Five horror movies for Halloween in 2023 not to watch if you’re home alone

Is there anything scarier than being alone on Halloween Eve and nervously awaiting the impending knock on the door from trick-or-treaters, wondering if it is a younger person with their parent, or a group of teenagers with a ‘Scream’ mask looking for trouble? 

Sounds like the plot of a great horror movie, now we’ve said it out loud - and read why Marina Licht is not a fan of the seasonal celebration. But we do believe that there are some other things that are scarier than that - the five movies we’ve picked here at NationalWorld for your viewing… pleasure?

Each movie has been discussed amongst ourselves on the TV team, with the democratic vote determining what film we wouldn’t want to watch again unless in the company of someone else - sadly, as much as some of us are horror aficionados, we could only pick five.

So if you’ve got an iron nerve and don’t mind being pushed to your wit's end, then maybe one of these movies might be the perfect accompaniment to your Halloween 2023.

Five movies not to watch alone on Halloween Eve 2023

Halloween (1978)

The original season slasher, which predates ‘Friday The 13th’ by two years, and introduced tropes such as the final girl and the seemingly invincible monster, John Carpenter’s ‘Halloween’ is almost a horror rite of passage to watch during it’s namesake’s season. 

Set in the fictional town of Haddonfield, Illinois, the original film follows the story of Michael Myers, a young boy who murders his older sister on Halloween night in 1963. He is subsequently institutionalized. Fifteen years later, Michael escapes from the mental hospital and returns to Haddonfield, where he begins stalking a teenage girl named Laurie Strode, played by Jamie Lee Curtis. As Halloween night approaches, Laurie and her friends become the targets of Michael's relentless and seemingly unstoppable killing spree

• Where to watch: available now on Lionsgate+ (subscription required)

Black Christmas (1974)

The original “Sorority Girls on campus in trouble” film, Canadian horror ‘Black Christmas’ was ahead of its time with its pacing, suspense building and intense jump scares. The film also gave birth to the now often used “stranger on the phone, but where are they” narrative that ‘Scream’ popularized decades later. 

The story revolves around a sorority house at a college campus during the Christmas break. As the sorority sisters prepare for the holiday, they start receiving disturbing and obscene phone calls from an unknown caller. Initially dismissing them as pranks, they soon realize that the calls are coming from someone inside the house. As the tension escalates, one by one, the girls begin to disappear, and it becomes evident that a killer is lurking in their midst. 

• Where to watch: available on Amazon Video for £1.99

Paranormal Activity (2007)

We know that by the time ‘Paranormal Activity’ came out, found-footage horror was done to death. But when that subgenre in the horror spectrum is done right (like ‘The Bay’), it can be an incredibly unnerving experience. ‘Paranormal Activity’ is without a doubt not the kind of movie to watch alone and suddenly start hearing things outside… or inside for that matter.

A young couple, Katie and Micah, move into a suburban home but become increasingly disturbed by unexplained, supernatural occurrences happening in their house, especially during the night. Determined to find out what's causing the disturbances, Micah sets up a camera to document their experiences. As the haunting events escalate, they discover that an evil entity is terrorizing them, and their lives are in grave danger.

• Where to watch: available now on Netflix (subscription required)

Evil Dead Rise (2023)

To be fair, all the ‘Evil Dead’ movies in this writer’s opinion are incredible - but are they the kind of movies to watch alone? ‘Evil Dead Rise,’ the latest instalment from the Sam Raimi-born franchise, might not have the same ‘clout’ as the original trilogy, but its setting away from a cabin in the woods to an apartment block did give the film an interesting, paranoia-inducing edge.

Moving the action out of the woods and into the city, "Evil Dead Rise" tells a twisted tale of two estranged sisters, played by Sutherland and Sullivan, whose reunion is cut short by the rise of flesh-possessing demons, thrusting them into a primal battle for survival as they face the most nightmarish version of family imaginable.

• Where to watch: arriving on Netflix on September 21 2023 (subscription required)

A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)

A personal choice as the original ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’ was the very first horror movie I watched, secretly on video while my parents were asleep. Though Freddy Krueger these days is more a lovable Hollywood monster than a savage sleep stalker, Robert Englund’s original performance was sinister as it was surreal - and how could you sleep at night knowing even in the safety of your own bed, something might get you.

A group of teenagers living on Elm Street are plagued by a shared nightmare featuring a disfigured, knife-gloved man named Freddy Krueger. What makes their situation truly horrifying is that Freddy has the power to harm and kill them in their dreams, which leads to their real-life deaths. Nancy, one of the teenagers, realizes the connection between the nightmares and the murders and takes it upon herself to uncover Freddy's dark past and stop him.

• Where to watch: available to purchase on all leading digital video platforms