As a lifelong horror movie fanatic, it’s always fun to find new scary watches in October. For the past few years, I’ve made a mostly successful attempt to watch a different horror movie every day of the month. Of course, I have some familiar favorites that I revisit during the Halloween season, but I’m always on the lookout for new ways to get spooked. If you’re looking to step outside your comfort zone and explore some lesser-known horror this Halloween, here are five underrated films that I highly recommend.
- Session 9 (2001, dir. Brad Anderson)
If you’re a fan of slow-paced isolation horror, Session 9 is sure to make your skin crawl. Set in a secluded, abandoned mental hospital, an asbestos cleaning crew, initially hired to restore the building, uncovers a slew of unsettling objects, including a box of tapes containing horrific therapy sessions with a former patient. As tensions grow among the crew, the hospital’s sinister past seems to return to its deteriorating halls. Session 9 is always my go-to lesser-known horror recommendation. With a runtime of just over 90 minutes, it’s a concise yet atmospheric and scary film for all horror lovers, newbies and geeks alike.
- Beyond the Black Rainbow (2010, dir. Panos Cosmatos)
Stranger Things fans looking to explore the disturbing side of Eleven’s upbringing at Hawkins Laboratory should look no further than the nightmarish 80’s sci-fi horror revival of Beyond the Black Rainbow. A teenage girl with untapped telekinetic abilities attempts to escape from her captors at Arboria Institute, an unethical research commune where she’s been kept and psychologically experimented on for years. It might sound similar in plot to Stranger Things, but this film revolutionizes their common concepts with its otherworldly ambient score, surreal screenplay, and dreamlike cinematography. It’s my second favorite horror movie of all time and definitely one of the most underrated on the list.
- Skinamarink (2022, dir. Kyle Edward Ball)
Skinamarink is, beyond the shadow of a doubt, the scariest film I’ve ever seen. The main concept of the film is that two children wake up in the middle of the night and discover that all the windows and doors in their house, along with their parents, have vanished; beyond that, there isn’t much of a story. The film relies on its grainy cinematography and home-video-esque sound design to build a wildly effective sense of youthful dread. It’s the cinematic equivalent of Gen Z’s collective childhood fears. However, it’s important to note that Skinamarink isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. It’s experimental, low budget, and completely non-linear. If that sounds like your vibe, though, I can’t recommend this film enough.
- Mad God (2021, dir. Phil Tippett)
For seasoned horror fans looking for a fresh take on animation, Mad God checks all the boxes. The experimental claymation film follows a figure known as “The Assassin” as he descends into a world full of bloodthirsty monsters, filth, and gory violence. Phil Tippett, the writer, producer, and director of the film, is a long-time stop motion animator best known for his special effects work in Star Wars and Jurassic Park. Mad God, however, is Tippett’s passion project. He created it over the course of 30 years, so the attention to detail is pretty astounding. If you’re looking to be impressed, scared, and completely grossed out, Mad God is the watch for you.
- The Wolf House (2018, dir. Cristóbal León and Joaquin Cociña)
Similarly to Mad God, The Wolf House takes stop motion to another level — figuratively and physically. Much like many films on my list, The Wolf House doesn’t have much of a plot. It loosely revolves around the journey of a woman and her two young children as they explore a strange house in the woods after escaping from a German colony in southern Chile. Cinematically, the film consists of one unbroken moving shot that tracks the disturbing happenings of the house. Instead of clay, The Wolf House utilizes paper mache figures and chalk drawings for its animation. Additionally, all of the characters and sets portrayed in the film are life-sized or larger. It’s a truly remarkable accomplishment that’s well worth 75 minutes of your time.
