It’s October, which means there’s plenty of new movies to dig in to, including some of the biggest horrors of the year. It’s all killer, no filler, with this list giving a nice variety of scares for different audiences. So grab your popcorn and costumes, dim the lights and delve into this months diabolical selection of thrills and chills.
If you’re still looking for more horror content or inspiration then check out the links below!
The Exorcist: Believer
The Exorcist: Believer releases on 13th October 2023.
50 years ago, The Exorcist was released to huge acclaim. It’s often considered to be one of the scariest movies ever made and was the first horror to be nominated for the Best Picture Academy Award. Since then it has inspired numerous movies including its own sequels. Upcoming The Exorcist: Believer is the 6th in the franchise and the latest film since 2005. Whilst the franchise has had its hits and misses, its substantial place in pop culture means it’s gotten our attention.
The Exorcist: Believer follows on as a direct sequel to the original. This time there are two girls who show signs of demonic possession, and their parents are searching for anyone who can help. This leads them to Chris MacNeil, with Ellen Burstyn returning to the role. MacNeil is the only one who has experienced something similar and they hope she can aid them. According to an interview director David Gordon Green gave to Total Film Magazine, Scream Queen Linda Blair has been on set as an advisor. This film heralds the return of one of the most iconic horror franchises, and thus hits the list of biggest horror films releasing this October.
Pet Sematary: Bloodlines
Pet Sematary: Bloodlines releases on the 6th October, 2023.
The works of Stephen King continue to inspire new horror films, with the upcoming release of Pet Sematary: Bloodlines being the latest to our screens. Serving as a prequel to the main story, Bloodlines looks to explore the mythology of the mysterious cemetery and its resurrection powers 50 years earlier. Based on King’s work, the story has been written by Lindsey Anderson Beer (Sierra Burgess is a Loser) and Jeff Buhler (The Midnight Meat Train, Studio 666). Pam Grier and David Duchovny both star in the film, giving it some classic star power.
Set in 1969, the film follows Jud Crandall, the neighbour of the Creeds from Pet Sematary who introduces them to the mystical burial ground. He hoped to escape his small town home but finds himself confronting his family legacy and the ancient evil that plagues the town.
Five Night’s at Freddy’s
Five Night’s at Freddy’s releases on the 27th October, 2023.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve no doubt come across the game Five Nights at Freddy’s. The massively popular game gained international attention from Youtubers and spawned a whole franchise, with multiple games, books and anthology’s. Now the series comes to the big screen with this live action movie. The film comes with a strong cast, including Josh Hutcherson (The Hunger Games), Elizabeth Lail (Once Upon A Time) and Matthew Lillard (Thirteen Ghosts, Scream, Scooby Doo).
Hutcherson stars as the ill-fated security guard Mike Schmidt who takes the night shift at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza. However, the animatronics Freddy, Bonnie, Chica and Foxy await midnight to wreck havoc upon the abandoned restaurant. The high production quality, solid cast and potential to build on the Fazbear universe makes this one an intriguing release this October, even if your not the biggest fan of jumpscares.
The Fall of the House of Usher
The Fall of the House of Usher releases onto Netflix on 12th October, 2023.
This October Mike Flanagan, showrunner of some of the biggest horror series of the last decade, such as Midnight Mass, The Haunting of Hill House and The Haunting of Bly Manor, is releasing a new show to Netflix. Flanagan has proven that he has the skills to make fantastic scares and utilise deeper topics and themes. This time he’s making an adaptation of the Edgar Allan Poe short story, The Fall of the House of Usher.
The series is set to premiere on Netflix this October 12th. Adapted from Poe’s work, The Fall of the House of Usher is the story of a CEO of a pharmaceutical company who must deal with his past actions and corruption when his children start to die in brutal ways.
V/H/S/85
V/H/S/85 releases on Shudder on 6th October, 2023
The 6th instalment of the V/H/S anthology series is leaving the 1990s behind for the 1980s. The series tasks horror film creators to make a short film, typically in the found footage format. This time around the directors are David Bruckner (The Ritual), Scott Derrikson (Sinister), Gigi Saul Guerrero (La Quinceañera), Natasha Kermani (Lucky), and Mike P. Nelson (Wrong Turn).
Fantastic directors are on board for this film, with Deadline Hollywood revealing brief details. These include a lake skiing adventure gone wrong, a TV crew caught in a natural disaster and a boy obsessed with TV being observed by scientists. If previous entries are anything to go by, we will get strong stories in distinct styles.
