13 Scary Movies to (Maybe) Watch
A list by John Perritt
John Perritt's Halloween list from his Family Movie Night newsletter (johnperritt.substack.com): thrillers, horror, sci-fi and one dark comedy, from the mild Monster House to Alien. Some are for older families (two are rated R), so check the content of each before you press play.
- 1
Monster House
Movie · 2006
“Three kids vs. one very angry house—creative Halloween fare that's genuinely scary enough to earn its PG stripes.”
- 2
Signs
Movie · 2002
“Mel Gibson vs. aliens and his own lost faith—tense, thoughtful, and way scarier than crop circles have any right to be.”
- 3
Sleepy Hollow
Movie · 1999
“Burton's bloody, beautiful reimagining of the Headless Horseman tale—gorgeous to look at, but heads literally roll.”
IMDb 7.3RT 71% - 4
Jaws
Movie · 1975
“The movie that made a generation afraid of the ocean—iconic filmmaking, genuinely terrifying content, and way too intense for kids.”
IMDb 8.1RT 97% - 5
Alien
Movie · 1979
“The sci-fi horror masterpiece that traumatized a generation—brilliant filmmaking, absolutely not for kids, and honestly slow by 2025 standards.”
IMDb 8.5RT 93% - 6
Rear Window
Movie · 1954
“Hitchcock's voyeuristic masterpiece: one window, one broken leg, one possible murder—and zero tolerance for short attention spans.”
IMDb 8.5RT 99% - 7
A Quiet Place
Movie · 2018
“Tense alien-invasion thriller where silence is survival—brilliant craft, genuine scares, but a child dies in the first ten minutes.”
IMDb 7.5RT 96% - 8
Jurassic Park
Movie · 1993
“Spielberg's dino-thriller that launched a thousand paleontology phases—if your kid can handle the terror and toilet death scene.”
IMDb 8.2RT 91% - 9
I Am Legend
Movie · 2007
“Will Smith vs. NYC vampires and crushing loneliness—emotional gut-punch disguised as zombie thriller.”
IMDb 7.2RT 68% - 10
Haunted Mansion
Movie · 2023
“A grief-stricken widower and a ragtag crew help a mom exorcise her ghost-filled mansion—spooky fun with surprising heart.”
IMDb 6.0RT 38% - 11
What Lies Beneath
Movie · 2000
“Harrison Ford trades his hero cape for a much darker role in a slick Vermont ghost story that turns a bathtub into a site of pure anxiety.”
- 12
The 'Burbs
Movie · 1989
“Tom Hanks loses his mind in a cul-de-sac where the neighbors are weird and the paranoia is actually justified.”
- 13
Devil
Movie · 2010
“Five strangers get stuck in a Philadelphia elevator, and things go from awkward to 'one of us is literally Satan' real fast.”
Got your own favorites?
Make a list like this in about a minute — we suggest the picks, you choose.
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