10 Scary films to watch this Halloween

So, Halloween Is going to be different this year, events have been cancelled, trick and treaters will have to stay indoors and even real ghosts and ghouls are running scared of the global pandemic. What better way to spend Halloween by watching a scary movie or two. Here are ten of the best in no particular order.

1. Halloween (1978) No Halloween would be the same without a viewing of John Carpenter's classic that still scares 42 years later. Michael Myers comes back to Haddonfield, Illinois to exact his revenge. Jamie Lee Curtis does her best to stop him. Forget the sequels and the remakes and forget the slasher movies that came after, this is still the best.

2. The Fog(1979) Carpenter followed up Halloween with this little gem. More of a ghost story, than a horror, this atmospheric film still delivers on the scare and shock front. 'There is something in the Fog!'.

3.Salem's Lot(1979) Masters of Horror Stephen King and Tobe Hooper combined to come up with this tale of small town USA being overrun by vampires. Catch the full version mini series if you can, otherwise the film version will do and watch out for a creepy performance by British actor James Mason and a terrific vampire.

4. The Shining(1980) My favourite horror film ever. Jack Torrance(Jack Nicholson) takes his family to look after a deserted hotel over winter, not realising the place is haunted. Famously author Stephen King hated director Stanley Kubrick's version which is now seen as a masterpiece. 'REDRUM!'

5.The Omen (1976) Gregory Peck grapples with the fact that his son may be the Anti-Christ. Cue the best music ever from a horror movie, dangerous dogs and monkeys and some fantastic set pieces including one involving a sheet of glass.

6. The Witch(2015) This is a really effective low budget piece of horror as a family of settlers in Seventeenth century New England try to make a fresh start, not realising something lurks in the nearby forest. Unsettling and memorable, this film will stay with you for a long time.

7. A Quiet Place(2018) Three hours after watching A Quiet Place I was still talking in whispers! Do not rattle sweet or crisp wrappers as a family navigates quietly through a post-apocalyptic world trying to keep out of the way of the monstrous forces lurking around them.

8. Kill List (2011) Two contract killers bite off more than they can chew. I will not say anymore it will spoil it for you, but I went into this film knowing very little and that's the best way to enjoy it.

9. Insidious(2010) If you want a film for outright scares then Insidious is the film for you. I watched it on my own with the lights out, had to turn the lights on half way through and they stayed on all night!

10. Hereditary(2018) A slow burner, but well worth the pay off as a family comes to terms with the death of a family member. If you cannot get hold of this film, director Ari Aster's follow up Midsommar is also well worth a look.

Enjoy and stay safe!