Full disclaimer, I do NOT like horror movies. However, I was convinced to watch some over Spring Break, and my experience was not terrible. Here are the movies I watched over break from best to worst. 

“Candyman” (1992)

I enjoyed this movie way more than I thought I would. “Candyman” follows graduate student Helen Lyle (Virginia Madsen) writing her thesis on the urban legend of Candyman (Tony Todd), the deceased son of a slave who kills people to fuel others’ belief in him. Helen is skeptical of his existence but finds him to be all too real when he starts stalking her. 

What impressed me the most about “Candyman” was the storytelling and complexity of the characters. Candyman is easily one of the coolest slashers to go unnoticed in the horror genre. His backstory, powers and characteristics drive the story to its battle of good against evil. This movie is one you have to pay attention to in order to understand, and it’s worth paying attention to. “Candyman” is at the top of this list. 

“Psycho” (1960)

One of Alfred Hitchcock’s most famous installments, “Psycho” follows the mysterious disappearance of Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) and the oddities of Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) and the Bates Motel. I actually saw the 1998 remake of the film first. Even though it was a shot-for-shot remake of the original, I still thought the original “Psycho” was better. 

Its suspense will have you on the edge of your seat asking question after question until the very end. It’s not a scary film, but it’s a substantial film in the horror genre, nonetheless. I’m sure everyone has heard of “Psycho” at this point. My advice is to watch this iconic movie without any spoilers. I’d have to rank this second on the list. 

“Child’s Play” (1988)

“Child’s play” is my preferred subgenre of horror movies on this list. Serial killer Charles Lee Ray (Brad Dourif) uses black magic to put his soul inside a doll named Chucky before dying. Karen Barclay (Catherine Hicks) buys the doll for her son Andy (Alex Vincent) who discovers that Chucky is alive. Still bloodthirsty, Chucky kills Andy’s babysitter and is soon on the hunt for Andy and his mom as they both attempt to destroy him. 

“Child’s Play” is basically “The Terminator” with a 6-year-old and a doll. You’ll understand the point more when you watch it. The first half is a slow build-up, and I wanted to tune out multiple times. However, the second half is worth the wait.

 I’m not super impressed with “Child’s Play,” but I like how a child was the main protagonist of the film. Having Andy as the main role made it hard for the adults to believe his claims while not making him seem absolutely crazy because he’s a child. It makes for an interesting spin on the slasher genre, but I’d have to rank this film third on the list. 

“Rear Window” (1954)

Another Hitchcock classic, this is the one exception on the list because it’s more of a suspense thriller than a horror movie. Temporarily confined to a wheelchair after an accident, photographer L.B. “Jeff” Jefferies (James Stewart) spends his days watching people in his neighborhood through his apartment’s rear window. 

He suspects his neighbor Lars Thorwald (Raymond Burr) murdered his wife after witnessing him acting strangely. With the help of his girlfriend Lisa (Grace Kelly) and his traveling nurse Stella (Thelma Ritter), Jeff watches his neighbor day and night to gather evidence against the crime. 

“Rear Window” takes people-watching to the next level. It’s not the most exciting movie, but it’s a good movie, nonetheless. The movie is shot beautifully and reminds me a lot of Wes Anderson’s style. Everything pretty much takes place in one room, but your observation skills are put to the test each time Jeff looks out the window. If you like a good mystery, start with this film. However, since it’s not technically a horror film, “Rear Window” is ranked fourth on the list. 

“A Nightmare on Elm Street” (1984)

By far the wackiest horror movie I watched on the list, “A Nightmare on Elm Street” is all about the famed slasher villain Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) haunting teenagers in their dreams and killing them in real life. 

I was well aware of Freddy Krueger before watching the movie, and now I understand how odd he really is. The concept of making a slasher villain kill you in your dreams makes for a really weird movie, as it lets the limits of reality be stretched to the point of non-existence. 

This movie not only frightened me but also stressed me out as I watched the main character, Nancy Thompson (Heather Langenkamp) stay up for days on end just to avoid Krueger. Even the poster for this movie freaks me out! The one complaint I have is the chase scenes that felt more like a cheesy 80s action movie than a horror film. I respect the creativity that went into “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” but this one is at the bottom of the list. 

After a whole week of horror movies, I probably won’t watch another one for a while. Overall, I’d give my Spring Break of horror movies an average of 6.5 out of 10. Although, I can say now I’m slightly more open to the genre than before.