Happy Halloween, readers! I hope everyone had fun celebrating this holiday of haunts and horror. I’ve carved pumpkins, dressed up as a “hipster witch,” bought myself some new home decor (or as normal people refer to it: Halloween decorations), and even managed to find my very own Ouija board (at a Barnes and Noble of all places).

Of course, the spooky holiday season isn’t complete without a scary movie marathon or two. As I end the night watching the latest episode of Eli Roth’s History of Horror, I’m reminded of some of my favorites:

Poltergeist (1982)

“They’re heeeeere.” An average American family moves into a brand new home in Suburbia, USA. But they soon find they’re not the only occupants as mischievous spirits make themselves known. At first it seems like harmless fun, but things turn for the worst when little Carol Ann goes missing.

This film is my absolute favorite scary movie. It freaked me out to watch as a kid, and although watching it doesn’t give me nightmares anymore, I’m forever in love with the story and the cinematography. It inspires me to create my own scary stories…maybe one day for the big screen.

The Strangers (2008)

“Because you were home.” A married couple get a knock on the door and a young woman asks, “Is Tamara home?” What follows is a night of torture and terror conducted by 3 masked madmen.

I refuse to watch this movie alone or at night. It frightened me way more than I expected and I think it’s because the plot seems so…plausible. From what I’ve read, it’s based on the 1969 Manson family murders, which included the brutal slaying of actress Sharon Tate in her Los Angeles home. No matter the influence, one thing is for sure: I won’t answer my door in the middle of the night.

Halloween (1978)

What can I really say about the original modern slasher film that hasn’t already been said? Michael Myers is the silent, masked murderer with one objective: kill everyone. And that’s just what he does. Some people may look at it today as “outdated” but to me and many others, it’s a horror classic. Without Halloween, well…we wouldn’t have the some of the amazing (or even not so amazing) horror films that we have today.

The Conjuring (2013)

Haunted houses, demonologists, possessions…The Conjuring has it all and does it beautifully. This film is very special to me for several reasons, but mainly because 1) it renewed my faith in horror movies that up to that point were just more crap than not; and 2) it pushed my interest in the paranormal to where it is today. Since first watching The Conjuring, I’ve studied the work of Ed and Lorraine Warren. I’ve even been lucky to have had incredible conversations with some of the family members whose experiences were the influence for the film. Hearing their stories always leave me in both awe and terror, and I hope to post a proper interview with them one of these days.

I have so many more favorite horror films, but if I keep listing them we’ll be here all night.

Happy Halloween, everyone!

What are your favorite horror movies? I’d love to hear them – share in the comments below!