What To Watch This October
This list will be compressed to only 10 picks, which makes it somewhat difficult when there’s so many amazing movies out there. Nevertheless, I tried to go for variety, so this list may not contain a lot of films that rely on jump-scares to enter the ‘scary movie’ checklist.
Starting off in #10, this movie is more of a thriller. Still I believe it deserves a spot on this list: The Killing of a Sacred Deer, 2017.
Directed by the very talented Yorgos Lanthimos. As it’s the directors trademark, the movie is filled with suspenseful scenes, mystery, and a very disturbing and eery feeling that’s almost palpable throughout the whole movie. The story kicks off after the famous cardiologist, Dr. Steven Murphy (played by the very talented Colin Farrell), is unable to save a patient’s life. This puts a sentimental burden on him, specially after getting acquainted with his patient’s family, and only son, Martin Lang (played by Barry Keoghan). Dr. Murphy decides to check on young Martin regularly, trying to make him feel better, whilst distracting him from the harsh reality of losing a father figure. Alas, this wouldn’t be a Lanthimos movie without awkward dialogue, great acting, and a fantastic plot.
As I stated before, this movie is more on the ‘Thriller’ category, but it still gives me the creeps every time that I rewatch some of its scenes.
Coming in at #9, I have listed Director’s Rose Glass’ Saint Maud, 2019.
This movie has everything, from jump-scares, interesting plot, great acting, good character development, amazing score, and more! The story follows a young nurse named Maud (played by Morfydd Clark), who recently found warmth in God and religion. She seems sweet and endearing, but as the movie progresses, we realize that there’s more layers to Maud’s personality, and why she gained an obsession with religion. We follow her to a mysterious, yet disturbing fate, building up the atmosphere for the breathtaking climax of the movie. It’s great, there’s no other words that I could use to describe this movie.
Surprisingly, this next movie is more in the Action and Thriller spectrum, nonetheless it still deserves a spot on my list, and that’s Mandy, 2018. (#8)
Who would’ve thought that Nicholas Cage could star in one of the best Action-Thrillers of the last decade? Panos Cosmatos takes us to a colorful and peaceful world, where Red Miller (Nicholas Cage) lives happily married to Mandy Bloom (Andrea Riseborough). Abruptedly, Red’s paradise is disturbed, forcing him to endure immeasurable pain just to obtain vengeance, and destroy everything and anyone that took away his peacefulness. This movie is colorful in a lot of ways, and the score is almost perfect, making the whole experience feel new in a world filled with boring, jump-scared filled projects.
#7, and maybe should’ve been higher on the list, is Robert Eggers’ The Lighthouse, 2019.
Loneliness can be pretty scary. In the 1890s, two lighthouse keepers (played by the extremely talented pair, Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe) are sent to a very distant and mysterious island in New England. Their job? Making sure that the lighthouse is still working, even during the harsh weather conditions that it may have to endure. This movie shows how a man can become detached of reality and itself after having to spend time alone, following meaningless orders, and being pushed to his limits by a senile captain. Eggers impressed everyone with how stellar the work on this movie came out, which is another reason as to why you should give it a try.
Get Out, 2017 is my pick #6, just shy of being inside my top 5. However, that doesn’t take anything away from this breathtaking masterpiece that Jordan Peele blessed our eyes with.
Daniel Kaluuya gave us a masterclass on acting throughout his performance as Chris Washington. The plot itself is great, but the whole cast delivered it so well, pulling the audience into the very depths of the story, and showing us how real plot-twists should be done. The thing that I liked the most, is how the movie started as a moral dilemma of a young interracial couple having to deal with the awkwardness and timid acceptance of elderly family members, to a whole different approach. Peele did an amazing job, it was a great debut for his next projects, and it set up the standards for psychological thrillers later on.
Before listing my top 5 picks, here are some honorable mentions:
Perfect Blue (1997)
The House That Jack Built (2018)
The Black Phone (2021)
In Fabric (2018)
Creep (2014)
Mother! (2017)
Climax (2018)
Incident in a Ghostland (2018)
Both #5 and #4 are movies by Ari Aster, one of my favorite horror directors of this last decade. Midsommar (2019) first, exploring how culture shock can go overboard, ending up in a suspenseful and intriguing story.
Florence Pugh is amazing in Midsommar. Her grief is portrayed in a very convincing manner, making me feel anxious during the whole movie, specially with how his boyfriend Christian acts around her. I’ve watched this movie several times, and every single time it still shocks and encapsulates me. This is how a movie surrounding cults should be done.
Hereditary 2018, explores also the topic of a cult-like following, but in a very different way. Toni Collette was robbed for not getting an Academy Award for her performance throughout the movie. The relationship between the family feels real, and the whole ‘demon possession’ does not feel forced at all. Alex Wolff killed his part, doing a marvelous job working alongside Collette. Aster uses jump-scares in a very natural way, making the whole experience feel right, not forcing absolutely anything.
At #3 I have The Witch, 2015. Another movie by Robert Eggers.
After a family is expelled from their settlement for defying the local church, William (Ralph Ineson) takes matters into his own hands and finds a way to raise his family without the help of anyone. Katherine (Kate Dickie), his wife, just had a newborn baby, which makes it difficult for her to join her husband in crop work, leaving her older daughter Thomasin (Anya Taylor-Joy) to fill in and take charge of her duties. As time passes by, things aren’t looking good for the family. Things aren’t looking so bright, as crops are dying, animal traps aren’t working, and the eerie feeling of someone watching and controlling the family’s fate grows larger. This is how a Horror movie should be done, with little to no jump-scares, relying on their actors work and how they deliver every scene. Eggers, as well as Aster, is quickly solidifying himself as one of the best horror movie directors of this decade.
Shy of the first place, Black Swan, 2010 directed by Darren Aronofsky gets into the top 2 without a doubt.
This film dives into the psyche of a young ballerina who dreams of becoming the best in the world, or at least her production company. Her efforts are challenged by the entrance of a new, and more talented ballerina to the studio, pushing her to the edge, and forcing her to loose delicacy and uptightness. Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel, and Winona Ryder take us deep into the story, showing us how harsh the ballet industry really is. This is a must watch, I cannot recommend it enough.
Finally, the first movie on this list, and by far one of my favorite of all time: The Shinning, 1980.
There’s no doubt that Stanley Kubrick is one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. Still, without any bias surrounding his other work, The Shinning should always have a place in any top 10 horror films of all time, no questions asked. I won’t describe the plot, the movie speaks for itself. So here’s an extract from the movie’s Letterboxd page, describing the movie’s plot:
Jack Torrance accepts a caretaker job at the Overlook Hotel, where he, along with his wife Wendy and their son Danny, must live isolated from the rest of the world for the winter. But they aren’t prepared for the madness that lurks within.
Stephen King’s novel is great, and there was no better director to portray his vision other than Kubrick. I’ve rated this film a 10/10 before, and I’ll do it again. Stream it, rent or buy it. If you haven’t watched it, make yourself a favor and do it as soon as possible.