004 Venice Film Festival to promote their remake of The Manchurian Candidate. Photo by Daniele Venturelli/WireImage

7. Sinister

Next on my scary movie train was Sinister. The 2012 film follows a true crime writer who hopes his next book will set him and his family up for life. Without divulging the entire plot, the writer realizes their new home that is the site of the murders he’s writing about, and he quickly realizes the move was a horrible decision. This movie had a lot of possessed children in it—is there anything scarier?! And overall, I feel like this story is a good lesson on what happens when you don’t listen to women.  I give it a 7/10.

Watch on Max

8. Totally Killer

This movie surprised me. Totally Killer came out last year and documents the return of a serial killer after a 35 years absence. he main character, a teenage girl, goes back in time to try to stop the killer from committing the original murders. This movie is like Back to the Future meets a murder mystery novel. Is time travel kinda cheesy? Yes. Do we love it anyway? Yes! This is one of those scary movies with lots of humor, interesting characters, and small town drama. Oh, and the killer wears a funny mask. What more could you ask for? I totally loved it. I give it an 8/10.

Watch on Amazon Prime

9. The Uninvited

This movie mixes crime with psychological mystery and kept me locked in the whole time. A teenager is released from a mental health treatment program that she was sent to after the death of her mother. She returns home to her father and his new girlfriend, her mother’s former nurse. She starts searching for answers for how her mother really died as her mother simultaneously haunts her with clues. The film’s ending was shocking and I love that I didn’t see the twist coming. It wasn’t a jump-off-you-couch scary, but a thoroughly entertaining story that’d I’d recommend. 9/10.

Watch on AMC or Paramount +

10. Suspiria 

Suspiria, the 1977 version, is creepy from the very beginning. The opening credits are still rolling when the stage is set for the goriest film you’ll ever watch. Two people are violently killed in the first 10 minutes, so I was actually scared to see where this was going. Most of the movie takes place in an overbearing ballet academy, where dancers are disappearing left and right. The new American girl, with the help of strange events and a manic suite-mate, tries to figure out what is happening at this school of weirdos and unlocks a deranged cult. After watching Abbey Lee Miller and the show Dance Moms, I’m not surprised that the woman at the top is, indeed, a monster. With its loud, shock-and-awe soundtrack, the original Suspiria is a film I’d definitely recommend. 8/10

Watch on Amazon Prime

Photo by LMPC via Getty Images

11. Halloween

I know, I know. You’re probably shocked that I have never seen Halloween, but I’m on a journey to right my wrongs. As soon as the iconic Halloween music comes on during the opening credits, I feel like I should know what’s going to happen next. The beginning was demented (I love crazy kid content, apparently) and the light stalking throughout the movie added to the suspense of finding out what happens when Jamie Lee Curtis’ character on Halloween. I can see why people say this movie wrote the formula for the scary movie genre: we got a time hop, an unwell kid, character developments, innocent bystanders, and a fight scene. Sound familiar? It’s not only the scary movie formula, but much of it is how suspenseful dramas are crafted now, the kid being optional. I really liked this movie, it’s a 9/10.

Watch on AMC or rent on Amazon Prime or Apple

12. The Omen

This 1976 horror/mystery starts off with a man lying to his wife, so I already knew things would go downhill fast. Is this diplomat’s child possessed? The kid is worse than possessed—yes, that’s possible. Motherly instincts kick in for Lee Remick’s character quickly, but the father, played by Gregory Peck, is skeptical till the last minutes of the film. While watching, I kept noticing the musical transitions, dramatic and full of personality. Horror films from the 70s have amazing soundtracks that really make the projects, and The Omen is no exception. I later found out that the movie won an Oscar for Best Original Score and that was no surprise. I enjoyed this creepy tale— one so evil that priests couldn’t even help. Because this is beyond an exorcism, I give it a 7/10.

Watch on Hulu

13. The Exorcist

It was a slow start to what is, perhaps, the most famous horror movie of all time. I was 30 minutes into the two-hour film and I still had no clue how the story was going to unfold. When the plot became more clear, I had to face the fact that I had pushed play on yet another movie about a possessed child. Ellen Burstyn, who plays the child’s mother, acted like her life depended on it. She was tense, she was loving, she was distraught, she was irate; It was perfection and at times, humorous. Linda Blair, who plays the child, sweet Regan, was able to morph expertly into a demon and the contrast was alarming. I read later that Blair earned a Golden Globe for her role, but when it was revealed that someone else had voiced her demonic speech, and that a stunt double was used for a few seconds of her possession scenes, criticism lead to an Oscar loss. For years, I had heard about a puke scene, but after finally viewing it, I didn’t get the hype. I was impressed with the special effects available in 1973, but feel like we could have gotten to the exciting parts a lot sooner. If for nothing else than the sheer level of acting applied, this film gets a 7/10.

My final reflections

This was a really hard challenge. It was time consuming, and sometimes hard to stay focused, if the film was a bust. Surprisingly, I didn’t have one nightmare and I don’t recall being jumpy or scared of my surroundings. I did get more observant as the challenge continued, paying attention to lighting, music, and scripts. It is hard to connect with films produced 40 years ago, but not impossible. What my high scorers have in common are good storylines that keeps the audience guessing. Like with any movie, it’s important that the viewers grow to care about the characters. Do we know someone like this? Can we empathize?

I have so much more respect for horror, all versions of it. After 13 movies, I might be a little worn out, but hope to find a new thriller, in the future, that makes me jump off the couch, gasp, and hide my face behind a blanket once more.  It’s part of the fun, right?