As Halloween approaches, horror movies are the main releases in theaters and the main watches on stream services. Some movies that are frequently watched in the month of October. are cult classics such as, “Friday the 13^th”, “Halloween”, and “The Shining”. These movies are characterized by jump scares, unsettling themes, and a unique vibe of uneasiness that only horror movies can bring, if the viewer can handle it’s content. These movies have such an influential part on the holiday, and have inspired many costumes, tv show references, and even more horror movies.

“Horror movies helps create the eerie vibe that the holiday is known for,” Jake Scarbrough (11) said. “They also get you in the mood for the holidays to come, due to how unique the vibe is for all four major holidays.”

Stephen King’s infamous 1980 horror film, based off of the Staley Hotel in Estes Park, “The Shining”, brought the strange rumors to be in the hotel to life, in a disturbing fan-favorite. In the film, a family goes to a hotel and stay in room 217, which is said to be a haunted room and filled with nightmares. The family finds the nightmares that confirm the rumors, the family tries to escape the hotel. This movie is considered to be one of the cornerstones of what modern horror eventually becomes, filled with jump scares and traumatized protagonists.

“The 70s and 80s did a lot of movies on the Halloween season,” Tennis Coach Derick Geise said. “ ‘The Shining’ created so many movies after that it has had similar impacts on the holiday, so it’s very important to the mystique of Halloween.”

“Friday the 13^th” in 1980, was a film-original idea by writer Victor Miller, who wrote what became one of the most influential horror movie films of all time. The character of Jason Voorhees, played by Ari Lehman, was introduced as antagonist of the franchise, which has been a staple of Halloween costumes and influential antagonists even today. The movie itself, is based on a lake retreat closing in 1958 due to camp counselors being murdered and after many attempts to re-open, the camp opened in 1979. On Friday the 13^th, where each counselor is killed off one by one. The film itself brought cultural influence to the unlucky number 13, and every time the 13^th ends on a Friday in October, people across the world either celebrate the rare occurrence or fear it, due to the date’s historic bad luck.

“Jason is an iconic character that has a place in people’s lives,” Sierra Woods (11) said. “Many people dress up as him at Halloween, and that’s a huge impact on the holiday.”

A movie that is commonly compared to “Friday the 13^th” is “Halloween”, the oldest movie of the three. This movie is what makes horror movies and Halloween so closely intertwined. Michael Myers is another iconic antagonist for the horror film industry, and is one of the most common horror character costumes. The movie, released in 1978, is about the serial killer Michael Myers, played by Nick Castle, who killed his older sister with a kitchen knife. After escaping a Sanitarium on the night before Halloween, Myers puts on a boogeyman disguise and stalks the babysitter Laurie Strode, played by Jamie Lee Curtis. This movie revolutionized the “slasher” genre of horror movies, provided twelve sequels, and is considered to be the main starter of the modern horror movie.

“It brings together the whole holiday itself,” Austin Lindsey (12) said. “It makes people have a sense of fear, and that’s a vital piece of the holiday.”

Horror movies have impacted Halloween, due to how much these movies are viewed and associated with the holiday in modern times. The iconic villains of “Friday the 13^th” and “Halloween” have become closely associated with the holiday, with “The Shining” having some of the most iconic moments in horror movie history. The tone of these three horror movies are best watched near the holiday of horrors, which perfectly fits for their association with the holiday. These movies, over 40 years after their release, still have their cultural impacts shown in tributes, references, and have influenced the horror movie industry even today.