It’s Friday the 13th, and the creeps are out in full force. Outside of Halloween, this is the best day to sit down with a scary movie and to really spook yourself.
Today, I wanted to pick movies that all happen in just one day, ones that happen from sunrise to sunset, and then all over again.
Let’s dive in.
1. Halloween (1978)
The quintessential “one-night” slasher. It has a score that will live in your head forever.
John Carpenter’s masterpiece introduces the relentless Michael Myers as he stalks babysitters in the quiet town of Haddonfield on Halloween night.
2. The Evil Dead (1981)
This is a movie that changes you. It has so much ingenuity and brilliance; watching it is horrifying and inspiring.
We follow a group of college students’ weekend getaway to a remote cabin turns into a night of unimaginable terror when they unleash a demonic entity. Sam Raimi’s cult classic is a go-for-broke, blood-soaked thrill ride.
3. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Another classic of the horror genre, this is the movie that made a lot of horror directors want to make movies. It is bold and energetic.
George A. Romero’s groundbreaking film follows a group of strangers who take refuge in a farmhouse during a zombie apocalypse. It invented the modern zombie genre. And the themes keep getting more and more prescient.
4. The Strangers (2008)
Home invasion movies are a horror sub-genre that prey on our darkest fears of being attacked where we are safest.
In this movie, a couple’s stay at a secluded vacation home is interrupted by three masked assailants, leading to a harrowing night of psychological and physical torment as they try to survive.
5. [REC] (2007)
I’m not usually a found footage fan, but this movie uses it in such a smart way. We follow a television reporter and her cameraman get more than they bargained for when they are trapped inside a quarantined apartment building during a zombie-like outbreak.
6. 30 Days of Night (2007)
Based on a gritty graphic novel, we’re in a remote Alaskan town plunged into a month of darkness, and a horde of feral vampires descends to feast on the isolated residents.
You’re deep in the time of all darkness as the people in the town wait for the sun to rise and know they have to make it until morning.
7. You’re Next (2011)
A dysfunctional family reunion becomes a bloody battle for survival when a group of masked killers lays siege to their secluded mansion. Again, we get home invasion, and I find it visceral to have such a time lock on surviving.
This clever and darkly humorous slasher features a surprisingly resourceful protagonist who turns the tables on her attackers.
8. Green Room (2015)
Just an all-timer for me, We follow a punk rock band that witnesses a murder at a remote neo-Nazi bar and finds themselves trapped in the green room, fighting for their lives against a ruthless and well-armed group.
You get the isolation they feel and also some really intriguing twists and turns as the Nazis try to kill them.
This film is a masterclass in sustained, brutal tension.
9. The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016)
Kind of a weird and underrated creepy movie, you follow a father-son coroner team. One night, they get a body to take it that might have more going on than they realize.
The claustrophobic setting and slow-burning reveals create a deeply unsettling atmosphere.
10. Dog Soldiers (2002)
It’s time for some international horror. I like seeing these movies from other countries because they have such unique settings.
In this movie, we follow a military training exercise in the Scottish Highlands that turns into a desperate fight for survival when the soldiers are hunted by a pack of werewolves. This action-horror hybrid is a thrilling and gory creature feature.
11. Vacancy (2007)
Dark and terrifying, this movie ruined motels for me…well, I guess Psycho did that first, but this helped.
A couple whose car breaks down in a remote area checks into a seedy motel, only to discover that they are the unwitting stars of a snuff film being recorded in their room. The film is a tense and suspenseful cat-and-mouse game.
12. Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)
This is sort of a weird industrial horror thriller. We’re in stark concrete walls of a no-frills police station where everyone is caught on the wrong side of things.
John Carpenter has all the suspense and claustrophobia of one. A nearly-abandoned police station is besieged by a relentless street gang, forcing the few cops and prisoners inside to band together to survive the night.
13. From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)
Tarantino and Rodriguez having fun together never ceases to amaze me. And Clooney hamming it up and being weird is the icing on the cake.
What starts as a gritty crime thriller about two fugitive brothers takes a sharp and bloody turn into a vampire siege when they hole up in a Mexican bar. This genre-bending film is a wild and entertaining ride from sunset to sunrise.
Summing It All Up
Now that you have a pretty big watch list for Friday the 13th, you’d better get started. Use this spooky day to catch all the thrills and chills described above, and maybe they’ll inspire the next horror movie you want to write or direct.
Let me know what you think in the comments.
