All Hallow’s Eve is looming, and while there’s a place for gore-filled slashers of the Freddy vs Jason variety on cold October nights, there are plenty of terrifying films that hold their own sartorially. Dario Argento’s Suspiria has inspired everyone from Nicolas Ghesquière to the Rodarte sisters; Yves Saint Laurent designed Catherine Deneuve’s costumes for blood-soaked romance The Hunger and Eiko Ishioka’s Japanese-influenced creations for Bram Stoker’s Dracula are just as striking now as in the ’90s. Below, Vogue rounds up 24 of the best horror movies with true fashion credentials to stream this Halloween.
1 / 24
The Craft (1996)
Andrew Fleming’s supernatural ’90s drama features a teenage coven, a memorable game of Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board, and some of the best school uniforms in Hollywood history.
2 / 24
The Witches Of Eastwick (1987)
Read John Updike’s brilliant 1984 novel before watching George Miller’s adaptation–which stars Michelle Pfeiffer, Cher, and Susan Sarandon as the most beautiful coven imaginable, whose quaint New England lives are turned upside down by the arrival of warlock Daryl Van Horne (Jack Nicholson).
3 / 24
Midsommar (2019)
If you’re longing for a holiday, Ari Aster’s Midsommar might convince you that staying home is, in fact, preferable. Diehard Coachella fans, take note: you will never be able to look at a flower crown in quite the same way again.
4 / 24
Get Out (2017)
Jordan Peele’s Get Out is one of those films that lingers in the mind for months after you watch it. Avoid reading any spoilers whatsoever beforehand–its chilling, powerful storyline deserves to be experienced blind.
5 / 24
The Hunger (1983)
In this surreal ’80s classic, Catherine Deneuve and David Bowie play vampiric lovers who dispose of their victims in the basement of their Upper East Side townhouse, while Susan Sarandon appears as a gerontologist who gets caught up in their psychosexual games.
6 / 24
Carrie (1976)
Sissy Spacek famously wore Carrie’s blood-splattered prom gown for three days straight while in character as the titular murderess. No matter how many times you watch the final scene, it remains horrifying.
7 / 24
The Neon Demon (2016)
Critics may have panned Nicolas Winding Refn’s bloody satire of the world of modelling, but Elle Fanning is typically compelling as a 16-year-old Georgia peach trying to make it as a model in LA. The costume design also more than makes up for the general insanity of the plot. Special mention to Fanning’s plunging sequined halter by Saint Laurent.
8 / 24
The Shining (1980)
“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy…” If any movie highlights the dangers of prolonged isolation, it’s Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of Stephen King’s thriller. Jack Nicholson’s performance is brilliant, as are the interiors at the Overlook Hotel.
9 / 24
Parasite (2019)
Like Get Out, Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite is more of a dark satire than a traditional horror film, but the 2020 Best Picture Winner’s study of capitalist inequalities is more disconcerting than any slasher movie.
10 / 24
Heathers (1989)
“What’s your damage, Heather?” Winona Ryder in her goth phase may have inspired a number of recent fashion collections – but the Beetlejuice star is at her most disturbing as the classically preppy Veronica Sawyer in Heathers, a tale of murder, young love, and giant shoulder pads.
11 / 24
I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)
Amazon’s reimagining of this ’90s blockbuster drops on 15 October, with Gossip Girl’s Sara Goodman penning the script. Consider it the perfect excuse to revisit the horror film that first brought Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze Jr together.
12 / 24
Suspiria (1977)
Luca Guadagnino’s remake of Suspiria is good; Dario Argento’s original is truly great–following an American ballerina who transfers to a prestigious German academy that’s secretly a front for a coven. Somehow, the witches’ demure pastel frocks make their behaviour even more terrifying.
13 / 24
What Ever Happened To Baby Jane? (1962)
Watch Bette Davis and Joan Crawford face off on screen, then prepare to lose hours reading about the Hollywood legends’ hysterical diva-like behaviour and rivalry on set.
14 / 24
The Witches (1990)
Anne Hathaway’s turn as the Grand High Witch may have got a lot of attention, but nothing can compete with Anjelica Huston’s utterly terrifying and fabulously camp performance in the 1990 adaptation of Roald Dahl’s tale. Crazily, the application and removal of Huston’s facial prosthetics required her to stay in the make-up chair for no less than 12 hours every day of the shoot.
15 / 24
Blood And Black Lace (1964)
A masterpiece of the giallo genre, Blood and Black Lace centres on a serial killer who begins to pick off the models working with a certain fashion house in Rome, and has proved a major influence on everyone from Quentin Tarantino to David Lynch through the years.
16 / 24
Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)
The inspiration for Rodarte’s autumn/winter 2020 collection, Francis Ford Coppola’s take on Bram Stoker’s gothic novel is still eerily brilliant – and also happens to be the movie that cemented Winona Ryder’s friendship with Keanu Reeves.
17 / 24
The Love Witch (2016)
Director Anna Biller shot her beautiful homage to ’60s horror movies on 35mm film, with Samantha Robinson starring as a modern-day witch who uses love potions to attract her victims.
18 / 24
Jennifer’s Body (2009)
Written by Diablo Cody, Jennifer’s Body is like a ’00s time capsule; there’s even a Dashboard Confessional hit on the soundtrack. The premise involves Megan Fox, the archetypal hot girl, morphing into a succubus, forcing her nerdy friend (Amanda Seyfried) to try and stop her from murdering every boy on campus.
19 / 24
The Innocents (1961)
None other than Truman Capote helped translate Henry James’s most famous ghost story, The Turn of the Screw, to the big screen, with Deborah Kerr starring as a potentially mad governess.
20 / 24
American Psycho (2000)
“I’m into, uh, well murders and executions, mostly,” says Christian Bale as hedonistic banker turned sociopath Patrick Bateman, who goes around committing homicide after homicide in impeccable ’80s suits. It’s worth watching for Chloë Sevigny’s schoolgirl fringe alone.
21 / 24
The Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1978)
One for those who prefer their horror with a sci-fi twist, The Invasion of the Body Snatchers has it all, including a standout performance from a young, mustachioed Donald Sutherland.
22 / 24
Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
Rosemary’s Baby is a cult film for myriad reasons, from Mia Farrow’s ridiculously covetable wardrobe to Ruth Gordon’s Oscar-winning turn as tannis root-obsessed neighbour Minnie Castevet.
23 / 24
The Birds (1963)
Alfred Hitchcock’s loose adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s 1952 story marks Tippi Hedren’s screen debut as heiress Melanie Daniels, whose visit to the beach in Sonoma County turns deadly when an “avian war” breaks out.
24 / 24
Silence Of The Lambs (1991)
Silence of the Lambs is one of few horror films to ever sweep the Oscars, and remains influential 30 years after its release. (See the TV spin-off Clarice, which premiered in 2021, and sees Rebecca Breeds take on Jodie Foster’s role as FBI agent Clarice Starling a year after her last phone call with Hannibal Lecter.)
