Horror Movies to Watch: October Picks Include 'Terrifier 3' and More
Welcome to Horror Explorer, a curated column showcasing the month’s best movies, series, books and everything else spooky worth checking out. I’m William Earl, the editor of Variety.com and the publication’s resident horror enthusiast. Please drop me a line at wearl@variety.com if there’s something I should check out for next month’s missive.
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Marquee Madness
“Salem’s Lot” (Debuting on Max on Oct. 3) — One of Stephen King’s best books gets a feature adaptation, the first since Tobe Hooper’s 1979 miniseries. The plot concerns vampires in a small town, and the specificity of King’s details adds warmth and color to the world. Footage from this new version — starring Lewis Pullman, Alfre Woodard, William Sadler and Bill Camp — looks promising.
“It’s What’s Inside” (Debuting on Netflix on Oct. 4) — Netflix spent $17 million to buy this buzzy sci-fi horror comedy out of Sundance, and given its Gen Z appeal, they’re likely to get their money’s worth. The plot concerns a group of 20-somethings who try out a magic device that lets their souls switch bodies within their friend group. But as identities get blurred and sex, drugs and violence come into the mix, it becomes a wacky, stylish genre mashup. (Read Variety’s full review here.)
“Terrifier 3” (Opening in theaters on Oct. 11 from Cineverse) — Art the Clown returns in the newest chapter of this stomach-churning series. The kills are somehow even grosser than “Terrifier 2,” as this Christmas season-set film features plenty of scenes with Art dressed as Santa and terrorizing kids. Results may vary with this franchise, as it’s awash in blood, but Art’s nemesis Sienna (Lauren LaVera) returns to take her foe down for good.
“Smile 2” (Opening in theaters on Oct. 18 from Paramount Pictures) — Parker Finn’s 2022 hit “Smile” was a gory slice of new horror lore, with victims of a malevolent entity sporting an eerily big grin before suddenly committing suicide. Finn returns for the sequel, which follows Naomi Scott as a pop star experiencing the same phenomenon. The trailer for this chapter looks promising, with a solid supporting cast including Rosemarie DeWitt, Lukas Gage, Ray Nicholson and Kyle Gallner.
“Cuckoo” on VOD (Now available from Neon) — If you missed Tilman Singer’s bonkers sophomore feature in theaters, it’s time to catch up. Hunter Schafer is excellent at trying to solve the mysteries of a remote resort in the Alps, and Dan Stevens is a delight as the quirky head of the operation. It’s a strange and stylish affair that is sure to gain a cult audience. (Read Variety’s full review here.)
“A Nightmare on Elm Street” on 4K UHD Blu-ray (Available Oct. 15 from New Line Cinema) — My favorite horror movie of all time gets the definitive release, with perfect picture and sound and a collection of decades of special features, including a director’s commentary with the late Wes Craven, behind the scenes footage and an uncut version of the film.
Off the Beaten Path
“Hold Your Breath” (Debuting on Hulu via Searchlight Pictures on Oct. 3) — Mixed reviews be damned: Sarah Paulson protecting her family from a hostile entity during the Dust Bowl sounds extremely appealing. (Read Variety’s full review here.)
“The Platform 2” (Debuting on Netflix on Oct. 4) — Director Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia returns with the sequel to the vertical prison satire “The Platform.” The extremely dour but compelling 2019 Spanish film had a simple concept: Prisoners at the top of the facility were given a magnificent full food spread to start the day, which the prisoners were encouraged to enjoy in moderation as it went down, causing tension between the inevitable haves and have-nots.
“V/H/S/Beyond” (Debuting on Shudder on Oct. 4) — Long live horror anthologies: The seventh “V/H/S” movie unites all of the short films with a sci-fi theme, with standouts including “Stowaway,” the directorial debut of Kate Siegel written by Mike Flanagan, and “Fur Babies,” written and directed by Justin Long and his brother Christian Long.
“Frankie Freako” (Opening in theaters on Oct. 4 from Shout! Studios) — The year’s most fun movie is this spin on “Gremlins” from “Psycho Goreman” director Steven Kostanski. When an uptight guy (Conor Sweeney) wants to cut loose, he calls a 1-900 number to reach the titular party animal. But when Frankie stops by with some of his puppet friends, things get … Freako. It’s a surreal and hysterical addition to the Lil’ Stinker genre that was so prevalent in the ‘80s.
“Caddo Lake” (Debuting on Max on Oct. 10) — M. Night Shyamalan produced this bayou-set mystery movie, which has Dylan O’Brien and Eliza Scanlen searching for a missing girl and stumbling across secrets along the way. Any project Shyamalan touches is worth a watch, and the mysterious trailer looks intriguing and handsomely shot.
“Daddy’s Head” (Debuting on Shudder on Oct. 11) — This dark and gorgeous meditation on grief from writer-director Benjamin Barfoot is genuinely frightening, as a young boy believes he is seeing his dead father taking the form of an animal in increasingly eerie circumstances.
“Mr. Crocket” (Debuting on Hulu on Oct. 11) — The horror film has a delightfully twisted premise: A children’s host crawls out of the TV while the kids are in a trance, kidnaps them and kills the parents. Early chatter says a flabby script bogs down the feature, but the kills are creative, and the set design is evocative enough to make for a worthy watch.
“Don’t Move” (Debuting on Netflix on Oct. 25) — This Sam Raimi-produced cat and mouse thriller has a great hook: A killer (Finn Wittrock, “American Horror Story”) drugs a victim (Kelsey Asbille, “Yellowstone”) with a quick-working paralytic. She must escape him and find help before all her bodily functions, like the ability to run and talk, give out. Consider us intrigued.
“Your Monster” (Opening in theaters on Oct. 25 from Vertical Entertainment) — This cute rom-com pairs a woman (the magnetic Melissa Barrera) with the hunky monster in her closet (the charming Tommy Dewey). This featherweight spin on modern dating is the perfect choice for those who want “spooky” instead of “scary.” (Read Variety’s full review here.)
“Dead Whisper” (Now on VOD via Vertical Entertainment) — If you missed this patient, sturdy meditation on a father’s grief manifesting in spooky ways, it’s well worth a watch. The slow-burn mystery focuses on creepy imagery and atmosphere over in-your-face jump scares, and a sturdy central performance from Samuel Dunning keeps things moving along.
Killer Series
“Agatha All Along” (Now streaming on Disney+) — Some family fun that scratches the same itch as “Hocus Pocus,” you don’t need to be a Marvel fanboy to enjoy Kathryn Hahn, Aubrey Plaza and Patti LuPone getting up to some spooky shenanigans. (Read Variety’s full review here.)
“Hysteria!” (Premieres on Oct. 18 on Peacock) — This compelling small-town serial killer drama starts with a bang, as neighborhood murders in the ‘80s are assumed to be tied to Devil worshippers at the height of the Satanic Panic. With fun performances from actors like Julie Bowen and Anna Camp, “Hysteria!” gets a little wacky at times, but is a sweet and sinister Halloween treat.
Chilling Podcasts
“We Hate Movies” — The reliably funny bad movie show always plans special October programming to celebrate Halloween. And this year is no different, with the gang tackling the fourth chapters of horror franchises, including “Wishmaster: The Prophecy Fulfilled,” “Land of the Dead,” “A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master” and “Leprechaun 4: In Space.” While the movies are a bit of a slog, the show is consistently amusing.
“This May Hurt a Bit” — The full horror franchise analysis podcast just wrapped a grim “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” run, and for October, they’re starting the relatively joyful five (!) “Critters” movies. “This May Hurt a Bit” is a great excuse to scratch a completist itch, even when they slog through endless sequels.
Bloodcurdling Books
“X: The Novel” by Tim Waggoner (Now available from A24 Publishing) — Movie novelizations are back in style, starting with A24 revisiting the “X” trilogy with this set of books based on Ti West’s films. Author Tim Waggoner fleshes out the initial slasher with this retro-cool paperback release, with “Pearl” set to be released in November and “MaXXXine” in early 2025.
“Terrifier 2” by Tim Waggoner (Oct. 8 via Titan Books) — Damien Leone’s clown slasher is also getting a novelization ahead of the third chapter, with the super-sized film getting a massive 400-page companion novel. It’s everything you ever wanted to know about Art the Clown but were truly afraid to ask.
“Shock Induction” by Chuck Palahniuk (Oct. 8 via Simon & Schuster) — The author of “Haunted” and “Fight Club” is back with his latest satire, set in a world where high-achieving high school students keep disappearing. Although it’s thought to be because of suicide, it turns out they are being monitored by billionaires and farmed for talent. Palahniuk reinvents his writing style for this slim volume, which moves at a quick pace with lots of big ideas and dark humor.
“The Queen” by Nick Cutter (Oct. 29 via Gallery Books) — Cutter is a star on HorrorTok thanks to dark reads like “The Troop” and “The Deep.” His newest novel focuses on a friendship between two young women, and without spoiling anything, gets incredibly dark and increasingly disgusting. A worthy read, but anyone allergic to gross details about insects need not read.
Frightening Festivals
Beyond Fest (Sept. 25-Oct. 9 in Los Angeles) — The genre fest’s world premieres this year include Gary Dauberman’s “Salem’s Lot” adaptation, the “Shush Cut” of Mike Flanagan’s “Hush” and Jean Luc Herbulot’s ticking clock thriller “Zero.”
BlumFest (Sept. 25 – Oct. 30 nationwide) — Blumhouse teams with AMC Theatres to rerelease some of their spookiest horror hits, including “Happy Death Day,” “The Black Phone” and “Five Nights at Freddy’s.” Fans will receive discounted tickets and commemorative posters.
Screamfest (Oct. 8-17 in Los Angeles) — The L.A. horror gathering features the world premieres of evil pumpkin thriller “Carved,” Sean Patrick Cronin and Peter Stylianous’ “Drained” and Dario Germani’s “ALO – Antropophagus Legacy.”
Brooklyn Horror Film Festival (Oct. 17-24 in Brooklyn, N.Y.) — World premieres at the lively NYC fest include Fiona Dourif-starrer “Psychonaut,” director Izzy Lee’s “House of Ashes” and the first three episodes of the new Screambox series “Tales From the Void.”
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