The Twelve Days Of Halloween by Conrad Gardner

The time of Halloween is upon us, and as a result of coronavirus, the opportunity for traditional student partying and debauchery has been limited. As an alternative, I have compiled a list of twelve horror movies to watch during the spooky season. I hope these choices provide some creepy cheer to you at this time of the year.

Day 1 – The Cabin In The Woods (2011)

A group of students go to a remote cabin in the woods to party, get high, and have premarital sex. However, something is about to go horribly wrong. Meanwhile, there is a strange operation occurring underground. Stop me if you’ve heard that plot before. Don’t worry, you’re in for a surprise. Drew Goddard directs from a script co-written with Joss Whedon (the pair previously worked together on Whedon’s Buffy The Vampire Slayer) to bring a comedic analysis of the horror genre. It provides a fun foray into the horror genre for those less comfortable being scared and has comedic explanations for some of the genre’s well-worn tropes for seasoned fans.

Day 2 – The Exorcist (1973)

A young girl falls ill and is believed to be haunted when she demonstrates superhuman acts of strength and taunts her single mother. A priest struggling with his faith may be her only hope. I first saw Exorcist this summer, after listening to the audiobook of William Peter Blatty’s novel, and I loved it. Blatty also pens his own adaptation which is brought to horrifying life by William Friedkin. The film has a brilliant cast of actors and characters. Ellen Burstyn and Linda Blair shine in particular as the mother and daughter, whom we become invested in and want to see survive the ordeal. Often regarded as the scariest film of all time, it still deserves this reverence today.

Day 3 – The Thing (1982)

A group of researchers stationed in Antarctica are forced to deal with an extraordinary threat when they make a discovery. They will have to work together to defeat it, but how can they do that when the creature they hunt may be among them? John Carpenter’s tension-filled masterpiece is iconic, and for good reason. Alongside The Exorcist, it is one of my favourite horror films from before my birth. It is one of the most knee-shaking, chair arm-gripping films I have ever seen, and I live off of films that are based on tension. Prepare yourself for body horror and disgusting sights.

Day 4 – The Devil’s Backbone (2001)

A boy is sent to an orphanage during the last year of the Spanish Civil War. A child’s ghost and an undetonated bomb on the orphanage grounds are only the cliff’s edge of mystery in this film. I will not pretend to know much about the Spanish Civil War, but I know a lot about Guillermo Del Toro’s films, since he is one of my favourite filmmakers. This film is good for viewers who want mystery and some scares, but a very moving story too. The child acting is also very noteworthy. The tragic undercurrent to the film and revelations of the true monsters are what make this film stay in my memory.

Day 5 – Suspiria (1977)

An American Ballet student arrives at a prestigious dance academy in Berlin, only to find that it is the centre of a series of horrific events. Murders and maggots are the least of her worries. Dario Argento’s film blew my mind when I first watched it. It is an explosion of colour and blood, with horrific imagery that I have not been able to shake. The film was initially conceived to have all the academy women to be young girls (this, of course, was changed), but I find that it just adds to the film’s visual palette. A pulsating soundtrack carries us through Argento’s disturbed horror.

Day 6 – Candyman (1992)

Helen, a student completing a thesis on urban legends in Chicago comes face to face with the local myth of the Candyman, the ghost of a Black artist who was murdered in the 19th century for impregnating his white lover. After saying his name five times in a mirror, she will see that there is more truth than myth in his story. Bernard Rose’s adaptation of Clive Barker’s short story shifts the Liverpool setting to contemporary Chicago, but remains tense and terrifying, as is standard for Barker. In the hands of a lesser writer-director, the film would have been just another supernatural film about a woman being tormented by a malevolent force, but with the characters and unique study of racism, it has morphed into a more memorable, and scary work.

Day 7 – The Lighthouse (2019)

Two lighthouse keepers grapple with each other and their sanity when strange events occur. What begins with a mermaid statue evolves in a living nightmare. Halfway into the twelve days, we are past the tipping point, the same place Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe find themselves at odds with in The Lighthouse. The less you know about Robert Eggers’s film, the better, so I cannot say too much. All I will say is that the horror is more about what you don’t see.

Day 8 - The Wailing (2016)

A series of murders in a remote Korean village lead a policeman down a mysterious road. Things get worse when his daughter starts to behave strangely and a woman in white tells him she knows about the murders. I have enjoyed the works of Korean filmmakers such as Bong Joon-ho and Park Chan-wook among others, but Na Hong-jin’s The Wailing is to me a horror masterpiece. It is not my favourite Korean film (Oldboy holds that rank), but it is the most terrifying I have seen. It manages to encompass several types of horror and makes them work without seeming overstuffed. Prepare yourself for a lot of screaming.

Day 9 – 28 Days Later (2002)

A young man is forced to navigate a seemingly deserted London, having woken up four weeks after the outbreak of a virus. He runs into a group of survivors, who must keep running if they want to live. Given the pandemic climate right now, including a virus-related film was inevitable. 28 Days Later has a scene establishing the virus but is less interested with how it operates. The rest of the film is concerned with character and movement, making the viewer feel as if they can never feel secure at any point, even when there are moments of calm.

Day 10 – Audition (1999)

With the help of his friend, a widower stages a mock audition for a wife after his son suggests he find someone new. Infatuated with the beautiful Asami, he is not yet prepared for her darkest secrets. Takashi Miike’s film makes no effort to hide how odd Asami is. She evokes an otherworldly presence that never allows people to relax when she’s on-screen. The tension crescendos with the violence, and after the halfway point it becomes gag-worthy; in the best way possible. You’re in to be creeped out by simple smiles here.

Day 11 – Predator (1987)

A group of special forces soldiers sent on a rescue mission in the jungle are being stalked by a killer they cannot see. One-by-one, they are picked off and will have to put their skills to the test to survive. Many people would not consider this film a horror movie, though I disagree. People getting murdered and spines being torn out mixed with plenty of tension constitutes horror for me. A more action-oriented affair than the other films on this list, it should prove watchable for those who dislike being dragged through torrents of darkness or grief. The exotic jungle landscape makes a more unique setting for a horror film too. At over thirty years old, it still packs a nail-biting series of events.

Day 12 – Midsommar (2019)

After suffering a devastating loss, student Dani travels to Sweden with her boyfriend and his friendship group to take part in the Midsommar festival. Their relationship, already on a thin line, is about to reach a breaking point. Speaking of torrents of grief, Midsommar is your reward for completing the twelve days: a horror movie that takes place almost entirely in the daytime. Not that this makes it easier to watch. I was first going to put director Ari Aster’s debut Hereditary here, but I decided that something with sunshine may be overdue. In short, this film ruined me more than Aster’s first film did, and multiple viewings have not made it easier.

Words by Conrad Gardner

Edited by Marshall Moore