What makes for good Halloween viewing?
Films and shows for the spooky season should be scary, but they should also be fun, says Beretta Smith-Shomade, Emory professor of film and media. “You want those movies or shows that you can scream at with friends,” she says, adding that scary movies create their own kind of camaraderie.
Good horror movies are a lot like good jokes, says Daniel Reynolds, associate professor of film and media. “In the structures of both, there’s this build-up and release. And our physical reaction to it — the tension and then the release — is kind of similar,” he explains.
Then there’s the fear that comes hours later, in bed, recalling that creepy clown.
“I’m definitely one of those people who wakes up in the middle of the night because I heard something,” says Jennifer Porst, associate professor of film and media. “Something about these movies and shows convinces my half-asleep brain that, ‘You are in danger.’ There’s something very powerful about a story that can provoke a physical reaction like that.”
The three faculty experts recommend the following movies and TV series to make us jump out of our seats — and then settle back in for more.
‘Widow’s Bay’ (Creator and showrunner: Katie Dippold, 2026)
Porst: I’m not super into horror because it scares me too much, but I’ve watched “Widow’s Bay” twice through. It’s a horror comedy series about an island town in New England that’s cursed. And what I love is that it’s sort of realistic, but then also very surreal in its horror elements, which pay homage to all these classic horror films, like “Jaws” and “Halloween.” And the sense of humor is great, too. I think it helps to lighten things up. But the funny parts also create a contrast. They let you laugh out loud and kind of relax for a minute, but then, the next scary moment feels even more intense.
‘Final Destination Bloodlines’ (Directors: Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein, 2025)
Reynolds: This is the sixth installment in a series that goes back 25 years, and I think it’s the best one. They are all about people who cheated death — like, they were supposed to die, but they didn’t, and now death is hunting them down. In “Bloodlines,” a woman has a premonition of a city’s observational tower collapsing and she is able to prevent it. But then her granddaughter realizes that people are dying, one by one.
I love a horror movie where you can’t see the antagonist, and in this case, it’s death itself. And the movie has all these clever set-ups, where a series of little mistakes or accidents pile up to create a gory demise. It’s almost more like a watching a Buster Keaton movie.
‘Sinners’ (Director: Ryan Coogler, 2025)
Reynolds: “Sinners” is about twin brothers who return to their small town in Mississippi in 1932 to open a juke joint — basically a dancing and drinking place for the Black community.
The movie is about cultural appropriation as a form of vampirism. So, when real vampires show up, it’s almost literalizing a metaphor. And it becomes, explicitly, a horror movie, but this world, for these characters, has always had its horrors.
“Sinners” has these exhilarating moments of filmmaking. There’s a long take where all these different musical traditions from present, past and future appear in the same space, forming a sense of cultural continuity. And this great musical sequence grants a needed release in the middle of all this tense, scary stuff.
‘Is God Is’ (Director: Aleshea Harris, 2026)
Smith-Shomade: I took my husband to see this on his birthday and, it turns out, it’s not a birthday film. But it is a Halloween film! It’s about these twin sisters who need to decide whether or not to kill their father, which was their dying mother’s last wish. The movie makes this really interesting connection between family and secrets and evil. And there’s a religious subtext, too, and elements of magic and horror. Vivica Fox is in it, and Sterling K. Brown is just the epitome of evil. So, if you’re looking for something that is going to scare you and challenge you, this is a good one.
‘What We Do in the Shadows’ (Showrunner: Paul Simms, 2019-2024)
Porst: If you watch something really scary, it’s good to have a palate cleanser lined up before you go to bed. Right now, I’m re-watching “What We Do in the Shadows,” a TV show based on the very funny movie by Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement. It’s a comedy mockumentary about a household of vampires living on Staten Island. We see these extraordinary beings facing the most ordinary of circumstances, like trying to make friends at the gym. The body count is still high, but the series is hilarious.
‘It Follows’ (Director: David Robert Mitchell, 2014)
Reynolds: Here’s another movie about death following people around, but it’s got a twist. “It Follows” is about a curse that’s sexually transmitted. Once you have this curse, there’s an entity coming toward you at all times, trying to kill you. The only way to get rid of it is to pass it on sexually to somebody else, or to die, in which case, it reverts back to the person who had it before you. So, it’s a fascinating set-up. I think there’s something very elegant and human about the way this story unfolds, as a group of friends tries to cope with this new reality. And it has lots of big, thrilling scares.
‘Get Out’ (Director: Jordan Peele, 2017)
Smith-Shomade: Chris, a Black guy, goes to visit his white girlfriend’s parents for the first time. And he doesn’t know how they feel about their daughter being in this interracial couple. So, you are set up to think that this movie is going to be about people being intolerant. Really, though, Chris should be absolutely terrified of something completely different. This is one of those movies I think you can see multiple times and have that good, scary Halloween response. But it also brings you into deeper themes when it comes to important conversations about race.
‘Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma’ (Director: Jane Schoenbrun, 2026)
Reynolds: I especially recommend this one if you’re a fan of vintage slasher movies. It’s a horror comedy about Kris, a queer arthouse director who is hired to reboot a series of films in the vein of the classic horror movies “Friday the 13th” and “Sleepaway Camp.” Hoping to redeem a notoriously transphobic intellectual property for contemporary audiences, the studio underestimates the depth of Kris’s connection to the original film. It’s a thrilling movie — dense and complex. And candy is a major motif, which makes it perfect for Halloween.
‘Carrie’ (Director: Brian De Palma, 1976)
Smith-Shomade: This year marks 50 years of “Carrie,” so everyone should go see or re-watch it. It’s based on a Stephen King book about this teenage girl who’s bullied constantly at school. She develops this superpower of telekinesis — so she can move objects with her mind. And she uses this power to get her revenge.
This movie is a great example of a filmmaker bringing together all these different elements to build suspense. I can watch it now and be genuinely scared, and I’ve seen it a million times. I mean, “Carrie” was the first film that kept me up at night. It forced me to go sleep with my mom. And I kept having nightmares about the ending. It has a resolution, but does it?
‘Weapons’ (Director: Zach Cregger, 2025)
Porst: This film is another example of horror that I enjoy because it is really unique and clever. One night, in an every-town USA suburb, all the kids from a third-grade class walk out of their houses and disappear. Chaos ensues, and all these evil characters pop up and cause mayhem. Holly Hunter is in it, and watching her is really fun. It feels like [Cregger] wants the audience to enjoy being scared and experience the kind of delight you feel with something new.
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