With the first half of October behind us, those miraculous sunny days already fading into distant memory, and Halloween plans starting to feel more urgent, the urge to stay in on a misty evening and watch a good horror film only grows stronger. So, we’ve put together a small compilation of October recommendations, ranging from horror-thrillers to horror-comedies, from lesser-known finds to genre-defining classics.
Many of these films will be screening across London venues in the coming weeks, and it’s well worth checking your local theatres for their halloween themed shows. Otherwise, you can just as well settle into the darkness of your home to stream – company of friends or loved ones recommended!
1- Cure (1997), Kiyoshi Kurosawa
With the first half of October behind us, those miraculous sunny days already fading into distant memory, and Halloween plans starting to feel more urgent, the urge to stay in on a misty evening and watch a good horror film only grows stronger. So, we’ve put together a small compilation of October recommendations, ranging from horror-thrillers to horror-comedies, from lesser-known finds to genre-defining classics.
Many of these films will be screening across London venues in the coming weeks, and it’s well worth checking your local theatres for their halloween themed shows. Otherwise, you can just as well settle into the darkness of your home to stream – company of friends or loved ones recommended!
2- A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014), Ana Lily Amirpour
Filmed in California and scripted entirely in Persian, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night was billed as “the first Iranian vampire Western.” The film follows a mysterious young woman who roams the streets at night on her skateboard, hunting men who prey on others, and the unexpected connection she forms with a lonely young man. It’s a genre-crossing, mesmerising film, more atmospheric than scary, and I’d recommend it to lovers of vampire cinema who are looking for some innovation in the field.
3- Carrie (1976), Brian de Palma
For a horror-classic pick, I went with De Palma’s Carrie. Prom night, a bullied girl, the pig’s blood: it’s a story everyone knows. But despite its iconic status, not many people actually return to this version, which is a real shame, because the film is incredible. Sissy Spacek is hypnotic in the titular role, and the film’s look and feel are drenched in De Palma’s unmistakable style, with lush, intense visuals that draw you in. It’s stylish, fun, heartbreaking… and absolutely worth revisiting.
4- The Skin I Live In (2011), Pedro Almodóvar
Almodóvar is known for many things – his distinctly Spanish humour, vivid cinematography, and deep love for complex female characters, to name just a few – but horror isn’t usually one of them. Still, in 2011 he gave us The Skin I Live In, a truly unsettling psychological thriller. It follows a plastic surgeon (Antonio Banderas) who becomes obsessed with creating a new kind of synthetic skin, and with the mysterious woman he keeps hidden in his home. It’s a strange exploration of revenge and identity, and remains one of the most fascinating outliers in Almodóvar’s filmography.
5- The Lure (2015), Agnieszka Smoczyńska
Mermaids are surprisingly underrepresented in contemporary cinema, perhaps because of filming limitations or the narrow scope of stories they’re usually given. But The Lure, a bold Polish film by Agnieszka Smoczyńska, proves it doesn’t have to be that way. Merging musical with horror, it follows two sirens who venture into the human world to perform at a nightclub. Dreamlike and strange, it reimagines Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid in all its grotesque romanticism.
6- Clue (1977), Jonathan Lynn
For a much lighter film, if you’re after something that’s funny and campy, look no further than Clue. Long before films based on toys and video games became an industry of their own, Clue took on the iconic board game with an ensemble cast led by the ever-iconic Tim Curry as the butler. There’s not much to say beyond the fact that the line deliveries alone are worth the watch – and if you’re a fan of whodunits, you’ll love that during its original theatrical release, Clue was sent to cinemas with different endings for different screenings. A riotous and chaotic pick.
7- Funny Games (1997), Michael Haneke
Finally, if you want a more meta take on horror season, Michael Haneke’s Austrian film Funny Games is a chilling and brutal exploration of our voyeuristic fascination with violence. The story follows a family held hostage by two young men in their vacation home, subjected to a series of sadistic games – all while the movie occasionally breaks the fourth wall, implicating the audience in the trauma. For a double feature, you can also check out the 2007 shot-for-shot U.S. remake, directed by Haneke with an English-speaking cast.