October begins with fall festivities, ends with Halloween, and is filled with spooky movies all throughout the month. Many of these seasonal movies are kid-friendly, such as ‘Girl vs Monster’ or ‘Hocus Pocus,’ where the gory scenes are kept to a minimum. However, teenagers and adults tend to flock to the theaters with the release of new movies for older audiences, promising supernatural events and psycho killers. Though, the question of whether horror movies, often featuring many jump-scares, or thrillers, which are meant to build suspense, is better remains. 

“I like thriller movies because of how the suspense never gives you a moment of peace while watching one. My favorite is the ‘Summer of 84,’” Nora Williams, senior, said. 

Movies classified as “horror,” such as ‘The Conjuring’ or ‘Insidious,’ are usually categorized by their supernatural villains along with jump-scares meant to keep viewers on the edge of their seats. Some find these movies more impactful and are kept awake at night by the idea of a possessed doll watching them in the dark. Others find these movies easier to swallow, as they are less realistic, often featuring ghosts, demons, and other imaginary monsters. 

“I enjoy horror movies more than true crime or thrillers. Horror movies provide more creativity and suspense, rather than a thriller or true crime that might be based on an actual, horrific event,” Maci Pelfrey, senior, said. 

Thrillers, on the other hand, are movies that use tension to terrify the audience. ‘Orphan’ and ‘Shutter Island’ do not show their characters plagued by an otherworldly threat but rather another character. The villains in thrillers are often highly disturbed humans who pursue the other main characters throughout the film. The audience, in turn, is horrified by the antagonist’s actions. The possibility of the crimes in the film occurring in real life contributes to what makes these movies truly terrifying.   

“’Shutter Island’ is my personal favorite movie. It is about a detective who travels to an abandoned island to investigate a mental asylum. For me, it is not pointless jump scares, but instead, the plot all connects at the end,” Coach Brandon Johnson, said.  

Whether one prefers horror movies or thrillers to get them in the Halloween spirit, both are perfect for a movie night in October.