With the weather starting to cool and pumpkin spice lattes returning to Starbucks, the desire to enjoy horror media leading up to the spooky season also returns. Whether one is participating in the annual Hooptober Letterboxd challenge or simply looking for some casual cinematic terror, there are of-course endless classics to enjoy, but also some deserving underrated features that often are overlooked. This list looks at 20 of these features and shows where you can watch them this spooky season!
Häxan (1922)While the horror genre has found massive success with stories of fictional monsters and killers, real human history has its fair share of horrors to pull from. Häxan is a cinematic collage looking at this relationship between society and witches that is haunting in the best of ways. Clearly still pushing what the cinematic art form could be, Benjamin Christensen finds a brutal yet important capturing of the dark days within society which still finds relevance to today. Both incredibly informational while also showcasing a truly disturbing side of humanity, this is easily one of the best silent horror texts.
Häxan is currently streaming on HBO Max |
She-Wolf of London (1946)The Universal Monsters not only provided cinema with its first cinematic universe, but also create the defining texts of its iconic characters. She-Wolf of London is often overlooked when it comes to this universe as it feels like nothing else from the series. Almost entirely a psychological thriller where a young woman named Phyllis Allenby (June Lockhart) worries that she is a werewolf, the film relies on tension and paranoia rather than physical transformations to find its horrors. Not just disturbing but also wildly engaging as the audience doesn't know if she really is this creature or not, this is one of the more thoughtful Universal Monster spinoffs and sadly one of the most ignored ones also.
She-Wolf of London is currently available to Rent/Buy |
The Brood (1979)Jumping to 1979 and the work of David Cronenberg, The Brood is one of Cronenberg's most underrated efforts. The film is a tense family drama that blends supernatural elements with human emotion perfectly. Following a family torn apart by a series of mysterious attacks, the emotion on display throughout the film but especially within its climax is stunning and the film ends up having one of the strongest third act's of any Cronenberg feature to date.
The Brood is currently available to Rent/Buy |
Alligator (1980)In the aftermath of Jaws, the animal attack side of horror found plenty of ripoffs hoping to capture the box office success that Jaws found. While most of these efforts are terrible, Alligator slaps! A bombasticly fun feature that has a shocking strong visual eye when it comes to blending real alligators with its man-eating prop. The film also manages to find a meaningful emotional backbone and strong social commentary, elevating the entire project to be a truly great time.
Alligator is currently streaming on Prime Video |
Tammy and the T-Rex (1994)When it comes to horror camp classics, it is hard to find anything more fun than Tammy and the T-Rex. With a balls to the wall plot that is not just wildly entertaining but also instantly iconic, the film manages to hold itself together to become one of the most fun viewing experiences ever! Even with massive restraints on its production, the film makes every right decision to not only embrace its flaws but define itself by them to make something that isn't just so bad it's good, but instead just honestly good.
Tammy and the T-Rex is currently streaming on Shudder Saw VI (2009)Every horror franchise tends to follow a similar pattern. What starts off as a strong couple of original films ends up falling in quality to mediocre editions until a surprise gem is found and the rest of the series can go down the drain from there. For the Saw franchise, Saw VI is that hidden gem. Taking the established and loved Saw formula and adding a meaningful social commentary regarding the American health care system, Saw VI truly starts to become a more elevated horror piece without ever betraying the franchise it belongs to.
Saw VI is currently streaming on Peacock |
Better Watch Out (2016)While horror tends to be associated with Halloween, the horror genre has crept up across the calendar with Better Watch Out being one of the best Christmas horrors ever seen. What starts as a rather traditional horror set up of a babysitter having to protect herself and the kid she is watching from a burglar quickly switches to be something entirely different. Truly shocking with Levi Miller giving one of the best performances of the 2010s, this film will have audiences on the edge of their seats as power switches between its two sides leading to a beyond satisfying conclusion. If one hasn't seen this already, it is undeniably best to go in as blind as possible!
Better Watch Out is currently streaming on Peacock |
mother! (2017)While reaction on release was mixed, with age it is clear that Darren Aronofsky did it again with mother!. A meaningful expression of panic and human suffering that blends biblical stories with human history, this is a layered feature that takes multiple viewings to truly reveal itself to the audience. Jennifer Lawrence is undeniable here and gives some of her best work to date!
mother! is currently streaming on Showtime |
Gerald's Game (2017)Before Mike Flanagan became a household name with his Netflix series and work on Doctor Sleep, Flanagan was already proving his worth with efforts like Gerald's Game. Adapting the Stephen King novel of the same name, Flanagan crafts an intense claustrophobic thriller that builds and builds to a shocking final reveal. While perhaps some of the third act fails to fully land, an issue more contributed to the original work rather than Flanagan's effort, the overall product remains one of Netflix's finest earlier efforts and deserves to have more attention.
Gerald's Game is currently streaming on Netflix |
Creep 2 (2017)While Creep showed promise, Creep 2 is where the franchise finds its true magic. A near-genius sequel, rather than just replaying the first film, Patrick Brice and Mark Duplass create a story that expands into an original and shocking deep dive into Josef's mind. The film understands this character so well and best of all it feels completely unpredictable for the entire 80-minute runtime. It is equally funny and terrifying creating an immensely watchable final product.
Creep 2 is currently streaming on Netflix |
The Lodge (2020)Religious trauma has served as a natural catalyst for character origins throughout history with Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala's The Lodge being one of the strongest uses of the subject. A psychological thriller that will keep audiences guessing, the film feels almost hypnotic at points. Similar to the characters who find themselves trapped in a snowstorm, the film begins to cause the audience to feel like they are losing their minds which only gets more disorienting as chaos begins to erupt.
The Lodge is currently streaming on Hulu |
The Vast of Night (2020)One of the first films to come out during the COVID-19 pandemic, The Vast of Night is an incredibly well made and captivating film that features both an impressive screenplay and inspired cinematography. The period piece setting adds a sense of charm to this story that sees a small town potentially come into contact with life from outside our world. This is an easy 91-minute watch for anyone looking for more crafted atmospheric horror feature.
The Vast of Night is currently streaming on Prime Video |
La Llorona (2020)La Llorona is an inspired use of horror and psychological terror to reveal larger moral questions and ponderings regarding real-life tragedy leads to a memorable outing from Jayro Bustamante who continues to get better with every feature! Political and relevant, La Llorona speaks to the highs of what the horror genre can mean for society and luckily is receiving a full Criterion release in the near future!
La Llorona is currently streaming on Shudder |
Spree (2020)Joe Keery fans rejoice! Spree is a highly stylized and modern found footage thriller that sees a young man named Kurt Kunkle (Keery) try to become internet famous by livestreaming a night of murder. Blending comedy with horror, Spree dances with finding a truly powerful social commentary on social media and influencer culture. Keery shows a new side of himself and crafts a wonderful performance that makes this film equally entertaining and horrific.
Spree is currently streaming on Hulu |
The Night House (2021)The Night House is both batshit insane and goofy while also carrying genuinely powerful emotional depth. Rebecca Hall kills it with one of the best performances to date as a grieving wife desperate for escape. Becoming one of the most unique ghost stories seen in recent memory, the film is incredibly watchable and rewarding with various twists and turns sprinkled in along the way.
The Night House is currently streaming on HBO Max |
The Oak Room (2021)The Oak Room is an engaging and thrilling psychological thriller which features two incredible performances from RJ Mitte and Peter Outerbridge who not only impress on their own but have a great amount of chemistry with each other. The ending might disappoint some, but for the vast majority of the film, this is masterclass at tension and will have audiences on the edge of their seats.
The Oak Room is currently streaming on Prime Video |
Candyman (2021)Nia DaCosta's Candyman is a poignant and relevant tense thriller that shows the highs the genre can reach. With a stunning sense of filmmaking craft and haunting final thesis, this lived up to every expectation and then some! The film is meaningful while also maintaining a terrifying and brutal horror underbelly that sees some spectacular kills. While the first film maintains its iconic presence, the sequel here carves its own identity and feels worthy of the Candyman name.
Candyman is currently streaming on Paramount+ |
Last Night in Soho (2021)Last Night in Soho is a story of the dreams and nightmares both of those living and dead in London. Shocking with plenty of trauma, seduction and camp, this is an instant masterpiece that sees Anya Taylor-Joy and Thomasin McKenzie give two of the best performances of recent memory. This is a complex and bold effort from Edgar Wright who challenges the audience in a package that is technically flawless. The editing especially is just out of this world and the fact that the film was so overlooked in the awards season for its technical elements is simply criminal.
Last Night in Soho is currently streaming on HBO Max |
Silent Night (2021)Going back to Christmas horror, Silent Night is a shocking horror comedy that somehow was made before the COVID-19 pandemic despite feeling like a direct response to the fears of 2020. The entire ensemble is incredible as a family gathering for one last Christmas before they all commit mass suicide to escape a poisonous fog that has turned into a worldwide threat. Off-puttingly funny and absolutely emotionally devastating, the feature sees Roman Griffin Davis once again absolutely kill it and it feels destined that the film is looked back on as being a masterpiece.
Silent Night is currently streaming on AMC+ |
We're All Going to the World's Fair (2022)We're All Going to the World's Fair is an intriguing examination and celebration of internet culture and the various layers to it. The film is clearly authentic with a special meaning for filmmaker Jane Schoenbrun, truly becoming like a love letter to the culture that helped define life for so many young individuals. This is not to say the film isn't without its fair share of warnings and cautions however as the film pays specific attention to the dangers of being online. When one factors in the underbelly emotions that tie the film to struggles of gender identity, the piece becomes even more rich!
We're All Going to the World's Fair is currently streaming on HBO Max |