It’s finally October! If it weren’t 84 degrees outside, you could be pulling out your fuzzy sweaters, your pumpkins, your spices, and your lattes, and cozy up to some scary movies on the sofa as the murderous rage that most people seem to suppress year round is let loose for a month and then packed away for 11 months of nothing but Christmas content. But forget the heat, let’s talk about what to watch in October in addition to your regular horror movie marathons or whatever you’re watching.
Now, I don’t know if I’ve made it known that I’m not a big fan of horror movies. When they’re done right, I really appreciate how well they’re done. This modern crop of Blumhouse films and the like seem to be really dipping into the science fiction playbook of using genre fiction as analogy to real world issues and the human condition; which I really have liked, even though I’m not always enjoying the ride that I’m appreciating. My threshold for a watchable horror movie is pretty high and very specific (I’m not really going to sit down and watch a slasher flick, I’m not into ghosties and the like unless Scooby-Doo is involved because I love dogs, and if you see me watching a torture porn movie, there’s a high likelihood that I’m being tortured myself), so take this list with that in mind.
So here goes it. A list of horror movies and shows to watch this Spooky Season, from someone who doesn’t like horror movies.
Movies:
Get Out (available for rent)
I don’t think there’s much else I can say about this Oscar-winning piece of brilliant filmmaking. Jordan Peele’s directorial debut is as ambitious as it is well-executed, resulting in a movie that’s layered, deep, deeply satisfying, and pretty much frame-perfect. Beat by beat, scene by scene, Peele takes you along on a trip where something just is not right; you know it, the protagonist knows it, but it takes just the right amount of time before he can put his finger on it. And when the curtain is pulled back and we see what it is, the payoff is absolutely fantastic.
What could be scarier than a couple trying to fix their marriage?
The One I Love (Showtime streaming)
This is one of those that I hesitate to list as a horror movie, because I’m not sure that it actually is. I wouldn’t call it a thriller either, because I think “thriller” implies a certain amount of action and movement, and The One I Love is a film about two people on vacation trying to repair their marriage. But The One I Love leverages a lot of horror film mechanics to put you in that something-isn’t-right-here-but-I’m-not-leaving-for-some-reason mode while never really hitting you the way a true horror movie does. However, I found myself literally trembling with anticipation from scene to scene in this tightly crafted film which examines human nature, relationships, and uses our vacation selves as analogy for who we really are or really want to be. It’s a beautiful film about the faces we put on from room to room with the added benefit of keeping your heart rate up.
The Babadook (available for rent)
I hate this movie. Seriously. I can’t stand it. Almost every minute of watching it was an agony of fear responses and physical pain. Yes, that’s right—watching this movie caused me physical pain. As part of the movie’s efforts to unsettle you, certain sounds are used throughout the film that were at such a frequency that caused me actual, measurable, physical pain. This hasn’t affected anyone else I’ve met who has seen it, but I thought I’d put it out there. But when this terrible movie watching experience was over, I was glad to have seen it, because this film is a masterful tale about guilt, resentment, and grief. As unsettling, uncomfortable, and hair-raising as this film is, I would also describe it as beautiful, in a way. I’ll also never watch it again because of the pain it caused me, but I’m glad I was able to sit through it at least once, because it’s worth it. And since you’ll probably not have the same problem I did, I’d say jump in with both feet and get super creeped out with reckless abandon.
The Invitation (Tubi)
Okay, so taking your new girlfriend to your ex-wife’s house for a dinner party already pretty much seems like a horror story as is, but from there, things get very, very uncomfortable. The former couple, torn apart by the loss of their son, dealt with their grief in different ways. And this is where The Invitation starts to shine as a horror film. So much atmospheric dread that it drips from the air—much like The One I Love, the protagonists stick around for various reasons, including ones as simple and silly as social niceties. The movie reminds me of that scene in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo where Stellan Skarsgård invites Daniel Craig in for a drink when Craig suspects him of monstrous crimes, but he assents anyway because he didn’t want to seem rude. Of course, things end badly for Craig, just as this doomed dinner party goes awry. The tension builds and builds to a terrifying crescendo that feels all-too-real to look away and not internalize the lessons of this tale. It’s a film that unsuspectingly goes above and beyond.
Dan Stevens is just too good in this movie
The Guest (Netflix)
File this one with The One I Love and The Invitation as another brilliant film that relies on building tension once you start to feel that something is amiss. This is probably the least horror of all the films on this list, but there are real thrills to be had here. The tale begins with the amazing and underrated Dan Stevens visiting his dead Army buddy’s family to fulfill a promise to look after them. Stevens begins to insinuate himself into each family member’s life in a different way and things start to change for them. Anyway, if you read that and you think you know how this movie is going to go, I promise you that you’re wrong. Subverting expectations and shifting perspectives at every turn, The Guest is one of those you just have to experience.
The Gift (available for rent)
I am an unashamed Jason Bateman fan. A Batemaniac, if you will. I loved him in Arrested Development, I loved him in Bad Words, in Horrible Bosses, in Game Night, and I loved to hate him in The Gift. This creepy film about the past coming to haunt you in somewhat literal ways is one of his most compelling performances as the Jason Bateman you just don’t trust, but he’s outshined by the always underrated and always excellent Rebecca Hall and overachiever Joel Edgerton, who also directed this critically acclaimed film. People lead more than one life, don’t they? And sometimes other people pay for those past mistakes, unfortunately. Joel Edgerton makes sure of that. Watch this is if you’re ready to question if you really ever know anyone you think you know.
Fear Street Trilogy (Netflix)
All the fear. Many of the streets. Occasional open shirts tucked into jeans.
This isn’t really a movie, not really. It’s essentially a short series, six hours or so in length, but instead of being cut into 6-8 episodes of a TV show, it’s cut into three feature-length films that all tie together. Individually, the Fear Street films can feel a bit too familiar, sometimes lazy, and often times overly cruel, but by the end of the third film, you see the thing holistically. And once you step back from the puzzle pieces, you see the trilogy as one long story that really works well together. When parted out, they can be a little underwhelming at times, especially the second film; the other two do a great job of subverting expectations and turning the tables on horror movie tropes, but the second is the one that feels most like an actual 80s horror flick, albeit with an obvious and unnecessary twist that I figured out almost immediately and had little to no impact on the story as a whole. But if you can make it through the second film with an open mind for the third, I think horror film fans will be very satisfied.
Tucker and Dale vs. Evil (available for rent)
This horror-comedy of errors has all the markers of a cult classic; first of all, it has Alan Tudyk, which is always a huge plus in the pros column for me, and his compatriot Tyler Labine manages to keep up with him quite well. Unfortunately for these two hillbillies, a group of preppie college students on vacation mistake them for brutal murderers and the hilarity—and death and destruction—ensues.
TV Series:
Truth Seekers (Amazon Prime)
This gem of a show may only be getting the one season, but it’s one season well worth watching, even if knowing that we’ll never see a second hurts me the way that knowing we won’t get third seasons of Lodge 49 and The Tick hurts me. That’s how special of a show this is. Helmed by and starring Nick Frost, he flexes that Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz pedigree to team up with Simon Pegg once again and make a series that feels just perfect. The right amount of horror which leaves you seriously spooked at times, blended with just the right amount of comedy to put you at ease, and enough warmth to seriously move you at times, Truth Seekers is a show that was cut down before its time and deserves a much longer run. You got the feeling that this show was building to something truly special and it had something to say, but Amazon felt like we got enough. Still, living with the emptiness that we will likely never see more is worth having seen the first season. Like I said, I’m not a horror guy at all and I’ve watched this series 6 times from start to finish and I’m in the middle of a 7th rewatch. If you only watch one thing from this list, this should be it.
“Smile,” said the photographer. “Yeah,” they said, “that’s what it says on the van, innit?”
Stranger Things (Netflix)
If you don’t know about this streaming phenomenon by now, you must have been living under a rock. To put it simply, boy goes missing, D&D friends try to find him, they can’t, he gets taken to a mirror world where everything is shitty, superpowered young girl kicks serious ass, regular powered slightly older girl also kicks serious ass. Seriously, if you haven’t seen this yet, just give the first season three episodes and if you’re not begging for the fourth by the end of it, then it’s not for you.
The Haunting of Bly Manor (Netflix)
This is a hard one to watch; Mike Flanagan doesn’t pull punches and Bly Manor was my first introduction to his style. My brother insists that The Haunting of Hill House is equally as good as well, but I haven’t seen it yet, so I (and you) would have to take his word for it. This miniseries features a lot of the same actors as Hill House and some are also in Midnight Mass, including the underrated Rahul Kohli, who shines in both series. Horror has never appealed to me because I don’t feel the need to be any more scared than I am at any given time in general, but Bly Manor’s ability to move you emotionally is what makes this ghost story so much more than a ghost story. I could name for you every actor and actress I felt performed wonderfully in this show about a nanny who unknowingly bites off more than she could ever hope to chew, but it would be faster to just send you to the show’s IMDB page, because they all do such a great job, it would be a disservice to leave anyone out. I know I already mentioned Rahul Kohli, but the past is the past, we should leave it there.
The Outsider (HBO)
The face of an innocent man, I’m sure.
Based on the Stephen King novel of the same name, The Outsider brings some genuine spooks and scares on top of a rather interesting mystery. A young boy is brutally murdered—his killer’s DNA is all over the crime scene and multiple eyewitnesses place him at the scene of the crime. But he also has an airtight alibi 70 miles away. How can it be? An interesting story held together by some incredibly strong performances by Ben Mendelsohn (also known as Director Krennic from Rogue One), Jeremy Bobb, Mare Winningham, and the always powerful Cynthia Erivo, this is a must watch for any horror fan, especially King fans (of which I am not, for the obvious reason). HBO’s original series brings top drawer movie-style direction to this miniseries, which, again, feels more like a long-form film than a TV show at times (and can suffer an episode or two in the middle where the story begins to stagnate, but overall, it’s excellent), with excellent visuals, scoring, and sound. Probably the most traditional horror story on this series list, which is why it surprised me that I liked it so much. Also, more Bateman! Batemaniacs rejoice!
Midnight Mass (Netflix)
A recent addition to Netflix’s original lineup, this is one more great series that acts as a long term movie from the minds behind The Haunting of Bly Manor and The Haunting of Hill House, particularly Mike Flanagan. I don’t want to go too deeply into the story as this is still a new series, but while this isn’t as traditionally scary as some of the other series mentioned, Flanagan takes his brand of atmospheric horror and uses it to tackle religion, addiction, and redemption in ways that perhaps only the horror genre can. Much like Get Out, Midnight Mass made me take a step back and re-evaluate my relationship with the horror genre and want to expand my repertoire of well-made horror films and series, especially if they can move me emotionally the way this (and many others on this list) was able to.
Clarkson’s Farm (Amazon Prime)
Honestly, this remains the scariest television show of all time. Do you have any idea of what goes on at a farm? Because I do…now. And when it’s Jeremy Clarkson leading the way, you have good reason to be concerned. Seriously, this is just a bit, it’s a great show, albeit not very spooky at all. Still, I highly recommend it.
Look, I know I said this was a joke, but I’m from the city. I’d be dead on a farm within an hour.