Spooky season is upon us, and which means the movie show schedules are stacked with horror motion pictures. This 12 months, greater than ever, larger names are being drawn to the style because it proves probably the most resilient methods of getting butts in seats. With Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein main the pack, we’ve additionally received Ethan Hawke returning for Black Cellphone 2, Keira Knightley in The Girl in Cabin 10, and each Justin Lengthy and Kate Bosworth showing in Coyotes. And so many extra moreover. So, to be useful, we’ve rounded up the trailers for all of October’s scariest upcoming horror motion pictures.
Horror is huge enterprise proper now, with studios having lastly observed that when you put greater than no cash right into a scary movie, you may nonetheless make them super-cheap and see some stellar returns. As such, we’re seeing some larger names desirous to get entangled, alongside the gloriously kitsch and classically gory. Beneath, so as of U.S. launch date throughout October, are our picks for flicks to scare you out of you knicks.
Good Boy
Out right this moment (October 3) and getting rave evaluations (together with this reward from Kotaku‘s own Kenneth Shepard), Good Boy is a horror movie from the perspective of a dog. Indy the doggo is determined to protect his human buddy Todd from evil forces in a surprisingly short film—just 72 minutes. It’s written and directed by Ben Leonberg, his first feature-length film, and stars his personal pet canine Indy—a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever—within the lead position. The human solid are relative unknowns (though maybe not for lengthy) Arielle Friedman and Shane Jensen, alongside Hollywood stalwart portrayer of homeless gents, Stuart Rudin.
Bone Lake
Has there been a extra on-the-nose title for a horror film since 1999’s ridiculous Cherry Falls? Bone Lake is a horny horror flick from director Mercedes Bryce Morgan, beforehand finest identified for, er, Stargate Origins: Catherine. The Bleecker Road launch is clearly trying to evoke slightly little bit of Saltburn, however in a narrative about two {couples} by chance reserving the identical AirBnB for a similar weekend. Besides, for some cause, everybody retains taking their garments off and/or being chopped up by axes and chainsaws. I imply, it appears like all the weather for a stone-cold B-movie basic. The primary handful of evaluations have been middling, however then this was by no means a film to win over the New York Occasions. It too is out right this moment, October 3.
Coyotes
Yet one more October 3 launch is comedy horror movie Coyotes. Actual-life couple Kate Bosworth (Superman Returns, Earlier than I Wake) and Justin Lengthy (Weapons, Galaxy Quest) reunite after showing collectively in 2022’s Barbarian, as dad and mom trapped of their residence by a savage pack of…you guessed proper, coyotes. It seems tremendously foolish, extremely violent, and accommodates the road, “GET THE FUCK OFF MY HUSBAND.” That’s all I want. It’s directed by Colin Minihan (What Retains You Alive, Grave Encounters) and appears like some very schlocky enjoyable.
V/H/S Halloween
The infinite arms of the V/H/S franchise attain out but once more, this time with a group of seven Halloween-themed shorts, one among which comes from director Casper Kelly, the person behind Grownup Swim’s Your Fairly Face Is Going to Hell, Stroker & Hoop, and the notorious Infomercials episode, Too Many Cooks. It’s on Shudder from right this moment, October 3.
Scared Shitless
The ultimate October 3 launch (you might watch new horror motion pictures all night time tonight!) is Scared Shitless, which seems prefer it must be hilarious, however the trailer doesn’t have me satisfied. It seems prefer it’s making an attempt a bit too onerous with its glove puppet bathroom monster and overly wacky goofs. When you acknowledge the older lead man, that’s as a result of he’s Steven Ogg, Trevor Phillips from GTA V! His son is performed by Daniel Doheny (Model New Cherry Taste) sporting what seems like his first beard, starring alongside the mighty Julian Richings and Mark McKinney. It’s the primary theatrically launched film from Canadian comedy director Vivieno Caldinelli, who’s extra normally capturing skits for sketch exhibits.
Vicious
Paramount Plus will get in on the spooky motion October 10 with Dakota Fanning in Vicious. It appears to set itself up as a movie a couple of lady who’s cursed to search out three objects, one she loves, one she hates, and one she will’t stay with out, and put all of them in a field earlier than midnight. Ought to she fail, she’ll die. That’s an important premise, given how onerous it will be to look inside your self and reply these three questions in truth, however the trailer suggests issues are stepping into about seventy-three different instructions too. Clearly Dakota Fanning is an enormous win for Paramount’s streamer, in a film written and directed by Bryan “The Strangers” Bertino.
The Girl in Cabin 10
On the identical day, October 10, rival streamer Netflix has its personal big-name horror launch with The Girl in Cabin 10. Kiera Knightley leads, with Man Pearce (Memento, L.A. Confidential) pulling off a really convincing British accent. It’s all a couple of reporter on a luxurious yacht who thinks she sees a dying, and is then hounded and gaslit by the super-posh individuals on board. Half scary thriller, half whodunnit thriller, it’s directed by Simon Stone, the Swiss director behind 2021’s well-respected The Dig.
Black Cellphone 2
2021’s The Black Cellphone was an fascinating alternative for star Ethan Hawke. Extra normally mumbling by means of indie roles directed by Richard Linklater, right here he jumped into the post-Noticed pattern for terrifying iconic horror villains: a serial child-killer often called the Grabber. 4 years later, Hawke returns to the Blumhouse manufacturing for a classic-style sequel, with a should-be-dead enemy returning for revenge in opposition to the older solid of the unique. Director Scott Derrickson is hit and miss, with a dreadful remake of The Day the Earth Stood Nonetheless and a few middling horrors like Sinister and The Gorge, however he additionally gave us the stable Physician Unusual. The trailer seems unbelievable, seeming to repeat the Wes Craven meets Stephen King ’70s vibes of the unique. It’s out October 17.
Frankenstein
Netflix has funded Guillermo del Toro’s model of Frankenstein, with a brief theatrical launch on October 17 earlier than it arrives on Netflix November 7. (Clearly the streamer thinks there could possibly be trophies on this one.) It’s sticking to the gothic horror of Shelley’s novel, wanting like a comparatively devoted interpretation, albeit by means of del Toro’s extraordinary creativeness, with Oscar Isaac (Ex Machina, Moon Knight) as Dr. Frankenstein and Jacob Elordi (Euphoria) as his creation, alongside Mia Goth (Pearl, Infinity Pool) as Elizabeth. Del Toro doesn’t miss, so there’s each cause to be very excited for this one.
R.L. Stine’s Pumpkinhead
I may fake it wasn’t this trailer that made me need to write this complete article, however I’m not ashamed. 81-year-old Robert Lawrence Stine, the creator of the Goosebumps novels, has his title glued to the title of this Pumpkinhead remake (the unique starring Lance Henriksen got here out in 1988), however he’s neither author nor director. Each these roles fall to Jem Garrard, the director behind final 12 months’s Tubi queer vampire flick Slay. They’re again with Tubi for this film too, a kid-friendly (though not that pleasant) movie that reimagines the very grownup authentic as one thing a contact extra tame. It’s on Tubi October 17.
The Hand That Rocks the Cradle
Yup, it’s again. Curtis Hanson’s 1992 basic, starring Annabella Sciorra, Rebecca De Mornay and Matt McCoy, in addition to Ernie Hudson, Julianne Moore and Madeline Zima, had one of many darkest plots of all time. A sexual predator is caught and kills himself, which causes his widowed spouse to miscarry, and in flip drives her to hunt revenge on one among his accusers by changing into her nanny and destroying her life. This time, nevertheless, the movie is much less thriller, extra horror, given it’s directed by Mexican horror professional Michelle Garza Cervera. And it doesn’t appear to be following the unique movie’s motives for its characters, both, with nanny Polly Murphy (Maika Monroe of Longlegs and It Follows) employed by upper-class mother Caitlin Morales (Mary Elizabeth Winstead of 10 Cloverfield Lane), who then begins infiltrating her life and marriage. But in addition, there’s another bizarre darkness occurring right here, one thing extra overtly creepy. It involves Hulu and Disney+ October 22.
Shelby Oaks
Arriving on huge screens October 24, Shelby Oaks seems fucking terrifying. It has the massive enhance of Mike Flanagan as an government producer, and is directed by former YouTube film critic Chris Stuckmann (Chris Stuckmann Film Critiques). There are some actual blended media vibes to the trailer, in a movie a couple of lady looking for her lacking sister, and starting to suspect {that a} demon they imagined of their childhoods may be a bit too actual. Camille Sullivan (She Talks to Strangers) is the lead, Mayor of Kingstown‘s Michael Beach is here as a detective, and I’m delighted to say it additionally stars the always-wonderful Keith David.
In Our Blood
“Indie horror” too usually means rubbery monsters shot on iPhone, however that’s not the case right here. In Our Blood has the vibes of an indie that scoops all of the awards at a movie pageant, however harnessed right here to ship a super-weird and disturbing lo-fi film about filmmakers making a documentary about reuniting with an estranged mom. Nonetheless, she’s disappeared, and the explanation why are darkish and horrible. It’s directed by Pedro Kos, who has been Oscar nominated for his documentaries, however now turns his hand to narrative. The lead is Brittany O’Grady, one of many stars of the primary collection of The White Lotus, with out some other main names to remove the faux-realism of the flick. It’s in theaters October 24.
Queens of the Useless
Tina Romero’s Queens of the Dead is an try and make her personal mark following the legacy of her father’s motion pictures. George A. Romero’s Night time of the Dwelling Useless and its sequels are actually memorable, however none of them adopted the adventures of a bunch of drag queens and membership children trying to outlive the zombie apocalypse. Sillier than her dad’s movies, she says, Queens of the Useless is a celebration of queer tradition and goals to be uplifting in its politics throughout a really darkish time in actual life. Starring Jaquel Spivey (Imply Women 2024), Katy O’Brian (The Mandolorian, Love Lies Bleeding) and Margaret Cho, it’s getting unbelievable early buzz, and will probably be on huge screens October 24.
