My Favorite Psychological Horror Movies

I’m going to start this list with a shout-out to Smile. My friend and I went to see it last Tuesday, and I’ll admit my hopes weren’t very high. Hollywood hasn’t been giving us top-tier horror films lately. However, I really enjoyed Smile. There were a few too many attempts at jump scares – only one of which actually got us – but other than that, it was a solid plot that didn’t get too hokey. I would certainly recommend watching it, at least. Not that I’m promising it will be your new fave! Just…try it.

Split (2016)

One of my favorite movies ever, Split toes the line for me. I’m not sure I’d necessarily call it horror. Kevin is a sympathetic character, which makes it difficult to classify him as evil.

The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

American Psycho (2000)

Rosemary’s Baby (1968)

Midsommar (2019)

Cam (2018)

The Invitation (2015)

The Forest (2016)

Throwback Post: Top 5 Music Videos Based on Horror Films

This post was originally published in October 2019.

It’s October, which means spooky season, my favorite time of the year! I would have done a lot of horror/Halloween-themed posts if everything hadn’t been so hectic. But alas, that’s life.

With that being said, there are still seven days left until the month’s end, so I have time to get some of my Spooktober ideas uploaded.

My first special post for October is a Top Five list featuring music videos based on horror movies! Over the years, several artists have paid homage to their favorite scary film. The trend is most prevalent in the rock and metal genres, which is appropriate, don’t you think?

And here we go! (These are in no particular order.)

1. “The Kill” – Thirty Seconds to Mars // Based on Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining

2. “Beim Ersten Mal Tut’s Immer Weh” – Oomph! // Based on the psychological thriller Hard Candy, directed by David Slade and starring Ellen Page

3. “Engel” – Rammstein // Based on the snake dance scene in From Dusk Till Dawn

4. “Living Dead Girl” – Rob Zombie // Based on the 1920 silent horror film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, with a nod to White Zombie as well

5. “Hell in the Hallways” – Ice Nine Kills // Based on the film adaptation of Stephen King’s Carrie

My Top 10 Favorite Slasher Flicks

Scream (1996)

Halloween II (1981)

Urban Legend

Cry_Wolf

Trick ‘r Treat

Halloween (1978)

The Final Girls

Terrifier

House of 1000 Corpses

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

Man Crush Monday: Skeet Ulrich

I’m not sure what it says about me that my crush on Skeet Ulrich started with his portrayal of a serial killer – or that I find him the most attractive in that film, licking corn syrup off his fingers. Haha. I was thrilled when he made an appearance in Scream 5. Even after all these years, he’s still yummy!

My Favorite Found Footage Horror Movies

Behind slasher flicks like Scream, the found footage subgenre of horror is probably my favorite. Despite its weak start – I was not a fan of The Blair Witch Project, which was the first of these films I remember gaining any traction – this genre has grown into something really fun. So, here are a few found footage movies I would definitely recommend watching.

The Houses October Built (2014)

The Houses October Built 2 (2017)

Hell House LLC (2015)

Hell House LLC II: The Abaddon Hotel (2018)

The Taking of Deborah Logan (2014)

I don’t normally enjoy possession movies, but The Taking of Deborah Logan is legitimately scary.

Unfriended (2014)

Unfriended: Dark Web (2018)

This is the one of the few sequels I liked more than the first.

Death of a Vlogger (2019)

The Lost Footage of Leah Sullivan (2018)

The Den (2013)

Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin (2021)

I have hated every Paranormal Activity movie – until this one. I was hesitant to watch it, but my BFF and her husband wanted to when I visited last Halloween. And I really enjoyed it.

Update to My 2022 Goodreads Challenge (9/27/22)

I finally finished The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler. It was a really good read, but other books kept jumping ahead of it. For instance: Long Live the Pumpkin Queen by Shea Ernshaw, which is a story from the world created by Tim Burton in The Nightmare Before Christmas (and is thoroughly enjoyable).

I also finished Rachel Caine’s Bitter Blood and read Fall of Night. I think I only have two books left in the Morganville vampires series and that breaks my heart. I love the world and the characters she created, and I’m going to hate to see it end.

Theme Music by T. Marie Vandelly was at the top of my to-be-read pile last time I posted, and y’all…that was one fucked up novel. I couldn’t put it down. I certainly didn’t see the twist coming. And that was Vandelly’s first book! I look forward to more from her.

I have now read 18 of my 25 book goal for the year. Here are the books I’m currently reading.

The Fear (Natasha Preston)

Survive the Night (Danielle Vega)

My want-to-read list is sitting at 65 books and I’m adding more basically every day. I don’t think I’m going to run out of options. Lol.

As always, if you have any recommendations, I’d love to hear them! Happy reading!

Update To My 2022 Goodreads Challenge (7/3/22)

Hello! It’s time for another update to my 2022 reading challenge!

Since my last post regarding this subject, I finished Afraid (a collaborative effort among Lisa Jackson, Lisa Childs, and Alexandra Ivy), My Pretties (Jeff Strand), and – yes – His Final Girl (Brooklyn Ann).

I also read Stephanie Perkins’ The Woods Are Always Watching and Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth: The Labyrinth of the Faun. These were two unplanned purchases that jumped ahead on my list.

I have now read 13 of my 25 book goal. And my to-be-read list is now as follows.

1. Bitter Blood by Rachel Caine

2. Theme Music by T. Marie Vandelly

3. The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler (I actually started this one a couple of months ago, but I stalled out on it. Trying again.)

As always, I would love to hear what y’all are reading, and feel free to leave me recommendations!

Update To My 2022 Goodreads Challenge (5/9/22)

So you may remember this post about my progress on this year’s reading challenge, the book I was currently reading, and my (ever-growing) to-be-read pile. Well, I’m here for another update because I am determined to complete the challenge this year and I feel that blogging about it might keep me on track.

I have now read 8 books in 2022. My goal is 25. Since that last post, I’ve finished Black Dawn (Rachel Caine), The Thicket (Noelle W. Ihli), and The Invitation (Lucy Foley).

I am still working on Afraid (a collection of three offerings from Lisa Jackson, Alexandra Ivy, and Lisa Childs). And the next two on the TBR list? My Pretties by Jeff Strand and – for real this time – His Final Girl by Brooklyn Ann. I’m also going to finish The Morganville Vampires series this year…hopefully. I just keep sidetracking myself every time I walk into a bookstore. Lol.

What are you guys reading? Any recommendations for me? As you can see, I like the horror/thriller/suspense genres, and slashers are my faves. So if you’ve read anything that you think I would enjoy, I’d love to hear about it!

Unsettling Images (#1)

I started out browsing for pictures of abandoned amusement parks and ended up diving down a rabbit hole of the strange on Pinterest. Some of the uploads were actually creepy, but most of them just gave me an uneasy feeling – especially the ones that are real places/things. There was a whole lotta nope, and locations that, were you in a horror movie, it would all start going wrong there. Haha 😛 Below are a few of my favorites. I’m sure there will be multiple installments of these types of images: I love this stuff.

Three of the Sexiest Dance Scenes in Movie History

Look, we all know dancing is a means of expressing oneself, right? A lot can be said without a single word being uttered. Dancing can be fun, goofy, romantic, a narrative…but in this case, we’re talking about sex, pure and simple.

You don’t have to bump and grind to get the point across, and these three scenes are proof of that.

1. The ballroom dance in The Labyrinth (1986)

Come up with any detail in these four minutes that isn’t fraught with sexual tension. I’ll wait.

This scene is iconic. I guess you could argue that this is actually supposed to be about romance, but the moment she first spots him from across the room is just…electric. Plus, David Bowie is so swoon-worthy in this role.

2. At the club in Fright Night (1985)

Chris Sarandon is the sexiest, most deliciously evil vampire I’ve ever seen. I’d be drawn to him, too. It was a little strange for me to see Amanda Bearse getting mildly sensual, though, given that I was only familiar with her in “Married With Children” when I first watched this movie. Lol.

3. The wolf dance in Red Riding Hood (2011)

The music – Fever Ray’s “The Wolf” – is really what sells this one. When he looks up at her, knowing she’s jealous, and then the two of them glare daggers at each other throughout the whole dance, it builds a tension that is palpable.

(Feel free to comment with your own additions! These are just the ones that jump out at me, personally.)