Halloween 2012: Horror Movies To See In Theaters [VIDEO]

Horror movies come out all throughout the year, but any horror fan will tell you that the best time to go is just before Halloween. The movies aren’t necessarily better around the late October holiday, but there’s something about seeing something scary in the midst of the ghastly season.

This list compiles spooky flicks that will be out in theaters just in time for Halloween this year.

“Paranormal Activity 4” (10/19/12)

The obvious first choice is the fourth installment in what has become an annual October franchise. Since “Paranormal Activity” got wide release in 2009, a sequel has followed every year around the same time.

The series has been working backwards the first film, and part four will be the first true sequel. Audiences will finally get the slow-paced and chilling explanation of what happens to Katie and her nephew Hunter, now named Robby, after she abducted him following the supernatural events of the previous films.

Effective and inexpensive, the found-footage series is one of the well-received collections of horror films in recent years, with the fourth film rated as 83 percent fresh from critic on Rotten Tomatoes; parts one, two and three earned 82, 59 and 68 percent freshness scores from critics.

The “Paranormal Activity” movies have earned almost $300 million, compared to the $8-million-15-thousnad they collectively cost to make, according to Box Office Mojo. With critical and financial results like that, there is no reason for the films to slow down.

“Sinister” (10/12/12)

Another horror film gaining acclaim from critics prior to its Halloween season release is “Sinister.” This film doesn’t have the positive history with audiences like “Paranormal Activity 4” does, but it is getting hype from its creepy ads and positive reviews, coming in at 74 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

The trailer starts off strong with a shot of a house and the sound from a news report saying that a family was murdered, then jumping nine months back in time and showing the family moving into that same house. There’s nothing to second guess things here: these people in the trailer are going to die.

The creepy kid trend continues into this film, which was produced by Jason Blum, who also worked as producer on the entire “Paranormal Activity” franchise and “Incidious.” If “Sinister” is anything like those films, and the trailer makes it seem that way, there will be a lot of people sleeping with the lights on after seeing it.

“V/H/S” (10/05/12)

If it’s not creepy kids, it’s found footage. When a group of people break into a seemingly abandoned house to steal a VHS tape, they watch and see that the tapes are all footage of gruesome events.

The movie only has a 54 percent freshness rate from critics and a 57 percent score from general users on Rotten Tomatoes, but horror films have often gone misunderstood for years before earning cult followings. Directors for the film’s various segments include David Bruckner, Glenn McQuaid, Joe Swanberg, Ti West, Adam Wingard and the filmmaker quartet Radio Silence (Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Justin Martinez, Tyler Gillett and Chad Villella)

Silent Hill: Revelation 3D (10/26/12)

Another film with franchise appeal is the newest “Silent Hill” film, “Revelation 3D.” Despite the fact that the movie doesn’t look to have any continuity to its 2006 predecessor or the video game series

The movie may have more of a resemblance to the video game than the last adaptation, but the storyline in this follows a teenage girl who travels to another dimension to Silent Hill and finds out that she isn’t who she thinks she is. There’s talk about being the chosen to destroy demons, and CGI effects that play into the 3D style of the film.

“Silent Hill: Revelation 3D” doesn’t have the same presence as some other films coming out this October. In place of suspense it has action, and in place of dark and gritty visuals it has vibrant cinematography.