40 horror movies to watch with the light on and eyes wide open

A little fright doesn’t hurt anyone, don’t you think? Especially when it’s caused by film productions that make you immerse yourself in the story so much that you’re afraid to go to the bathroom alone! Regardless of whether the horror movie has spirits, otherworldly creatures, serial killers or curses, there’s always that one story that will make your hair stand on end, whether it’s a classic or a new release.

And if you’re one of those people who love to challenge your own courage, the following list will inspire you to do a super-marathon, watered with popcorn, covered (even if it’s not cold — just so you have something to cover your face in time of scare), your favorite drink and lots of screaming. Check out:

1. IT: The Thing (2017)

A group of friends get together to investigate a series of disappearances of other children in Derry, a small town in the state of Maine, and end up facing their greatest fears in front of Pennywise, a murderous clown with a very violent history. Stephen King’s adapted work is a classic of literature, and the most feared horror story of all time received this second film version, with a sequel promised for 2019.

2. Mama (2013)

A young couple gain custody of two orphan girls, mysteriously found in an abandoned cabin in the middle of a forest. What they didn’t know is that the sisters were obsessed with a legendary and frightening spirit. Film starring award-winning actress Jessica Chastain.

3. The Shining (1980)

After receiving a job offer to be a guard at a hotel in Colorado during the harsh winter, Jack starts to have strange behavior and frightening visions due to isolation, tormenting his family who accompanied him during the season. This is yet another work by Stephen King adapted for the big screen that has become a movie classic, directed by Stanley Kubrick.

4. The Conjuring (2013)

Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine are called upon to help the Perron family, who are being haunted by a disturbing entity. The duo, known worldwide for their successful disobsession works, travel to the family farm and encounter the most difficult case of their careers. Film based on real events.

5. Conjuring 2 (2016)

The story takes place 7 years after the Perron family incident, and Ed and Lorraine try to unravel yet another case of obsession, this time in England. The story, based on the Enfield Poltergeist case, takes place in the 1970s, and like the first film in the franchise, it was a box office success on its debut.

6. The Exorcist (1973)

A priest is called to investigate the strange behavior of a 12-year-old girl, and he comes across a terrifying case of demonic possession. Faced with the difficulty of the case, the priest asks for the help of an exorcism specialist, and this entire process is accompanied during the film. The story was inspired by a case of exorcism of a 14-year-old boy in 1949.

7. The Witch (2015)

In 1630s New England, a teenage girl realizes that something is wrong with the farm she has just moved to: crops are devastated, animals become withdrawn and malicious, and children abruptly disappear. With her family’s hysteria, the girl is accused of witchcraft.

8. The Call (2002)

When a journalist starts to investigate the death of her niece, she discovers something terrible: she, like four other young women, died mysteriously seven days after watching a suspicious recording – the same one she and her son watched. The woman is in a race against time to stop the demonic prophecy from happening.

9. REC (2007)

A journalistic team formed by a cameraman and a reporter will cover an outbreak of a mysterious disease that plagues the residents of a building: people are turned into cannibals quickly after being infected. The professionals are trapped in the building and try to find a way to get out of the building unharmed.

10. Annabelle (2014)

Preparations for the arrival of John and Mia Form’s first child are in full swing, including the purchase of a vintage doll named Annabelle. But the couple’s happiness is interrupted when their home is invaded by members of a satanic sect, who, after a violent attack, summon the demon and make the doll a recipient of an evil spirit.

11. Paranormal Activity (2007)

Katie and Micah have just moved into an amazing house, but they start to feel supernatural presences the very first night. The couple decide to use their filming and security equipment to try to capture some activity, and end up experiencing unexpected and frightening events.

12. Paranormal Activity 2 (2010)

Running parallel to the story of the first film in the franchise, Kristi (Katie’s sister) and her husband Daniel move with their two children to a new home in California. After finding the property vandalized with no evidence of theft, the couple decide to install security cameras in every room, and end up recording very dark events.

13. Paranormal Activity 3 (2011)

In the third installment of the franchise, the viewer will be introduced to the family of Katie and Kristi, and will know the history of the sisters when they were still children. The phenomena that occurred during this period were recorded by Dennis, the girls’ father, who spread cameras throughout the house after having watched a strange footage taken by accident.

14. The Blair Witch Project (1999)

Three young filmmakers start filming a documentary in a Maryland forest in search of a legendary figure called the “Blair Witch”. The group mysteriously disappears and the camera used during the recordings is found years later, with the record of what happened. At the time of release, the film was billed as an actual documentary, adding an extra dash of fear in its viewers.

15. Hereditary (2018)

Even after her mother’s death, Annie realizes that the matriarch’s presence remains in the house, drastically influencing the energy and behavior of her family, especially Charlie, her lonely teenage daughter with whom the deceased was very attached. The days become increasingly difficult and the mother does everything to save her loved ones from this fearful inheritance.

16. The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)

The young Emily Rose leaves her country life to attend college and, during her stay in the dorm where she lives, she begins to have hallucinations followed by fainting. As she is practically Catholic, the student accepts to undergo rigorous exorcism sessions, performed by a priest of the church she attended. The consequences of this totally change the priest’s life, which leads him to challenge the skepticism of a leading lawyer involved in his case. Story based on the case of Anneliese Michel.

17. Halloween – The Night of Terror (1978)

Psychopath Michael Myers manages to escape from an institution where he lived for 15 years, arrested for killing his own sister. The killer returns to his hometown where he is known for brutal crime, and continues a series of murders in the neighborhood.

18. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

After being burned alive, Freddy Krueger adopts steel claws and decides to attack a group of teenagers through their nightmares, as a form of revenge. To escape this fearsome persecution, young people must wake up at all costs.

19. Babadook (2014)

Amelia is a widow who, even 6 years after the death of her partner, still has not overcome the tragic and sudden loss, which makes the relationship between her and her son Samuel even more difficult. The boy finds a book hidden in his house, and begins to have haunting nightmares about the monster in the story, which he suspects is intent on killing him.

20. Psychosis (1960)

After stealing $40,000 from her boss, Marion initiates an escape plan without a trace. Along the way, the woman decides to spend a night at a roadside hotel, where she meets Norman Bates, the establishment’s strange owner. The young man, despite being polite and receptive, demonstrates a troubled relationship with his mother, as well as a strange fascination with taxidermy. But what Marion didn’t suspect was that her night at Bates Motel wouldn’t be the best. This movie classic is one of the great hits of Alfred Hitchcock, the master of horror.

21. The Others (2001)

Grace is a devout woman who moves into a secluded mansion on the island of Jersey. The idea is to calmly wait for her husband to return from the war, and ensure the safety of her children, who have a strange disease. The mother demands that the children respect certain rules, which are broken when some employees are hired to work in the dark house. The film stars award-winning actress Nicole Kidman.

22. The Orphan (2009)

Kate and John decide to adopt Esther after suffering a tragic miscarriage. At first, the 9-year-old girl gets along well with everyone in the family, including her two sons Daniel and Maxime, but some events start to disturb the mother, who is unable to prove anything to her husband due to her alcoholism problem.

23. Saw (2004)

Two unknown men wake up chained in a bathroom, only to realize they are prisoners of a sick killer. To survive, both must unravel some mysteries proposed by the enigmatic criminal, and are pushed to their limits throughout the game.

24. The Entity (2012)

A writer decides to investigate a series of murders after finding a box in the attic of his new home, with old footage taken by a serial killer. While watching one of the videos, a curious symbol catches the novelist’s attention, and several dark events start to disturb the safety of his family.

25. The Master Key (2005)

Caroline is hired to care for Ben and Violet, a couple in poor health, and lives in a spooky mansion in New Orleans. In order for the young woman to have access to the entire house, the elderly woman delivers a set of keys to all the rooms, including a door at the back of the attic, which hides various antiquities and artifacts of black magic.

26. Case 39 (2010)

Emily is a social worker involved in the case of Lilith, a 10-year-old girl raped by her own parents. The couple is caught red-handed after trying to kill the child, and Emily is given temporary custody of her, until a foster family appears. But before that can happen, a series of facts begin to disturb the assistant’s life.

27. The Curse of House Winchester (2018)

Eric Price is a psychiatrist hired to assess the mental health of Sarah, heiress to the famous Winchester gun company. The widow feels haunted by the dead who had their lives taken by the rifle sold by her family, and after the death of her husband and son simultaneously, she decides to build a mansion designed to ward off such spirits. But given the events witnessed in the property, Eric does not believe that Sarah is insane.

28. Possession (2012)

Clyde is a divorced father who has just bought a house,…