Even though Halloween is over, there are still many scary movies that to still watch. We have compiled a list of our top 5 horror movies with some help from surveyed BSM students.

1. The Conjuring

First place was taken by “The Conjuring,” directed by award-winning director James Wan. The Conjuring takes place in Rhode Island in 1970 and fixates on the lives of the Perron Family and the events surrounding them. During the movie, the Perron family reaches out to Paranormal investigators and demonologists (Ed and Lorraine Warren) to rid the family of a supernatural presence which had attached itself to the 5 daughters and mother.

This movie is popular among BSM students because of the sheer horror that this film displays. Throughout the movie characters are ripped apart from their families, locked in haunted cellars, infested by demons, and many other terrible things, all of which are reasons why students love the movie so much. Screenwriters effectively set up jump scares and place life-threatening obstacles in the way of the characters. The obstacles put terror and horror directly into the eyes of the audience, allowing people to get easily invested in the film. The film ends with a blackout scene and flashes sentences about demons and God. The sentences explain how the film was based on a true story, which strikes fear into the audience’s hearts, leaving them with a strong sense of unease.

2. IT

Closely trailing first place is the film “IT,” directed by Andrés Muschietti. Based on Stephen King’s popular novel, “IT” is a chilling film about arguably one of the scariest things possible: an evil shape-shifting clown named Pennywise. The movie takes place in a small town, Derry, Maine, and focuses on the lives of 6 kids who are being terrorized by Pennywise, who is a sewer-dwelling evil clown. Throughout the film, the kids have to overcome their own personal problems, just like any kid their age. The kids are seen fighting with their parents, getting bullied, and trying to overcome the struggle with talking to their crush. These all add depth to the characters and make the audience more emotionally attached to each individual character.

“IT” most likely caught the attention of students because of the connection the audience has with the young characters and the public’s irrational fear of clowns. Many viewers are intrigued by the film’s unique visual approach to horror. The movie emphasizes the true terror of a physical antagonist, as opposed to ghosts or other paranormal beings.

3. The Shining

“The Shining” is a psychological thriller based on the novel by Stephen King. Directed by Oscar award-winning director Stanley Kubrick, “The Shining” is regarded as one of the best horror movies of the century. Its cinematic visuals and timelessness are guaranteed to frighten people from every walk of life. The movie focuses on struggling writer Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) who takes a job as a winter caretaker at the Overlook Hotel, an isolated hotel in Colorado, to cure his writer’s block. However, instead of overcoming his writer’s block, Jack is haunted by the hotel’s strange, paranormal activities and is eventually driven insane. His insanity leads him to attack and hurt his family. “The Shining” is a compelling horror movie that shows us how seclusion and solitude can be very creepy and disturbing.

“The Shining” came in third on the BSM student’s list of favorite horror movies. This can be credited to its ability to invoke the personal fear of isolation and betrayal which is relatable for people of all ages. The movie is on Netflix so that could also be a contributor to its high ranking.

4. Friday the 13th

“Friday the 13th” is your classic slasher movie. The film takes place at a remote, overnight summer camp named Camp Crystal Lake. The lake has a dark history of numerous murders and the locals warn the counselors against starting a camp there. The counselors find themselves being hunted by a mask-wearing serial killer and they have to try to survive.

We were surprised that Friday the 13th placed number 4 on this list due to its poor reviews by critics. Anyhow, Friday the 13th is the original “slasher” movie and it launched a whole new genre of horror movies.

5. Saw

“Saw” is a sadistic serial killer movie which focuses on the lives of two everyday people, who meet in the weirdest way. Directed by James Wan, the movie makes our worst nightmares come to life in visually terrifying ways. The movie begins with two men chained to metal pipes in a bathroom. The men have no recollection of how they got there and have to find their way out of a serial Killer’s maze, dealing with life-threatening obstacles.

“Saw” is one of the biggest horror movie franchises and because of this, BSM students have probably all seen at least one Saw movie at one point or another. It most likely finished last because it simply lacks character development and plot details unlike the movies ahead of it.