No Halloween celebrations are complete without a quiet evening on the couch watching serial killers and monsters. As the spookiness draws near, we’ve rounded up the favorite scary flicks from pop, electronic, rock, and metal musicians in case you’re needing some viewing inspiration. There’s a little something for everyone: psychological thrillers, gore fests, revered classics, and just the downright weird.
Phoneboy
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
“Perfect horror movie. So creepy on a budget. Perhaps one of the best American movies. Proof that movies don’t need a big star to be good. Check out the sequel too if you want to laugh your ass off.”
The Thing (1985)
“This was that movie that got me intohorror movies. The themes of paranoia and isolation are tense and fascinating. Kurt Russell puts on a powerhouse performance. The special effects could hold up in a movie theater today. In my opinion, this is the perfect horror film.”
Get Out (2017)
“Get Out was my introduction to the horror/thriller genre. I remember sitting in the front row screaming, laughing, and covering our eyes in that one scene (if you know you know). We both had just turned 18 so we were excited to give our IDs to the box office attendant. The movie struck a perfect balance — just enough humor to offer moments of relief, but also an unsettling, spooky energy that made certain scenes uncomfortable to watch. Definitely a must watch for anyone who’s tryna watch a fun and spooky film.”
Silence of the Lambs (1991)
“I just watched this movie for the first time a few weeks ago and was blown away. I love a good horror and suspense film and this one felt so refreshing compared to a lot of modern ones (which makes sense since it’s considered a classic). The last act really had me at the edge of my seat- super disturbing and unexpected! And the visuals and soundtrack are incredible!”
Hereditary (2018)
“One of our favorite movies from the past 10 years. Has infinite replay value and is such a harrowing watch every time. The cast really sells this one and the soundtrack and sound design gives us nightmares.”
Indie rock group Phoneboy recently premiered the new single “I Look Alive” and its accompanying music video. This is the group’s first track to feature new vocalist Jordan Torres. Phoneboy just announced that the band will be supporting Good Kids on a US tour in February and March.
Mitch Swanger of Silent Theory
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)
“Something about this movie had me gripped from start to finish and it is one of the only movies, scary or otherwise, that has captivated me like that. I think it could be two things: first, that R. Lee Ermey’s role is so believable that it just gives you eerie vibes the whole time, and second, that it is loosely based on real-life serial killer, Ed Gein.”
The Shining (1980)
“One of Jack Nicholson’s best performances. I have visited the hotel where this movie was filmed and it felt just as creepy in real life as it did when watching it in the movie. The random quick shots of the twins always get me.”
The Strangers (2008)
“Because this is a movie where this could actually happen. ‘Why are you doing this to us?’ ‘Because you were home.’ Seriously, chills.”
Saw (2004)
“Such a brilliant storyline with the ultimate twist at the end. I don’t think there has been a more surprising ending in a movie before or after.”
Metal group Silent Theory released its fourth album Tell Us How It Ends last month, as well as the music video for the title track. The band is currently finishing up a headlining North American tour.
Mike Odd (manager/spokesperson for Mac Sabbath)
Frankenstein (1931)
“Not just where horror movies began but pretty much where movies began.”
Dracula (1931)
“See above. Same. Can anyone name a movie around this period of the birth of talkies that’s as watchable, enjoyable and rewarding as these two groundbreaking films that started EVERYTHING?! Bela [Lugosi] is pretty much from Transylvania. HE IS DRACULA. As far as qualifications for a part it’s like asking Boris Karloff to actually be a reanimated corpse to qualify for the role.”
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
“[Tobe] Hooper pulls a Hitchcock reinventing how terrifying a film can be while making a point that simplicity and low budget can be scarier than anything we have ever seen. I’d say the most influential horror movie made since 1974. Unarguably the most influential gas station!”
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
“The only other spot-on remake. Original is a ground-breaking political horror but this is simply a better and scarier film. Amazing cast. Terrifying and so real to apply to everything that’s going on right now. Saw this in the theatre at a tender age. Changed my life forever.”
Young Frankenstein (1974)
“Best horror comedy ever made. Might be the best movie ever made. How is a parody movie better than the original that happens to be the best movie ever made? Because it is.”
Love at First Bite (1979)
“Ridiculous ’70s disco Dracula movie starring the actor best known for being tan. Need I say more? George Hamilton will always be number two to me after Bela. He is even on the top of my coffin-shaped skateboard.”
Satirical metal band Mac Sabbath are currently touring until the end of November in North America as part of its tenth anniversary. Mike Odd currently hosts horror events as Dr. Odd’s Medicine Show.
Bridges Ablaze
Hereditary (2018)
“Hereditary is really striking due to the unearthly atmosphere the film constructs via its creative use of horror elements, ranging from atmosphere and music, to very visceral scenes.”
Halloween (1978)
“To me, this is probably the most iconic slasher movie, and I think set a template for the movies that followed. I also think it is awesome that Michael Myers’ mask was a William Shatner mask purchased at a costume shop for $1.98.”
The Grudge (2004)
“The Grudge is a classic, and is special to us due to the unique and fun atmosphere the film creates.”
Cube (1997)
“Cube is an incredibly unique thriller, mostly revolving around abstract mathematics and complex death traps in a matrix of cubes.”
The Ring (2002)
“The Ring is an absolute masterwork of horror that contains a range of horror elements, ranging from incredibly disturbing scenes to very foreboding atmosphere, rain, and color-grading for most of the movie.”
Thirteen Ghosts (2001)
“Thirteen Ghosts is a wild, fun, and unique ride from start to finish for us.”
The Austin-based metal/rock duo Bridges Ablaze shared the new single “Take Me” back in August, and premiered its music video in September.
Miss Randall of Qarinah
The Void (2016)
“This one is a more recent one that, if you know, you know. It just really opens a whole can of worms into its influences, such as Lovecraft, Barker, Carpenter, Romero, and Fulci. I enjoy supernatural horror with a touch of originality and mood, and this one takes me there.”
Oculus (2013)
“This is a good start to anything Mike Flanagan. I enjoy movies that make you think and not just let you stay back at the edge of your seat, taking it all in. Psychological horror is sometimes more scary than graphic horror, in my opinion.”
Hereditary (2018)
“I mean, this movie is just what I would categorize as one of those you shouldn’t watch before going to bed or being alone. And I’m not easily scared, but with all my years of watching horror movies, I’m even waiting to revisit it.”
Demon Seed (1977)
“This one is really old, but even after all the years it still gets me! I enjoy the premise. It’s sci-fi horror mixing technological and biological proliferation with special effects from way back then. A woman gets trapped in her smart home and the technology becomes sentient. What could go wrong? Haha. I just hope someone can make a recent version but stay true to its original.”
The Shining (1980)
“Kubrick’s masterpiece is just a perfect piece of art from start to finish. The composition, the writing, the clues, and the crescendo of events… all come together beautifully. It keeps scaring me after all these years.”
Metal duo Qarinah released its EP Transcendent last month, and shared a music video for the single “Alchemy.”
Crobot
Brandon Yeagley
Evil Dead II (1987), Army of Darkness (1992), Friday the 13th series
“I started out my adolescent years, wanting to be a special effects artist for horror movies. The first movie I went to the theaters to see was at six years old. I went to see Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers. so my affiliation and admiration for horror movies stems back to my early childhood- for better or for worse. I enjoy the slapstick campy aspects of films like Evil Dead II and Army of Darkness and the Friday the 13th series.“
Alien series, Identity (2003), Se7en (1995)
“I’m also a huge fan of the Alien series from front to back. I also enjoy cerebral horror movies like Identity, The Village, Se7en, and other films like that that have a psychological thriller aspect to them. I very much enjoy a twisting ending that you never see coming as well.”
Chris Bishop
The Shining (1980), Martyrs (2008), Hereditary (2018), The Thing from Another World (1951), The Thing (1982), Midsommar (2019), The Witch (2015)
“Martyrs, Hereditary, The Thing (original and remake), Midsommar, The Witch… too many to name. But my number one will always be The Shining. I love a good psychological horror and this film has it all. I love the pacing, the hidden messages and iconic Stanley Kubrick shots. Oh and did I mention Jack Nicholson!”
The rock quartet Crobot released its fifth studio album Obsidian in September, and will be stopping in the south for a few days on tour in December and January.
Maddie Regent
The Conjuring (2013)
“Despite being one of my favorite movies period, The Conjuring to me is one of the best haunted house films and most rewatchable at that. Everything from the true life lore of the Warrens and their cases to the investigative style narrative of the film make it so iconic. The whole Conjuring universe is my guilty pleasure.”
The Visit (2015)
“This movie had a really good plot and performances but honestly it has one of the funniest scenes to me in a horror movie (and I think that’s very important to have especially in more modern campy horror) where the young boy mimics the freaky older lady, posing as their grandmother, who ran at the kids in this menacing way. If you have seen this film I hope you know what I’m talking about. To this day I’ve been working up the courage to run at my boyfriend like this but I always back out.”
Crimson Peak (2015)
“This is just the perfect light spooky movie to get you in the mood for Halloween. I love the gothic setting and ghosts and just the whole aura of this film. Plus the cast is stacked? I always tell people that my dream is to live in a haunted house and I don’t mean like riddled with mean spirits but I do mean the exact house in this film.”
Indie pop singer-songwriter Maddie Regent shared the new track “You could break my heart” this month after releasing “Sleeptalking” back in August.
Work
Child’s Play (1988)
“I was around 5 or 6 years old when I saw Child’s Play because my Mom never, never monitored anything I watched. In the late 80s, there were these dolls for boys called My Buddy dolls that strangely resembled Chucky. I had one, but after I saw this movie I couldn’t even look at it. Later I found out that those dolls were the main inspiration for the Chucky character which makes me love it even more.”
Terrifier 2 (2022)
“I’ve always loved the relationship between comedy and over-the-top gore. This is one of the goriest movies out there but still has something comedic about its exaggerated kill scenes. There’s nothing creepier than a mute clown.”
Halloween (1978)
“An obvious classic. I think Michael Meyers is the creepiest of them all. The emotionless features of his mask and his slow pace is freaky. This is also Jamie Lee Curtis’ film debut. Most importantly, the theme song (written by director John Carpenter) is one of the most effective uses of music in film. It wouldn’t be the same without it.“
Skinamarink (2022)
“One of the most unique horror films. I love minimalism in art: music, painting, and especially film. You hardly see anything at all. Creepy footage of empty hallways and dark rooms. Theres no music except the ambience of the film itself. The minimal approach leaves a lot to the imagination. It’s a pretty polarizing movie. I know a lot of people that hated it because “nothing happens” but to me that’s what makes it great. Also, one of the scariest trailers for a film I’ve ever seen.”
Scream (1996)
“This one is fun. Although the ‘who done it’ storyline formula had been done plenty of times before, this is the first one for my generation. It spawned a bunch of others but none as good as this. I love Mathew Lillard’s character. It was the first time I ever heard ‘Red Right Hand’ by Nick Cave which became a staple in 90s horror soundtracks. I hope he made money from it.”
LA-based electronic duo Work recently premiered the new track “Islands” after the single “Please” was released in March.
Trip Villain
Josh Musto
The Ring (2002), The Ring 2 (2005)
“The dead people’s faces in The Ring and The Ring 2 are still the scariest shit I’ve ever seen. I’ll never forget the full body terror I felt when they suddenly cut to that first dead body shot in the closet. I hadn’t discovered metal yet, so I would just cathartically watch that scene over and over again to scare myself when I was in 5th grade. Also shout out [to] the Ghost Car commercial- 10/10 jump scare.”
Jon Ehlers
Annihilation (2018)
“Annihilation is my go to reference for what I find frightening. Cinematography-wise, the movie is stunningly beautiful. However, it’s paired with a hard juxtaposition of unique cosmic and body horror. If you’ve seen this movie and can make it through the bear scene without getting extremely uncomfortable, you’re a certified nutcase.”
In The Mouth of Madness (1994)
“John Carpenter’s In The Mouth of Madness has been a favorite of mine for 30 years. I’ve seen it many times and it’s held up well. Before I knew what Lovecraftian worship was, I knew that tentacles in unlikely settings are an ingredient for disturbance. The movie works as a hybrid of cosmic horror and psychological horror with some uniquely imagined scenes that almost make it artistic. Sam Neill rules in it too.”
Damien Moffitt
The Evil Dead (1981)
“Sam Raimi’s The Evil Dead is a perfect example of what happens when a 21-year-old visionary lets his creativity run wild. The film’s excessive gore, inventive practical effects, and dark, twisted humor left a lasting impression on me. Bruce Campbell’s portrayal of Ash perfectly captures the spiraling descent into madness, blending horror and comedy with undeniable charm. Six years later, in Evil Dead II, Raimi took the chaos even further, crafting a sequel/remake that pushed the boundaries of horror to new, delirious heights.”
Electronic/metal act Trip Villain released the new single “Lowbender” last month, and also shared its accompanying music video.
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