'Dead Alive' and 7 Other Best Horror Movies to Watch on Halloween, Ranked by IMDb

Halloween is about more than just costumes and candy – it's also the perfect excuse to immerse yourself in the unique atmosphere that only the best horror movies can create.

To help you have a scary and memorable night, we've compiled a list of the best Halloween films.

8. 'Color Out of Space', 2019

IMDb Score: 6.1/10

The Gardners, a family who moved to the wilderness, discover a meteorite that has fallen on their property. The space rock turns the flora and fauna purple and gradually drives the Gardners insane.

Richard Stanley's movie imitates B-movie horror films from the 1980s and 1990s. With his signature eccentricity, Nicolas Cage lends the film a strange charm, coupled with cheap special effects and overtly artificial sets.

It's impossible to watch this movie with a straight face because it deliberately disregards any sense of meaning.

7. 'The Ritual', 2017

IMDb Score: 6.4/10

Four former classmates went on a hike through the Norwegian forest. When one of the men twists his ankle, the group decides to take a shortcut off the trail to reach civilization faster.

While folk horror movies are nothing new these days, The Ritual stands out, even compared to films like The Witch and Midsommar.

While the director doesn't reinvent the genre, he delivers a pure horror film in its truest sense – dark, terrifying, and devoid of any social messages.

6. 'Death Becomes Her', 1992

IMDb Score: 6.7/10

Broadway star Madeline Ashton steals her friend Helen Sharp's fiancé, plastic surgeon Ernest. Years later, the women meet at a social event.

Madeline suddenly notices that Helen hasn't aged at all and actually seems younger. This angers Madeline immensely.

She soon discovers that the secret lies in a magical elixir. In an attempt to spite Helen and maintain her youthful appearance, Madeline drinks the potion. There's just one problem: it also grants immortality.

5. 'The Vast of Night', 2019

IMDb Score: 6.7/10

In the 1950s, the residents of a small town gathered late at night in the school gym for a basketball game. Meanwhile, high school disc jockey Fay and her friend Everett, a radio host, receive disturbing reports from across America about terrifying alien encounters.

Andrew Patterson's movie is a nostalgic homage to 1950s science fiction. It is framed like an episode of an old TV series, such as The Twilight Zone.

It's the perfect movie for X-Files fans, ufologists, and anyone tired of the same old horror films.

4. 'Re-Animator', 1985

IMDb Score: 7.1/10

Medical student Dan meets a young scientist named Herbert West who is obsessed with finding a way to resurrect the dead. Their experiments are successful, and the corpses actually come to life.

However, an unpleasant side effect is discovered: the revived people turn into aggressive zombies.

Stuart Gordon is the most prominent Lovecraft filmmaker in history. He has adapted several of the writer's stories and books. However, Re-Animator is the most successful despite deviating the most from the original.

3. 'House', 1977

IMDb Score: 7.2/10

Seven schoolgirls arrived at a remote country mansion. Their names are Gorgeous, Melody, Prof, Mac, Kung Fu, Sweet, and Fantasy.

They are greeted by the eccentric aunt of one of the girls. The first few hours seem idyllic, with laughter and evening gatherings, as well as a fluffy white cat named Blanche wandering the halls.

As night falls, however, the house comes to life. One girl is sucked into the basement, one is devoured by the piano, and one is overtaken by living furniture. It turns out that the house is a living monster that feeds on young people.

2. 'Dead Alive', 1992

IMDb Score: 7.5/10

An infected monkey is transported from Sumatra and bites a woman on the mainland. The victim is revealed to be the overbearing mother of a shy boy named Lionel Cosgrove.

She gradually turns into a zombie and infects everyone in the area. The young man has no choice but to destroy all the creatures.

Peter Jackson, director of The Lord of the Rings, began his career making gory action horror movies, and Dead Alive is a benchmark work from his early career.

1. 'Rebecca', 1940

IMDb Score: 8.1/10

A wealthy widower, Maximilian de Winter, remarries and brings his young bride to his estate, Manderley. There, she is greeted by the prim housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers, and the spirit of Maxim's deceased first wife, Rebecca.

A blend of romance and horror, Rebecca is the perfect Halloween date movie. Alfred Hitchcock's first American film, based on Daphne du Maurier's novel of the same name, explores the destructive yet healing bonds of love.