New horror movies to watch this Halloween, including ‘Black Phone 2’
3 movies you must see this fall, including Emma Stone in ‘Bugonia’
Brian Truitt breaks down the three movies you must see this fall, including the football horror film “Him” and the dark sci-fi drama “Bugonia.”
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Yeah, the real world is feeling kinda scary. Which is why we need horror movies this Halloween season, to give us the cinematic willies as an escape from more pressing fears for 90 minutes or so.
There are a few good options in theaters already when looking for the right fright fest: “Him” brings together gore and the gridiron, “The Conjuring: Last Rites” is a demonically good time, and “The Long Walk” is a bleak Stephen King allegory. There’s more to come, too, from a classic 1980s Disney flick coming to streaming for the first time to the zombie apocalypse seen through an LGBTQ lens.
Here are 15 horror films you’ll want to check out to best prep for Halloween:
‘The Strangers: Chapter 2’ (Sept. 26)
Maya (Madelaine Petsch) survived an attack from a group of masked psychos, but when they find out, they hunt her again in the slasher sequel. She escapes the hospital and meets a mysterious new ally (Gabriel Basso), though wonders who she can trust if anybody can be under those masks.
Where to watch: In theaters
‘Bone Lake’ (Oct. 3)
Sage (Maddie Hasson) and Diego (Marco Pigossi) head off to a romantic vacation at a secluded lakeside estate but find out they’ve been double-booked with a mysterious yet attractive couple (Alex Roe and Andra Nechita). Playful innuendo and flirty games take a bizarre turn and the situation gets deadly when the chainsaw comes out.
Where to watch: In theaters
‘Coyotes’ (Oct. 3)
From “Barbarian” to “Goosebumps,” Justin Long is enjoying a scary-story era. He and Kate Bosworth star in the horror comedy as a mom and dad whose neighborhood is beset by a pack of dangerous and surprisingly smart coyotes that can open doors and cause all sorts of suburban chaos.
Where to watch: In theaters
‘Good Boy’ (Oct. 3)
Are you ready for a different sort of horror hero? Ben Leonberg’s innovative thriller unfurls a supernatural narrative from a canine point of view, and Indy the dog stars as the loyal best friend who becomes concerned about his owner when dark forces seem to be taking hold of him in their new rural home.
Where to watch: In theaters
‘Shell’ (Oct. 3)
There are major “The Substance” vibes with this celebrity satire. Elisabeth Moss plays an aging actress not getting the roles she used to anymore, and she comes under the sway of a high-profile wellness guru (Kate Hudson) who’s got some eerie ways of regaining one’s youth.
Where to watch: In theaters
‘Something Wicked This Way Comes’ (Oct. 3)
Available to stream for the first time ever, Disney’s Ray Bradbury adaptation freaked out kids when first released in 1983 and still holds up. The dark fantasy centers on two Midwestern boys who become wary of a sinister carnival that comes to town led by the enigmatic Mr. Dark (Jonathan Pryce).
Where to watch: Disney+
‘VHS Halloween’ (Oct. 3)
“Black Mirror” isn’t the only thing keeping the anthology series going. The eighth installment of the found-footage “V/H/S” franchise that’s been a fall staple the past few years finally uses Halloween as a theme for six new creepy tales, with titles including “Fun Size,” “Diet Phantasma” and “Coochie Coochie Coo.”
Where to watch: Shudder
‘Stay’ (Oct. 8)
An author (Megalyn Echikunwoke) and an MMA fighter (Mo McRae) are headed for a divorce and deciding what to do with their house. The house, however, has other plans as supernatural forces of seemingly voodoo origin trap them in the place and they have to find a way to survive together.
Where to watch: Hulu
‘Black Phone 2’ (Oct. 17)
The sequel picks up years after Finney (Mason Thames) killed the serial killer known as the Grabber (Ethan Hawke). Finney’s younger sister Gwen (Madeleine McGraw) is bothered by nightmarish visions of an alpine camp, and the siblings investigate only to discover that the Grabber has found a way to torture from the other side.
Where to watch: In theaters
‘Frankenstein’ (Oct. 17)
So what if Guillermo del Toro’s take on the Mary Shelley classic might be awards bait? There’s plenty of horror to be had as Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac) plays God and creates a patchwork Creature (Jacob Elordi) from assorted body parts, an act that has far-reaching consequences for both.
Where to watch: In theaters (and on Netflix Nov. 7)
‘Other’ (Oct. 17)
Olga Kurylenko stars as a woman who returns to her childhood home after her mother’s death and discovers a treasure trove of strange video tapes. As if that wasn’t weird enough, she’s being constantly surveilled and senses a strange presence lurking around her in the thriller.
Where to watch: Shudder
‘The Hand That Rocks the Cradle’ (Oct. 22)
A reimagining of the 1992 movie stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Raúl Castillo as a couple in need of a nanny. Maika Monroe plays the young woman hired for the gig, though she’s better at creating chaos than watching children and seems to be kind of a creeper, honestly.
Where to watch: Hulu
‘The Elixir’ (Oct. 23)
The Indonesian zombie flick centers on a family that runs a popular herbal remedy business. They decide to change up the recipe for their newest elixir but instead of helping others out, the stuff triggers an undead outbreak in their village.
Where to watch: Netflix
‘Queens of the Dead’ (Oct. 24)
Tina Romero, daughter of “Night of the Living Dead” legend George Romeo, directs this horror comedy that stars Katy O’Brian as the organizer of a warehouse party in Brooklyn. But it’s not just fun times for the drag queens, club kids and others in attendance when a zombie apocalypse breaks out during the shindig.
Where to watch: In theaters
‘Shelby Oaks’ (Oct. 24)
After obsessively searching for her missing sister Riley for more than a decade, Mia (Camille Sullivan) finds a new lead in the search: a video showing a connection to an abandoned town. Mia goes on a trip to investigate, digging up the place’s bloody history and some supernatural weirdness along the way.
Where to watch: In theaters
