The Latest Movies You Need for Halloween This Year

It is nearly that time of year again. The trees are changing, the weather is heating up and the ghosts and ghouls come out to play. It's almost Halloween! Over the past few years, Australia has started to embrace the Celtic originated Holiday, with it becoming more and more popular each year. The holiday invites even casual horror movie goers to explore some of the classics in the genre and get amongst the spooky season. Today to celebrate the commencement of the spooky season, I will be counting down my five picks to keep you busy and spooked out this Halloween season. So without further ado, here are the latest movies you need for halloween this year. Let's go! 

Poltergeist (1982) – One of the best horror films of the 1980s was the collaboration between director Tobe Hooper (Poltergeist, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Lifeforce) and Hollywood legend Steve Speilberg. The film sees the Freeling family encounter an otherworldly presence as a Native American burial ground is unearthed when the family begin to install a pool in their backyard. This is the peak haunted house film, bringing the scares to suburbia as the family do everything in their power to prevent this evil from terrorising their family. The effects are all wonderful and still hold up remarkably well, considering the film is 40 years old. Actress Heather O'Rourke who plays Carol Anne gives one of the best child performances in a horror movie of all time, sadly Heather passed away at the age of 12, taken way too young, may she rest in peace. There is no better time to check out 'Poltergeist' as well, as the film has been given a remarkable remaster that looks terrific. The original film print has never looked or sounded better. This one is a classic for a reason, if you haven't checked it out, you need to! 

The Lost Boys (1987) – Vampire's have been a craze in Hollywood for decades now and this can be traced back to Joel Shumachers classic 1987 action/horror film 'The Lost Boys'. 'The Lost Boys' sees the Frog brother duke it out with the damned in this genre-hybrid. The film benefits from its stellar young cast, led by Jason Patrick, Corey Feldman, Corey Haim and Kiefer Sutherland as the film's big bad, David. The scares are few and far between, but the amazing cast make this one well worth your time. Roadshow have also just released an amazing 4K restoration of this one just in time for the spookiest month of the year. The film's picture and sound get a massive upgrade here. If you're a vampire fan and you haven't checked this one out, you need to, it has all the hallmarks of a true vampire film classic. 

The Conjuring 3 Movie Collection (2013, 2016, 2021) – One of the biggest horror franchises in recent memory has been 'The Conjuring' franchise. Now spanning eight movies, The Conjuring, Annabelle, The Conjuring 2, Annabelle: Creation, The Nun, Annabelle: Comes Home, The Curse of LaLarona and The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It. The franchise has managed to keep scares consistent and put an emphasis on developing a believable world, full of horrors, whilst not betraying the films grounded, real-life roots. The three standouts in the franchise are the three core Conjuring films. These 3 films follow real life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren (played by Patrick Wilson and Vera Faminga respectively) as they investigate real casefiles. The family dynamic across all films is very strong and helps the audience relate to their cause. This is due to the amazing performances by Wilson and Farmiga who do a wonderful job of bringing the couple to life. You buy into their work, their relationship and their dedication to the cause. The 3 core films make for an amazing movie marathon full of scares, laughs and a whole lot of heart. You can pick-up the 3 movie collection from Sanity today! 

The Requin (2022) – As I have discussed in the past, I adore shark related films. I always find them entertaining, even if they aren't top tier. 2022s 'The Requin' doesn't reach top-shelf shakr material such as Jaws and Deep Blue Sea (both for very different reasons), but it still proves to be a fun and tense thriller film, with all the shark related action and thrills we as an audience have come to expect from the genre. Alicia Silverstone returns after taking a few years off from these larger releases and it is great to see her back on the screen. She does a great job selling the severity and dire circumstances of the situation. The shark is suitably large and terrifying, reminding the audience just how scary these great white predators can truly be. The film also looks great on home media, so this one is definitely worth picking up and checking out with your friends. 

Men (2022) – A24 has become one of Hollywood’s most reliable genre studios, delivering some of the best horror films of the past 10 years. With the likes of ‘The Witch’, ‘Midsommar’, ‘The Lighthouse’, ‘Hereditary’ and 2022s ‘X’. They have struck gold again, with yet another great horror film in Alex Garland’s ‘Men’. ‘Men’ marks Garland’s second venture with the studio after ‘Ex Machina’ in 2015. ‘Men’ follows a young woman, who vacations to the English countryside, following the death of her ex-husband, but all isn’t as it seems. The film has a very talented cast, led by Jessie Buckley (I’M Thinking of Ending Things, The Lost Daughter) and Rory Kinnear (Penny Dreadful, Skyfall & The Imitation Game) and Alex Garland’s trademark style. The film is suitably atmospheric and genuinely unnerving, just like a good horror film should be. Garland gets the best out of his talented cast and the film leaves a lasting impression, sticking with you long after the credits roll. The film also looks stunning on its recent Blu-Ray release from Roadshow. 

 All of these films and more are available from Sanity both in store and online. So it's time to mark a date in your calendar, get some decorations, some popcorn and head to Sanity and get the latest horror films to host your very own horror movie night. You might just need to leave the lights on... 

Christopher Pattison wrote this blog post for Sanity. See more from Chris here