A few months ago, we published a list of the Yardstick content team’s summer reading recommendations: a mixture of romance, noir, mystery, and comedy.
Now that spooky season is officially upon us, I pestered the writers once again, this time for their favourite scary movies.
While none of us has penned a horror novel or screenplay (yet – who knows where our careers will take us!), I trust the Yardstick content team to have excellent taste.
A bad horror is usually written like a soap opera: obvious set-ups, hammy acting, and heavy reliance on the audience to suspend their disbelief. Good horror, on the other hand, calls for an unlikely cocktail of subtlety, imagination, and creative risk-taking. If anyone can separate the cheap thrills from the unforgettably terrifying, it’s a bunch of nerdy copywriters.
Let’s peer around the creaking door and see what the Yardstick content team recommends you watch this Halloween.
Ben thinks you should watch Alien (1979)
It might have been a while since you watched Alien, starring Sigourney Weaver and directed by Ridley Scott.
Few films made in the 47 years since Alien’s release have gripped the world in the same way: the crew of a spacecraft are invaded by an alien that, in a now world-famous scene, makes its entrance by bursting through a man’s chest.
Ben loves Alien because “I’m a big sci-fi fan as well as horror, so the crossover between the two is right up my street. I also think it’s a brilliant example of a simple idea executed perfectly. It’s just a fight for survival against a big, scary alien with no need to waste time on the ‘why’ of it all.
“The tension builds perfectly throughout, the set design and practical effects are really cool, and the whole ship has a claustrophobic feel that doesn’t let up the entire way. Plus, the iconic chest-bursting scene must be one of the greatest movie moments of all time!”
Will reckons The Thing (1982) should be on your Halloween watchlist
In keeping with the Alien era, just three years later, John Carpenter directed The Thing. As a copy editor, the word “thing” is an immediate red pen – there must be a more specific word to describe what you’re saying – but in the case of The Thing, the vagueness of the word is just what makes it so frightening.
The Thing is set in the frozen desert of Antarctica, and the monster in question is an alien that invades and imitates other organisms. The cast of characters begin to realise they are being taken over, and paranoia takes hold.
Will says, “The Thing is THE classic body-horror gore-fest. The special effects make the film feel so much more tactile and grisly, and not knowing who or what the Thing is adds such an unnerving psychological element. Plus, you can never go wrong with a young Kurt Russell and Keith David.”
Kay recommends Candyman (1992) – just be careful when you next look in the mirror…
Candyman is one of those films that will stay with you far beyond its 99-minute run time.
If you haven’t seen this film, the Candyman is a terrifying spectre who appears if you say his name five times in the mirror. A curious student studying urban legends begins to investigate the story of the Candyman and comes closer to her research subject than she had initially bargained for.
Kay wants you to believe her when she says that you will never say his name five times in the mirror – not even as a joke!
“My favourite is Candyman, although it is f***ing terrifying! It is genuinely super scary and sinister. The film absolutely terrified me the first time I saw it; I kept thinking he was hovering over my bed!”
Liam brings us into the 21st century with Undertone (2025)
So far, the classics have won out – but Liam reckons modern horror movies deserve a place on the list too.
The main character of Undertone, Evy, hosts a paranormal podcast with her friend Justin; he’s a believer and she’s a sceptic. As the film goes on, her scepticism is thoroughly tested by seemingly paranormal happenings that follow her home from the recording studio.
Liam loved the film because “it makes you realise how much horror movies rely on audio; it uses sound really innovatively.”
As a horror fan, Liam couldn’t just settle on one film to recommend. He also thinks you should watch the Smile franchise and the recently released Obsession (2026), which has captivated horror fans around the world.
Heather puts The Conjuring (2013) at the top of her fright list
The Conjuring quickly became many a horror fan’s go-to recommendation after its release in 2013. The filmmakers then released three sequels, but Heather reckons the first film remains the best.
“It brings together all the classics of the genre for an amazing payoff,” Heather argues. “I liked it before the franchise became sequel heaven.”
Tom’s favourite is Cure (1997)
Our first foreign-language recommendation, Tom says that Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s 1997 horror, Cure, is his favourite of all time.
“It’s about a detective investigating a series of identical murders committed by different people, all of whom seem to have some connection to a young amnesiac with a background in hypnosis.
“If you imagine something like Zodiac or True Detective with the style and sense of dread dialled up to 11, that’s kind of what the experience of watching Cure is like.”
Gareth is a self-proclaimed “wuss”, but says The Cabin in the Woods (2012) is worth the scare
Not everyone loves scary movies – but when a non-horror fan recommends one, you know it’s bound to be good.
Gareth’s pick is The Cabin in the Woods; he says, “I’m not great with horror films. I hate jump scares and psychological horror but can generally cope with slasher films like the Scream franchise.
“The Cabin in the Woods is a recent favourite because it’s heavy on dark comedy and (without ruining the plot) has other non-horror elements too. The set-up is a group of college students arriving at an isolated cabin in the woods to be picked off one by one, but the plot veers off… and then veers off again.”
In Susanna’s book, the original Halloween (1978) stands the test of time
Returning now to where we started (the late 1970s), Susanna insists that the original Halloween is obviously the best. And is it really Halloween if you don’t sit down to revisit the legendary film that kickstarted this world-famous franchise?
“Halloween is a classic horror – the baddie never dies no matter what happens to him, it’s chilling and atmospheric with plenty of jump scares, and it’s all a bit ridiculous.
“I especially love Donald Pleasence’s performance and the simple yet brilliantly effective film score. It’s low budget and relies more on building suspense than bombarding viewers with endless gore.”
Last but not least, Euan thinks Caveat (2020) will stir your soul
Caveat has one of those premises that makes you think, “Well, what did you think was going to happen?”
It tells the story of a young man, lost in life, who accepts a job taking care of a psychologically disturbed woman on a remote island.
Euan thinks Caveat is worth a watch because “it has that gritty, realistic feel that make British films so good. Caveat has such a slow build but it’s genuinely unsettling. It is very atmospheric and don’t rely on jump scares at all, but on first watch I could not tell where it was going.”
My recommendations: The Orphanage, Midsommar, and Psycho
The brilliant content team has done 99% of the work on this blog so far. So, to make up for my slacking, I’ve conjured up (see what I did there?) my three favourite horror films.
- Watch The Orphanage (2007) for spooky children and grief – A Spanish-language horror about a woman who buys and moves into the orphanage she grew up in. Her adopted son soon begins to tell her about his imaginary friends. As with many excellent horror films, The Orphanage is not only skin-crawlingly scary but also very sad.
- Choose Midsommar (2019) for creepy rituals and more grief – After suffering a devastating personal tragedy, the Midsommar protagonist follows her boyfriend to a Scandinavian summer festival for a much-needed break. She finds the festival’s ritualistic practices odd, to say the least, and as the film goes on, the intensity just keeps on ramping up…
- Revisit Psycho (1960) for classic chills and thrills – You’ve probably seen Psycho before, but you can’t beat a Hitchcock classic. I remember watching this film with my dad when I was pretty young, and the final twist made me shriek out loud!
Scared of doing your own marketing? We’ll keep the light on for you
Doing your own marketing as a financial adviser / planner probably sounds about as fun as spending a night in a haunted house.
Fortunately, our team will handle the scary bits of marketing for you.
Email hi@theyardstickagency.co.uk to find out more.
