15 Horror Movies to Watch for Halloween 2022

Previous lists: 2021 | 2020 | 2019

It’s that time of year again, and I’m back with some more picks for your Halloween watchlist. Some of them are off the beaten path, some of them are newer picks that may have snuck under your radar. If you dig them, comment and let us know! Or let us know which hidden gems should be on our list next year! Happy watching!

The Sender (1982, Roger Christian)

Synopsis: A disturbed telepathic man is able to transmit his dreams and visions into the minds of the people around him.

The first time I watched this, years ago, I really dug it and filed it in my mind under “hidden gem.” It had been so long that I needed a revisit to really remember if it still fits there and…. yep! For my mileage it's definitely one of the great, under-heralded horror-thrillers of the 1980s. It has that amazing thing where the reason someone might dislike it - a very odd, weird tone that could come off as awkward or comedic in moments - is exactly why it works so well for me. Love it.

Zombi 3 (1988, Lucio Fulci & Bruno Mattei)

Synopsis: When a terrorist’s body, infected with a stolen chemical, is recovered by the US military, the corpse is cremated, unintentionally releasing the virus/bacteria into the atmosphere over a small island.

That this was not totally finished by Fulci and then Mattei and Fragasso wrote/shot more stuff to piece together just makes it more enjoyable.

Such a mish-mash of ideas, sometimes foggy and atmospheric and sometimes just utterly ridiculous and amazing. Every idea is thrown at the wall and everyone is entertaining. Only thing dragging this down from a 5 star is that the running time started to feel long by the end.

An absolute blast, everything you want from one of these! The dubbed dialogue in this is a true delight. "I like to take a toke off a joint and every so often I like to piss on a bush. Am I gonna go to hell for that?"

Curse II: The Bite (1989, Frederico Prosperi)

Synopsis: After a young man is bitten on the hand by a radioactive snake, his hand changes into a lethal snake head, which attacks everyone he comes into contact with.

Did The Curse really have a lot of pull as a brand name or what? I feel like a good chunk of people haven't seen this because either: they didn't see The Curse or if they did they didn't think it was all that special. Which sucks because this is the better movie, and is packed with style (it looks like a canted-angle stuffed moody Italian film?! Nice.) and gross goopy Screaming Mad George effects. It drags a little and I was ready to give this a 3.5 but the finale does go off the chain with some sick shit so I had to bump it up to 4.

Night Angel (1990, Dominique Othenin-Girard)

Synopsis: A legendary she-demon, in the updated guise of a beautiful model, infiltrates the offices of a successful fashion magazine with the aim of corrupting the world via mass media.

Must have been in the right mood because this hits the spot! It has lots of great effects and the high late-80s cheese-factor helped the slightly uneven pace out when things started to drag. 

There's she-demons spitting snakes, a carnival-ass Society-esque freak-out bar, heart rippings, a whoo-shh-shhh-shhh sound that you can play a drinking game to and Doug Jones doing an intense ground-hop floor-dance.... thing.... hey, all said it was a good time imo!

Bloody Birthday (1981, Ed Hunt)

Synopsis: In 1970, three children are born at the height of a total eclipse. Ten years later, a boy and his teenage sister become endangered when they stumble onto the bloody truth about these three murderous children.

These kids are ruthless. The tone of this movie is like an early wave slasher (minus the whodunnit aspect) and a weird 70s hangover vibe. The music will all of a sudden sound like "a very special episode of Bloody Birthday" sitcom ass music right after these kids decide to shoot someone in the head for basically no reason. Wild stuff, and honestly well put together. Showing all of this (mostly) from the kid's POV makes it much more unnerving.

Bloody Muscle Body Builder in Hell (1995, Shinichi Fukazawa)

Synopsis: Body builder Naoto agrees to meet his photojournalist ex-girlfriend to help with her research on haunted houses. Accompanied by a professional psychic, they visit an abandoned house, but inside the house a dark secret lingers. They find themselves trapped and tormented by a relentless ghost with a 30-year-old grudge.

Straight to the point love letter to Evil Dead. Just when I was thinking its reputation as a splatter movie was a pinch overblown it hits you with the finale. Great stuff all around and it’s barely over 60 minutes long, so you have no reason to skip this one.

Night Vision (1987, Michael Krueger)

Synopsis: A stolen VCR enables whoever watches it to predict the future–but it also shows satanic rites and devil worship.

The cover suggests maybe an erotic thriller, but it's not at all. It's a well-made, goofy and surprisingly engrossing horror-thriller about a satanic cult who recorded their rituals onto a VHS tape which is now cursed. Unfortunately, this wiener from Kansas who has come to the big city to become a writer ends up with the tape. Now, his dreams of murders are influencing his stories, and they're all becoming true making him a suspect.

If you're here for violence and gore you'd be let down, but this was really well shot and even though its pace is shaggy, I found it super charming through and through. It looked like it was shot on film and finished on digital, because there's lots of great digital effects and static that breaks into the movie in a fun way.

Partially takes place in a great mom and pop looking VHS rental shop! I gotta circle back on the director's previous movie because I really dug this.

Cyst (2020, Tyler Russell)

Synopsis: In the 1960s, a nurse’s last day on her job is ruined when a doctor inadvertently creates a cyst monster that terrorizes the office.

Very charming! Not a shred of "we're making a bad movie on purpose" vibes to be seen, just an honest attempt to make a vintage b-movie throwback with a big practical cyst monster.

I enjoyed that there's roles from people like George Hardy and Greg Sestero but without turning them into stunt casting or reference-heavy characters. Eva Habermann (Lexx, Sky Sharks) is really solid in the central role as well. That there is a lack of truly laugh out loud moments (there's two outright gags that got me though) actually felt a little refreshing. It was nice to watch something like this that wasn't constantly mugging for the audience.

See for Me (2021, Randall Okita)

Synopsis: When blind former skier Sophie cat-sits in a secluded mansion, three thieves invade for the hidden safe. Sophie’s only defense is army veteran Kelly, who she meets on the See For Me app. Kelly helps Sophie defend herself against the invaders and survive.

If you’re reaching for more of a thriller this year, why not check out this very sturdy Canadian riff on Wait Until Dark? all around well-constructed and has a few decent twists to the plot to keep things suspenseful without being too predictable. Good stuff!!

Slumber Party Massacre (2021, Danishka Esterhazy)

Synopsis: Dana, daughter of the only survivor of a massacre in 1993, is going on a weekend trip with her friends. After their car breaks down in the very same town where her mother once fought the Driller Killer, Dana and her friends must come face-to-face with the man who has haunted her mother’s life for the past 30 years.

What else could you want from a SyFy original? Fun tone, some good laughs, a handful of gruesome kills, entertaining twists and turns, and only a couple lines that land with a thud. All around this was just a great time! Very enjoyable and features the best shower scene on this entire list, easily.

The Night Flier (1997, Mark Pavia)

Synopsis: Two investigative reporters for a tabloid magazine track down across country “The Night Flier”, a serial killer who travels by private plane stalking victims in rural airports.

For 40 minutes or so in the middle the pace of this movie becomes "cutscenes you started by walking up to a character and clicking 'talk'" in a way that I first wasn't into but really warmed up on. 

It helps that Miguel Ferrer makes a great sleazy tabloid asshole to follow around as they track down the vampire serial killer who flies their plane from small town airport to small town airport. 

It’s silly in the right ways and pretty gruesome too. Maybe my expectations were low, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Blades (1989, Thomas R. Rondinella)

Synopsis: Somewhere in New Jersey, a killer lawnmower stalks a small town's golf course.

In the 20 minute making of documentary on the Vinegar Syndrome release, director Thomas R. Rondinella mentions that they gravitated towards the technical parts of directing and had no idea how to direct actors, which is wild because a big part of why this is so successful sits in the performances, which are so pitch perfect.

The stuff that made me laugh the hardest here were very small things, and the movie resists going really, really broad with its humour. It could have really been a wink wink nudge nudge fest here but it's not!! And when it does get into gag territory it's just the right amount.

Plus, when they DO dip into scene-for-scene aping of JAWS it's always so perfect. The grass bag scene killed me, and when they find the smaller lawnmower and hoist it up for everyone to see lol. Just perfect.

Abby (1974, William Girdler)

Synopsis: When a minister’s wife becomes possessed by Eshu, the Nigerian god of sexuality, an exorcist is called in to drive the evil spirit away.

This is a really great riff on The Exorcist, and in particular the dialogue is really incredible. It's unreal to me that WB made it impossible to get your hands on in good quality because of their lawsuit, confiscating prints in 1974 etc. Truly evil shit on their part!

The Living Skeleton (1968, Hiroshi Matsuno)

Synopsis: A ship is attacked at sea for its cargo by a group of thieves who murder a newlywed doctor and rape his wife. Three years later her twin sister is kidnapped by the same pirates, who begin to die strange deaths.

Loved the structure of this, with the opening incident, the quick flashbacks, elaborate revenge, beautiful cinematography and fun floating skeletons vibe. Just great all around.

Bonus review, Carlo sez: “An absolutely perfect balance of artfully & patiently crafted, but still hokey "bats on strings" B-movie. 10 out of 10 October mood. Kikko Matsuoka big gothic Meiko Kaji energy.”

Road Meat (1989, Bill Bragg)

Synopsis: Two lunatics, Nick and Vick, celebrate their wedding day at the local asylum like any couple would – by kicking off a killing spree in style.

Almost episodic regional Ohio comedy-horror movie about two sociopaths who marry, escape, and go on a spree murdering people who annoy them. They end up meeting an old lady, escaping from a cult, and wind up helping the lady "take care" of her son who's trying to kill her for her money.

It's shoddy, sketchy stuff but I was quite charmed and I laughed at a lot of the little comedic touches and really enjoyed the backyard-esque gore effects. Fun!!!