My Favorite Horror Films

I was terrified of scary movies when I was a kid; now, I embrace them wholly. If you're like me and enjoy scaring yourself to the point of not being able to will yourself out of bed at midnight to pee, then here is a list of films that will do just that.

You're good with anything by James Wan, but especially Annabelle and The Conjouring. I watched both of them for the first time while I was a student in London, and let me tell you—I didn't dare open my eyes in the middle of the night in fear of seeing a floating doll or a witch hanging from the ceiling. Both films are guaranteed to give you a good scare...perhaps for life. The story lines are truly spooky, eery, and downright terrifying.

I'm sure a majority of you have seen this film, but in the slim chance you haven't, do yourself a favor and watch The Others. It stars the fantastic Nicole Kidman as a woman living in her home with her two children during World War II. She awakens one morning to find that all of her servants have left...and it gets weirder as the film progresses.

Hereditary nearly made me shit myself—so stream that one if you want to give yourself nightmares for life. I don't want to give anything away, so all I'll say is that spooky stuff begins happening in a seemingly ordinary family after experiencing a tragedy. You've been warned.

The Visit is a typical M. Knight Shyamalan movie ending with a major twist. Two kids go visit their grandparents who have been estranged from their mother for years. It's a slowly unwinding tale that'll have you tucked tightly under your bed covers and jumping at every sound in your house.

I love Poltergeist. It's not the most terrifying film compared to some, but it's nonetheless creepy and has you wondering if your house, too, is buried atop an Indian burial ground.

Then comes Goodnight Mommy. It's an Austrian horror film about a mom with twin boys—and this mother's face is covered in bandages (from what I remember, this is due to plastic surgery). The boys don't think this woman is their real mother, and it begins to spiral into creepiness from there. It's a fantastic film with a great twist.

The last one on this little list, but certainly not least, is The Witch. It's a brilliant film that, although slow and a bit difficult to understand due to the Old-English dialect and accents (subtitles will be your friend here), the ending is so gloriously creepy. A Puritan family is banished from their community, and they decide to settle in the woods (bad idea from the get go). After a tragic event, suspicions begin to arise among the family members as to which one of them is really a witch. It's one of my favorite horror films, and the ending will not disappoint.

What are your favorite horror films? Let me know so I can continue to scare myself.