Scary Movies to Celebrate Friday The 13th

Move over, Halloween. There’s a new night to indulge in a marathon of scary movies. Friday the 13th is coming up, and what better way is there to celebrate the day than to watch a few scary movies on the tube at home with the lights turned off? Here are a few of our picks of must-watch movies on Friday the 13th.

Nightmare on Elm Street
We’re introduced to psychopath Freddy Krueger in the 1984 thriller, “Nightmare on Elm Street.” Before being burned alive by an angry mob of parents, Krueger murdered several children with a glove outfitted with straight razor blades that were attached to his fingers. Years after his death, Krueger continued to haunt small children – this time, it was in their dreams. One child whose dreams he haunted was Nancy Thompson, the daughter of the police officer who arrested Krueger. After her best friend dies in her sleep violently during a dream involved Krueger, Nancy decides that she must find a way to stop Krueger’s terror or else never sleep again.
Released: 1984

Poltergeist
What seem to be friendly ghosts visit a family in their home. The youngest daughter of the family connects with the ghosts through a dead channel on the television. The ghosts appear to be nice at first, and they move objects around the house to amuse the family. However, after the niceness wears off, the ghosts begin to get nasty and the scares are almost too numerous to count, but include angry trees and murderous dolls, and eventually the youngest daughter is abducted.
Released: 1982

The Exorcist
The story in this film is based off of a true story, which makes the film that much scarier. The plot follows a visiting actress in Washington, D.C. The actress begins to notice dramatic and dangerous changes in the physical appearance and behavior of her 12-year-old daughter, Regan, who has violent outbursts on everyone who comes into contact with her. It is then determined by a priest that what Regan needs is more than a medical doctor or a psychiatrist – what she needs is an exorcist.
Released: 1973

Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Feeling like a documentary, “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” follows five teenagers who make a trip up to their grandfather’s grave, which is vandalized. On their way, they pick up a hitchhiker, who ends up killing himself, as well as one of the five teens, Franklin. While they manage to get away, they are forced to stop at a small house nearby in hopes of getting gas for the car. Unbeknownst to them, the house is the home of Leatherface and his creepy cannibalistic psychopathic family. One at a time, the teenagers are murdered, leaving Sally to be the last surviving teen. Will she survive?
Released: 1974

The Shining
Based off of the book, “The Shining,” by Stephen King, this film adaptation takes you on a journey where a family experiences extreme cabin fever and the husband slowly descends into madness and becomes a homicidal maniac. Jack Torrance, his wife and son become the winter caretakers of an isolated hotel. Danny, the son, realizes that he has a telepathic gift known as “the Shining.” He begins to have disturbing visions of the hotel’s past, while his father’s cabin fever results in him slipping into insanity. Danny has to then protect his mother and try to survive the demons of the hotel.
Released:  1980