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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch Like its name implies, this was a parody of The Blair Witch Project that stars the Mystery Inc. gang. Scooby, Shaggy, Fred, Velma, and Daphne set off in the Mystery Machine to the remote woods of Casper County. The movie is filmed in the same documentary style that The Blair Witch Project made iconic, and mostly inserts the gang into live-action locations like real woods or a real town where they interview locals. The project was originally created as a bumper to bookend segments of a 1999 Scooby-Doo marathon (just a few months after the movie it was based on was released), but after Cartoon Network saw what the creators put together, it wisely decided to re-air the short segments end-to-end as a movie. The Scooby-Doo Project not only stands alongside the original Blair Witch as an impressive and loving parody, but also as a similarly unnerving found-footage horror movie. The gang standing around among live-action backgrounds is creepy enough on its own, but hearing the beloved characters be accosted by unseen forces as they sprint through the woods is downright scary — particularly if you were a kid watching this for the first time in 1999, well before you saw The Blair Witch Project.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch The movie is filmed in the same documentary style that The Blair Witch Project made iconic, and mostly inserts the gang into live-action locations like real woods or a real town where they interview locals. The project was originally created as a bumper to bookend segments of a 1999 Scooby-Doo marathon (just a few months after the movie it was based on was released), but after Cartoon Network saw what the creators put together, it wisely decided to re-air the short segments end-to-end as a movie. The Scooby-Doo Project not only stands alongside the original Blair Witch as an impressive and loving parody, but also as a similarly unnerving found-footage horror movie. The gang standing around among live-action backgrounds is creepy enough on its own, but hearing the beloved characters be accosted by unseen forces as they sprint through the woods is downright scary — particularly if you were a kid watching this for the first time in 1999, well before you saw The Blair Witch Project. But the best part of The Scooby-Doo Project comes at the end when, much like the other Scooby-Doo movies of the time, we get a soft implication that the supernatural elements of the story were actually real and the horrors won’t stop when the villain’s mask comes off.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch The Scooby-Doo Project not only stands alongside the original Blair Witch as an impressive and loving parody, but also as a similarly unnerving found-footage horror movie. The gang standing around among live-action backgrounds is creepy enough on its own, but hearing the beloved characters be accosted by unseen forces as they sprint through the woods is downright scary — particularly if you were a kid watching this for the first time in 1999, well before you saw The Blair Witch Project. But the best part of The Scooby-Doo Project comes at the end when, much like the other Scooby-Doo movies of the time, we get a soft implication that the supernatural elements of the story were actually real and the horrors won’t stop when the villain’s mask comes off. It’s a downright haunting ending, and manages to match the excellence of its source material, which is high praise for any horror movie, let alone a Scooby-Doo parody. —AG Oct.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch The gang standing around among live-action backgrounds is creepy enough on its own, but hearing the beloved characters be accosted by unseen forces as they sprint through the woods is downright scary — particularly if you were a kid watching this for the first time in 1999, well before you saw The Blair Witch Project. But the best part of The Scooby-Doo Project comes at the end when, much like the other Scooby-Doo movies of the time, we get a soft implication that the supernatural elements of the story were actually real and the horrors won’t stop when the villain’s mask comes off. It’s a downright haunting ending, and manages to match the excellence of its source material, which is high praise for any horror movie, let alone a Scooby-Doo parody. —AG Oct. 10: Saloum Where to watch: Shudder, AMC Plus One of the best movies of 2022 was this criminally underseen Senegalese thriller.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch But the best part of The Scooby-Doo Project comes at the end when, much like the other Scooby-Doo movies of the time, we get a soft implication that the supernatural elements of the story were actually real and the horrors won’t stop when the villain’s mask comes off. It’s a downright haunting ending, and manages to match the excellence of its source material, which is high praise for any horror movie, let alone a Scooby-Doo parody. —AG Oct. 10: Saloum Where to watch: Shudder, AMC Plus One of the best movies of 2022 was this criminally underseen Senegalese thriller. Saloum follows three extremely cool mercenaries whose post-mission flight home gets interrupted. The trio find themselves in a mysterious village where something is off, and the tension slowly ramps up into a chaotic finale.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch But the best part of The Scooby-Doo Project comes at the end when, much like the other Scooby-Doo movies of the time, we get a soft implication that the supernatural elements of the story were actually real and the horrors won’t stop when the villain’s mask comes off. It’s a downright haunting ending, and manages to match the excellence of its source material, which is high praise for any horror movie, let alone a Scooby-Doo parody. —AG Oct. 10: Saloum Where to watch: Shudder, AMC Plus One of the best movies of 2022 was this criminally underseen Senegalese thriller. Saloum follows three extremely cool mercenaries whose post-mission flight home gets interrupted. The trio find themselves in a mysterious village where something is off, and the tension slowly ramps up into a chaotic finale. The trio of lead actors are absolutely magnetic — Yann Gael (1899), Roger Sallah, and the late Mentor Ba bring the trio of loyal friends who also happen to be extremely deadly professionals fully to life.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch It’s a downright haunting ending, and manages to match the excellence of its source material, which is high praise for any horror movie, let alone a Scooby-Doo parody. —AG Oct. 10: Saloum Where to watch: Shudder, AMC Plus One of the best movies of 2022 was this criminally underseen Senegalese thriller. Saloum follows three extremely cool mercenaries whose post-mission flight home gets interrupted. The trio find themselves in a mysterious village where something is off, and the tension slowly ramps up into a chaotic finale. The trio of lead actors are absolutely magnetic — Yann Gael (1899), Roger Sallah, and the late Mentor Ba bring the trio of loyal friends who also happen to be extremely deadly professionals fully to life. And with fantastic costume design, a stirring score, and compelling images from award-winning music video director Jean Luc Herbulot, Saloum is 84 minutes of genre-bending excellence.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch —AG Oct. 10: Saloum Where to watch: Shudder, AMC Plus One of the best movies of 2022 was this criminally underseen Senegalese thriller. Saloum follows three extremely cool mercenaries whose post-mission flight home gets interrupted. The trio find themselves in a mysterious village where something is off, and the tension slowly ramps up into a chaotic finale. The trio of lead actors are absolutely magnetic — Yann Gael (1899), Roger Sallah, and the late Mentor Ba bring the trio of loyal friends who also happen to be extremely deadly professionals fully to life. And with fantastic costume design, a stirring score, and compelling images from award-winning music video director Jean Luc Herbulot, Saloum is 84 minutes of genre-bending excellence. Saloum first premiered at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival, and the movie went on to win awards at Fantastic Fest and the Vancouver International Film Festival. And yet, way too few people have seen it.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch Saloum follows three extremely cool mercenaries whose post-mission flight home gets interrupted. The trio find themselves in a mysterious village where something is off, and the tension slowly ramps up into a chaotic finale. The trio of lead actors are absolutely magnetic — Yann Gael (1899), Roger Sallah, and the late Mentor Ba bring the trio of loyal friends who also happen to be extremely deadly professionals fully to life. And with fantastic costume design, a stirring score, and compelling images from award-winning music video director Jean Luc Herbulot, Saloum is 84 minutes of genre-bending excellence. Saloum first premiered at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival, and the movie went on to win awards at Fantastic Fest and the Vancouver International Film Festival. And yet, way too few people have seen it. This is your chance to correct the record and help make Saloum the cult classic it deserves to be. —PV Oct.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch Saloum follows three extremely cool mercenaries whose post-mission flight home gets interrupted. The trio find themselves in a mysterious village where something is off, and the tension slowly ramps up into a chaotic finale. The trio of lead actors are absolutely magnetic — Yann Gael (1899), Roger Sallah, and the late Mentor Ba bring the trio of loyal friends who also happen to be extremely deadly professionals fully to life. And with fantastic costume design, a stirring score, and compelling images from award-winning music video director Jean Luc Herbulot, Saloum is 84 minutes of genre-bending excellence. Saloum first premiered at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival, and the movie went on to win awards at Fantastic Fest and the Vancouver International Film Festival. And yet, way too few people have seen it. This is your chance to correct the record and help make Saloum the cult classic it deserves to be. —PV Oct. 11: Heck Where to watch: YouTube Skinamarink has proven to be one of the most polarizing horror releases of 2023.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch The trio of lead actors are absolutely magnetic — Yann Gael (1899), Roger Sallah, and the late Mentor Ba bring the trio of loyal friends who also happen to be extremely deadly professionals fully to life. And with fantastic costume design, a stirring score, and compelling images from award-winning music video director Jean Luc Herbulot, Saloum is 84 minutes of genre-bending excellence. Saloum first premiered at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival, and the movie went on to win awards at Fantastic Fest and the Vancouver International Film Festival. And yet, way too few people have seen it. This is your chance to correct the record and help make Saloum the cult classic it deserves to be. —PV Oct. 11: Heck Where to watch: YouTube Skinamarink has proven to be one of the most polarizing horror releases of 2023. Kyle Edward Ball’s feature debut about two children trapped alone inside their home by a malevolent entity eschews the formal conventions of traditional cinematography and plot, consisting instead of a series of canted-angle shots of dark hallways and yawning darkness that forces the audience to ruminate on the horrors that lay therein.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch Saloum first premiered at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival, and the movie went on to win awards at Fantastic Fest and the Vancouver International Film Festival. And yet, way too few people have seen it. This is your chance to correct the record and help make Saloum the cult classic it deserves to be. —PV Oct. 11: Heck Where to watch: YouTube Skinamarink has proven to be one of the most polarizing horror releases of 2023. Kyle Edward Ball’s feature debut about two children trapped alone inside their home by a malevolent entity eschews the formal conventions of traditional cinematography and plot, consisting instead of a series of canted-angle shots of dark hallways and yawning darkness that forces the audience to ruminate on the horrors that lay therein. Personally, I vibed with it heavily, and so it should come as no surprise that I quite enjoyed Ball’s 2020 short film Heck as well.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch And yet, way too few people have seen it. This is your chance to correct the record and help make Saloum the cult classic it deserves to be. —PV Oct. 11: Heck Where to watch: YouTube Skinamarink has proven to be one of the most polarizing horror releases of 2023. Kyle Edward Ball’s feature debut about two children trapped alone inside their home by a malevolent entity eschews the formal conventions of traditional cinematography and plot, consisting instead of a series of canted-angle shots of dark hallways and yawning darkness that forces the audience to ruminate on the horrors that lay therein. Personally, I vibed with it heavily, and so it should come as no surprise that I quite enjoyed Ball’s 2020 short film Heck as well. Conceived as a “proof of concept” for Skinamarink, the short is told from the perspective of a young child who wakes in the dead of night to the blaring sound of their mother’s television set.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch —PV Oct. 11: Heck Where to watch: YouTube Skinamarink has proven to be one of the most polarizing horror releases of 2023. Kyle Edward Ball’s feature debut about two children trapped alone inside their home by a malevolent entity eschews the formal conventions of traditional cinematography and plot, consisting instead of a series of canted-angle shots of dark hallways and yawning darkness that forces the audience to ruminate on the horrors that lay therein. Personally, I vibed with it heavily, and so it should come as no surprise that I quite enjoyed Ball’s 2020 short film Heck as well. Conceived as a “proof of concept” for Skinamarink, the short is told from the perspective of a young child who wakes in the dead of night to the blaring sound of their mother’s television set. With their mother seemingly nowhere to be found, the child is left to their own devices, with no means of either leaving the house or calling for help.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch Kyle Edward Ball’s feature debut about two children trapped alone inside their home by a malevolent entity eschews the formal conventions of traditional cinematography and plot, consisting instead of a series of canted-angle shots of dark hallways and yawning darkness that forces the audience to ruminate on the horrors that lay therein. Personally, I vibed with it heavily, and so it should come as no surprise that I quite enjoyed Ball’s 2020 short film Heck as well. Conceived as a “proof of concept” for Skinamarink, the short is told from the perspective of a young child who wakes in the dead of night to the blaring sound of their mother’s television set. With their mother seemingly nowhere to be found, the child is left to their own devices, with no means of either leaving the house or calling for help. As the interminable night drags on, with hours morphing into days morphing into weeks morphing into months of penumbral isolation, the child grows more fearful and feral, resorting to increasingly more desperate acts of disobedience in hopes of rousing their mother from sleep.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch Personally, I vibed with it heavily, and so it should come as no surprise that I quite enjoyed Ball’s 2020 short film Heck as well. Conceived as a “proof of concept” for Skinamarink, the short is told from the perspective of a young child who wakes in the dead of night to the blaring sound of their mother’s television set. With their mother seemingly nowhere to be found, the child is left to their own devices, with no means of either leaving the house or calling for help. As the interminable night drags on, with hours morphing into days morphing into weeks morphing into months of penumbral isolation, the child grows more fearful and feral, resorting to increasingly more desperate acts of disobedience in hopes of rousing their mother from sleep. This effort, however, is ultimately proven to be in vain.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch Personally, I vibed with it heavily, and so it should come as no surprise that I quite enjoyed Ball’s 2020 short film Heck as well. Conceived as a “proof of concept” for Skinamarink, the short is told from the perspective of a young child who wakes in the dead of night to the blaring sound of their mother’s television set. With their mother seemingly nowhere to be found, the child is left to their own devices, with no means of either leaving the house or calling for help. As the interminable night drags on, with hours morphing into days morphing into weeks morphing into months of penumbral isolation, the child grows more fearful and feral, resorting to increasingly more desperate acts of disobedience in hopes of rousing their mother from sleep. This effort, however, is ultimately proven to be in vain. Heck circles the same rough ideas and themes of Skinamarink to different effect, channeling the vulnerability of a child and the horror of abandonment and neglect to create an experimental horror experience that demands the audience’s full attention.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch Conceived as a “proof of concept” for Skinamarink, the short is told from the perspective of a young child who wakes in the dead of night to the blaring sound of their mother’s television set. With their mother seemingly nowhere to be found, the child is left to their own devices, with no means of either leaving the house or calling for help. As the interminable night drags on, with hours morphing into days morphing into weeks morphing into months of penumbral isolation, the child grows more fearful and feral, resorting to increasingly more desperate acts of disobedience in hopes of rousing their mother from sleep. This effort, however, is ultimately proven to be in vain. Heck circles the same rough ideas and themes of Skinamarink to different effect, channeling the vulnerability of a child and the horror of abandonment and neglect to create an experimental horror experience that demands the audience’s full attention. It’s a fascinating companion to Skinamarink that shows just how far Ball has come as a director honing in on this particular strain of horror, and makes it all the more intriguing to speculate on what he might conjure up next.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch With their mother seemingly nowhere to be found, the child is left to their own devices, with no means of either leaving the house or calling for help. As the interminable night drags on, with hours morphing into days morphing into weeks morphing into months of penumbral isolation, the child grows more fearful and feral, resorting to increasingly more desperate acts of disobedience in hopes of rousing their mother from sleep. This effort, however, is ultimately proven to be in vain. Heck circles the same rough ideas and themes of Skinamarink to different effect, channeling the vulnerability of a child and the horror of abandonment and neglect to create an experimental horror experience that demands the audience’s full attention. It’s a fascinating companion to Skinamarink that shows just how far Ball has come as a director honing in on this particular strain of horror, and makes it all the more intriguing to speculate on what he might conjure up next. —TE Oct.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch As the interminable night drags on, with hours morphing into days morphing into weeks morphing into months of penumbral isolation, the child grows more fearful and feral, resorting to increasingly more desperate acts of disobedience in hopes of rousing their mother from sleep. This effort, however, is ultimately proven to be in vain. Heck circles the same rough ideas and themes of Skinamarink to different effect, channeling the vulnerability of a child and the horror of abandonment and neglect to create an experimental horror experience that demands the audience’s full attention. It’s a fascinating companion to Skinamarink that shows just how far Ball has come as a director honing in on this particular strain of horror, and makes it all the more intriguing to speculate on what he might conjure up next. —TE Oct. 12: Harper’s Island Where to watch: Available to purchase on Amazon, Apple, and Vudu In theory, slasher TV should be easier to pull off.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch This effort, however, is ultimately proven to be in vain. Heck circles the same rough ideas and themes of Skinamarink to different effect, channeling the vulnerability of a child and the horror of abandonment and neglect to create an experimental horror experience that demands the audience’s full attention. It’s a fascinating companion to Skinamarink that shows just how far Ball has come as a director honing in on this particular strain of horror, and makes it all the more intriguing to speculate on what he might conjure up next. —TE Oct. 12: Harper’s Island Where to watch: Available to purchase on Amazon, Apple, and Vudu In theory, slasher TV should be easier to pull off. Episodic structure lends itself well to a slowly dwindling cast, with a killer on the loose and a different death each episode. This, as Lizzie McGuire (as Isabella the pop star) says, is what dreams are made of.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch Heck circles the same rough ideas and themes of Skinamarink to different effect, channeling the vulnerability of a child and the horror of abandonment and neglect to create an experimental horror experience that demands the audience’s full attention. It’s a fascinating companion to Skinamarink that shows just how far Ball has come as a director honing in on this particular strain of horror, and makes it all the more intriguing to speculate on what he might conjure up next. —TE Oct. 12: Harper’s Island Where to watch: Available to purchase on Amazon, Apple, and Vudu In theory, slasher TV should be easier to pull off. Episodic structure lends itself well to a slowly dwindling cast, with a killer on the loose and a different death each episode. This, as Lizzie McGuire (as Isabella the pop star) says, is what dreams are made of. And yet, show after show flubs it, because they can’t find interesting enough characters or dilemmas in what should be an endlessly engaging premise.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch It’s a fascinating companion to Skinamarink that shows just how far Ball has come as a director honing in on this particular strain of horror, and makes it all the more intriguing to speculate on what he might conjure up next. —TE Oct. 12: Harper’s Island Where to watch: Available to purchase on Amazon, Apple, and Vudu In theory, slasher TV should be easier to pull off. Episodic structure lends itself well to a slowly dwindling cast, with a killer on the loose and a different death each episode. This, as Lizzie McGuire (as Isabella the pop star) says, is what dreams are made of. And yet, show after show flubs it, because they can’t find interesting enough characters or dilemmas in what should be an endlessly engaging premise. But the rules are different on Harper’s Island. The small Pacific Northwest island was home to a serial killing where Abby (Elaine Cassidy) lost her mom almost a decade ago.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch —TE Oct. 12: Harper’s Island Where to watch: Available to purchase on Amazon, Apple, and Vudu In theory, slasher TV should be easier to pull off. Episodic structure lends itself well to a slowly dwindling cast, with a killer on the loose and a different death each episode. This, as Lizzie McGuire (as Isabella the pop star) says, is what dreams are made of. And yet, show after show flubs it, because they can’t find interesting enough characters or dilemmas in what should be an endlessly engaging premise. But the rules are different on Harper’s Island. The small Pacific Northwest island was home to a serial killing where Abby (Elaine Cassidy) lost her mom almost a decade ago. She only returns at the start of the series under the most extreme of circumstances: her best friend Henry’s (Christopher Gorham) wedding. And unfortunately, the island’s deadly legacy is about to get a whole lot worse.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch Episodic structure lends itself well to a slowly dwindling cast, with a killer on the loose and a different death each episode. This, as Lizzie McGuire (as Isabella the pop star) says, is what dreams are made of. And yet, show after show flubs it, because they can’t find interesting enough characters or dilemmas in what should be an endlessly engaging premise. But the rules are different on Harper’s Island. The small Pacific Northwest island was home to a serial killing where Abby (Elaine Cassidy) lost her mom almost a decade ago. She only returns at the start of the series under the most extreme of circumstances: her best friend Henry’s (Christopher Gorham) wedding. And unfortunately, the island’s deadly legacy is about to get a whole lot worse. The thing is: The show is a perfect low-rent masterpiece. Being from 2009, it feels like a time capsule for both bootcut jeans and miniseries.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch This, as Lizzie McGuire (as Isabella the pop star) says, is what dreams are made of. And yet, show after show flubs it, because they can’t find interesting enough characters or dilemmas in what should be an endlessly engaging premise. But the rules are different on Harper’s Island. The small Pacific Northwest island was home to a serial killing where Abby (Elaine Cassidy) lost her mom almost a decade ago. She only returns at the start of the series under the most extreme of circumstances: her best friend Henry’s (Christopher Gorham) wedding. And unfortunately, the island’s deadly legacy is about to get a whole lot worse. The thing is: The show is a perfect low-rent masterpiece. Being from 2009, it feels like a time capsule for both bootcut jeans and miniseries. At a tight 13 episodes, Harper’s Island knows what it’s about (killing people) and gets right to it (brutally).
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch And yet, show after show flubs it, because they can’t find interesting enough characters or dilemmas in what should be an endlessly engaging premise. But the rules are different on Harper’s Island. The small Pacific Northwest island was home to a serial killing where Abby (Elaine Cassidy) lost her mom almost a decade ago. She only returns at the start of the series under the most extreme of circumstances: her best friend Henry’s (Christopher Gorham) wedding. And unfortunately, the island’s deadly legacy is about to get a whole lot worse. The thing is: The show is a perfect low-rent masterpiece. Being from 2009, it feels like a time capsule for both bootcut jeans and miniseries. At a tight 13 episodes, Harper’s Island knows what it’s about (killing people) and gets right to it (brutally). And yet, the beauty of Harper’s Island and its antics is how long it’s able to sustain a levelheaded approach to a purely absurd And Then There Were None scenario, right down to how long nobody knows they’re being picked off.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch The small Pacific Northwest island was home to a serial killing where Abby (Elaine Cassidy) lost her mom almost a decade ago. She only returns at the start of the series under the most extreme of circumstances: her best friend Henry’s (Christopher Gorham) wedding. And unfortunately, the island’s deadly legacy is about to get a whole lot worse. The thing is: The show is a perfect low-rent masterpiece. Being from 2009, it feels like a time capsule for both bootcut jeans and miniseries. At a tight 13 episodes, Harper’s Island knows what it’s about (killing people) and gets right to it (brutally). And yet, the beauty of Harper’s Island and its antics is how long it’s able to sustain a levelheaded approach to a purely absurd And Then There Were None scenario, right down to how long nobody knows they’re being picked off. Almost no death is like the last, which seems purely impractical from a serial killing perspective but makes for great TV.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch She only returns at the start of the series under the most extreme of circumstances: her best friend Henry’s (Christopher Gorham) wedding. And unfortunately, the island’s deadly legacy is about to get a whole lot worse. The thing is: The show is a perfect low-rent masterpiece. Being from 2009, it feels like a time capsule for both bootcut jeans and miniseries. At a tight 13 episodes, Harper’s Island knows what it’s about (killing people) and gets right to it (brutally). And yet, the beauty of Harper’s Island and its antics is how long it’s able to sustain a levelheaded approach to a purely absurd And Then There Were None scenario, right down to how long nobody knows they’re being picked off. Almost no death is like the last, which seems purely impractical from a serial killing perspective but makes for great TV. The episode titles are the onomatopoeias for how people die, for Christ’s sake!
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch And unfortunately, the island’s deadly legacy is about to get a whole lot worse. The thing is: The show is a perfect low-rent masterpiece. Being from 2009, it feels like a time capsule for both bootcut jeans and miniseries. At a tight 13 episodes, Harper’s Island knows what it’s about (killing people) and gets right to it (brutally). And yet, the beauty of Harper’s Island and its antics is how long it’s able to sustain a levelheaded approach to a purely absurd And Then There Were None scenario, right down to how long nobody knows they’re being picked off. Almost no death is like the last, which seems purely impractical from a serial killing perspective but makes for great TV. The episode titles are the onomatopoeias for how people die, for Christ’s sake! It’s all very fun and twisty, as bodies and mystery continue to mount. Harper’s Island makes slasher TV look fun and easy.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch The thing is: The show is a perfect low-rent masterpiece. Being from 2009, it feels like a time capsule for both bootcut jeans and miniseries. At a tight 13 episodes, Harper’s Island knows what it’s about (killing people) and gets right to it (brutally). And yet, the beauty of Harper’s Island and its antics is how long it’s able to sustain a levelheaded approach to a purely absurd And Then There Were None scenario, right down to how long nobody knows they’re being picked off. Almost no death is like the last, which seems purely impractical from a serial killing perspective but makes for great TV. The episode titles are the onomatopoeias for how people die, for Christ’s sake! It’s all very fun and twisty, as bodies and mystery continue to mount. Harper’s Island makes slasher TV look fun and easy. More TV should be like Harper’s Island. —Zosha Millman Oct.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch At a tight 13 episodes, Harper’s Island knows what it’s about (killing people) and gets right to it (brutally). And yet, the beauty of Harper’s Island and its antics is how long it’s able to sustain a levelheaded approach to a purely absurd And Then There Were None scenario, right down to how long nobody knows they’re being picked off. Almost no death is like the last, which seems purely impractical from a serial killing perspective but makes for great TV. The episode titles are the onomatopoeias for how people die, for Christ’s sake! It’s all very fun and twisty, as bodies and mystery continue to mount. Harper’s Island makes slasher TV look fun and easy. More TV should be like Harper’s Island. —Zosha Millman Oct. 13: American Horror Story: NYC Where to watch: Hulu I have already gone on record about how I cannot look away from the trash fire that is most seasons of American Horror Story.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch And yet, the beauty of Harper’s Island and its antics is how long it’s able to sustain a levelheaded approach to a purely absurd And Then There Were None scenario, right down to how long nobody knows they’re being picked off. Almost no death is like the last, which seems purely impractical from a serial killing perspective but makes for great TV. The episode titles are the onomatopoeias for how people die, for Christ’s sake! It’s all very fun and twisty, as bodies and mystery continue to mount. Harper’s Island makes slasher TV look fun and easy. More TV should be like Harper’s Island. —Zosha Millman Oct. 13: American Horror Story: NYC Where to watch: Hulu I have already gone on record about how I cannot look away from the trash fire that is most seasons of American Horror Story. But last season really solidified the reason I even watched the show in the first place.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch Almost no death is like the last, which seems purely impractical from a serial killing perspective but makes for great TV. The episode titles are the onomatopoeias for how people die, for Christ’s sake! It’s all very fun and twisty, as bodies and mystery continue to mount. Harper’s Island makes slasher TV look fun and easy. More TV should be like Harper’s Island. —Zosha Millman Oct. 13: American Horror Story: NYC Where to watch: Hulu I have already gone on record about how I cannot look away from the trash fire that is most seasons of American Horror Story. But last season really solidified the reason I even watched the show in the first place. Namely, when AHS is good, it’s really good. AHS: NYC opens up with a serial killer on the prowl. That, coupled with the leather-clad spectral figure that seems to be haunting the main characters, seems like it’s just typical AHS schlock.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch The episode titles are the onomatopoeias for how people die, for Christ’s sake! It’s all very fun and twisty, as bodies and mystery continue to mount. Harper’s Island makes slasher TV look fun and easy. More TV should be like Harper’s Island. —Zosha Millman Oct. 13: American Horror Story: NYC Where to watch: Hulu I have already gone on record about how I cannot look away from the trash fire that is most seasons of American Horror Story. But last season really solidified the reason I even watched the show in the first place. Namely, when AHS is good, it’s really good. AHS: NYC opens up with a serial killer on the prowl. That, coupled with the leather-clad spectral figure that seems to be haunting the main characters, seems like it’s just typical AHS schlock. But it’s so much more than that.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch It’s all very fun and twisty, as bodies and mystery continue to mount. Harper’s Island makes slasher TV look fun and easy. More TV should be like Harper’s Island. —Zosha Millman Oct. 13: American Horror Story: NYC Where to watch: Hulu I have already gone on record about how I cannot look away from the trash fire that is most seasons of American Horror Story. But last season really solidified the reason I even watched the show in the first place. Namely, when AHS is good, it’s really good. AHS: NYC opens up with a serial killer on the prowl. That, coupled with the leather-clad spectral figure that seems to be haunting the main characters, seems like it’s just typical AHS schlock. But it’s so much more than that. Yes, there is a serial killer who uncannily resembles Jeffrey Dahmer, and the scenes where he stalks and tortures his victims are pretty scary.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch Harper’s Island makes slasher TV look fun and easy. More TV should be like Harper’s Island. —Zosha Millman Oct. 13: American Horror Story: NYC Where to watch: Hulu I have already gone on record about how I cannot look away from the trash fire that is most seasons of American Horror Story. But last season really solidified the reason I even watched the show in the first place. Namely, when AHS is good, it’s really good. AHS: NYC opens up with a serial killer on the prowl. That, coupled with the leather-clad spectral figure that seems to be haunting the main characters, seems like it’s just typical AHS schlock. But it’s so much more than that. Yes, there is a serial killer who uncannily resembles Jeffrey Dahmer, and the scenes where he stalks and tortures his victims are pretty scary. And yes, there is a leather daddy ghost that has no name or face.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch More TV should be like Harper’s Island. —Zosha Millman Oct. 13: American Horror Story: NYC Where to watch: Hulu I have already gone on record about how I cannot look away from the trash fire that is most seasons of American Horror Story. But last season really solidified the reason I even watched the show in the first place. Namely, when AHS is good, it’s really good. AHS: NYC opens up with a serial killer on the prowl. That, coupled with the leather-clad spectral figure that seems to be haunting the main characters, seems like it’s just typical AHS schlock. But it’s so much more than that. Yes, there is a serial killer who uncannily resembles Jeffrey Dahmer, and the scenes where he stalks and tortures his victims are pretty scary. And yes, there is a leather daddy ghost that has no name or face. And yes, there’s a lot of dubiously consensual BDSM scenes.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch 13: American Horror Story: NYC Where to watch: Hulu I have already gone on record about how I cannot look away from the trash fire that is most seasons of American Horror Story. But last season really solidified the reason I even watched the show in the first place. Namely, when AHS is good, it’s really good. AHS: NYC opens up with a serial killer on the prowl. That, coupled with the leather-clad spectral figure that seems to be haunting the main characters, seems like it’s just typical AHS schlock. But it’s so much more than that. Yes, there is a serial killer who uncannily resembles Jeffrey Dahmer, and the scenes where he stalks and tortures his victims are pretty scary. And yes, there is a leather daddy ghost that has no name or face. And yes, there’s a lot of dubiously consensual BDSM scenes. But the real horror comes from the powerlessness of the queer community in the face of the AIDS crisis.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch But last season really solidified the reason I even watched the show in the first place. Namely, when AHS is good, it’s really good. AHS: NYC opens up with a serial killer on the prowl. That, coupled with the leather-clad spectral figure that seems to be haunting the main characters, seems like it’s just typical AHS schlock. But it’s so much more than that. Yes, there is a serial killer who uncannily resembles Jeffrey Dahmer, and the scenes where he stalks and tortures his victims are pretty scary. And yes, there is a leather daddy ghost that has no name or face. And yes, there’s a lot of dubiously consensual BDSM scenes. But the real horror comes from the powerlessness of the queer community in the face of the AIDS crisis. Creator Ryan Murphy builds this overwhelming, inescapable sense of dread. All AHS seasons hinge on their titular premise, which, more often than not, is a location.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch Namely, when AHS is good, it’s really good. AHS: NYC opens up with a serial killer on the prowl. That, coupled with the leather-clad spectral figure that seems to be haunting the main characters, seems like it’s just typical AHS schlock. But it’s so much more than that. Yes, there is a serial killer who uncannily resembles Jeffrey Dahmer, and the scenes where he stalks and tortures his victims are pretty scary. And yes, there is a leather daddy ghost that has no name or face. And yes, there’s a lot of dubiously consensual BDSM scenes. But the real horror comes from the powerlessness of the queer community in the face of the AIDS crisis. Creator Ryan Murphy builds this overwhelming, inescapable sense of dread. All AHS seasons hinge on their titular premise, which, more often than not, is a location. It’s not always done effectively, but in NYC, Murphy and the writers heighten the foreboding terror of being alone in a city of millions, of feeling helpless in a crowded room, of knowing that there’s something out to get you but not being able to do anything about that.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch But it’s so much more than that. Yes, there is a serial killer who uncannily resembles Jeffrey Dahmer, and the scenes where he stalks and tortures his victims are pretty scary. And yes, there is a leather daddy ghost that has no name or face. And yes, there’s a lot of dubiously consensual BDSM scenes. But the real horror comes from the powerlessness of the queer community in the face of the AIDS crisis. Creator Ryan Murphy builds this overwhelming, inescapable sense of dread. All AHS seasons hinge on their titular premise, which, more often than not, is a location. It’s not always done effectively, but in NYC, Murphy and the writers heighten the foreboding terror of being alone in a city of millions, of feeling helpless in a crowded room, of knowing that there’s something out to get you but not being able to do anything about that. The whole season is surprisingly subdued for AHS (yes, even with the sex cages), and it builds up to a painfully poignant finale scene where, for 10 minutes set to Kraftwerk’s “Radioactivity,” one of the main characters wordlessly trudges through the next 10 years of his life, watching everyone around him slowly succumb to AIDS, as horror and reality blend together.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch But the real horror comes from the powerlessness of the queer community in the face of the AIDS crisis. Creator Ryan Murphy builds this overwhelming, inescapable sense of dread. All AHS seasons hinge on their titular premise, which, more often than not, is a location. It’s not always done effectively, but in NYC, Murphy and the writers heighten the foreboding terror of being alone in a city of millions, of feeling helpless in a crowded room, of knowing that there’s something out to get you but not being able to do anything about that. The whole season is surprisingly subdued for AHS (yes, even with the sex cages), and it builds up to a painfully poignant finale scene where, for 10 minutes set to Kraftwerk’s “Radioactivity,” one of the main characters wordlessly trudges through the next 10 years of his life, watching everyone around him slowly succumb to AIDS, as horror and reality blend together. —Petrana Radulovic Oct.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch Creator Ryan Murphy builds this overwhelming, inescapable sense of dread. All AHS seasons hinge on their titular premise, which, more often than not, is a location. It’s not always done effectively, but in NYC, Murphy and the writers heighten the foreboding terror of being alone in a city of millions, of feeling helpless in a crowded room, of knowing that there’s something out to get you but not being able to do anything about that. The whole season is surprisingly subdued for AHS (yes, even with the sex cages), and it builds up to a painfully poignant finale scene where, for 10 minutes set to Kraftwerk’s “Radioactivity,” one of the main characters wordlessly trudges through the next 10 years of his life, watching everyone around him slowly succumb to AIDS, as horror and reality blend together. —Petrana Radulovic Oct. 14: Cat People Where to watch: Max Want to be a smarter horror fan this October?
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch All AHS seasons hinge on their titular premise, which, more often than not, is a location. It’s not always done effectively, but in NYC, Murphy and the writers heighten the foreboding terror of being alone in a city of millions, of feeling helpless in a crowded room, of knowing that there’s something out to get you but not being able to do anything about that. The whole season is surprisingly subdued for AHS (yes, even with the sex cages), and it builds up to a painfully poignant finale scene where, for 10 minutes set to Kraftwerk’s “Radioactivity,” one of the main characters wordlessly trudges through the next 10 years of his life, watching everyone around him slowly succumb to AIDS, as horror and reality blend together. —Petrana Radulovic Oct. 14: Cat People Where to watch: Max Want to be a smarter horror fan this October? Watch the movie that originated the modern jump scare, and then impress people at Halloween parties with this knowledge.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch It’s not always done effectively, but in NYC, Murphy and the writers heighten the foreboding terror of being alone in a city of millions, of feeling helpless in a crowded room, of knowing that there’s something out to get you but not being able to do anything about that. The whole season is surprisingly subdued for AHS (yes, even with the sex cages), and it builds up to a painfully poignant finale scene where, for 10 minutes set to Kraftwerk’s “Radioactivity,” one of the main characters wordlessly trudges through the next 10 years of his life, watching everyone around him slowly succumb to AIDS, as horror and reality blend together. —Petrana Radulovic Oct. 14: Cat People Where to watch: Max Want to be a smarter horror fan this October? Watch the movie that originated the modern jump scare, and then impress people at Halloween parties with this knowledge. Cat People is not only a key part of horror movie history, it’s a delightfully dark and sexy time positively radiating with atmosphere.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch The whole season is surprisingly subdued for AHS (yes, even with the sex cages), and it builds up to a painfully poignant finale scene where, for 10 minutes set to Kraftwerk’s “Radioactivity,” one of the main characters wordlessly trudges through the next 10 years of his life, watching everyone around him slowly succumb to AIDS, as horror and reality blend together. —Petrana Radulovic Oct. 14: Cat People Where to watch: Max Want to be a smarter horror fan this October? Watch the movie that originated the modern jump scare, and then impress people at Halloween parties with this knowledge. Cat People is not only a key part of horror movie history, it’s a delightfully dark and sexy time positively radiating with atmosphere. The movie follows a woman (Simone Simon) who is caught between her desire for a new man in her life (Kent Smith) and her belief that she is cursed to turn into a panther if she becomes aroused.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch —Petrana Radulovic Oct. 14: Cat People Where to watch: Max Want to be a smarter horror fan this October? Watch the movie that originated the modern jump scare, and then impress people at Halloween parties with this knowledge. Cat People is not only a key part of horror movie history, it’s a delightfully dark and sexy time positively radiating with atmosphere. The movie follows a woman (Simone Simon) who is caught between her desire for a new man in her life (Kent Smith) and her belief that she is cursed to turn into a panther if she becomes aroused. And at 73 minutes, it’s one of the shorter horror classics you can watch this fall. Now for that jump scare origin. There’s a tense sequence in this movie where one character stalks another. Director Jacques Tourneur lets the tension build to an unbearable level before surprising the audience with the sudden appearance of a bus.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch —Petrana Radulovic Oct. 14: Cat People Where to watch: Max Want to be a smarter horror fan this October? Watch the movie that originated the modern jump scare, and then impress people at Halloween parties with this knowledge. Cat People is not only a key part of horror movie history, it’s a delightfully dark and sexy time positively radiating with atmosphere. The movie follows a woman (Simone Simon) who is caught between her desire for a new man in her life (Kent Smith) and her belief that she is cursed to turn into a panther if she becomes aroused. And at 73 minutes, it’s one of the shorter horror classics you can watch this fall. Now for that jump scare origin. There’s a tense sequence in this movie where one character stalks another. Director Jacques Tourneur lets the tension build to an unbearable level before surprising the audience with the sudden appearance of a bus. Often considered the first example of the modern jump scare, it was called the “Lewton Bus” after producer Val Lewton, who used the technique again in later movies.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch Cat People is not only a key part of horror movie history, it’s a delightfully dark and sexy time positively radiating with atmosphere. The movie follows a woman (Simone Simon) who is caught between her desire for a new man in her life (Kent Smith) and her belief that she is cursed to turn into a panther if she becomes aroused. And at 73 minutes, it’s one of the shorter horror classics you can watch this fall. Now for that jump scare origin. There’s a tense sequence in this movie where one character stalks another. Director Jacques Tourneur lets the tension build to an unbearable level before surprising the audience with the sudden appearance of a bus. Often considered the first example of the modern jump scare, it was called the “Lewton Bus” after producer Val Lewton, who used the technique again in later movies. —PV Oct.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch Cat People is not only a key part of horror movie history, it’s a delightfully dark and sexy time positively radiating with atmosphere. The movie follows a woman (Simone Simon) who is caught between her desire for a new man in her life (Kent Smith) and her belief that she is cursed to turn into a panther if she becomes aroused. And at 73 minutes, it’s one of the shorter horror classics you can watch this fall. Now for that jump scare origin. There’s a tense sequence in this movie where one character stalks another. Director Jacques Tourneur lets the tension build to an unbearable level before surprising the audience with the sudden appearance of a bus. Often considered the first example of the modern jump scare, it was called the “Lewton Bus” after producer Val Lewton, who used the technique again in later movies. —PV Oct. 15: The Neon Demon Where to watch: Prime Video, Hoopla, Freevee Modeling is a cutthroat industry, and that goes double in Drive director Nicolas Winding Refn’s 2016 horror movie The Neon Demon.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch And at 73 minutes, it’s one of the shorter horror classics you can watch this fall. Now for that jump scare origin. There’s a tense sequence in this movie where one character stalks another. Director Jacques Tourneur lets the tension build to an unbearable level before surprising the audience with the sudden appearance of a bus. Often considered the first example of the modern jump scare, it was called the “Lewton Bus” after producer Val Lewton, who used the technique again in later movies. —PV Oct. 15: The Neon Demon Where to watch: Prime Video, Hoopla, Freevee Modeling is a cutthroat industry, and that goes double in Drive director Nicolas Winding Refn’s 2016 horror movie The Neon Demon. The movie follows Elle Fanning as Jesse, a young model who just moved to Los Angeles and quickly gets taken under the wing of makeup artist Ruby (Jena Malone).
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch And at 73 minutes, it’s one of the shorter horror classics you can watch this fall. Now for that jump scare origin. There’s a tense sequence in this movie where one character stalks another. Director Jacques Tourneur lets the tension build to an unbearable level before surprising the audience with the sudden appearance of a bus. Often considered the first example of the modern jump scare, it was called the “Lewton Bus” after producer Val Lewton, who used the technique again in later movies. —PV Oct. 15: The Neon Demon Where to watch: Prime Video, Hoopla, Freevee Modeling is a cutthroat industry, and that goes double in Drive director Nicolas Winding Refn’s 2016 horror movie The Neon Demon. The movie follows Elle Fanning as Jesse, a young model who just moved to Los Angeles and quickly gets taken under the wing of makeup artist Ruby (Jena Malone). As Jesse becomes more successful as a model, she meets various members of the industry who are willing to part the seas for her even as she makes enemies who get caught up in a wake she unknowingly creates.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch Director Jacques Tourneur lets the tension build to an unbearable level before surprising the audience with the sudden appearance of a bus. Often considered the first example of the modern jump scare, it was called the “Lewton Bus” after producer Val Lewton, who used the technique again in later movies. —PV Oct. 15: The Neon Demon Where to watch: Prime Video, Hoopla, Freevee Modeling is a cutthroat industry, and that goes double in Drive director Nicolas Winding Refn’s 2016 horror movie The Neon Demon. The movie follows Elle Fanning as Jesse, a young model who just moved to Los Angeles and quickly gets taken under the wing of makeup artist Ruby (Jena Malone). As Jesse becomes more successful as a model, she meets various members of the industry who are willing to part the seas for her even as she makes enemies who get caught up in a wake she unknowingly creates. Even when people are being nice to her, no one lets Jesse pass without making it clear they’re jealous of her beauty and curious about what she can give them… or that they can take from her.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch —PV Oct. 15: The Neon Demon Where to watch: Prime Video, Hoopla, Freevee Modeling is a cutthroat industry, and that goes double in Drive director Nicolas Winding Refn’s 2016 horror movie The Neon Demon. The movie follows Elle Fanning as Jesse, a young model who just moved to Los Angeles and quickly gets taken under the wing of makeup artist Ruby (Jena Malone). As Jesse becomes more successful as a model, she meets various members of the industry who are willing to part the seas for her even as she makes enemies who get caught up in a wake she unknowingly creates. Even when people are being nice to her, no one lets Jesse pass without making it clear they’re jealous of her beauty and curious about what she can give them… or that they can take from her. Here, like in Drive, Refn’s version of LA is soaked in dread and seediness in every corner.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch —PV Oct. 15: The Neon Demon Where to watch: Prime Video, Hoopla, Freevee Modeling is a cutthroat industry, and that goes double in Drive director Nicolas Winding Refn’s 2016 horror movie The Neon Demon. The movie follows Elle Fanning as Jesse, a young model who just moved to Los Angeles and quickly gets taken under the wing of makeup artist Ruby (Jena Malone). As Jesse becomes more successful as a model, she meets various members of the industry who are willing to part the seas for her even as she makes enemies who get caught up in a wake she unknowingly creates. Even when people are being nice to her, no one lets Jesse pass without making it clear they’re jealous of her beauty and curious about what she can give them… or that they can take from her. Here, like in Drive, Refn’s version of LA is soaked in dread and seediness in every corner. Every person reads like a threat, and every new competitor or friend seems to be looking for a new way to drain the life out of the people around them — until they finally actually do it.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch The movie follows Elle Fanning as Jesse, a young model who just moved to Los Angeles and quickly gets taken under the wing of makeup artist Ruby (Jena Malone). As Jesse becomes more successful as a model, she meets various members of the industry who are willing to part the seas for her even as she makes enemies who get caught up in a wake she unknowingly creates. Even when people are being nice to her, no one lets Jesse pass without making it clear they’re jealous of her beauty and curious about what she can give them… or that they can take from her. Here, like in Drive, Refn’s version of LA is soaked in dread and seediness in every corner. Every person reads like a threat, and every new competitor or friend seems to be looking for a new way to drain the life out of the people around them — until they finally actually do it. But, like all Refn projects, what really sets The Neon Demon apart is how it looks.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch As Jesse becomes more successful as a model, she meets various members of the industry who are willing to part the seas for her even as she makes enemies who get caught up in a wake she unknowingly creates. Even when people are being nice to her, no one lets Jesse pass without making it clear they’re jealous of her beauty and curious about what she can give them… or that they can take from her. Here, like in Drive, Refn’s version of LA is soaked in dread and seediness in every corner. Every person reads like a threat, and every new competitor or friend seems to be looking for a new way to drain the life out of the people around them — until they finally actually do it. But, like all Refn projects, what really sets The Neon Demon apart is how it looks. The griminess of the movie’s world turns brightly lit photo shoots into shadow-filled nightmares, with people who stalk the sets like jungle predators.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch As Jesse becomes more successful as a model, she meets various members of the industry who are willing to part the seas for her even as she makes enemies who get caught up in a wake she unknowingly creates. Even when people are being nice to her, no one lets Jesse pass without making it clear they’re jealous of her beauty and curious about what she can give them… or that they can take from her. Here, like in Drive, Refn’s version of LA is soaked in dread and seediness in every corner. Every person reads like a threat, and every new competitor or friend seems to be looking for a new way to drain the life out of the people around them — until they finally actually do it. But, like all Refn projects, what really sets The Neon Demon apart is how it looks. The griminess of the movie’s world turns brightly lit photo shoots into shadow-filled nightmares, with people who stalk the sets like jungle predators. Though The Neon Demon didn’t get the same acclaim as other so-called elevated horror movies from the time, looking back, it fits perfectly among the ranks of The Witch, It Follows, and Under the Skin.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch Even when people are being nice to her, no one lets Jesse pass without making it clear they’re jealous of her beauty and curious about what she can give them… or that they can take from her. Here, like in Drive, Refn’s version of LA is soaked in dread and seediness in every corner. Every person reads like a threat, and every new competitor or friend seems to be looking for a new way to drain the life out of the people around them — until they finally actually do it. But, like all Refn projects, what really sets The Neon Demon apart is how it looks. The griminess of the movie’s world turns brightly lit photo shoots into shadow-filled nightmares, with people who stalk the sets like jungle predators. Though The Neon Demon didn’t get the same acclaim as other so-called elevated horror movies from the time, looking back, it fits perfectly among the ranks of The Witch, It Follows, and Under the Skin. Refn’s nightmarish modeling movie is dripping with cynicism, cruelty, and a creeping atmosphere, with more meanness than almost any other movie from the era could muster.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch Here, like in Drive, Refn’s version of LA is soaked in dread and seediness in every corner. Every person reads like a threat, and every new competitor or friend seems to be looking for a new way to drain the life out of the people around them — until they finally actually do it. But, like all Refn projects, what really sets The Neon Demon apart is how it looks. The griminess of the movie’s world turns brightly lit photo shoots into shadow-filled nightmares, with people who stalk the sets like jungle predators. Though The Neon Demon didn’t get the same acclaim as other so-called elevated horror movies from the time, looking back, it fits perfectly among the ranks of The Witch, It Follows, and Under the Skin. Refn’s nightmarish modeling movie is dripping with cynicism, cruelty, and a creeping atmosphere, with more meanness than almost any other movie from the era could muster. But it’s all in the pursuit of beauty, of course. —AG Oct.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch Every person reads like a threat, and every new competitor or friend seems to be looking for a new way to drain the life out of the people around them — until they finally actually do it. But, like all Refn projects, what really sets The Neon Demon apart is how it looks. The griminess of the movie’s world turns brightly lit photo shoots into shadow-filled nightmares, with people who stalk the sets like jungle predators. Though The Neon Demon didn’t get the same acclaim as other so-called elevated horror movies from the time, looking back, it fits perfectly among the ranks of The Witch, It Follows, and Under the Skin. Refn’s nightmarish modeling movie is dripping with cynicism, cruelty, and a creeping atmosphere, with more meanness than almost any other movie from the era could muster. But it’s all in the pursuit of beauty, of course. —AG Oct. 16: Project Wolf Hunting Where to watch: Hi-Yah!
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch But, like all Refn projects, what really sets The Neon Demon apart is how it looks. The griminess of the movie’s world turns brightly lit photo shoots into shadow-filled nightmares, with people who stalk the sets like jungle predators. Though The Neon Demon didn’t get the same acclaim as other so-called elevated horror movies from the time, looking back, it fits perfectly among the ranks of The Witch, It Follows, and Under the Skin. Refn’s nightmarish modeling movie is dripping with cynicism, cruelty, and a creeping atmosphere, with more meanness than almost any other movie from the era could muster. But it’s all in the pursuit of beauty, of course. —AG Oct. 16: Project Wolf Hunting Where to watch: Hi-Yah!; available to rent on Amazon, Apple, and Vudu Sometimes, what you’re looking for is just literal tons of blood and gore.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch But, like all Refn projects, what really sets The Neon Demon apart is how it looks. The griminess of the movie’s world turns brightly lit photo shoots into shadow-filled nightmares, with people who stalk the sets like jungle predators. Though The Neon Demon didn’t get the same acclaim as other so-called elevated horror movies from the time, looking back, it fits perfectly among the ranks of The Witch, It Follows, and Under the Skin. Refn’s nightmarish modeling movie is dripping with cynicism, cruelty, and a creeping atmosphere, with more meanness than almost any other movie from the era could muster. But it’s all in the pursuit of beauty, of course. —AG Oct. 16: Project Wolf Hunting Where to watch: Hi-Yah!; available to rent on Amazon, Apple, and Vudu Sometimes, what you’re looking for is just literal tons of blood and gore. And when that’s contained in a premise that’s essentially “Con Air meets Predator, with a bit of The Last Voyage of the Demeter,” that’s hard to beat.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch Though The Neon Demon didn’t get the same acclaim as other so-called elevated horror movies from the time, looking back, it fits perfectly among the ranks of The Witch, It Follows, and Under the Skin. Refn’s nightmarish modeling movie is dripping with cynicism, cruelty, and a creeping atmosphere, with more meanness than almost any other movie from the era could muster. But it’s all in the pursuit of beauty, of course. —AG Oct. 16: Project Wolf Hunting Where to watch: Hi-Yah!; available to rent on Amazon, Apple, and Vudu Sometimes, what you’re looking for is just literal tons of blood and gore. And when that’s contained in a premise that’s essentially “Con Air meets Predator, with a bit of The Last Voyage of the Demeter,” that’s hard to beat. Project Wolf Hunting is a Korean monster mash built out of an extremely fun idea.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch Though The Neon Demon didn’t get the same acclaim as other so-called elevated horror movies from the time, looking back, it fits perfectly among the ranks of The Witch, It Follows, and Under the Skin. Refn’s nightmarish modeling movie is dripping with cynicism, cruelty, and a creeping atmosphere, with more meanness than almost any other movie from the era could muster. But it’s all in the pursuit of beauty, of course. —AG Oct. 16: Project Wolf Hunting Where to watch: Hi-Yah!; available to rent on Amazon, Apple, and Vudu Sometimes, what you’re looking for is just literal tons of blood and gore. And when that’s contained in a premise that’s essentially “Con Air meets Predator, with a bit of The Last Voyage of the Demeter,” that’s hard to beat. Project Wolf Hunting is a Korean monster mash built out of an extremely fun idea. “What if a bunch of dangerous criminals rebelled on the cargo ship they were being transported on, only to discover the ship is also transporting a monster?” The story is necessarily light, and the characters are thinly drawn (although the effective costuming and makeup work go a long way), but that’s not what you’re here for if you’re watching Project Wolf Hunting.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch But it’s all in the pursuit of beauty, of course. —AG Oct. 16: Project Wolf Hunting Where to watch: Hi-Yah!; available to rent on Amazon, Apple, and Vudu Sometimes, what you’re looking for is just literal tons of blood and gore. And when that’s contained in a premise that’s essentially “Con Air meets Predator, with a bit of The Last Voyage of the Demeter,” that’s hard to beat. Project Wolf Hunting is a Korean monster mash built out of an extremely fun idea. “What if a bunch of dangerous criminals rebelled on the cargo ship they were being transported on, only to discover the ship is also transporting a monster?” The story is necessarily light, and the characters are thinly drawn (although the effective costuming and makeup work go a long way), but that’s not what you’re here for if you’re watching Project Wolf Hunting. You’re here for gory violence, and boy, is there a lot of it.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch —AG Oct. 16: Project Wolf Hunting Where to watch: Hi-Yah!; available to rent on Amazon, Apple, and Vudu Sometimes, what you’re looking for is just literal tons of blood and gore. And when that’s contained in a premise that’s essentially “Con Air meets Predator, with a bit of The Last Voyage of the Demeter,” that’s hard to beat. Project Wolf Hunting is a Korean monster mash built out of an extremely fun idea. “What if a bunch of dangerous criminals rebelled on the cargo ship they were being transported on, only to discover the ship is also transporting a monster?” The story is necessarily light, and the characters are thinly drawn (although the effective costuming and makeup work go a long way), but that’s not what you’re here for if you’re watching Project Wolf Hunting. You’re here for gory violence, and boy, is there a lot of it. The director has bragged that the team used 2.5 tons of fake blood while filming the movie, and it certainly shows.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch And when that’s contained in a premise that’s essentially “Con Air meets Predator, with a bit of The Last Voyage of the Demeter,” that’s hard to beat. Project Wolf Hunting is a Korean monster mash built out of an extremely fun idea. “What if a bunch of dangerous criminals rebelled on the cargo ship they were being transported on, only to discover the ship is also transporting a monster?” The story is necessarily light, and the characters are thinly drawn (although the effective costuming and makeup work go a long way), but that’s not what you’re here for if you’re watching Project Wolf Hunting. You’re here for gory violence, and boy, is there a lot of it. The director has bragged that the team used 2.5 tons of fake blood while filming the movie, and it certainly shows. It’s one of the goriest movies I’ve ever seen, and that gore is augmented by terrific sound design, which builds the monster up into something well beyond the realm of humankind by making its movements sound metallic.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch Project Wolf Hunting is a Korean monster mash built out of an extremely fun idea. “What if a bunch of dangerous criminals rebelled on the cargo ship they were being transported on, only to discover the ship is also transporting a monster?” The story is necessarily light, and the characters are thinly drawn (although the effective costuming and makeup work go a long way), but that’s not what you’re here for if you’re watching Project Wolf Hunting. You’re here for gory violence, and boy, is there a lot of it. The director has bragged that the team used 2.5 tons of fake blood while filming the movie, and it certainly shows. It’s one of the goriest movies I’ve ever seen, and that gore is augmented by terrific sound design, which builds the monster up into something well beyond the realm of humankind by making its movements sound metallic. It’s a machine designed for killing, and Project Wolf Hunting is a movie designed for a bloody good time. —PV Oct.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch “What if a bunch of dangerous criminals rebelled on the cargo ship they were being transported on, only to discover the ship is also transporting a monster?” The story is necessarily light, and the characters are thinly drawn (although the effective costuming and makeup work go a long way), but that’s not what you’re here for if you’re watching Project Wolf Hunting. You’re here for gory violence, and boy, is there a lot of it. The director has bragged that the team used 2.5 tons of fake blood while filming the movie, and it certainly shows. It’s one of the goriest movies I’ve ever seen, and that gore is augmented by terrific sound design, which builds the monster up into something well beyond the realm of humankind by making its movements sound metallic. It’s a machine designed for killing, and Project Wolf Hunting is a movie designed for a bloody good time. —PV Oct. 17: Kuroneko Where to watch: Criterion Channel, Max Like his 1964 film Onibaba (which we featured in our 2021 Halloween countdown), Kaneto Shindo’s 1968 supernatural horror film is a cerebral, gorgeous, and eerie drama set amid the tumultuous Sengoku period of Japanese history.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch You’re here for gory violence, and boy, is there a lot of it. The director has bragged that the team used 2.5 tons of fake blood while filming the movie, and it certainly shows. It’s one of the goriest movies I’ve ever seen, and that gore is augmented by terrific sound design, which builds the monster up into something well beyond the realm of humankind by making its movements sound metallic. It’s a machine designed for killing, and Project Wolf Hunting is a movie designed for a bloody good time. —PV Oct. 17: Kuroneko Where to watch: Criterion Channel, Max Like his 1964 film Onibaba (which we featured in our 2021 Halloween countdown), Kaneto Shindo’s 1968 supernatural horror film is a cerebral, gorgeous, and eerie drama set amid the tumultuous Sengoku period of Japanese history. Kuroneko centers on the story of two women, a mother and her daughter-in-law, who are raped and murdered by a wandering band of samurai who set fire to their family home.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch It’s one of the goriest movies I’ve ever seen, and that gore is augmented by terrific sound design, which builds the monster up into something well beyond the realm of humankind by making its movements sound metallic. It’s a machine designed for killing, and Project Wolf Hunting is a movie designed for a bloody good time. —PV Oct. 17: Kuroneko Where to watch: Criterion Channel, Max Like his 1964 film Onibaba (which we featured in our 2021 Halloween countdown), Kaneto Shindo’s 1968 supernatural horror film is a cerebral, gorgeous, and eerie drama set amid the tumultuous Sengoku period of Japanese history. Kuroneko centers on the story of two women, a mother and her daughter-in-law, who are raped and murdered by a wandering band of samurai who set fire to their family home. Haunted by vengeance, their spirits forge a pact with the demons of the underworld, resurrecting them in exchange for the death of any samurai unfortunate enough to cross their paths.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch It’s a machine designed for killing, and Project Wolf Hunting is a movie designed for a bloody good time. —PV Oct. 17: Kuroneko Where to watch: Criterion Channel, Max Like his 1964 film Onibaba (which we featured in our 2021 Halloween countdown), Kaneto Shindo’s 1968 supernatural horror film is a cerebral, gorgeous, and eerie drama set amid the tumultuous Sengoku period of Japanese history. Kuroneko centers on the story of two women, a mother and her daughter-in-law, who are raped and murdered by a wandering band of samurai who set fire to their family home. Haunted by vengeance, their spirits forge a pact with the demons of the underworld, resurrecting them in exchange for the death of any samurai unfortunate enough to cross their paths. As the death toll rises, a young samurai is enlisted to fend off the wayward spirits once and for all, unaware of either the origins behind their malice or their tragic connection to his own past.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch —PV Oct. 17: Kuroneko Where to watch: Criterion Channel, Max Like his 1964 film Onibaba (which we featured in our 2021 Halloween countdown), Kaneto Shindo’s 1968 supernatural horror film is a cerebral, gorgeous, and eerie drama set amid the tumultuous Sengoku period of Japanese history. Kuroneko centers on the story of two women, a mother and her daughter-in-law, who are raped and murdered by a wandering band of samurai who set fire to their family home. Haunted by vengeance, their spirits forge a pact with the demons of the underworld, resurrecting them in exchange for the death of any samurai unfortunate enough to cross their paths. As the death toll rises, a young samurai is enlisted to fend off the wayward spirits once and for all, unaware of either the origins behind their malice or their tragic connection to his own past. Kiyomi Kuroda’s cinematography in Kuroneko is a master class in minimalism, employing an intense contrast of light and shadow to produce sequences that feel downright otherworldly to behold.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch Kuroneko centers on the story of two women, a mother and her daughter-in-law, who are raped and murdered by a wandering band of samurai who set fire to their family home. Haunted by vengeance, their spirits forge a pact with the demons of the underworld, resurrecting them in exchange for the death of any samurai unfortunate enough to cross their paths. As the death toll rises, a young samurai is enlisted to fend off the wayward spirits once and for all, unaware of either the origins behind their malice or their tragic connection to his own past. Kiyomi Kuroda’s cinematography in Kuroneko is a master class in minimalism, employing an intense contrast of light and shadow to produce sequences that feel downright otherworldly to behold. Whether it’s scenes of samurai wandering through a void of darkness by the Rajōmon gates or a dreamlike pan through a bamboo thicket overlaid as a character ruminates over the past, the film is a gorgeous display of deft cinematic craftsmanship in service of telling a dramatic and terrifying story of love, revenge, and regret.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch Haunted by vengeance, their spirits forge a pact with the demons of the underworld, resurrecting them in exchange for the death of any samurai unfortunate enough to cross their paths. As the death toll rises, a young samurai is enlisted to fend off the wayward spirits once and for all, unaware of either the origins behind their malice or their tragic connection to his own past. Kiyomi Kuroda’s cinematography in Kuroneko is a master class in minimalism, employing an intense contrast of light and shadow to produce sequences that feel downright otherworldly to behold. Whether it’s scenes of samurai wandering through a void of darkness by the Rajōmon gates or a dreamlike pan through a bamboo thicket overlaid as a character ruminates over the past, the film is a gorgeous display of deft cinematic craftsmanship in service of telling a dramatic and terrifying story of love, revenge, and regret. —TE Oct.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch Haunted by vengeance, their spirits forge a pact with the demons of the underworld, resurrecting them in exchange for the death of any samurai unfortunate enough to cross their paths. As the death toll rises, a young samurai is enlisted to fend off the wayward spirits once and for all, unaware of either the origins behind their malice or their tragic connection to his own past. Kiyomi Kuroda’s cinematography in Kuroneko is a master class in minimalism, employing an intense contrast of light and shadow to produce sequences that feel downright otherworldly to behold. Whether it’s scenes of samurai wandering through a void of darkness by the Rajōmon gates or a dreamlike pan through a bamboo thicket overlaid as a character ruminates over the past, the film is a gorgeous display of deft cinematic craftsmanship in service of telling a dramatic and terrifying story of love, revenge, and regret. —TE Oct. 18: A Wounded Fawn Where to watch: Shudder, AMC Plus One of 2022’s best under-the-radar horror movies takes its inspiration from an old-fashioned source: Greek mythology.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch Kiyomi Kuroda’s cinematography in Kuroneko is a master class in minimalism, employing an intense contrast of light and shadow to produce sequences that feel downright otherworldly to behold. Whether it’s scenes of samurai wandering through a void of darkness by the Rajōmon gates or a dreamlike pan through a bamboo thicket overlaid as a character ruminates over the past, the film is a gorgeous display of deft cinematic craftsmanship in service of telling a dramatic and terrifying story of love, revenge, and regret. —TE Oct. 18: A Wounded Fawn Where to watch: Shudder, AMC Plus One of 2022’s best under-the-radar horror movies takes its inspiration from an old-fashioned source: Greek mythology. Director Travis Stevens (Jakob’s Wife) melds Greek mythic imagery with an unconventional serial killer narrative in a thrilling combination that breathes new life into the genre. The movie follows a museum curator who goes on a date with a serial killer.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch Whether it’s scenes of samurai wandering through a void of darkness by the Rajōmon gates or a dreamlike pan through a bamboo thicket overlaid as a character ruminates over the past, the film is a gorgeous display of deft cinematic craftsmanship in service of telling a dramatic and terrifying story of love, revenge, and regret. —TE Oct. 18: A Wounded Fawn Where to watch: Shudder, AMC Plus One of 2022’s best under-the-radar horror movies takes its inspiration from an old-fashioned source: Greek mythology. Director Travis Stevens (Jakob’s Wife) melds Greek mythic imagery with an unconventional serial killer narrative in a thrilling combination that breathes new life into the genre. The movie follows a museum curator who goes on a date with a serial killer. She finds him out once she notices a statue, The Wrath of Erinyes, that is in his home but shouldn’t be. From there, things get really strange.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch —TE Oct. 18: A Wounded Fawn Where to watch: Shudder, AMC Plus One of 2022’s best under-the-radar horror movies takes its inspiration from an old-fashioned source: Greek mythology. Director Travis Stevens (Jakob’s Wife) melds Greek mythic imagery with an unconventional serial killer narrative in a thrilling combination that breathes new life into the genre. The movie follows a museum curator who goes on a date with a serial killer. She finds him out once she notices a statue, The Wrath of Erinyes, that is in his home but shouldn’t be. From there, things get really strange. Shot on 35mm, A Wounded Fawn is a gorgeous movie to behold, even before the action truly starts. Once it does, be prepared for a descent into the phantasmagoric, with jaw-dropping visuals, eerie practical effects, and a heavy dose of Aeschylus’ Eumenides.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch 18: A Wounded Fawn Where to watch: Shudder, AMC Plus One of 2022’s best under-the-radar horror movies takes its inspiration from an old-fashioned source: Greek mythology. Director Travis Stevens (Jakob’s Wife) melds Greek mythic imagery with an unconventional serial killer narrative in a thrilling combination that breathes new life into the genre. The movie follows a museum curator who goes on a date with a serial killer. She finds him out once she notices a statue, The Wrath of Erinyes, that is in his home but shouldn’t be. From there, things get really strange. Shot on 35mm, A Wounded Fawn is a gorgeous movie to behold, even before the action truly starts. Once it does, be prepared for a descent into the phantasmagoric, with jaw-dropping visuals, eerie practical effects, and a heavy dose of Aeschylus’ Eumenides. With fantastic performances from Sarah Lind (Jakob’s Wife) and Dropout veteran Josh Ruben (Werewolves Within) in an unsettlingly off-type role, A Wounded Fawn is a bold new entry into the serial killer movie canon.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch The movie follows a museum curator who goes on a date with a serial killer. She finds him out once she notices a statue, The Wrath of Erinyes, that is in his home but shouldn’t be. From there, things get really strange. Shot on 35mm, A Wounded Fawn is a gorgeous movie to behold, even before the action truly starts. Once it does, be prepared for a descent into the phantasmagoric, with jaw-dropping visuals, eerie practical effects, and a heavy dose of Aeschylus’ Eumenides. With fantastic performances from Sarah Lind (Jakob’s Wife) and Dropout veteran Josh Ruben (Werewolves Within) in an unsettlingly off-type role, A Wounded Fawn is a bold new entry into the serial killer movie canon. —PV Oct. 19: The Hole in the Ground Where to watch: Max Few horror tropes get as much mileage as the image of the unnatural child.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch She finds him out once she notices a statue, The Wrath of Erinyes, that is in his home but shouldn’t be. From there, things get really strange. Shot on 35mm, A Wounded Fawn is a gorgeous movie to behold, even before the action truly starts. Once it does, be prepared for a descent into the phantasmagoric, with jaw-dropping visuals, eerie practical effects, and a heavy dose of Aeschylus’ Eumenides. With fantastic performances from Sarah Lind (Jakob’s Wife) and Dropout veteran Josh Ruben (Werewolves Within) in an unsettlingly off-type role, A Wounded Fawn is a bold new entry into the serial killer movie canon. —PV Oct. 19: The Hole in the Ground Where to watch: Max Few horror tropes get as much mileage as the image of the unnatural child. Likely that’s because the idea that kids should be innocent and cheerful is baked into so many human cultures that a child acting spooky and inhuman is a terrific cross-cultural recipe for horror.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch Shot on 35mm, A Wounded Fawn is a gorgeous movie to behold, even before the action truly starts. Once it does, be prepared for a descent into the phantasmagoric, with jaw-dropping visuals, eerie practical effects, and a heavy dose of Aeschylus’ Eumenides. With fantastic performances from Sarah Lind (Jakob’s Wife) and Dropout veteran Josh Ruben (Werewolves Within) in an unsettlingly off-type role, A Wounded Fawn is a bold new entry into the serial killer movie canon. —PV Oct. 19: The Hole in the Ground Where to watch: Max Few horror tropes get as much mileage as the image of the unnatural child. Likely that’s because the idea that kids should be innocent and cheerful is baked into so many human cultures that a child acting spooky and inhuman is a terrific cross-cultural recipe for horror. But an effective creepy-kid movie requires a spectacular creepy kid performer.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch Once it does, be prepared for a descent into the phantasmagoric, with jaw-dropping visuals, eerie practical effects, and a heavy dose of Aeschylus’ Eumenides. With fantastic performances from Sarah Lind (Jakob’s Wife) and Dropout veteran Josh Ruben (Werewolves Within) in an unsettlingly off-type role, A Wounded Fawn is a bold new entry into the serial killer movie canon. —PV Oct. 19: The Hole in the Ground Where to watch: Max Few horror tropes get as much mileage as the image of the unnatural child. Likely that’s because the idea that kids should be innocent and cheerful is baked into so many human cultures that a child acting spooky and inhuman is a terrific cross-cultural recipe for horror. But an effective creepy-kid movie requires a spectacular creepy kid performer. James Quinn Markey fully delivers in The Hole in the Ground, the debut feature of Evil Dead Rise director Lee Cronin.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch With fantastic performances from Sarah Lind (Jakob’s Wife) and Dropout veteran Josh Ruben (Werewolves Within) in an unsettlingly off-type role, A Wounded Fawn is a bold new entry into the serial killer movie canon. —PV Oct. 19: The Hole in the Ground Where to watch: Max Few horror tropes get as much mileage as the image of the unnatural child. Likely that’s because the idea that kids should be innocent and cheerful is baked into so many human cultures that a child acting spooky and inhuman is a terrific cross-cultural recipe for horror. But an effective creepy-kid movie requires a spectacular creepy kid performer. James Quinn Markey fully delivers in The Hole in the Ground, the debut feature of Evil Dead Rise director Lee Cronin. But the movie isn’t just about a scary child — it’s about all the psychological baggage involved in dealing with one.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch With fantastic performances from Sarah Lind (Jakob’s Wife) and Dropout veteran Josh Ruben (Werewolves Within) in an unsettlingly off-type role, A Wounded Fawn is a bold new entry into the serial killer movie canon. —PV Oct. 19: The Hole in the Ground Where to watch: Max Few horror tropes get as much mileage as the image of the unnatural child. Likely that’s because the idea that kids should be innocent and cheerful is baked into so many human cultures that a child acting spooky and inhuman is a terrific cross-cultural recipe for horror. But an effective creepy-kid movie requires a spectacular creepy kid performer. James Quinn Markey fully delivers in The Hole in the Ground, the debut feature of Evil Dead Rise director Lee Cronin. But the movie isn’t just about a scary child — it’s about all the psychological baggage involved in dealing with one. Seána Kerslake stars as Sarah, a woman recently moved to the Irish countryside with her young son, Chris (Markey).
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch —PV Oct. 19: The Hole in the Ground Where to watch: Max Few horror tropes get as much mileage as the image of the unnatural child. Likely that’s because the idea that kids should be innocent and cheerful is baked into so many human cultures that a child acting spooky and inhuman is a terrific cross-cultural recipe for horror. But an effective creepy-kid movie requires a spectacular creepy kid performer. James Quinn Markey fully delivers in The Hole in the Ground, the debut feature of Evil Dead Rise director Lee Cronin. But the movie isn’t just about a scary child — it’s about all the psychological baggage involved in dealing with one. Seána Kerslake stars as Sarah, a woman recently moved to the Irish countryside with her young son, Chris (Markey). After an unnerving incident, she starts to believe Chris has been replaced by an inhuman doppelgänger. There’s plenty of evidence that it’s true, at least for the audience.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch Likely that’s because the idea that kids should be innocent and cheerful is baked into so many human cultures that a child acting spooky and inhuman is a terrific cross-cultural recipe for horror. But an effective creepy-kid movie requires a spectacular creepy kid performer. James Quinn Markey fully delivers in The Hole in the Ground, the debut feature of Evil Dead Rise director Lee Cronin. But the movie isn’t just about a scary child — it’s about all the psychological baggage involved in dealing with one. Seána Kerslake stars as Sarah, a woman recently moved to the Irish countryside with her young son, Chris (Markey). After an unnerving incident, she starts to believe Chris has been replaced by an inhuman doppelgänger. There’s plenty of evidence that it’s true, at least for the audience. But an erratic, violent local woman who also believes her son was replaced serves as a warning for Sarah, both about how she can expect the community to dismiss her anxieties, and more potently, as a dark mirror of her fears, a suggestion that she might just be losing her mind.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch But an effective creepy-kid movie requires a spectacular creepy kid performer. James Quinn Markey fully delivers in The Hole in the Ground, the debut feature of Evil Dead Rise director Lee Cronin. But the movie isn’t just about a scary child — it’s about all the psychological baggage involved in dealing with one. Seána Kerslake stars as Sarah, a woman recently moved to the Irish countryside with her young son, Chris (Markey). After an unnerving incident, she starts to believe Chris has been replaced by an inhuman doppelgänger. There’s plenty of evidence that it’s true, at least for the audience. But an erratic, violent local woman who also believes her son was replaced serves as a warning for Sarah, both about how she can expect the community to dismiss her anxieties, and more potently, as a dark mirror of her fears, a suggestion that she might just be losing her mind. This incredibly dark and squirmy movie is much quieter and more internal than Evil Dead Rise, but it sure puts the screws to the audience, especially as it builds to an unforgettable, horrifying climax.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch But the movie isn’t just about a scary child — it’s about all the psychological baggage involved in dealing with one. Seána Kerslake stars as Sarah, a woman recently moved to the Irish countryside with her young son, Chris (Markey). After an unnerving incident, she starts to believe Chris has been replaced by an inhuman doppelgänger. There’s plenty of evidence that it’s true, at least for the audience. But an erratic, violent local woman who also believes her son was replaced serves as a warning for Sarah, both about how she can expect the community to dismiss her anxieties, and more potently, as a dark mirror of her fears, a suggestion that she might just be losing her mind. This incredibly dark and squirmy movie is much quieter and more internal than Evil Dead Rise, but it sure puts the screws to the audience, especially as it builds to an unforgettable, horrifying climax. —TR Oct.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch But the movie isn’t just about a scary child — it’s about all the psychological baggage involved in dealing with one. Seána Kerslake stars as Sarah, a woman recently moved to the Irish countryside with her young son, Chris (Markey). After an unnerving incident, she starts to believe Chris has been replaced by an inhuman doppelgänger. There’s plenty of evidence that it’s true, at least for the audience. But an erratic, violent local woman who also believes her son was replaced serves as a warning for Sarah, both about how she can expect the community to dismiss her anxieties, and more potently, as a dark mirror of her fears, a suggestion that she might just be losing her mind. This incredibly dark and squirmy movie is much quieter and more internal than Evil Dead Rise, but it sure puts the screws to the audience, especially as it builds to an unforgettable, horrifying climax. —TR Oct. 20: Silent Hill Where to watch: Peacock The mid-2000s were a no man’s land for horror movies.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch After an unnerving incident, she starts to believe Chris has been replaced by an inhuman doppelgänger. There’s plenty of evidence that it’s true, at least for the audience. But an erratic, violent local woman who also believes her son was replaced serves as a warning for Sarah, both about how she can expect the community to dismiss her anxieties, and more potently, as a dark mirror of her fears, a suggestion that she might just be losing her mind. This incredibly dark and squirmy movie is much quieter and more internal than Evil Dead Rise, but it sure puts the screws to the audience, especially as it builds to an unforgettable, horrifying climax. —TR Oct. 20: Silent Hill Where to watch: Peacock The mid-2000s were a no man’s land for horror movies. By 2006, we were four years out from the blockbuster prestige of Gore Verbinski’s The Ring and the J-horror import boom that followed it in America, and only just beginning to transition into the Saw-dominated years of “realistic” horror.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch But an erratic, violent local woman who also believes her son was replaced serves as a warning for Sarah, both about how she can expect the community to dismiss her anxieties, and more potently, as a dark mirror of her fears, a suggestion that she might just be losing her mind. This incredibly dark and squirmy movie is much quieter and more internal than Evil Dead Rise, but it sure puts the screws to the audience, especially as it builds to an unforgettable, horrifying climax. —TR Oct. 20: Silent Hill Where to watch: Peacock The mid-2000s were a no man’s land for horror movies. By 2006, we were four years out from the blockbuster prestige of Gore Verbinski’s The Ring and the J-horror import boom that followed it in America, and only just beginning to transition into the Saw-dominated years of “realistic” horror. More importantly, we were still almost a decade away from the arthouse horror boom that would kick off closer to 2014 with films like It Follows.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch This incredibly dark and squirmy movie is much quieter and more internal than Evil Dead Rise, but it sure puts the screws to the audience, especially as it builds to an unforgettable, horrifying climax. —TR Oct. 20: Silent Hill Where to watch: Peacock The mid-2000s were a no man’s land for horror movies. By 2006, we were four years out from the blockbuster prestige of Gore Verbinski’s The Ring and the J-horror import boom that followed it in America, and only just beginning to transition into the Saw-dominated years of “realistic” horror. More importantly, we were still almost a decade away from the arthouse horror boom that would kick off closer to 2014 with films like It Follows. This was exactly the environment Silent Hill was released into, and it deserved so much better. The movie follows Rose, whose daughter, Sharon, is plagued with awful episodes of sleepwalking and nightmares about the mysterious abandoned town of Silent Hill.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch —TR Oct. 20: Silent Hill Where to watch: Peacock The mid-2000s were a no man’s land for horror movies. By 2006, we were four years out from the blockbuster prestige of Gore Verbinski’s The Ring and the J-horror import boom that followed it in America, and only just beginning to transition into the Saw-dominated years of “realistic” horror. More importantly, we were still almost a decade away from the arthouse horror boom that would kick off closer to 2014 with films like It Follows. This was exactly the environment Silent Hill was released into, and it deserved so much better. The movie follows Rose, whose daughter, Sharon, is plagued with awful episodes of sleepwalking and nightmares about the mysterious abandoned town of Silent Hill. Rose brings Sharon to the town in a last-ditch attempt to find answers, but things go horribly wrong when the fog-shrouded town seems to transport them (along with police officer Cybil Bennett) to a new monstrous dimension.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch By 2006, we were four years out from the blockbuster prestige of Gore Verbinski’s The Ring and the J-horror import boom that followed it in America, and only just beginning to transition into the Saw-dominated years of “realistic” horror. More importantly, we were still almost a decade away from the arthouse horror boom that would kick off closer to 2014 with films like It Follows. This was exactly the environment Silent Hill was released into, and it deserved so much better. The movie follows Rose, whose daughter, Sharon, is plagued with awful episodes of sleepwalking and nightmares about the mysterious abandoned town of Silent Hill. Rose brings Sharon to the town in a last-ditch attempt to find answers, but things go horribly wrong when the fog-shrouded town seems to transport them (along with police officer Cybil Bennett) to a new monstrous dimension. Meanwhile, after the mother and daughter have been gone for a few hours, Rose’s husband, Christopher, sets off to Silent Hill to find his family.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch More importantly, we were still almost a decade away from the arthouse horror boom that would kick off closer to 2014 with films like It Follows. This was exactly the environment Silent Hill was released into, and it deserved so much better. The movie follows Rose, whose daughter, Sharon, is plagued with awful episodes of sleepwalking and nightmares about the mysterious abandoned town of Silent Hill. Rose brings Sharon to the town in a last-ditch attempt to find answers, but things go horribly wrong when the fog-shrouded town seems to transport them (along with police officer Cybil Bennett) to a new monstrous dimension. Meanwhile, after the mother and daughter have been gone for a few hours, Rose’s husband, Christopher, sets off to Silent Hill to find his family. Inside the town is where Silent Hill takes the most inspiration from the video game series it’s based on. Some of Silent Hill’s most recognizable enemies and monsters show up, chasing Cybil, Sharon, and Rose through the town and eventually into the iconic Pyramid Head.
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The Halloween Countdown: 31 days of horror to watch This was exactly the environment Silent Hill was released into, and it deserved so much better. The movie follows Rose, whose daughter, Sharon, is plagued with awful episodes of sleepwalking and nightmares about the mysterious abandoned town of Silent Hill. Rose brings Sharon to the town in a last-ditch attempt to find answers, but things go horribly wrong when the fog-shrouded town seems to transport them (along with police officer Cybil Bennett) to a new monstrous dimension. Meanwhile, after the mother and daughter have been gone for a few hours, Rose’s husband, Christopher, sets off to Silent Hill to find his family. Inside the town is where Silent Hill takes the most inspiration from the video game series it’s based on. Some of Silent Hill’s most recognizable enemies and monsters show up, chasing Cybil, Sharon, and Rose through the town and eventually into the iconic Pyramid Head. These segments are impressively scary, and steeped in the dreadful atmosphere that made the games famous.