While the sun-drenched landscapes of Lanzarote are a world away from a misty graveyard, there’s something about October that puts us all in the mood for a good scare.
As Halloween approaches, we’re swapping our usual diet of local news and history for a foray into the shadows. Forget the blockbuster horrors everyone’s seen; we’ve curated a list of chilling, under-the-radar films to stream for some truly unnerving movie nights this month.
The Vanishing – 1988
Rex and Saskia, a young couple in love, are on vacation. They stop at a busy service station and Saskia is abducted. After three years and no sign of Saskia, Rex begins receiving letters from the abductor.
Runtime: 106m
Language(s): Dutch, English, French
Streaming: Amazon, Apple TV, Filmin, Critereon
The Serpent and the Rainbow – 1988
A Harvard anthropologist is sent to Haiti to retrieve a strange powder that is said to have the power to bring human beings back from the dead. In his quest to find the miracle drug, the cynical scientist enters the rarely seen netherworld of walking zombies, blood rites and ancient curses. Based on the true life experiences of Wade Davis and filmed on location in Haiti, it’s a frightening excursion into black magic and the supernatural.
Runtime: 98m
Language(s): English, French, Spanish
Streaming: Amazon, Apple TV
Tales from the Hood – 1995
A strange mortician tells four horrific tales to three drug dealers that he traps in their local funeral parlor.
Runtime: 98m
Language(s): English
Streaming: Amazon, Shudder, Starz
Night of the Creeps – 1986
In 1959, an alien experiment crashes to earth and infects a fraternity member. They freeze the body, but in the modern day, two geeks pledging a fraternity accidentally thaw the corpse, which proceeds to infect the campus with parasites that transform their hosts into killer zombies.
Runtime: 88m
Language(s): English
Streaming: Amazon, Apple TV, YouTube
Pulse – 2001
In the immense city of Tokyo, the darkness of the afterlife lures some of its inhabitants who are desperately trying to escape the sadness and isolation of the modern world.
Runtime: 119m
Language(s): Japanese
Streaming: Amazon, AMC+
MadS – 2024
A teenager stops off to see his dealer to test a new drug before heading off for a night of partying. On the way home, he picks up an injured woman, and the night takes a surreal turn.
Runtime: 89m
Language(s): French
Streaming: Amazon, Movistar Plus, Rakuten TV, Filmin
Retribution – 2006
A detective investigates a series of murders. A possible serial killer might be on a rampage, since they all are in the same vicinity and by the same method, but as the evidence points toward the detective as the prime suspect, a ghost in red follows him, and he begins to question his identity. His realization of what seems to have really happened results in something much more sinister and larger in scope, and it leaves his psyche scarred.
Runtime: 104m
Language(s): Japanese
Streaming: Amazon, YouTube
Demons – 1985
A group of people are trapped in a West Berlin movie theater infested with ravenous demons who proceed to kill and possess the humans one-by-one, thereby multiplying their numbers.
Runtime: 89m
Language(s): Italian, English
Streaming: Amazon, Apple TV, FilxOle
Day of the Dead – 1985
As the world is overrun by zombies, scientists and military personnel in an underground Florida bunker must decide on how they should deal with the undead.
Runtime: 101m
Language(s): English
Streaming: Amazon, Apple TV, Acontra Plus, Filmin
Wait Until Dark – 1967
After a flight back home, Sam Hendrix returns with a doll he innocently acquired along the way. As it turns out, the doll is actually stuffed with heroin, and a group of criminals led by the ruthless Roat has followed Hendrix back to his place to retrieve it. When Hendrix leaves for business, the crooks make their move – and find his blind wife, Susy, alone in the apartment. Soon, a life-threatening game begins between Susy and the thugs.
Runtime: 108m
Language(s): English
Streaming: Amazon, Apple TV
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