Spooky season is upon us, and this is the time of year when EVERYONE hops on the horror train, and I say, “Come on in, the blood-filled water is fine.”
For the past few years, I have participated in the social media 31 Days of Horror – #31daysofhorror – challenge; it’s always interesting to see what people are watching.
Most 31 Days of Horror Challenges stick to the Classics such as Halloween, Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street, *Scream (*I am not a fan of this franchise) and all things Stephen King.
However, now and then, our die-hard seasoned horror lovers will “join the chat” and introduce everyone to some real gems.
I’ve used this month to seek out new and “underground” horror films, to really expand my horror catalog.
This 31 Days of Horror Challenge won’t have any of the usual suspects. Most of us year-long spooky lovers don’t need October to pop in those classics for a rewatch. These films aren’t in any particular order; each one will have a brief synopsis and is categorized by various Spooky Season themes, as that’s what we are here for.
Let’s dive in!
Vampires
30 Days of Night (2007)
Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person (2023)
Thirst (2009)
Let the right one in (2008) or Let me in (2010)
30 DAYS OF NIGHT (2007)
30 Days of Night is fantastic because it really plays into the true nature of vampires. It doesn’t hyper sexualize them or glamorize them; they are grotesque, violent, intense, and even have their own language! Making them just that more mesmerizing, plus 30 days of no sun! That town is screwed!
The Humanist Vampire Seeking a Consenting Suicidal Person (2023)
TheHumanist Vampire Seeking a Consenting Suicidal Person is a fascinating take on the concept of vampires altogether. It’s an enjoyable dark comedy from Canada (the French part), thoughtful and well-written.
Thirst (2009)
Thirst is a Korean film that takes a unique approach to the concept of vampires. It’s definitely more of an adult horror movie (don’t watch with the kids). It’s a slow-burning, Gothic-type horror, and not a typical Park Chan-wook film (Oldboy). It’s ominous, bloody, and a little weird.
Let the Right One In (2008) or Let Me In (2010)
Let the Right One In (Swedish Original) / Let Me In (US/UK remake). Both of these films are beautiful and well done. If you don’t want to watch a foreign film, the US/UK version is just as good. Author Joe Hill once said in an interview that the film was a vampire ET movie and now I can’t unsee it in the way. Either of the these are perfect for a 31 Days of Horror challenge.
Werewolves
Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001)
When Animals Dream (2014)
Wolfman (2025)
Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001)
Brotherhood of the Wolf is a historical horror fantasy film based on a real-life event that occurred in the Gevaudan region of France between 1764 and 1767, known as the hunt for the Beast of Gevaudan. The creature had killed an estimated 100 locals. Of course, it’s a dramatization of the events, but it made a beautiful film. Although not a straightforward traditional “werewolf” film, I still think the French film is worth watching.
When Animals Dream (2014)
When Animals Dream was an intriguing Danish take on the werewolf. Especially how the werewolves live within the world, it’s a type of disease that is hereditary and known on the small Island. Marie is a teenage girl who is just finding out what the rest of the Island already knows. This film has a similar feel to Let the Right One In.
Wolf Man (2025)
Wolf man was a fantastic reboot. I loved the visuals used to show how the werewolf sees the world, and the transformation wasn’t over the top, making it feel like it could happen in real life. It’s modern but doesn’t feel that way. One things is for sure, any 31 Days of Horror Challenge needs some werewolves in it.
Ghosts & Ghost Hunters
A Tale of Two Sisters (2004)
Presence (2024)
Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum (2018)
Grave Encounters (2011)
Malevolent (2018)
A Tale of Two Sisters (2004)
A Tale of Two Sisters is one of my top 5 favorite Korean horror films. It’s a haunting story of mental illness and vengeful spirits. It hits harder the second time around because everything is so obvious once you know what’s going on.
Presence (2024)
Presence is such a refreshing take on the ghost story. I loved the concept of seeing it through the ghost’s eyes. This storytelling style was excellent and could have been introduced to us much sooner. I kind of wonder why it hasn’t, but I’m so glad it does exist now.
Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum (2018)
Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum is an excellent foreign found footage-style film. Based on an actual abandoned psychiatric hospital in South Korea, of the same name as the film. These ghost hunters live-stream themselves as they explore the place. Naturally, Murphy’s laws take over, making it an entertaining watch.
Grave Encounters is a Canadian found footage film in which a group of people enter an abandoned building to film their paranormal reality show, which was canceled due to the crew’s disappearance. The film is unedited footage from that event. This one was creepy, and the jump scares were fun.
Malevolent (2018)
Malevolent, this British film features Florence Pugh, who should be its primary selling point. It takes place in Scotland in 1986 (so these paranormal investigators don’t have all the bells and whistles like the ghosthunters in the other two films mentioned above), and all they have is the power of a “Medium”. This paranormal investigation turns into a murder mystery. Who would have thought Florence Pugh would be on a 31 Days of Horror Challenge?
Cults
Apostle (2018)
Baskin (2016)
Midsommar (2019)
The Classic Horror Story (2021)
Apostle (2018)
Apostle is a film about a young man traveling to a remote island to find his sister, for whom his family has received a ransom request. There’s a cult, public killings, religious basket cases, and an ending I didn’t expect. Plus, the film’s setting is so beautiful.
Baskin (2016)
Baskin is an interesting Turkish film. Five cops respond to a call, taking them to a remote and abandoned location. Once they get to the area, shit hits the fan. Visually, it can be slightly nauseating at times; however, you also can’t look away from the screen. It’s a dark, horrifying, and gross kinda ride.
Midsommar (2019)
Midsommar is a gorgeous film about a girl going through what is literally the worst time of her life. Unfortunately, she has no real support system to get her through everything, and she ends up going on a trip that changes everything for everyone involved.
A Classic Horror Story, this Italian gem caught my eye solely by the title. A group of strangers uses a rideshare app to carpool to their designated locations. They end up in a crash and find a random cottage in the middle of the woods. After that, the film takes a turn for the worse and delivers on its title. Every troupe you’d expect is there, yet it was still entertaining and somehow its own thing.
Killer Kids
Brightburn (2019)
Come Out and Play (2021)
Sinister (2012)
Brightburn (2019)
Brightburn is pretty much a “What if Superman chose violence?” horror film. It’s a superhero story gone wrong. What happens if an alien with all the power in the world discovers he can destroy what he wants on a whim with no consequences? Instead of being a beacon of hope, he is a crazed killer. And I am here for it!
Come Out and Play (2021)
Come Out and Play is a Mexican horror film often compared to Children of the Corn. Although a few similarities exist, it definitely has its own unique qualities. A husband and his pregnant wife go on a vacation that includes renting a small boat to visit a beautiful, remote island. When the couple arrives, they notice that the town is too quiet and lacking adult supervision. This film delivered a very unexpected death scene that came out of nowhere.
Sinister (2012)
Sinister is too good! Ethan Hawke consistently selects excellent horror movies to be in. This one is about an author who moves his family into a home where a gruesome murder took place, in the hope of being inspired enough to write a book about the crime. Soon, he finds some 8mm film, and everything unravels from there.
The Black Phone is a horror combo, featuring a masked serial killer and children’s ghosts. 13-year-old Finney has to deal with bullies, and at the same time, a man in a black van is kidnapping children who are never to be seen again. Finney falls victim to The Grabber, and he receives help from the children before him to escape.
Seed is a film that I had no idea Canada was capable of making. It’s a dark, gritty, and uncomfortable 1970s-type crime thriller. A man on death row is on his way to his execution. The guards do a botched job during the execution and have to attempt to kill the inmate multiple times. Too busy covering their asses, the guards unknowingly release an unstoppable serial killer upon their town.
The Farm (2019)
The Farm is a genuine indie-style horror film. A young Los Angeles couple stops by a diner during their road trip, only to be kidnapped and held on a farm soon after. Once the couple figures out what the masked farmers are up to, their fight for survival begins.
The Furies (2019)
The Furies is an Austrian horror survival film that features the Beauties and their Beasts fighting to the death. Both kidnapped Beauties and the hunter Beasts are placed randomly in the woods using numbered crates. Kayla discovers that her friend Maddie is in another part of the forest, and as she makes her way over to her, Kayla has to fight off the beasts and a few of the beauties to save her friend. This film has some amusing kill scenes. The concept was different and enjoyable.
Witches
Häxan (1922)
The Craft (1996)
The Wretched (2019)
Häxan (1922)
Häxan is a 1922 Swedish-Danish silent film that has been described as a hybrid documentary, blending fact and fiction. I would personally call it the first-ever mockumentary. The music score and visuals are fantastic, especially for a film made in the 1920s; it is altogether creepy. It’s an eye-opening film about how we, as a society, viewed witchcraft, Satan himself, and devil worship back then. They did not hold back on the imagery and costumes. Nothing like going back a century to complete a 31 Days of Horror Challenge.
The Craft (1996)
The Craft is an absolute classic that I’ve included here because it’s that good, it’s scary, and it never gets old. (But let’s be honest, it’s basically Clueless for ’90s goth/emo girls.) A group of high school girls start feeling out witchcraft together, and it brings them closer together, until it doesn’t.
The Wretched (2019)
The Wretched is a dark, witchy film with a cold opening that effectively sets the tone. Ben is a troubled teenager dealing with his parents’ divorce, so he becomes a little suspicious of his neighbour. While rumors of witchcraft circulate the town, he decides to try to figure out what is really going on with the neighbor.
Supernatural
Late Night With the Devil (2024)
Sister Death (2023)
The Shrine (2010)
The Wailing (2016)
Terrified (2018)
Late Night With the Devil (2024)
Late Night with the Devil is one of my favorite films from last year. It takes place in 1977, and Jack, a late-night host, is hosting a Halloween-themed occult special to boost ratings. His guests for the show are a Psychic, a Medium, a Magician, and a parapsychologist who is working with a possessed teenage girl. What sounded like a bad “So and so walked into a bar” joke turned out to be a top-tier night of horror.
Sister Death (2023)
Sister Death is a Spanish supernatural slow-burn that takes place in a former convent transformed into a school for girls. Narcisa arrives at the school to help teach the young girls, and as she settles in, strange events begin to unfold that stir up the convent’s painful past during the Spanish War.
The Shrine is a Canadian film that takes us to the Polish village of Alvainia (Fictional), where a journalist and his photographer travel to investigate the town due to the unexplained disappearances of tourists. The closer they get to the story, the harder it is for them to leave the village.
The Wailing (2016)
The Wailing is a South Korean film that is a gift to the supernatural horror genre and another Korean entry in my top 5. There is a deadly outbreak that causes the townspeople to act violently and erratically. Unfortunately, the infection hits home for an investigating officer, Jong-goo, and now he has to save his daughter while trying to stop the spread of this bizarre disease.
Terrifed (2018)
Terrified is a stunning Argentinian film that pulls you in right from the beginning. Many strange things are happening in a neighbourhood in Buenos Aires, such as voices in the sinks, moving furniture, and death. It’s so bad that the Police Commissioner decided to bring in a former Coroner, who also happens to be a paranormal investigator.
Angela Amador from El Paso, Texas, is a former chef and retired roller derby skater who now channels her adrenaline into something far more chilling: horror writing. She’s been obsessed with the macabre since childhood, immersing herself in everything from blood-soaked slasher films to unsettling manga and psychological thrillers. Today, she is working in short fiction and graphic novels that explore the brutal, the eerie, and the darkness in people (the real Boogeyman). Her favorite masked killer? Michael Myers. Her favorite subgenre? Home invasion—because true horror doesn't knock, it breaks in.
