With summer coming to an end and September officially starting, fall is quickly approaching, as well as the “spooky season”. The time of ghosts and spirits, supernatural beings, and jump scares, are creeping back into theaters as Halloween approaches. For horror fanatics, it’s the best time of the year. The long-awaited “end” to the Halloween franchise, Halloween Ends will be released on October 14th, 2022. Laurie Strode and Michael Myers will have one last stand-off to give closure to such an iconic story. MSN states that while Halloween Ends will be released on the streaming service Peacock, it will also be available to watch in theaters, most likely doubling the revenue to such an anticipated film.
While some viewers prefer blood and gore to be in a horror movie, some like a balance of comedy, as to not be so scared while they watch. Whichever you prefer, this list will surely give some ideas for some underrated horror movies that viewers might have missed when they were released, or scrolled past on streaming services.
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6 Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse (2015)
Paramount Pictures
There have been several movies and even shows revolving around zombie apocalypses, some ridiculous and some downright scary, but this movie is a perfect balance of both. Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse was released in 2015 and centers around a trio of boy scouts, Ben (Tye Sheridan), Carter (Logan Miller) and Augie (Joey Morgan). The close-knit friend group finds themselves in the middle of a zombie takeover, fighting for their lives with the survival tactics they picked up from Scout meetings. This film features well-timed jump scares, a pretty solid soundtrack, and some much-needed comic relief moments that are just corny enough.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
5 The Houses October Built (2014)
Room 101
Filmed as a found-footage horror movie, The Houses October Built will surely give viewers the creeps and make them think twice about going to shady haunted houses. The plot centers around a group of friends who makes it their mission to go to several haunted houses and film their experiences at each one, intending to do interviews with cast members and managers. As any horror buff knows, it’s never that easy. The group discovers that several of the houses hire criminals and have mental health conditions, not doing the necessary background checks for such actors. The group is terrorized after being followed by previous actors to the next haunted house, and a bloodbath ensues.
4 Haunt (2019)
Broken Road Productions
Following the haunted house plot line, Haunt is a criminally underrated horror film that’ll make viewers jump and sit on the edge of their seats the entire time. This slasher film follows a group of college students who want a last minute scare for their Halloween celebration, venturing off to find a (once again) sketchy and off-the-grid haunted house. They arrive, sign a waver, and put their phones in a lock box to ensure they don’t film/take pictures of the horrors they experience inside. It’s the perfect film if viewers don’t mind face-ripping and copious amounts of head-shots, and also, if you enjoy a final girl and a final boy to your horror movie endings.
3 Hell House LLC (2015)
Cognetti Films
Movies about haunted houses gone wrong have made up half this list, but for good reason. Hell House LLC follows the story of a haunted house going terribly wrong after fifteen people are pronounced dead the morning after they have their opening night. A documentary crew heads into the abandoned hotel to try and figure out what happened on that fateful night, and in contrast to the other haunted house films on this list, Hell House LLC features a paranormal element. Supernatural being combined with the found-footage element really brings this horror film to the next level as the crew becomes tormented by restless spirits and evil beings.
2 Creep (2014)
The OrchardNetflix
All Horror reviewed this film and called it genius for how it dealt with the fear aspect, mixed with awkward moments that make it a perfect found-footage horror movie. Filmmaker Mark Duplass wrote, produced (with Jason Blum), and starred in the film, showcasing that he was the perfect antagonist in a project like this. The plot follows videographer Aaron who agrees to film Josef, a man who appears to be dying from a tumor and wants to film himself for his unborn son that’s supposedly arriving very soon. Things start to get out of hand very fast for both Aaron and Josef, both of them becoming unhinged in different ways, and viewers will be left feeling disturbed and without justice. Also, Peachfuzz will stick with you even after the movie is done.
1 The Ritual (2017)
Entertainment One
Based on the novel of the same name written by Adam Nevill, The Ritual was released on Netflix in 2017 and is the perfect send-off to this spooky list. The plot follows four friends who head to Switzerland for a hike through the mountains after their dear friend, Rob, is shot and killed at a gas station after a night out at the pub. Luke, one of the friends, blames himself for not helping Rob stand up to the robbers since he was there, and hid while Rob stood up for himself. While in the mountains, the group experiences terrible supernatural moments, all having awful dreams, and they end up at a cult who worship an ancient god-like entity that was related to Loki. Only one person survives, and once again gives into the final boy trope.
