It’s spooky movie month!
Every October, this list seems to change for me, but as I haven’t whipped up a list like this in years, I figured it was time to revisit my list of the top 10 underrated horror movies you need to see this October. I’ve included which streaming service each of these films is available on, if applicable, for your viewing convenience.
10. Spring
IMDB | Trailer | Unavailable for streaming, available for rent
Following a generic, white, twenty-something on a much needed vacation after his father’s death, this romance-horror movie is set in the beautiful country of Italy. The young man quickly strikes up a romance with a beautiful woman who harbors a dark, and I mean DARK secret.
I hesitated to include this on my list as the runtime is about 20 minutes too long, and it’s focus on the romance becomes a bore, but the concept of the horror in this film is so unique I had to keep it on. Also, any movie that relies heavily on makeup and prosthetics versus poorly executed CG gets a huge bump in my eyes. This movie has some great scares, and twists and turns you will never see coming. The movie is also beautifully shot with lingering wide shots showing off what Italy has to offer, and if it cut out about 20 or so minutes of the romance it might have been a classic, but it’s still definitely worth a watch.
9. Bone Tomahawk
IMDB | Trailer | Available for streaming on Amazon Prime
An unlikely group of four men set out to rescue a damsel in distress in the Wild West from a group of savage cannibalistic freaks. What follows is two hours of great character building followed by brutal and savage violence.
You might think you’ve heard this sort of premise before (wild west, damsel in distress), but trust me, you haven’t. By halfway through this film you might be peeking through one eye at the level of brutality displayed in this one. Kurt Russell plays a perfect sand-hardened wild wild west hero, and is supported by characters just as interesting and unique in Matthew Fox, Patrick Wilson, and Richard Jenkins. Tweet us your thoughts about ‘that scene’ once you finish – trust me, you’ll know.
8. Hush
IMDB | Trailer | Available for streaming on Netflix
A deaf woman who lives deep in the woods must overcome a masked killer who appears at her window late one night. In most horror movies, the odds are in the killers favor, but this film it’s absolutely ridiculous how poor the odds are for this woman.
While much of the tension of the film is relieved early by some poor character choices, it still manages to be an extremely tight thriller throughout. The director does a great job making the audience ‘feel’ the woman’s lack of hearing and how it would affect her in a fight for her life. Do yourself a favor and don’t IMDB this one as it’ll do a bit of spoiling of the cast.
7. The Monster
IMDB | Trailer | Available for streaming on Amazon Prime
Centering around a flawed mother and daugher relationship on a road trip, The Monster is a fun creature feature with satisfying scares. Is your ideal horror movie centered around an actual, non CG, monster? This one’s for you.
Directed by The Strangers Bryan Bertino, the animatronics, prosthetics, and minimal CG make this one a big win for me. The monster itself has a very cool design and is extremely terrifying. While the film focuses a bit too much on the ‘monster’ relationship between the mother and daughter, it still manages to entertain, scare, and surprise. I do wish they didn’t essentially reveal the monster on the poster (spoilers!), but there are still many surprises to have here.
6. Creep
IMDB | Trailer not linked – too spoilery! | Available for streaming on Netflix
The less you know about this one, the better. I’ll give you one sentence: A cameraman for hire helps a quirky man dying from cancer create a video for his unborn son. If you’re a fan of saying ‘what the hell is going on’ multiple times in a movie as you try to piece together the twists and turns, this one’s for you.
I hesitate to write much more about this as to not ruin any surprises, so I’m going to leave it at that. Mark Duplass (yes, Pete from The League) gives an incredibly unhinged performance.  With a very short runtime, this low budget documentary style flick deserves your viewing in October!
5. The Descent
IMDB | Trailer | Available for streaming on Showtime
A group of long time friends take a ‘girls trip’ every year after the death of one of their own. Most of the trips revolve around high adrenaline ‘bucket list’ type activities, and this year they decide to go spelunking (cave diving). There’s more in the cave than nooks and cranny’s however, and a fun cave romp quickly becomes a race to who can get out of the cave alive.
Did you know this director would go on to direct two of your favorite Game of Thrones episodes of all time? (Blackwater, Watchers of the Wall). The Descent plays on many intrinsic fears and doesn’t rely on cheap jump scares. If you have any semblance of claustrophobia you’re in for a very rough time. Watch the original foreign version for the best ending.
4. The Gravedancers
IMDB | Trailer | Available for streaming on TubiTV w/ads
A group of friends reunite at a funeral after a long absence and end up literally dancing on graves, as the title implies. Unfortunately for them, dancing on a grave awakens the souls who lie underneath, and they danced in the ‘undesirables’ section of the graveyard. Rapists, murderers, psychopaths and more have been awoken and are seeking revenge.
I remember reading a local theater banned this movie as it used actual corpses as movie props so I knew I had to give it a go. This movie excels in the makeup and prosthetics department and only missteps once with bad CG. This is a decent low budget horror flick that does quite a bit with it’s budget for some very fun scares. Bad acting aside, this movie warrants a watch for the ghosts disgusting and horrifying designs alone.
3. Housebound
IMDB | Trailer | Available for streaming on Netflix
A troubled young adult must return to her childhood home where she fears an evil might be lurking somewhere inside.  A New Zealand horror-comedy like you’ve never seen before, this might have been some of the most fun I’ve ever had watching a spooky movie. Twists and turns keep you on your toes, and you’ll be laughing throughout as well.
I think this movie hit so well with me due to having very low expectations, so I don’t want to build this up too much. Throw this one on when you have a big group ready to have some fun on a weekend night in October. Beers and popcorn encouraged!
2. Alien Abduction: Incident In Lake County
Thanksgiving dinner is just about served, but while setting the table the McPherson family are interrupted with what seems to be a UFO crash. Following Tommy McPherson behind the lens, strange events unfold that leave more questions than answers by the end of the tape.
This movie actually did the ‘found footage that people think is actually real’ thing BEFORE The Blair Witch Project. There were reports of children and adults alike losing sleep over this horror-documentary as they believed it was real. This low budget film does a great job keeping most of the horror to the imagination, but fear not, you do get to see enough to come away satisfied. The full movie can actually be seen on Youtube here!
1. Trick R’ Treat
IMDB | Trailer | Unavailable for streaming, available for rent
Centering around five interconnecting stories on Halloween night, Trick R’ Treat will always top my list of favorite movies to watch in October.
An everyday high school principal has a secret life as a serial killer; a college virgin might have just met the guy for her; a group of teenagers pull a mean prank; a woman who loathes the night has to contend with her holiday-obsessed husband; and a mean old man meets his match with a demonic, supernatural trick-or-treater.
This movie is the ultimate Halloween homage and provides everything you want to see in a horror movie: blood, gore, jump scares, non-jump scares, creatures with prosthetics in place of CG, comedy, tension, and even a bit of nudity. If there’s one movie that deserves more views, it’s this one. The director will be directing the upcoming Godzilla: King of Monsters flick, which we discuss in GlitchCast Episode 3. If you like this one, check out his follow up, Krampus.
What’s your favorite spooky movie that nobody’s heard of? Let us know in the comments, or hit us up on social media!
