The Best Mainstream Horror Movies to Watch This Friday the 13th

 

Whether it’s the oldies that pique your interest, the found-footage gems that keep you up at night, or the jump scare-filled modern horrors that keep you coming back for more, there is no shortage of horror movies to suit everyone’s tastes.

 

So without further ado, here’s a bite-sized list of five classic and beloved horror movies that span the genre for you to try out this Friday the 13th, as well as recommendations to go along with them.

 

1. Insidious

Released in 2010, this supernatural horror follows a family as they deal with the trauma of horrifying hauntings as well as the help child illness brings. Having moved to a new house, the Lambert family soon finds that dealing with a child in a coma is the least of their worries when they realize that they aren’t alone in their house and that something wants to hurt them.

 

Recommended: The Haunting in Connecticut. A family moves to be closer to their ill son’s doctors, not knowing that there is a sinister history in their new house.

 

2. Paranormal Activity

The found footage film that scared a generation, the 2007 film spawned a franchise and followed in the footsteps of The Blair Witch Project. Couple Micah and Katie begin to think that there is something supernatural happening in their house when weird things begin happening. The subsequent events are filmed by Micah as things go from bad to worse.

 

Recommended: Grave encounters. Filming for their tv show, a production crew locks themselves inside an abandoned Asylum said to be haunted.

 

3. Horns

Daniel Radcliffe’s bizarre 2013 horror comedy based on the book of the same name follows Ig, a man falsely accused of murdering his girlfriend. Using his new horns and their supernatural powers, Ig sets off to find the real killer and bring them to justice in a town that is full of secrets.

 

Recommended: Odd Thomas. Odd can see things that other people can’t, and this leaves him the unlikely hero of his small town when a stranger threatens all he knows and loves.

 

4. Friday the 13th

A staple of any horror fan’s library, the 1980 slasher film has a cult following and can’t be missed from any horror movie list. In a summer camp with a bad history, a killer appears to terrorize the new camp counselors, reveling in the chaos and fear created.

 

Recommended: Sleepaway Camp. Angela and her cousin arrive at a summer camp for a fun summer away, only to find that someone there has malicious intent when campers and staff alike start dropping like flies.

 

5. Jaws

The 1975 creature feature that started it all, Jaws kickstarted the fear of sharks that lives on even to this day. The small beach town of Amity Island is struck by tragedy when a dangerous shark decides that it has found the perfect feeding ground.

 

Recommended: Anaconda. Wanting to film a long-lost tribe in the Amazon forest, a film crew hires a boat to travel the river and save the life of a man who will stop at nothing to capture one of the massive snakes that call the Amazon home.