Now going back to the original content with House of Spoils that released on Amazon Prime on October 3rd. Directed and written by Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy the movie was produced by Blumhouse Television, Divide/Conquer, and Secret Engine. Distribution is of course Amazon MGM Studios as it’s an example of original content that came out this year.

The first half struck me as horror, the rotten food, super mold, and rampant bug infestation coupled with our protagonist starting to lose it. The lines between supernatural, reality, and psychological are heavily blurred early on but with more clarity the horror elements subsided for me. I enjoyed the characters a lot and loved the portrayals by all 3 main characters.

The outcome isn’t necessarily what I expected and it did leave me wanting more, to close up literally any storyline. I’m not sure if it even has a horror ending or just…well..it’s free with a subscription if you have Amazon Prime, and I would recommend a watch.

The new Salem’s Lot finally released onto Max on October 3rd and if you have been following along it’s been years of pushing back for this release. It’s been so long that the main characters went from young boys to whole teenagers. After fears it would be shelved entirely Stephen King, one of the writers, publicly commented on the delays which is believed to have made the final push to get the film released directly to streaming. I had figured it sucked because Warner Bros. Pictures, one of the production companies alongside New Line Cinema, Atomic Monster, Vertigo Entertainment, and Wopler Organization didn’t seem to want people to watch it. I was very, very wrong.

Is this movie so good? Questionably good in fact. Directed by Gary Dauberman with a screenplay also written by him the film is well written, well cast, and the effects fit within the realm of possibility while still being intensely effective. It reminded me a lot of Doctor Sleep in the best ways and carried that eerie Northeastern aura that many of King’s projects possess. I don’t want to spoil this much as I don’t know how popular the original is and I managed to go almost totally blind into this which made learning about the universe more fascinating while I watched. This is a great movie for the Halloween season and I’m glad that it got released in time to be enjoyed this year.

The newest V/H/S installment, V/H/S/Beyond dropped on Shudder October 4th. This one is 5 segments that exist within another narrative—similar to other V/H/S movies with this one having a particular lean towards extraterrestrials and alien encounters. The segment tapes for this movie are provided by a Redditor who claims they purchased the set of tapes at a market and that they prove an alien encounter.

The mockumentary is the interlude narrative between segments and I thought the idea was interesting and fresh for the franchise, it made it more believable for today’s found footage culture as opposed to thieves recording themselves or someone live streaming something dangerous. The newest anthology movie was produced by Shudder Original Films, Bloody Disgusting, Cinepocalypse, and Studio71 that is now available to watch on Shudder.

The first segment, “Stork,” is directed and written by Jordan Downey and also written by Kevin Stewart, the second segment is titled “Dream Girl” and is directed and written by Virat Pal and written also by Evan Dickson, the third is “Live and Let Dive” directed by Justin Martinez and written by both Ben Turner and Martinez, the fourth titled “Fur Babies” is directed and written by Christian and Justin Long, and the fifth is “Stowaway” that is directed by Kate Siegel and written by Mike Flanagan.

Not going to say much because half the fun of watching these is figuring out what the hell is going on in the snippet of tape included. What I will say however is that I like the segments “Stork” and “Fur Babies” the most. I didn’t care much for “Live and Let Die” or “Stowaway” but again, that is a me not loving aliens thing I think. I think that “Dream Girl” is good but I do like the commentary on celebrity and paparazzi that it provides even if the story didn’t hit for me.

Things Will Be Different released October 4th in theaters and at the same time on streaming by Magnet Releasing. Directed and written by Michael Felker it is about estranged siblings played by Adam David Thompson and Riley Dandy, who come back together after a failed robbery that successfully acquired them $7 million and a high likelihood of being caught.

The home they intend to hide in is said to have a closet that transports people which ends up working for the duo.A well rated release so far, Things Will Be Different is a reality bending space time continuum focused film that I can’t wait to watch.

Terrifier 3 came out recently on October 11, we all know what Terrifier is at this point. Art the Clown gruesomely murders a skewed female plethora of victims just because he comes into contact with them. I didn’t make it through the 1st movie and I have not put another on since because it is the exact opposite of most of what I look for in a horror movie. I think if you like these movies, I’m not forcing myself to watch something I know I’ll strongly dislike.

Smile 2 is set to hit theaters October 18 and has been virtually impossible to not see a trailer for. I will say however that the trailer looks really good and I like the continuation of it with 2020’s Scream King Kyle Gallner reprising his role in the franchise. Naomi Scott plays the lead who is a pop star, opening up the possibilities for the Smile demon exponentially while also being the 2nd film that includes stadium shows this year. I don’t know much about the story yet but this will likely be my Halloween time theater visit.

The Radleys is set to release in theaters and on VOD via Sky Cinema on October 18 and is based on the 2010 novel of the same title by Matt Haig. Directed by Euros Lyn and screenplay by Talitha Stevenson this British horror comedy is the tale of a family of vampires that abstinent until their teens blood thirst becomes no longer hide-able.

Starring Damian Lewis, Kelly Macdonald, Harry Baxendale, Bo Bragason, Jay Lycurgo, Siân Phillips, and Shaun Parkes I am not in a personal rush to see this film. I love vampires and have noticed the recent trend of talking about the connection between vampires and the recession—which is fascinating. Despite this love I am just not as inclined to watch movies with strong comedy elements over other subgenres of horror.

Your Monster is coming out on October 25 via theatrical release. The film is both directed and written by Caroline Lindy and follows Melissa Barrera’s character Laura, an actress who discovers a monster that charms her in her time of need. Tommy Dewey is the monster and actors Kayla Foster, Edmund Donovan, and Meghan Fahy also star in the film. Produced by Bombo Sports and Entertainment and Merman the Vertical Entertainment distributed film is already being reviewed favorably. This is on my list to go see in theaters once it releases, especially as a romantic-y Halloween horror movie.

Releasing on Netflix the same day, October 25, Don’t Move is directed by Adam Schindler and Brian Netto and written by T.J. Cimfel and David White. Starring Kelsey Asbille, Finn Wittrock, and Daniel Francis it follows a killer who used a drug to paralyze his victims. It particularly focuses on one of his victims, played by Asbille, who quotes, “run, fight, and hide,” before she’s physically unable to. I have a Netflix subscription so I think I’ll watch this at some point but I’m not rushing to put it on my list or itching to see it. I am interested in seeing Wittrock from American Horror Story as the killer however which will be the driving force behind my decision to watch.

Time Cut is also coming out on Netflix but 5 days later on October 30. Hannah MacPherson directed and wrote the screenplay alongside Michael Kennedy who is also credited with the story. Produced by ACE Entertainment it will only be released to Netflix. Starring Madison Bailey, Antonia Gentry, and Griffin Gluck not much was known about it until very recently when recording this video.

The premise of Time Cut really sounds like Amazon Prime’s Totally Killer movie that came out in 2023 except instead of a mother-daughter pair it’s a sister duo and the younger sister travels back to 2003 instead of the 80’s. I’m in my late 20’s and remember 2003 so it feels weird as hell that we’re already time traveling back there in the media and that’s just normal sounding. I, of course like many of the other Netflix releases, I’ll watch this movie heading into Halloween and am cringe-excited to see 2003.

Heretic is a blockbuster horror film set to hit theaters on November 8. Starring award winning actor Hugh Grant, Sophie Thatcher from Yellowjackets, Chloe East from Generation, and Topher Grace from a household favorite, Spider Man 3. The plot seems straightforward: 2 Mormon missionaries visit a home to proselytize to the seemingly open owner who actually has nefarious intentions.

What is completely mind bending is that the man’s home is actually a labyrinth that challenges the 2 women in more ways than one. Both directed and written by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods it was produced by A24, Beck/Woods, and Shiney Penny and distributed by A24. I’ll be going to see this in theaters and I have high hopes and expectations.

Following the theme of motherhood horror this year, Nightbitch is expected to release December 6 in theaters after previously being set to release onto Hulu.  The film is directed by Marielle Heller who also wrote the screenplay based on the book by Rachel Yoder with the same title. Production companies Annapurna Pictures, Archer Gray, Defiant by Nature, and Bond Group Entertainment produced the film that is being distributed by Searchlight Pictures.

Starring Amy Adams and Scoot McNairy the plot follows a stay at home mom with the propensity to turn into a dog. The trailer highlights Adam's character's challenges with being a stay at home mom and shows the transformation into a dog beast as a  way to let loose and be free and in control, a metaphor.

Werewolves is set to release December 6th but not much is known about it and no trailer has been released. What is known is that it’s directed by Steven C. Miller, written by Matthew Kennedy and stars Katrina Law, Frank Grillo, and Lou Diamond Phillips. The plot is said to be 2 scientists stopping people from mutating into werewolves after being touched by a super moon the year prior.

Get Away is also set for a theatrical release on December 6, produced by Wayward Entertainment, Resolute Films, Film Service Finland, and XYZ Films. The film stars Nick Frost, Aisling Bea, Sebastian Croft, and Maisie Ayres who all go on a vacation to a Swedish island. Once they get to said island they are downtrodden to discover that a serial killer is doing his killing there. The film is set to release on Shudder in 2025 for those that miss the IFC Films theatrical release this winter.

The big and much anticipated Nosferatu remake is slated to hit theaters on Christmas Day, December 25. From my Universal Monsters project I know that Nosferatu is based on the Dracula novel by Bram Stoker and had to be renamed due to copyright issues with Universal Pictures in the 30’s. It’s really cool to see the story coming to life again this year and this film is what inspired me to re-look at the Universal Monsters project. I personally think that watching some of the older Dracula movies and Nosferatu will make viewing the new movie even better.

I love knowing the details that they are and aren’t including and the artistic interpretations that are easily comparatively analyzed against similar pieces from the past. I’m super excited but I tend not to go to the movies on Christmas out of principle. I don’t think theaters should be open on a holiday, especially when everything else is closed. I will however see this immediately after Christmas and am hoping to avoid reviews until then so I can go into it with just my perspective coloring my viewing.