Like Sheriff Brackett famously said in Carpenter’s Halloween“It’s Halloween. Everyone’s entitled to one good scare.” So if your dire attempt at a Jack-o’-lantern didn’t provide enough of one and nor did the neighbourhood trick-or-treaters’ tame costumes, you owe it to yourself to queue up a movie that will get the spine tingling and brow sweating this Hallow’s Eve. But if you find Netflix’s subscription prices scarier than next week’s possible election outcome, or have simply exhausted its horror catalogue, never fear – What Hi-Fi?‘s two scream queens have listed 9 brilliant horror movies on video streaming service Tubi, which doesn’t cost a penny (only a free account sign-up).
Where the Devil Roams ()
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A fan favourite on last year’s genre film festival circuit, this Great Depression-era horror from the makers of Hellbender and The Deeper You Dig (Tony and Zelda Adams and Toby Poser) follows a family of carnies on a travelling killing spree as they traverse the macabre, dying carnival scene. Those familiar with the trio’s unconventional, low-budget genre flicks will get exactly what they will expect: WTDR is grim and grotesque in all the right ways, relishes in the directors’ familiar themes of fringe existences, family dynamics and dark, demonic deviltry, and carries itself within a poetic and at times seemingly random – somewhat roaming, even – framework. An acquired taste, certainly, but for the right palette one that will no doubt be relished.
A Tale of Two Sisters (2003)
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With A Tale of…Kim Jee-woon delivered one of the undeniable highlights of the late nineties/early noughties South Korean horror boom (think Whispering Corridors, Three Extremes and Park Chan-wook’s Oldboy and other The Vengence movies), the most acclaimed horror of its year, and a final plot twist that is up there with the very best of ‘em. It follows a young girl who, after a stint in a mental institution, returns to her family home in the country with her sister, father and father’s new wife, only for mysterious things to start happening in the home. But this isn’t your average haunted house movie – far (far) from it – for what entails is an eerie, complex, shocking and at times beautiful suspense horror.
The House of the Devil (2009)
If you’re looking for a straight-up horror that will send shudders down your spine this Halloween and goes as big on style as it does on substance, look no further on this list than Ti West’s career-launching and cleverly subgenre-spanning satanic panic/slasher/haunted house movie. Set in the mid-80s, and a nostalgia-soaked ode to the likes of The Omen, Halloween, Rosemary’s Baby and other devil-worship classics around those golden-era decades, The House of the Devil is a genuine masterclass in building tension towards a bloody (and bloody good) pay-off – indeed, in our opinion it’s one of the best to ever do it. (And when you’ve ticked that one off and have checked yourself, check out West’s latest – but wildly different – trilogy.)
Demons (1985)
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Having been the assistant director on many of his legendary father Mario Bava’s movies (Planet of the Vampires, Baron Blood, Kill, Baby, Kill), Lamberto Bava went solo in the 80s following his father’s passing, and this cult classic, produced by none other than giallo genre godfather Dario Argento, was arguably his biggest directing achievement. A group of teenagers, tickets to a mystery movie at the local picturehouse, a rocking soundtrack featuring Billy Idol, Mötley Crüe and Goblin’s Claudio Simonetti, and an outbreak of red-eyes demons that leap from the screen – Demons is fun, wild and, above all else, a damn cool movie.
The Love Witch ()
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If those trick-or-treaters really did provide your one good Halloween scare and you’re in for something more lighthearted, Anna Biller’s gloriously unique and intentionally camp horror comedy is, on the surface, about as playful as they come (albeit below it and several of her other films, a critique of femininity and how society views gender roles). The beautiful Samantha Robinson plays the modern witch who craves love and uses her potent looks and even more potent potions to make men fall head over heels for her… with comically disastrous results. Biller’s kitsch delivery and stylistic 35mm-shot visuals are tributes to the Technicolor thrillers of the ’60s, too, making The Love Witch all the more worthy of celebration – and your viewing.
Terrifier 1 () & Terrifier 2 ()
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With Terrifier 3 still playing on the big screen and making a big splash this Halloween, here’s your chance to go back to the beginning and see what the fuss is all about. This indie horror franchise is certainly not one for the squeamish as there is extreme gore and splatter aplenty, with the gruesome, nasty kills ramping up in gear and intestinal intensity in the sequel. Credit to writer and director Damien Leone for using as many practical effects; but the Terrifier films wouldn’t have achieved its word-of-mouth cult status and success were it not for David Howard Thornton’s exceptional performance as Art the Clown. His look is immediately iconic, but it’s his body language, mobile facial expressions and exquisite comedic timing that make his silent killer stand out across all films. Gleeful and ghoulish, Art the Clown (or is he a mime?) is a horror icon for the ages. The films won’t be for everyone, but if you can stomach the gore and delight in its OTT silliness and unrestraint – round up some like-minded friends and give it a go. For fun. For Art.
The Witch ()
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Now for something completely different… The Witch was both Robert Eggers’ directorial debut and the silver screen debut of Anya Taylor-Joy, and ushered in a new era of modern folk horror masterpieces that are a world away from the Blumhouse-led mainstream jump-scare franchises. Set in 1600s New England, the film follows an exiled Puritan family as they grapple with unseen evil forces invading their secluded family life at the edge of a vast, dark forest. Taylor-Joy is revelatory as eldest daughter Thomasin, whose innocence and independence are on a knife’s edge. The film’s sparse palette (wintery-grey days, candle-lit gloomy interiors) and slow-burn, creeping plot add to a bleak, lonely atmosphere that will fray your mind and keep you on edge.
Jennifer’s Body (2009)
It wouldn’t be Halloween without a teen slasher romp, and if you didn’t watch Jennifer’s Body when it was first released, it’s time to rectify that. With misguided marketing that focused on Megan Fox’s sex symbol status and completely missold the film (which is a shame, as she and the film are rather very good), Jennifer’s Body has since had something of a feminist cult reawakening, with a sharp, blackly comic tone that majors on fun but still satisfies all the horror beats you’d want. Fox and Amanda Seyfried carry the film brilliantly as long-time best friends who are absolute opposites in their high school years, and how their increasingly toxic dynamic evolves as the demonically possessed Jennifer (Fox) starts killing and eating male students’ flesh in order to survive forms the core of the film. It’s camp, it’s sexy, it’s violent, and it has more biting commentary and witty dialogue than you’d expect from a teen horror of this type. The fictional emo-rock band Low Shoulder with frontman Adam (Seth Cohen) Brody is a particular highlight, while the make-up and special effects are pretty darn good, too.
Devil (2010)
A tight, 80-minute whodunnit about five strangers getting killed off one by one in a broken-down elevator? As far as elevator pitches go, it’s a good one – especially if you’re running out of time before spooky season transforms into something more festive and jolly. The film dispenses with character depth and goes all-in on a suspenseful, propulsive plot that hooks you in from the first minute and keeps you guessing until the very end. It’s economical, thrilling storytelling that we wish we had more of today. Yes, one of the strangers in the lift might well be possessed by the devil and it’s a race against time to find out which one as they get systematically bumped off in the claustrophobic, paranoia-heightened space of an enclosed elevator that has frequent power cuts and no one can be trusted. It may not chill you to your bones, but it is effective and exciting, and did we mention it’s only 80 minutes?
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