Happy Spooky Times, everyone! After a two-month break due to computer troubles, I bring you a double-sized portion of scary movie recommendations just in time for the Halloween season! It’s a wide variety of options from camp to disturbing, old to new, and even funny to devilishly scary. Light your jack-o’-lanterns, put on your spookiest costumes, and stuff your face with candy while enjoying these TEN underrated horror gems!
The Loved Ones (2010)
Sean Byrne is one of the most criminally under-watched horror filmmakers working in the space today, so I felt it was only right that I give you a one-two-three punch with his three films in a row at the start of this list. His first film is his nastiest and most viscerally disturbing. It begins his trend of setting up weirdly likable characters that you genuinely root for, especially the main character, Brent, an emotionally scarred metalhead high schooler exploring the concept of vulnerability with his girlfriend. It’s an emotional grounding not often portrayed so honestly in a movie like this, and it makes the eventual threats he undergoes feel that much more urgent and harrowing. When he is eventually thrust into the sick revenge and twisted games of the antagonist, the gleefully sadistic Lola and her absolute creeper of a father (credited as “Daddy Stone”), you are genuinely invested in his escape. It throws you and Brent through the absolute ringer, staggering between moments of euphoric success to crippling failure. It has more switch-ups and surprises than you’d expect from the premise, and one of the truly excellent aspects of this movie is how seamlessly it ratchets up that tension and violence without ever overstepping itself and indulging in shock value or exploitation. As can be said with all of Byrne’s films, this truly is a hidden gem.
Watch it on Fubo, Paramount+
The Devil’s Candy (2017)
Short and sweet, metal as hell, and, like Byrne’s previous film, utterly harrowing in its horror. It’s not quite as bleak as the darkest moments in The Loved Ones, but it sure comes close. The setup is familiar, this time centering on a family moving into a new dream home, only to realize that the previous occupant isn’t exactly keen on letting them live the idyllic life they hoped for. The family unit, comprised of father Jesse, mother Astrid, and daughter Zooey, feels like a genuine place of warmth and love that’s easy to fall into, and it creates a lovely, heartfelt center to the movie’s otherwise more creeping and haunting atmosphere. The brilliant Pruitt Taylor Vince plays the primary antagonist, and he haunts every second of screen time he has. There are no obvious choices made by the actor or the filmmaker with a character of that nature, giving him a genuinely unsettling vibe where you never fully know what he’ll do next or even how he’s rationalizing his own actions. I’d also be remiss if I didn’t mention the incredible soundtrack that goes from heavy hitter thrash, like Slayer or Metallica, to the drone metal legends, Sun O))). It’s easy for a movie with metal music as its soundtrack to feel disingenuous or obvious in its choices, and this certainly isn’t that. There’s a clear adoration of the genre, and it just made me super pumped every time a song I loved came on.
Watch it on AMC+, Kanopy, Shudder, Philo
Dangerous Animals (2025)
If I had to pick a film as an entry point to Sean Byrne’s filmography, it is absolutely his latest, Dangerous Animals. It is his most accessible, but doesn’t at all dumb itself down or result in anything less thrilling. It’s a shark movie on the surface, but it’s functionally much more of a serial killer film with the utterly deranged and gleeful Jai Courtney – his character kidnaps unsuspecting women and holds them in captivity on his boat, until he eventually lowers them down into shark-infested waters and films them being ripped apart. It intelligently avoids common misconceptions about sharks by presenting them as creatures being exploited by humanity for cheap spectacle, which is normally fine enough in a fictional context, but the intentional choice to deviate from those ideas feels heartfelt and loving in a way that I never thought would work in a horror film. It’s also worth noting that the final girl, Zephyr, played with determination and fury by Hassie Harrison, is phenomenal. Her tenacity and problem-solving ability make the whole thing feel as exciting in every in-between moment as it does during the intense shark scenes. In terms of horror/thrillers, you can’t get more well-crafted and tighter than this. It is essential horror viewing in the already stacked horror slate of 2025.
Watch it on AMC+, Shudder, Philo
The Bay (2012)
There truly was a found footage glut in the late 2000s and early 2010s in the post-Saw and pre-Conjuring horror landscape. At the time, most of the films were dismissed as cheap or lazy, given the production style, which was occasionally true, but it was also unfortunate that some real gems that came out from that time never seeped through the cracks. The Bay is absolutely one of those examples. Barry Levinson, of all people, directs with a lot more finesse and thoughtfulness than you’d expect from a found footage film of this era in terms of both its presentation and its originality. Paranormal and supernatural happenings are the primary subjects I associate with the subgenre, but this is a body horror film. You get a thorough and widespread view and understanding of this waterborne virus that destroys a coastal town during its Fourth of July celebration. You see it from the perspective of festival goers, the WHO, scientists studying the events, an incredibly unlucky couple that just happens to sail into town that night, police officers, and much more. The effect is uniquely bleak in its haunting portrayal of our flawed systems, the warning signs that existed, and how much could’ve been done to prevent the disaster. Found footage fans are sure to be delighted and surprised.
Watch it on the Roku Channel, Pluto TV, Tubi, Plex
Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors (1965)
Telling scary stories around the campfire is perhaps the best and oldest tradition in all of horror storytelling. In the age of film and television, the anthology format has come to fill that spot as both a joyous and spooky time. Combine that with some Hammer-style campiness, and it makes Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors a phenomenally easy sell. Its frame narrative is simple yet strikingly effective – a group of passengers in a train car all getting tarot readings that are meant to tell them of their future – and, of course, lead into their individual segments. The dread of the overarching narrative is weirdly applicable to the wide variety of tones the individual segments explore. There’s tense, thriller-y vibes, gothic mystery, campy sci-fi, and even dark comedy. I cannot understate just how perfect this movie is for a late-night October movie night. It’s funny, compelling, scary, and even at times genuinely emotional. It’s of my absolute favorite anthology films.
Watch it on Fubo, the Roku Channel, Tubi, Plex, Fawesome, Mometu
Jimmy and Stiggs (2025)
You can’t get more indie and homemade than this. If you put alien blood, every profanity you’ve ever said, and a metric ton of drugs and alcohol in a blender, this movie would probably be what it feels like in the center of that blender. Seeing this micro-budget movie in the theater was truly one of my greatest movie-going experiences so far this year. It really feels like a director and a few friends were probably moving out of their apartment in a couple of months, so they decided to make a movie where they absolutely demolish it. And fair enough! It starts with a seemingly digestible/accessible first act that devolves into a whirlwind of chaos and violence in the following two, which are as blistering as they are entertaining. This one isn’t for everyone, but if the underground and indie horror spirit is something that you find alluring, this is a must-see!
May (2003)
Of course, I had to watch the movie that had my name as the title, and thank God that it was so good! If you’re a fan of the slower burn descent into madness through isolation and neurosis-type character studies, you’ll probably really enjoy this! Angela Bettis is phenomenal in this, starting as someone you genuinely sympathize with, only to take a turn for the sinister by the end. The delusion, emotional damage, and eventual utter conviction are all portrayed fiercely by Bettis, without ever forgetting the nuances or layers of her character. Lucky McKee also directs this with a distinctly unsettling style. It combines both the campy grimness of a lot of 2000s horror with a gothic sensibility that seeps through the edges and eventually takes over the entire thing by the end. It’s also a movie where the set design and set decoration really stood out to me. It’s never truly showy, but I really appreciate a movie that makes me wonder if they just found these places or if they painstakingly went over the details to make it look as real as possible. And by the time it does get to the more exotic rooms after they’ve transformed, it truly builds the atmosphere in a way that is really good at reflecting May’s ongoing mental deterioration. Sad and brooding, but super watchable. A gem that is not to be missed. (I’d also be remiss if I don’t mention the brilliant Anna Faris is in this in a prominent role. She is delightfully weird in all the ways you’d want her to be)
Watch it on Fubo, Fandango at Home, the Criterion Channel, Tubi, Fawesome
Frailty (2002)
Bill Paxton should have directed more movies! I’m extremely grateful for the one film he did get behind the camera: Frailty. It can be argued this is more of a psychological/religious thriller, but the actual meat of the drama is far more brutal and traumatizing than it may seem on the surface. The trio dynamic between the father and his two sons is genuinely heartbreaking. Bill Paxton’s affinity for great performances really comes through with a generous amount of incredible scenes showcasing dynamic performances, and not just from him, either! This is legitimately some of the best child acting I’ve ever seen in any genre. The growth and eventual transformation these kids go through, reacting to harrowing obstacles and existential oppression, is truly something to behold. You really feel how different and changed they are by the end of the film; it really affected me, and I’m not terribly connected to religion in my personal life. It’s just that powerful. While disturbing and harrowing in its subject matter, this is a film I could recommend to anyone – not just horror fans.
Watch it on Fubo, Tubi, the Roku Channel, Hoopla, Plex
Tourist Trap (1979)
1978’s Halloween was the big blow-up of the slasher. That film, and the proto-slashers that were buzzing around beforehand, were built on atmospheric cinematography, a genuine creep factor, and enigmatic villains. 1980’s Friday the 13th and the preceding heyday era of the slasher that followed were far more focused on violent kill scenes and a schlocky sensibility. So, it only feels right that the criminally underrated and underseen Tourist Trap, which came out in the bridge year between the two styles, also serves as a wonderful combination of them. You’ve got a group of horned-up teens going on a road trip only for their car to break down, which forces them to take refuge in a creepy mannequin-infested roadside museum. These characters could easily be found in any Friday the 13th of your choice, but the direction by David Schmouller feels directly inspired by both The Texas Chain Saw Massacre in its setup and griminess, and Halloween in its ominous lighting and oppressively dark and creepy atmosphere. The villain is far more diabolical and memorable than I could have ever expected. I’m not freaked out by mannequins at all in real life, but these mannequins and that mask gave me the genuine creeps! The film isn’t as graphic as it is psychologically twisted and prolonged to the point of a seething unease. Part of me understands why this didn’t break through to prolonged mainstream remembrance, but my love for it still burns brightly.
Watch it on Prime Video, Tubi, Fubo, the Roku Channel, Fawesome
Cam (2018)
America today is going down a major downward spiral of conservatism and prudishness. So many people are afraid of sex and sexual expression, which is why I’m always so thankful for and treasure the films and pieces of art that try to destigmatize and face that world head-on with empathy and honesty. Anora is one of my absolute favorite Best Picture winners for that and many other reasons, and Cam is a horror film that accomplishes something similar. Alice is a fierce and ambitious cam girl who wants more than anything to climb the charts and go further in her career, but after pushing herself past her own self-made rules, she finds herself in a bit of a Twilight Zone-esque conundrum. She wakes up the next morning, and an exact copy of her is streaming live in her place. It’s equal parts strange, mysterious, and deeply violating. Madeline Brewer does a phenomenal job portraying both the passionate and determined Alice and her uncanny, off-putting doppelgänger. It’s almost easy to forget they’re played by the same actress – she’s just that good at differentiating them with her body language and line delivery. It doesn’t go the way you’d expect with its ending, but it does reveal where the film’s heart truly lies and ties it all home all the more effectively. It was genuinely difficult to get this film out of my head after I saw it.
Watch it on Netflix
Knock on Wood 
Leave a comment