Admit it, the seventh month has got us all feeling a little spooked. But with the Hungry Ghost Festival approaching tomorrow on the 12th of August, we thought why not put together a list of top horror movies to scare yourself silly this season? Here are 15 horror movies to keep an eye out for!
The spine-chilling sensation of tension, dread, and all-consuming paranoia. As adrenaline levels spike, you catch yourself thinking, “What if that was me?”, “Why am I doing this to myself again?”. Trust me – been there, done that. Well, that’s what horror is all about. And though we may wallow in a little self-hatred and regret, you’ve got to admit, horror movies are pretty addicting. So to our fellow horror connoisseurs, this one’s for you. Read on for the top 15 horror movies to watch this season!
1. Fresh
Image credits: The Nerd Stash
A modern fairytale where girl meets guy and falls helplessly in love? I think not. After a series of frustrating experiences with online dating apps, Noa falls quickly for the alluring Steve when they chance upon one another in a grocery store. As they set off on a romantic getaway, things go awry when Noa learns about Steve’s unusual palate. Because even though he’s not a vegetarian he apparently just “doesn’t eat animals”. We’ll leave it up to your imagination.
What scares us: Fresh depicts the horrors of modern dating and what’s scary is it could happen to any of us. When we’re too focused on finding love, it can be easy to overlook the glaring red flags staring us right in the face. It’s a literal meat market out there.
Watch Fresh on Hulu for one of the top 15 horror movies to watch this season
2. Umma
Image credits: Netflix
“Umma ” translates to “Mother” in English. So yes, you’ve probably guessed it. This horror flick tells the tale of a mother-daughter pair. Leading a quiet life as beekeepers on a farm, Amanda raises Chrissy in a house that’s uninhabited by modern technology and electricity. One day, the pair receives the cremated ashes of Amanda’s estranged mother. As strange occurrences begin to unfurl, Amanda is reminded of her tortured past and the innate fear of turning into her own mother.
What scares us: With dark secrets being piled one after another, it leaves us wondering about how well do we really know our family? Complex themes involving family, identity, and intergenerational trauma, are bound to get us thinking about how deep bitterness and pain can run across generations.
Watch Umma on Amazon Prime for one of the top 15 horror movies to watch this season
3. Choose Or Die
Image credits: Heavens of Horror
Imagine if your life was a video game but without the fun – or the multiple lives. When Kayla and Issac discover a lost retro 80’s survival horror game, they unleash a curse that tears reality apart. Now they’re forced to make difficult decisions and face its gruesome outcomes.
What scares us: When forced to choose between lose-lose decisions, you can only imagine the amount of hair-pulling indecisiveness and anticipation for what’s about to go down next. A gory thriller that’s bound to get you wide-eyed and on the edge of your seat.
Watch Choose Or Die on Netflix for one of the top 15 horror movies to watch this season
4. The Black Phone
Image credits: Variety
When a 13-year-old boy named Finney gets abducted in broad daylight by a sadistic child killer, he ends up locked away in a soundproof basement. You’d think that would be it for little Finney. But as the disconnected phone on the wall begins to ring, our main character discovers that he can communicate with the killer’s previous victims.
What scares us: A child serial killer in a small town, nothing screams creepy more than that. Possessing an interesting concept and gripping storyline, The Black Phone will have you in suspense and fighting for Finney the entire way.
Watch The Black Phone in Theatres for one of the top 15 horror movies to watch this season
5. Nope
Image credits: Universal Pictures
Directed by the brains behind Us and Get Out, you just know a Jordan Peele film is bound to be good. In this hair-raising project, a pair of siblings who run a California horse ranch discover something sinister in the skies above. And while most would run, the siblings plan to film and monetise the footage, while a theme park owner tries to profit from this otherworldly presence.
What scares us: Nope may not be your typical scary horror film, but it certainly contains elements that are creepy and downright unnerving. This is a film for those who like to be left perplexed with a million questions running through their mind. Those who love digging for deeper meanings. It’s a summer monster movie blanketed in historical and cultural symbolism, double-edged meanings, and a display of sociopolitical interpretation. After all, as Jordan Peele says, “Humanity is the monster in my films”.
Watch Nope in Theaters on 18th August 2022 for one of the top 15 horror movies to watch this season
6. Incantation
Image credits: IMDb
I’m sure you’ve heard of this one circling the stratosphere. Trending on TikTok as a cursed movie, Incantation is a Taiwanese horror motion picture that acts like vlog footage. We follow a mother whose hell-bent on breaking a curse on her six-year-old daughter. A curse that she, herself, ignited by breaking a religious taboo six years ago.
What scares us: Containing elements of possession, folklore, and even scenes where viewers are asked to chant along, this movie has got us feeling like things are getting a little too real for comfort. Don’t get us wrong, the plot’s fictional. However, it was inspired by supposed real-life events that happened in 2002 in Kaohsiung when a family claimed to be possessed by demons, resulting in the death of their eldest daughter. Spooky.
Watch Incantation on Netflix for one of the top 15 horror movies to watch this season
7. Bodies, Bodies, Bodies
Image credits: Variety
A wealthy group of friends plans a hurricane party at a remote family mansion. However, surprise surprise. This is not a basic tale of young, wild summer fun. Things start to go awry when their party game turns deadly and friends turn up dead.
What scares us: This horror comedy has us doubting who our real friends are. A tale of fake friends and backstabbers, this movie shows what people are truly capable of when pushed to the edge and off a cliff of fear and mistrust.
Watch Bodies, Bodies, Bodies when it releases nationwide on August 12 for one of the top 15 horror movies to watch this season
8. Orphan: First Kill
Image credits: Paramount Movies
If you’re a fan of Orphan, the 2009 psychological horror film, you’re going to be thoroughly excited by its newly released prequel. Circling back to Esther’s origin story and dark personality, our psychotic antagonist escapes from a psychiatric facility in Estonia and makes her way to America. She then impersonates a wealthy couple’s missing daughter and unleashes profound terror on the family.
What scares us: More than any blood and gore, this film focuses on scaring us psychologically. A film with a twist, maybe this prequel will have the answers you were searching for.
Watch Orphan: First Kill in Theaters for one of the top 15 horror movies to watch this season
9. Smile
Image credits: IMDb
This psychological horror film follows Dr. Rose Cotter, a therapist, who witnesses the death of a patient and begins to experience strange happenings. As terrifying paranormal events unfurl, she begins to doubt if she can trust her own mind and solve the mystery of these traumatizing encounters.
What scares us: Okay, this one is really creepy. If you were already unnerved by the large messed-up grins in Truth or Dare, this horror flick will certainly send you climbing up the walls. Just watch the trailer, you’ll get it.
Watch Smile in Theaters on 29 September for one of the top 15 horror movies to watch this season
10. Last Night In Soho
Image credits: Focus Features
An aspiring fashion designer moves into an old room in a private home and is able to mysteriously enter the 1960s where she lives out the life of the fabulous wannabe singer, Sandie. But it’s not all glitz and glamor when the horrors of the past start to merge with the present.
What scares us: This trippy psychological thriller is full of twists and turns, but we’re not one for spoilers. Containing faceless ghosts, stabbed chests, and slashed throats, Edgar Wright has done it again.
Watch Last Night In Soho on Amazon Prime for one of the top 15 horror movies to watch this season
11. Watcher
Image credits: Just for Movie Freaks
Julia and her husband move to Bucharest when she notices a man by the window across the street watching her constantly. Her fear heightens when she learns of a serial killer, “The Spider”, decapitating women in the city. As she struggles between paranoia, doubt, and reality, she cant help but feel like nothing is right in this new city.
What scares us: The thought of having our every move watched, even in the comforts of our own home is eerie and unsettling. Especially when those closest to you think you’re just being overly paranoid. A film that will get you avoiding dark alleys, night walks, and staring into dark windows.
Watch Watcher on Amazon Prime for one of the top 15 horror movies to watch this season
12. The Sadness
Image credits: IMDb
A plague-stricken city turns its residents into deranged, bloodthirsty sadists that are dying to get some blood on their hands in the cruelest way possible. Follow a young couple as they fight to be reunited with each other and avoid infection.
What scares us: Watch as this explicit and gory movie gets under your skin. You’ll find yourself cringing and shuddering as morals get thrown out the window. This is film that will get your stomach turning. You’ve been warned!
Watch The Sadness on Amazon Prime for one of the top 15 horror movies to watch this season
13. The Innocents
Image credits: The Wrap
This Nordic thriller follows a couple of superpowered small-frys who may not be as innocent as they seem. With the realization of how useless the adults in their lives are, they take matters into their own hands. And as playtime in the sandbox takes a dark turn, we see how far kids will push limits.
What scares us: A slow-burner that pushes the boundaries of morality, this unique coming-of-age film explores how power affects innocence. Especially when there is a lack of empathy, and more so, ignorance towards sickening consequences.
Watch The Innocents on Amazon Prime for one of the top 15 horror movies to watch this season
14. Hellbender
Image credits: The New York Times
In a coming-of-age horror film, a lonely teenager who lives alone with her mother discovers her family’s ties to witchcraft. Tension builds and rifts form between Izzy and her mother as darker revelations come to pass.
What scares us: Adolescent angst. Need I say more? Couple that with witchy powers and murderous, rebellious rage and you have a colossal problem on your hands. There’s hell to raise for this one.
Watch Hellbenders on Amazon Prime for one of the top 15 horror movies to watch this season
15. X
Image credits: IMDb
This slasher film takes place in 1979 when a group of young filmmakers set out to make an adult film in a rural old Texas cabin. They slowly come to realize that the cabin’s owners aren’t as harmless as they seem and find themselves fighting to stay alive.
What scares us: There’s something about old people in horror films that gives us the heebie-jeebies. This southern indie-horror film screams extreme gore as a creepy elderly couple comes swinging and plotting murders. Touching on themes of sexuality, repression, and aging, this film is unapologetically gnarly and not for the faint of heart.
Watch X on Amazon Prime for one of the top 15 horror movies to watch this season
Spice Up This Season With Our List of Top 15 Horror Movies!
Now that you know the latest horror flicks to keep you on your toes, you’re ready for movie nights and a horror-filled marathon! Whether you’re splurging on buttery popcorn or buying the comfiest blankets to hide underneath, don’t forget to use our YouTrip card to make full use of our Wholesale Exchange Rates and skip those pesky bank fees.
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