The leaves are changing, the neighborhood decorations are getting spooky, and the air is (hopefully) getting crisper. It’s the Witching Season! And Halloween is finally upon us. Which means, more horror movies! So, with that in mind… here is your guide to seventeen brand new horror movies coming your way this Halloween season by theater, streaming, and video on demand.
On October 3rd, HBO Max will bring us a movie that’s been in development since before vampires even existed, Salem’s Lot. A film so scary, they didn’t want to show it in theaters! They wanted you to watch it in the safety of your own home. Right? I’m sure that’s what’s why. Couldn’t be anything else… The Salem’s Lot trailer proudly boasts that this new iteration comes from the people who brought you the recent IT and Conjuring Universe Films and it’s insanely apparent when you watch the trailer. A trailer shows a lot and I mean a LOT of the major moments from the film. Gary Dauberman (whose sole directing credit is Annabelle Comes Home) wrote and directed. His writing credits include the original Annabelle film, The Nun, and both recent IT film screenplays. Dauberman will of course be basing his story on Stephen King’s second-ever published book of the same name. King himself has seen the film and offered its praises, saying, “It’s quite good. Old-school horror filmmaking: slow build, big payoff. Not sure why WB is holding it back; not like it’s embarrassing, or anything.” Referencing the fact that this film has been in the can for some time, with multiple rumors surrounding the film’s lack of release date. We’ll find out for ourselves on October the 3rd sitting crisscross applesauce naked in our living rooms. I mean, if we want. It’s our house, dammit.
Also premiering on streaming, on October 3rd, we have House of Spoils. This film stars Oscar winner Ariana DeBose (most recently seen in ISS), dealing with the anxiety of being the new head Chef at a fancy restaurant where something supernatural may or may not be going on. The trailer doesn’t make clear if this is all happening in her head or if there’s something more sinister at play. I can’t help but see the potential for some gross-out food gags, ala Sam Raimi’s Drag Me to Hell but I wonder if that’s the kind of fun we’re shooting for here. This Blumhouse-produced film (headed straight to Amazon Prime) Could be a sleeper in a good way… or in a bad way. We’ll have to wait and see.
Another October 3rd streamer is Hulu’s Hold Your Breath starring the queen of television horror: Sarah Paulson. The film takes place in 1930s Oklahoma during a series of violent dust storms. This creates an environment reminiscent of the one on Earth in Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar…..only with Stephen King vibes. There are rumors of a drifter killing children and a legend is uncovered of the “Grey Man” who, like dust, seeps through the cracks and makes humans do terrible things. Again, this trailer plays out as either this is a supernatural dust demon who makes you do terrible things or Sarah Paulson’s character might just be crazy. I’m always a little bit skeptical when I hear that a movie’s boogeyman simply possesses others to do “bad things”. It’s often a guarantee that the climax will just be a parent chasing their kids around the house. Because it’s far cheaper and easier than creating a monster.
October the 4th we’ll have the gateway horror flick Monster Summer in theaters. Monster Summer looks like yet another twist on Stranger Things, with a group of kids on bicycles investigating supernatural forces. But at least this one has Sandlot vibes to it! You can disagree if you want but that is literally the kid from The Sandlot during a baseball game. Monster Summer stars Mel Gibson as this movie’s version of The South Bend Shovel Slayer from Home Alone.
Also on October 4th, Shudder brings us the seventh and latest installment (not including the spin-offs) in the fun, original found footage franchise: V/H/S Beyond. The VHS franchise has reinvented itself as a yearly Shudder offering of anthology shorts from a bevy of up-and-coming and established horror directors. This year’s sacrifice will be directed by the likes of Justin Long, Kate Siegel, and Jay Cheel with the Kate Siegel entry being written by Mike Flanagan. The trailer promises a plane crash, first-person shooter, “the greatest discovery in human history”… and hopefully some mother effin’ aliens.
If that’s not enough for you to feast your horror holes on… yes, that sounded weird… October the 4th also brings us The Platform 2 on Netflix. In the original film, a vertical prison system feeds all its prisoners on a descending platform. Meaning, that prisoners on the higher levels take what they like, creating a dangerous predicament for those on the lower levels. The original director returns and the trailer offers a moody, mysterious vibe that also features an unpleasant guy rubbing himself. Don’t like that. Though the trailer doesn’t offer too many details, the official synopsis is, “A thrilling physical journey that allows an approach to the darkness, where it is scary to look. It appeals to the viewer’s civil responsibility and forces them to face the limits of their own solidarity.” That cleared up absolutely nothing for me. And I like it.
Time travel horror fans rejoice! On October 4th, Magnet releasing brings us the day and date release of Things Will Be Different; Produced in part by the directors of well-made independent horror think pieces Spring and Synchronic. Which, Things Will Be Different ironically feels very comparable to. In the film, a brother and sister commit a robbery and hide from the police using time travel. Everything is going great until a mysterious force shows up and starts “pushing their familial bonds to unnatural breaking points”. Festival critics who have seen the film seem to recommend it: The film currently sits at the time of this writing at 92% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
Also, on October 4th (seriously), we have the release in some theaters of Psycho Goreman and The Void director Steven Kostanski’s Frankie Freako from Shout Studios. The horror comedy comes off as Puppet Master meets Drop Dead Fred in a trailer that never stops getting weirder. When the dorky Conor Sweeney (who looks like the kid from the 90’s “cool” kid computer meme) calls a party hotline promising a good time, he goes on a journey of wild self-discovery, creating a mess he has to clean up before his wife gets home. Sounds like Dude Where’s My Car meets Little Monsters. Which, sounds kind of awesome.
ALSO, on October 4th we see the VOD release of Paramount’s Spin the Bottle, which basically is a lower budget version of Tarot or Truth or Dare or My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Guessing at that last one. Teens unleash a deadly force in an abandoned house that somehow involves the game spin the bottle. All I can say about this one is that it stars one of my all time favorites: Scream King Justin Long as well as Ali Larter.
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Also on October 4th, releasing in theaters and on VOD, we have Little Bites. In this film, a mother lets a monster in her basement take literal bites off of her body in an effort to keep her daughter safe. But we’ve all read “When You Give A Mouse a Cookie” and we know how that story goes. This Shudder film is Executive Produced by Cher. Yeah, I know, weird. As well as horror royalty Heather Langenkamp, Barbara Crampton, and Dead Meat’s James A. Janisse and Chelsea Rebecca. Sounds like a fun set! That is, until you hear the director, Spider One (who you may know from his band Powerman 5000), say that “Every day was filled with terror and tears. Shooting Little Bites was by far the most rewarding creative experience of my life.” To be fair terror and tears is how I can describe a lot of my previous working environments.
October 10th we have Caddo Lake starring Carhartt Dylan O’ Brien. This film popped up relatively out of nowhere and features a story about a lake where bad things have happened to a family throughout their history. Whether it’s missing people or deaths, something about this area is freaky. Though he’s not directing or writing, this has Producer M Night Shyamalan’s fingerprints all over it.
October 11th brings us the next entry in the highly anticipated Terrifier franchise with Terrifier 3. I always thought it was smart to release a slasher movie during the Halloween season. But releasing a Christmas slasher during the Halloween season is just pure genius. That’s the kind of intellectual prowess director Damian Leone and Co. have displayed with a franchise that continues to push not just the gore needle, but the profit needle. Terrifier 3 will bring back the instantly loveable Lauren LaVera as our final girl, as well as the Jim Carrey of death, David Howard Thornton as Art the Clown. The film will continue the batshit, ballsy story of the first two films and promises to push the ever-growing mythology of Sienna and Art forward. But don’t forget the gore! David Howard Thorton recently shared that there was one scene so particularly disgusting on set, that he became sick to his stomach. I can’t wait to not eat lasagna before heading to see Terrifier 3!
On October 18th, we have another wide release in Smile 2. The sequel to Parker Finn’s 2022 box office hit will bring back the writer/director for another go at our anxieties. This time, featuring a global pop sensation as the f*cked-up focal point. Horror royalty Kyle Gallner is slated to return via IMDB, though you wouldn’t be able to tell from any of the marketing. Which, makes you wonder. Slated to play the pop star Skye Riley is Naomi Scott, who you may have seen grace the screen as the Pink Ranger in 2017’s Power Rangers movie. Those who have only seen the first trailer may want to steer clear of the second, which appears to divulge a huge plot point in the film. From the trailer, one can’t help but wonder if this will walk the fine line the first film did between thoughtful suspense and Friday Night jump scares. Or, if it will falter into safer generic films such as recent Blumhouse fare such as Night Swim. I mean Imaginary. I mean Afraid.
October 18th also brings us the VOD and limited theatrical release of Wolfcop director Lowell Dean’s Die Alone. Looks like Dean is putting on his serious pants somewhat with this post-apocalyptic thriller starring an impressive cast led by Frank Grillo and Carrie-Anne Moss, as well as Douglas Smith. In the movie, The Happening meets The Walking Dead as a virus has wiped out humankind, replacing humans with some kind of mystery creatures (that look pretty great, practical FX-wise). Die Alone so far reminds me of both a low-budget version of the underrated horror flick The Ruins and the Dane Cook joke about the guy dying and coming back as a “f*cking Ficus”.
Scream and Abigail actress Melissa Barrera continues to add to her horror resume with the horror-comedy Your Monster. Coming to some theaters on October 25th. In the film, Barrera’s character is dumped by a jerk played by Edmund Donovan while she’s in the hospital. She then moves to her childhood home where a monster is currently residing. But it’s cool… because she really needs someone to talk to. In what appears to be a great pairing with Lisa Frankenstein from earlier this year, Your Monster looks to be a pretty obvious take on Beauty and the Beast. And hey, if they can dip Winnie the Pooh in the film equivalent to a port-a-potty and parade his corpse about like some kind of f*cked up Weekend at Bernie’s in Hell? These folks can half their crack at a Disney property too, you know?
Also on October 25th, Sam Raimi produced horror flick Don’t Move premieres on Netflix. The premise is simple: A woman (Kelsey Asbille) has been poisoned by a psychotropic hallucinogen… RACHEL!… well, not kinda. But she has been poisoned with something that will give her twenty minutes before her body completely shuts down. And to make matters worse she’s running from a serial killer (Finn Wittrock) in the middle of a huge forest. Should be a fun thriller and if not, we can always just pop in Crank for the opposite effect.
Finally, on Halloween, we have Rippy (originally titled The Red). The film stars Tombstone and Aliens actor Michael Biehn fighting a seven-foot-tall zombie kangaroo. That’s right, I said a seven-foot tall zombie kangaroo. Australian horror films are wild, man! The poster and premise alone sell the film amazingly. The trailer leaves some things to be desired when it comes to seeing the giant kangaroo in action. But there are some good comedic one-liners, and it could be a good time. As of now, the only clear release schedule is an Australian release on Halloween. Here’s hoping we’re all going to receive this weird little film on Halloween by the time it rolls around.
And here’s hoping you all have an amazing Halloween season, and that some of these movies scare the ever-loving shit out of you and your family along the way. Or at the very least you don’t end up as a wall ornament at the other end of Michael Myer’s knife. It’s all about perspective.