Halloween is here, and with it comes the annual horror film marathon. For fans who have seen the big-budget slashers and indie psychosexual cannibal flicks, finding something new can be difficult. Here are 13 underrated gems to make your skin crawl.
Shudder Exclusives and Festival Favourites
Hallowarrior (Shudder): Milly Shapiro, known for Hereditary, stars as 16-year-old Pumpkin, who believes she is the last person alive four years after a plague wiped out humanity. Obsessed with Halloween, she invites three travellers into her home, only to realise their dangerous intentions. Directed by Ben Sottack.
The Cycle (Shudder): Directed by Jordan Downey, this horror thriller follows forensic anthropologist Dr Meg Garland (Deborah Ann Woll), who investigates a brutal crime scene where a third body is found: her estranged father, missing for 36 years.
Infirmary (Shudder): Set in 2023, this found footage horror follows rookie security guard Edward Yoon (Paul Syre Lee) on his first night shift at an abandoned psychiatric hospital in Los Angeles, where he encounters unexplainable occurrences.
Penny Lane Is Dead (Shudder): This Australian chiller, directed by Mia’Kate Russell, is set in 1986. High school graduate Penny Lane (Bailey Spalding) and friends celebrate their college acceptances at a beach house, but a resentful cousin orchestrates a malicious prank.
Streaming and Rental Picks
Crushed (Prime Video, Apple TV, Rakuten TV): Simon Rumley's film follows Father Daniel (Steve Oram) and his family in Thailand. After his daughter is traumatised by a video of animal cruelty, their cat vanishes, and the search leads to every parent's worst nightmare.
The Devil's Doorway (Prime Video, Apple TV): Aislinn Clarke's 2018 film follows two priests investigating a possible miracle at a Magdalene Asylum in Ireland, reflecting real-life scandals, including the discovery of 155 unmarked graves in Dublin in 1993.
Amulet (Prime Video, Apple TV, Rakuten TV, Sky Store): Written and directed by Romola Garai, this British chiller follows Tomaz (Alec Secareanu), a homeless ex-soldier taken in by a nun (Imelda Staunton). He soon experiences paranormal phenomena and flashbacks.
Be My Cat: A Film For Anne (FOUND): Romania's first found footage film, directed by and starring Adrian Țofei, follows an aspiring filmmaker who goes to extreme levels to convince actress Anne Hathaway to star in his film.
Sumala (Netflix): Rizal Mantovani's 2024 film, set in the late 1940s, follows a wealthy couple who make a pact with the devil to conceive. The pact requires raising twin girls with love until their 10th birthday, but one is murdered, leading to a vengeful possession.
Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum (Prime Video, Shudder): Jung Bum-shik's found footage film follows a web series owner who recruits a crew to explore the abandoned Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital, aiming to open the sealed Room 402.
The House with Laughing Windows (Arrow Player): Pupi Avati's 1976 folk tale follows a young art restorer (Lino Capolicchio) hired to restore a disturbing church fresco in a secluded Italian village, where he encounters paranoia and hostility.
MOM: Mothers Of Monsters (Prime Video): Tucia Lyman's debut film follows a mother who suspects her teenage son is plotting a school shooting. She installs spy cameras and finds an online community of other 'mothers of monsters'.
The Poughkeepsie Tapes (Prime Video, Tubi): This 2007 mockumentary tells the story of a serial killer in Poughkeepsie, New York. Police discover 10 bodies and more than 800 videotapes chronicling the crimes of the Water Street Butcher.
