aka, the thing I do every year now where I watch a bunch of horror movies during october and put them all in here

2023 2022 and 2021

It's never too late for spoops

...or I'll get distracted. OKAY.

28 Days Later (2002)

28 days following an outbreak of a "rage virus" that creates fast-moving zombies, a bicycle courier wakes up in an abandoned London hospital and has to find who he is and who he can trust.

For such a notable, well-talked about movie, I had no idea that it was so... uplifting? It's a zombie movie that's good in all the ways zombie movies tend to be.

Frankenstein's Army (2013)

In the waning days of World War 2, a squad of soviet soldiers goes behind enemy lines and discovers a gruesome secret that must be recorded for posterity, no matter the cost.

It's one of those movies I'd recommend just for the practical effects. It's a fun ride, but don't expect to be rooting for too many people.

Haze (2005)

A man wakes up in a cramped space with no memory of how he got there and must find his way out.

I feel like there was more to this than I, a dumb white person, was able to grasp, but it's short and sweet

Chopping Mall (1986)

It's the 80s and it's the golden age of the mall. A group of friends decides to party into the night, only to become the victims of a malfunctioning squad of robotic mall guards.

What can I say? It's goofy. There's explosions, boobs, people's heads exploding, robots with lasers. It's the 80s.

Silent Hill (2006)

A loose adaption of Silent Hill 1, following a mother, Rose, as she journeys into Silent Hill in search of her missing daughter, and must confront all the horrors along the way.

Admittedly, knowing what I know about the production, it's a bit of a downer for an already unsubstantial adaption.

Silent Hill Revelation (2012)

Decades following the first movie, Heather Mason must return to Silent Hill when members of a cult kidnap her dad.

It's a loose loose adaption of Silent Hill 3

Is this a good movie? ..... no. Are the effects good? ....ehhhhhh

Feed Me (2022)

After a traumatic loss of the love of his life, a man is tormented by the feeling that he has nothing to live for. He soon receives an offer from a stranger to give him purpose... by eating him.

I think it's messy (ha) but altogether not a bad movie per say

weirdly humorous

Salem's Lot (2024)

A writer returns to the town of Salem's Lot to rediscover his past. At the same time, people start disappearing and reappearing with low bloodcount and a thirst for more. Now, the lone survivors must protect themselves against the vampiric onslaught of their neighbors and friends. It's a Stephen King movie.

Some really good camera shots in this. You could definitely do worse for a stephen king adaption.

Speak No Evil (2024)

While vacationing in Italy, Louise and Ben Dalton and their preteen daughter Agnes befriend a friendly, if slightly strange couple and their voiceless son who invite them to their isolated home in the Italian countryside. Once there, hospitality becomes a nightmare

One of the highlights of this year tbh. I deeply enjoyed this one, even as it messed me up a bit.

The Crazies (2010)

When a mysterious virus outbreaks in a small town, all hell breaks loose for the few people sane enough to try and escape instead of submitting to the plague and turning into violent maniacs.

Another highlight. Really good adaption after the original George Romero version. (Apparently he was a producer on this?)

The Sadness (2021)

Jim and Kat, a young couple in Taipei, struggle to survive the outbreak of a mysterious plague that transforms all infected by it into sadists who seek nothing more than to satisfy every violent, depraved need.

Another banger. We don't need Garth Ennis to make a Crossed movie, we already have this.

Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School (1988)

Scooby and Shaggy (and Scrappy Doo) are hired as gym coaches at a school that happens to be for monster children. Hijinxs ensue.

As "the one with those monster girls" it's pretty iconic. Overall, it's just classic Scooby and Shaggy (and Scrappy is there too)

Scooby-Doo and the Witch's Ghost (1999)

After solving a case with the help of writer Ben Ravencroft, he invites them to his hometown of Oakhaven for the harvest festival, only to find waves of tourists searching for a fabled Witch's ghost. But what if the witch was real? And how is she connected to that new mysterious band, The Hex Girls?

Yeah I get why the Hex Girls are so popular

Last Straw (2023)

Nancy must take over the nightshift at her dad's diner all by herself. And soon finds herself in a fight for her life when masked maniacs decide to cause some trouble.

It's kind of an odd movie, but I like it. I think I like it a lot.

Fear (1990)

A psychic who can see through the eyes of killers works with the police to track them down before they can claim another victim. But what happens when someone starts to see through her eyes?

For what must be a tv budget, it's not bad.

Hostile Dimensions (2023)

Two documentary filmmakers travel through doors into alternate dimensions to uncover the truth about a graffiti artist who has vanished.

It's got the energy (and the budget) of a mid-10s Channel Awesome movie and..... I kind of missed that. I enjoyed this movie.

none of the unfortunate parts of channel awesome, tho

Frankelda's Book of Spooks (2021)

Frankelda the spectral writer, and her talking book Herneval, tell spooky stories about children meeting supernatural foes, with dark aesops.

Halloween stopmotion ALWAYS a good time.

Stopmotion (2023)

Committed to finishing her hospitalized mother's stopmotion film, Ella Blake struggles with inspiration and the strange, dark influences that drive her down a road where it becomes difficult to differentiate between animation and reality, and what you will do to be great.

This one messed me up for a day or two. It's good.

Saw (2004)

Two men wake up in a dingy bathroom, legs chained to opposite sides. Their only clue to escape are tapes recorded by the mysterious Jigsaw Killer... and a pair of hacksaws

The twitchy 2000s camerawork when they first dicovered how to do that is everything. Also, just a good movie.

Saw 2 (2005)

Finally catching up to the Jigsaw Killer, an officer is forced to take a step back when he discovers Jigsaw's latest trap is a group of several ex-convicts, including his son who have all been injected with a killer nerve agent.

Builds on everything the first movie was.

Saw 3 (2006)

Jigsaw has a final test, with even his life on the line. With bigger, more dangerous traps, and some people who are willing to let others die without giving them a chance to go free. One unlucky couple must find each other before things go horribly awry.

What a ride

Pastacolypse (2023)

After gluten has been banned worldwide, a chef obsessed with winning accidentally turns himself into an undead pasta monster, and decides to do the same with the rest of the world. The only one who can stop him is his estranged daughter.

It's a fundamentally unserious movie. It thought it was pretty funny.

Big Bad Wolf (2006)

Derek Cowley is distraught to discover his jerkass stepfather is possibly the violent werewolf that killed and tortured some of his friends, and that he's the only one who can stop him.

I don't think I can recommend this one. It's just.... not very good.

Call Me Tonight (1986)

A girl working as a hotline owner receives a call from a guy who claims that he transforms into a monster everytime he's aroused. Naturally, they need to experiment with this.

It's a interesting OVA, tho... uncomfortable by modern standards

Noroi: The Curse (2005)

A paranormal investigator investigates a series of mysterious events, styled as a documentary.

An attempt was made and I feel I can't fault them on that.

Nightmare on the 13th Floor (1990)

Elaine Kalisher comes to the Wessex hotel in Los Angeles to write a travel article on it. But soon discovers there's more hidden away behind the walls than just the missing 13th floor. A dark, murderous secret is waiting there.

Surprisingly I found myself enjoying this one a good bit.

A Place Without Fear (2024)

In a surreal and abstract world, a girl navigates a labyrinth-like house where she faces the choice between succumbing to her fears or transforming into a formidable force.

Plenty of artistic merit in this short film I think

Brain Twisters (1991)

Employees of a software company discover a conspiracy to use the games made by the company to control the thoughts of its customers.

This is probably a miss. Don't really recommend

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024)

Beetlejuice is back, and still after Lydia who has her own problems when a death in the family gives her the chance to try and connect with her daughter who doesn't believe in ghosts.

Honestly I think it's everything a sequel needed to be. I want more though.

I didn't finish

Les Diaboliques (The Devils) (1955)

Christina, teacher and the wife of the school's terrible headmaster Michel, conspires with his mistress, Nicole, to murder him. Shortly after they carry out the deed, however, his body disappears. And then things just get weirder from there.

As thrillers go, this is one of the earliest, and cut from the same cloth that Psycho would be. On its own, it's pretty quiet but I think the suspense is there

Scanners (1981)

"Scanners" are psychics with unusual telepathic and telekinetic powers. ConSec, a purveyor of weaponry and security systems, searches out scanners to use them for its own purposes with the help of amnesiac vagrant and Scanner Cameron Vale.

ironically for a Cronenberg movie it's pretty tame in terms of horror, but still as enjoyable as it probably was back in the day

Stream (2024)

The slightly dysfunctional Keenan family decides to get away from it all and checks into a hotel, only to discover the exits locked and a game commencing, in which several psychos kill to earn the grand prize

I figure, if the Terrifier series is too much, you can watch this to sort of gauge your reaction to things.

oh man scanners and les diaboliques are good classics, very nice

Lisa Frankenstein (2024)

Lisa Swallows is a bit of an outcast in her town, still struggling with the death of her mother and hanging out in an abandoned graveyard. One night after a terrible party, a bolt of lightning brings one of the dead to life. Now, Lisa must hide him while slowly gathering body parts to make him the best man he can be.

This one was a riot. Let Zelda Williams do more stuff.

The Burrowers (2008)

In the Wild West a rescue party sets out to find a family of settlers that has vanished from their home under mysterious circumstances. But prejudice, and the mysterious monsters lurking under the earth, will tear them apart.

I don't think even Clancy Brown made this movie worth it

The Triangle (2016)

Four filmmakers take their cameras into the Montana wilderness to document the mysterious inner workings of a young community with a giant secret.

Much less scary than it presents imo. It kinda drones on.

The World is Full of Secrets ( 2018)

An old lady recounts a sleepover one night, where her and other teenage girls shared stories with each other about things that frightened them.

an odd film where the stories are told by characters facing the camera, like an actual story. Not terribly scary but there's some artistic merit.

VHS 94 (2021)

A found footage anthology with each horrific story wrapped around a fifth frame narrative. This one about a SWAT team going into what was thought to be a drug bust but is something else entirely

I think this is one of the more solid in the VHS series. If you wanted to start here it couldn't hurt.

VHS 99 (2022)

More anthology shorts. This one doesn't have a frame narrative, instead a few stopmotion shorts connected to one of the stories.

Conversely, this is one of the weaker ones to me... except one of the shorts is one of my alltime favorites

VHS 85 (2023)

Yet more shorts! Framed with the narrative of a documentary about a team of scientists studying a tv-obsessed shapeshifter.

Some real strong ones in here. Another all-around good one I think if you're looking.

VHS Beyond (2024)

The Anthology continues. This time, whereas the rest of the franchise typically skewed towards the supernatural, this one leans more heavily into science fiction.

A couple here messed me up a bit!! Good times.

Train to Busan (2016)

A zombie plague breaks out aboard a KTX bound from Seoul to Busan, and all the people inside can do is try to find somewhere safe and keep their loved ones close.

Hey this good movie that everyone says is good is reall fucking good. Who knew, right?

The Edge of Sleep (2024)

When a night watchman finishes his shift at work, he is terrified to discover that everyone in the world who went to sleep the previous night has died. Now he and a band of survivors must stay awake and uncover the secret of this global epidemic, before they fall asleep.

let! mark! make! more! things!

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024)

Three years after the last movie, the new ghostbusters and old have relocated to new york to rebuild the business. Soon enough, a dangerous artifact is uncovered and the whole city is at risk unless they can stop it.

Lots of things from the other movies but some new, too. I didn't hate it. Phoebe deserves the world.

Longlegs (2024)

FBI agent Lee Harker is assigned by her supervisor to a case involving a series of murder–suicides in Oregon. Each case involves a father killing his family and himself, leaving behind a letter with Satanic coding signed "Longlegs"

Whoof. What a movie.

Uzumaki (2024)

The population of Kurouzu is slowly driven mad by their growing obsessions with spiral shapes, finding them everywhere with shocking and horrifying results.

Is the first episode a masterpiece? Yes. Was the production for the rest disastrous? also yes. How bout that soundtrack tho

and finally, finally

Over The Garden Wall (2014, rewatch)

two brothers wander into the Unknown, a strange land with strange people, and try to find their way home.

Happy ten years...!

And it's done! Thank god.

I watched SO MUCH again