Frightening Strikes

There’s nothing quite like a chilly October night—curtains drawn, lights low, and a good old-fashioned scary movie flickering on the screen. It’s the perfect season to tingle the senses and raise a few goosebumps. But what to watch, I hear you ask? Fear not. I’ve put together a specially curated list of ten Halloween-themed films guaranteed to quicken your pulse and make your night go off with a scream. You won’t find Halloween itself here—its place on any October watchlist goes without saying. Expect a mix of the bizarre, absurd, comedic, thought-provoking, and downright terrifying. No rankings, no rules—just pure Halloween viewing pleasure. 1.  Trick 'r Treat A fantastic anthology built around the warning: never disrespect the rules of Halloween. Pumpkin boy Sam is both sinister and strangely endearing, presiding over a series of interlinked stories where characters cross paths in clever ways. Well written, sharply shot, and perfectly cast, the film balances dark humour ...

’Tis the season for horror anthologies, and this year the long-running  V/H/S  franchise grabs the blood-drenched Halloween baton with relish and and sprints screaming toward the finish line. The wrap-around story centres on the testing of a sinister new soda, “Diet Phantasma,” which quickly sets a dangerous tone before we’re plunged into a selection of Halloween-themed shorts. From haunted houses and urban legends to trick-or-treating gone horribly wrong, the anthology blends grotesque imagery, gallows humour, and a particularly disturbing entry involving disappearing children.  Tape by Tape “Coochie Coochie Coo” follows two high-school girls who go trick-or-treating one last time and experience increasingly bizarre and grotesque horrors when lured into a house by a local urban-legend figure. “Ut Supra Sic Infra” delivers a Spanish take steeped in Iberian horror atmosphere, centring on the sole survivor of a massacre at a Halloween party in an abandoned mansion...

Summer might be heating up, but so is the horror. The short nights and hot weather might not feel like horror season but this July’s release slate says otherwise. From brutal reboots and eerie folklore to tight psychological thrillers and slashers, there’s no shortage of chills to cut through the heat. Here’s a quick look at the most talked-about horror films landing in July. Which ones are you excited about? Let us know in the comments. Brick Tim and Olivia wake up in their apartment to the discovery that a solid brick wall has appeared overnight, sealing them and the entire apartment building off from the outside world. With water cut off, no phone service and attempts to break-out fruitless, they and their neighbours must join together to survive and unravel the mystery of who or what has trapped them.   Described by   Tom’s Guide   as  “A mind‑twisting claustrophobic thriller. You’ll feel the walls closing in.”   Brick  promises to   build the ten...

I love a good found-footage film and Butterfly Kisses ticks all the boxes with the added bonus that the narrative unfolds using documentary-style storytelling combined with supernatural horror, making for a suspenseful and unsettling experience. Gavin York is a struggling filmmaker who stumbles upon a collection of old video tapes shot by student filmmakers Sophia and Feldman in 2004. The tapes chronicle their investigation into the urban legend of "Peeping Tom," a sinister entity said to haunt an abandoned train tunnel. According to the lore, staring down the tunnel without blinking for an hour will summon Peeping Tom, who draws ever closer each time you blink until he's up-close and personal - and not in a good way. Gavin is fascinated by the tapes and becomes obsessed with proving their authenticity, seeing a chance to become the filmmaker he's always wanted to be as well as securing financial stability along the way. However, his determination soon spirals into ...

Richard Walters writes, directs and stars in  Distort,  a found footage horror film that taps into familiar themes while crafting its own unique experience. Drawing inspiration from classics like The Blair Witch Project , it manages to pay homage without becoming a mere impersonator. Richard is a musician who ventures into the remote forests of County Wicklow, Ireland, to rekindle his creativity. Set against the backdrop of the pandemic lockdown, his solitary journey begins as an artistic escape - camping in the wilderness and recording an album, stripped of digital conveniences. But his retreat soon takes a sinister turn. Growing Unease A restless first night filled with strange sounds and the sense that a stray dog is nearby, gives way to an eerie discovery the next morning - an old cassette tape hidden beneath a pile of leaves. Intrigued but not alarmed, Richard decants to a nearby ruin to continue recording, only to be interrupted again by the sound of stones being throw...