Kevin Bacon’s Top 20 Horror Movies List Is the Ultimate Halloween Watchlist, and Yes, He Included Himself

Few Hollywood stars can claim horror credentials quite like Kevin Bacon. The actor’s first major horror role came in the 1980s with ‘Friday the 13th’, and over the decades he’s added genre favorites like ‘Tremors’, ‘Flatliners’, ‘Hollow Man’ and ‘Stir of Echoes’ to his resume.

He’s not just a frequent face in scary movies, either. In a bonus feature for ‘MaXXXine’, Bacon described himself as a huge horror fan, and his personal taste in the genre runs surprisingly deep.

With Halloween approaching, Bacon’s list of his 20 favorite horror movies of all time is making the rounds again online. He originally shared the picks back in October 2024, rattling them off in a rapid-fire 55-second video in a post on X, in which he wrote that “spooky season calls for rapid fire of my favorite horror movies!”

The full list, in no particular order, includes ‘Audition’, ‘Don’t Look Now’, ‘One Cut of the Dead’, ‘Dawn of the Dead’, ‘Shaun of the Dead’, ’28 Days Later’, ‘Get Out’, ‘A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night’, ‘Let the Right One In’, ‘The Witch’, ‘The Love Witch’, ‘The Blair Witch Project’, ‘The Descent’, ‘Slither’, ‘Midsommar’, ‘Martyrs’, ‘Hereditary’, ‘Smile’ and ‘Stir of Echoes’. He also counted Ti West’s ‘X’, ‘Pearl’ and ‘MaXXXine’ together as a trilogy.

Bacon didn’t shy away from giving his own work a nod. He played the lead in David Koepp’s ‘Stir of Echoes’, starring as Tom Witzky, a working-class man who begins seeing ghosts after being hypnotized.

Spooky season calls for rapid fire of my favorite horror movies! Comment your favorite below! Movies mentioned: Audition Don’t Look Now One Cut of the Dead Dawn of the Dead (1978) Shaun of the Dead 28 Days Later Get Out A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night Let The Right One In X Pearl MaXXXine The Witch The Love Witch The Blair Witch Project The Descent Slither Midsommar Martyrs Hereditary Smile Stir of Echoes

— Kevin Bacon (@kevinbacon) October 10, 2024

He also appeared in ‘MaXXXine’ as a sleazy private investigator who tries to blackmail Mia Goth’s Maxine Minx, so including Ti West’s full trilogy carries a personal touch. ‘X’ and ‘Pearl’, on the other hand, made the cut purely because he’s a fan. The family connections don’t stop there. Bacon showed some love for ‘Smile’, the 2022 hit directed by Parker Finn, which stars his daughter Sosie Bacon.

Beyond the personal picks, the list leans heavily on modern horror, with most selections coming from the last decade. It features films from filmmakers like Jordan Peele, Ari Aster, George A. Romero and Robert Eggers, along with James Gunn’s horror comedy ‘Slither’.

"Smile brings the scares." Watch the new trailer for #SmileMovie – only in theatres Friday. Get tickets now.

— Smile Movie (@SmileMovie) September 26, 2022

Bacon has a connection to Gunn too, having played himself in ‘The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special’. He’s clearly a zombie fan as well, with both Edgar Wright’s ‘Shaun of the Dead’ and Danny Boyle’s ’28 Days Later’ earning spots.

International horror gets plenty of attention, with Takashi Miike’s ‘Audition’, ‘Martyrs’ and ‘Let the Right One In’ all featured. Classics like ‘Don’t Look Now’ sit comfortably alongside cult favorites such as ‘The Love Witch’ and ‘One Cut of the Dead’.

Bacon’s horror journey is far from over. He’s set to star in the upcoming demonic horror movie ‘Summoner’ alongside Giorgia Whigham, with Stephanie Beatriz and Daniel Ings recently joining the cast.

His most recent genre outing, ‘MaXXXine’, earned a 73% score on both the Tomatometer and Popcornmeter on Rotten Tomatoes. Given his genuine passion for the genre, it’s no surprise he keeps coming back to it.

For horror fans planning their Halloween marathons, Bacon’s list offers a strong mix of crowd-pleasers, deep cuts, and modern classics. Some fans have even suggested adding his own ‘Tremors’ to the queue for good measure.

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