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The Best Horror Films for a Thrilling (and Chilling) Movie Night

From creature feature to psychological thriller, Alfred Hitchcock to Ari Aster, these are the best films the horror genre has to offer.

As the leaves turn crimson and the moon casts a pale glow upon the world, Halloween beckons us to embrace the thrill of the unknown and the terror that lies in wait. It is the season when the boundaries between the living and the dead blur, and the realm of nightmares melds with reality. What better way to celebrate this spine-tingling occasion than by immersing ourselves in the macabre wonders of the silver screen?

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From haunted houses to zombie outbreaks, from grotesque monsters to the hand reaching from the darkness, these movies have left an indelible mark on the genre -- and just a little bit of pee in our trousers.

Join us on this hair-raising journey as we traverse the dark alleys of cinema history, from the heart-stopping and claustrophobic halls of commercial space tug Nostromo in Alien, to the dense and foreboding woods of The Witch, to the middle of the ocean, where nothing but a dinky wooden lobster boat separates you and the jagged, gaping maw of a gargantuan and murderous great white shark in Jaws.

Whether it's jump scares or a subtle and creeping psychological eeriness, gorgeous cinematography with sweeping vistas or a shaky camcorder zoomed in on a wide-eyed and blubbering face as it asks us "What was that!?" these are the perfect films to curl up with this Halloween season.

So turn down the lights, grab a friend (we recommend someone slower than you in case you need to run) and a big bucket of popcorn -- and then spill that popcorn all over the place as these phenomenal horror movies scare the bejesus out of you.

READ MORE: The 27 Best Classic Halloween Movies that Stand the Test of Time