My marathon had only three sequels in 2018. It seems like about half of them were related to possession, though some were related to the afterlife and there were a couple sillier movies as well. I forced myself to think about these rankings a bit longer than I did for 2015, 16 and 17.
31 Halloween Movies For October #8 (2017)
31 Halloween Movies For October #7 (2016)
31 Halloween Movies For October #6 (2015)
31 Halloween Movies For October #5 (2014)
31 Halloween Movies For October #4 (2013)
31 Halloween Movies For October #3 (2012)
31 Halloween Movies For October #2 (2011)
31 Halloween Movies For October #1 (2010)
31. At the Devil's Door
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My Rank: 27
IMDB : 30
Rotten : 31
A real estate agent trying to sell a house gets caught up with a previous teen inhabitant and discovers some evil. A couple little scares. They keep the image off screen for most of the time. It's kind of plot mess. Doesn't really go anywhere too interesting unless you are really into demonic possession movies.
30. Tales of Halloween
My Rank: 28
IMDB : 28
Rotten : 23
Ten woven short stories, not unlike Trick or Treat or VHS. I found most of them enjoyable. A tale of a sugar monster, the devil teaching Halloween tricks, an abduction, ghost stalking, a demon/revenge tale, man learns his wife is a witch, Halloween decoration war, serial killer fights an alien, and a pumpkin eats a man.
29. Seven in Heaven
My Rank: 23
IMDB : 27
Rotten : 29
Strange tale about a guy who at a party gets transported to another dimension from a closet. Eventually the female goes through to that reality as well and they have to find their way home. The rules of the movie don't always make sense to me, it's more convenient for the plot which can be a movie's downfall. It felt very Back to the Future 2 to me, which is a great atmosphere and idea for a movie.
28. I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House
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My Rank: 18
IMDB : 31
Rotten : 30
A nurse starts taking care of an elderly author who lives in a haunted home. A ghost story like The Others where it attempts to answer what happens to the dead after they die. It has a decent atmosphere to it. The sounds and scares are done well. It focuses almost the entire screen time on the nurse and what she experiences.
27. As Above, So Below
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My Rank: 24
IMDB : 17
Rotten : 28
A team ventures down below Paris. For a found footage movie, it was fairly enjoyable. It's quite on par with The Descent and better than I expected. The plot doesn't make a ton of sense, but doesn't really need to. Just some exposition to getting down into the catacombs. Blair Witch and Paranormal Activity were more fresh, but if you are looking for more Descent and cavern crawling horror, it's a good stop.
26. Truth or Dare
My Rank: 12
IMDB : 29
Rotten : 27
Teenagers go to a cabin and start playing truth or dare and a ghost starts harming them when they refuse to play or lie. For such a simple concept, like Ouija: Origin of Evil, it's was done pretty well. I was fairly captivated watching it similar to my first time watching Final Destination. I could see myself watching it again though I doubt it's buy worthy.
25. The Good Neighbor
My Rank: 30
IMDB : 15
Rotten : 22
Found footage/shaky cam like movie where some kids don't like their cranky, creepy neighbor and try to convince him he is being haunted and record his reaction to make themselves video sensations. There is lots of gadget tech talk about setting him up for various things. It's a simple plot but can keep you guessing even if it does get boring at times. Would not watch again.
24. Delirium
My Rank: 22
IMDB : 25
Rotten : 20
Topher Grace recently released from a mental institution moves into a mansion where he learns it may be haunted. It's a psychological horror where Topher is trying to come to grips with his childhood. Most of the movie is an interesting ride. The ending takes a bit of a turn. Not a ton of scares, but lots of tension and creepiness.
23. Emelie
My Rank: 15
IMDB : 26
Rotten : 26
A replacement babysitter turns out to be more than she appears to be and puts the children through some terror. I quite enjoyed how dark it was and wondering where the ending would lead. Unfortunately it's not the most satisfying conclusion but I'm not unhappy I watched it.
22. A Dark Song
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My Rank: 29
IMDB : 20
Rotten : 14
A woman hires a medium to talk to her son. Most of the movie is centered around the two people's relationship and how far she is willing to go to achieve her goal. It's a slow thriller or psychological thriller with the two characters basically stuck in the house together for the entire runtime.
21. Creep
My Rank: 31
IMDB : 18
Rotten : 11
Found footage about a man looking for work meets a crazy guy who terrorizes him. Nothing against Mark Duplass, but he is too likable to be truly taken as crazy. Doesn't have all the wild things happen that The Cable Guy does for example. Only one fairly unsettling scene, otherwise not scary per say.
20. The Nun
My Rank: 11
IMDB : 23
Rotten : 24
A Conjuring spin off that looks creepy as can be but never quite reaches that level as far as the movie is concerned. A priest and sidekick go to investigate a nun's suicide and run into some evil forces. Like the Exorcist on a larger level, though not done as well it does have some good scares. It feels like there was a better movie in there somewhere. It's a decent watch, though I would much rather watch the Conjurings or Anabelle before this.
19. Would You Rather
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My Rank: 19
IMDB : 22
Rotten : 16
Rich man invites people to dinner and forces them to pick one scenario or another. Basically an entire torture movie, but it kept my interest the whole way. It's low budget, not too much of a plot really, but still much better made than some others of this genre. I had more fun watching this than I did Nine Dead, Circle, Hostel, Audition or Funny Games. I could see myself watching again some day.
18. Insidious: The Last Key (4)
My Rank: 13
IMDB : 24
Rotten : 17
Dr. Elise goes back to her childhood haunting. I like the actress Lin Shaye, and adds depth to her character. These sequels do tire a bit on me even if they have good scares. They really start blending in together after awhile as they lost me the more they introduce 'The Further'. None of the sequels come close to the original.
17. The Possession
My Rank: 8
IMDB : 21
Rotten : 25
A girl buys a box which contains an evil spirit. Jeffrey Dean Morgan stars and tries to convince his ex-wife that the daughter is possessed. Much better than average possession movie. It has some good scares and good characters. Parts were slow, but I was never bored. I would watch it again.
16. Excision
My Rank: 25
IMDB : 19
Rotten : 3
An uncomfortable character study more than real horror. A troubled high-school girl with a controlling mother wants to be a surgeon, but no one believes her. She wants to lose her virginity on her period. Lots of dream and blood imagery. The ending was pretty crazy. I don't think I would visit it again.
15. Revenge
My Rank: 20
IMDB : 14
Rotten : 10
I was expecting something quite similar to I Spit On Your Grave but it never got that dark. It wasn't even as dark as Last House On Your Left and was lighter than Straw Dogs. Now yes, it's virtually the same plot as Grave. Rich guy and his friends rape girl, leave her for dead, she survives and gets back at them. Until the movie gets going it's really pretty boring. I don't think I would watch it again.
14. Before I Wake
My Rank: 6
IMDB : 16
Rotten : 21
Kate Bosworth and Thomas Jane adopt a child whose dreams and nightmares all become reality. Quite beautiful visual effects. Equally wonderful and haunting. It kept my interest and the scares were good. In the end it is more fantasy than straight horror. I would definitely watch it again.
13. Marrowbone
My Rank: 17
IMDB : 9
Rotten : 15
Four kids are trying to keep the death of their mother a secret while being haunted by something in the attic. It starts slow and ramps up fast. And they change timelines so often I wasn't really sure what was happening in present time verses the past. It wasn't a bad movie or concept, but just like The Wind I feel like the time jumping could have been handled better.
12. Under the Shadow
My Rank: 26
IMDB : 7
Rotten : 7
A woman and her daughter live in a Iranian war zone, but discover their home is also haunted. The husband is away and their neighbors all leave the area due to attack, but she stays to take care of her daughter. She finds something in the basement. More than a typical ghost story since the setting puts a different twist on things. It was a good watch, but not probably one I would visit again.
11. Happy Death Day
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Year : 2017My Rank: 16
IMDB : 11
Rotten : 9
A time-loop movie a la Groundhog day where a sorority girl repeatedly gets murdered every day and tries to figure out her killer. Once the movie gets going it's becomes interesting and I would see the sequel. She gets killed in lots of ways making it a slasher while have a mystery at the same time.
10. The Ritual
My Rank: 7
IMDB : 13
Rotten : 13
A group of friends go out into the woods together and encounter a force. It sounds like a simple enough premise, quite like Blair Witch, though no shaky cam. It was actually well done. I surprisingly liked it. It wasn't super scary but there was a good level of creepiness and mystery. Not sure if the end revelation paid off, but I would watch it again to find out.
9. Alien: Covenant
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My Rank: 3
IMDB : 12
Rotten : 18
Ridley Scott tries to combine Prometheus with Alien in a movie that is about DNA, and fighting for survival. It's probably the best alien franchise movie to come out in quite a long time. You can see the twist coming a mile away. Fassbender is excellent. They do the typical thing in the franchise where the previous main character doesn't get any screen-time. It adds to the lore, isn't a ton of interesting story save for Fassbender's character.
8. Don't Breathe
My Rank: 21
IMDB : 5
Rotten : 6
Stephen Lang is great here as a blind guy who at first seems like a man some thieves can take advantage of but he turns out to be a savage monster. I enjoyed myself for the most part here. You don't feel super bad for the characters as they are clearly all in the wrong from the get-go. It's possible I would watch it again.
7. The Devil's Candy
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My Rank: 14
IMDB : 10
Rotten : 8
An artist gets possessed after moving into a new house with his family. Art and music are big themes here. The barn gets turned into a studio and the main character begins painting some nightmare/hellish imagery. The former tenant's son shows up at the door and things become more harrowing. It's definitely better than an average horror movie.
6. The Witch
My Rank: 5
IMDB : 8
Rotten : 19
This was a gem. A 1600's Christian family is torn apart by loss, possession, failing crops and they eventually turn on each other and each member starts losing their lives in different ways. It was haunting, creepy, feeling of isolation. It was made well and might be worth buying, but I would have to see it again to make that conclusion.
5. Hereditary
My Rank: 2
IMDB : 3
Rotten : 12
Can evil be passed down from generation to generation? That is the premise of a family with a disturbed daughter and seemingly disturbed but deceased grand-mother. I had to watch it a couple times and would highly recommend it to any horror fan. It has fantastically scary moments, good surprises and a twisted ending.
4. The Orphanage
My Rank: 10
IMDB : 2
Rotten : 2
A woman moves back to her childhood home and her son starts conversing with the dead. She is an orphan, her son is an orphan and the house was an old orphanage. Her son disappears during a party and she has to unravel the mystery. It's always creepy when children are involved in ghost stories. I think I would watch it again, it was well done, good creeps, just not sure if the ending was good enough.
3. Split
My Rank: 4
IMDB : 4
Rotten : 5
James McAvoy in a M. Night Shyamalan twist-less yet world building ending of a movie about a man with multiple personality disorder who kidnaps some girls. He has a psychiatrist and his personalities all range from little boy to devil creature. Similar kind of structure to Silence of the Lambs although totally different movies.
2. The Devil's Backbone
My Rank: 9
IMDB : 1
Rotten : 1
Guillermo del Toro directs a story about a boy during the Spanish Civil War who shows up at an orphanage and learns it's haunted. It's well made, it's a decent mystery. The boys relationships with each other and the teachers is a major theme. The ghost isn't the scary kind, but the vengeful type.
1. Ghost
My Rank: 1
IMDB : 6
Rotten : 4
The classic Whoopi Goldberg, Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze tale. More of a love story and tale of revenge. The only truly scary things are the hell demons and the man on the train. It's one of my favorite movies as I do love the revenge aspect and there is beauty to the conclusion.
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