Fall has officially arrived, and with it comes some of the genres most anticipated films including the big bad haunted house epic from Guillermo del Toro, Eli Roth’s take on the home invasion genre and the return of a demon-slaying icon! Not only do we have Halloween to look forward to at the end of the month, but horror fans are getting plenty of tricks and treats along the way with a bunch of fantastic looking horror films including one of my favorite films of the year in Deathgasm! But before we get started, here’s a quick recap of what I watched in September:

• Turbo Kid (review): This was a blast of pure, bloody fun featuring a kick ass soundtrack and some wonderfully weird characters.
• Pod (review): Despite some strong performances and a few solid scares, Pod was an all too hollow thriller that took much too long to get to the good stuff.
• Bloodsucking Bastards (review): A strong vampire comedy with equal doses of carnage and humor and a great cast backing it all up.
• The Editor (review): The weirdest movie I’ve seen this year by a long shot, but its charm and absurd approach to horror was an experiment that totally works.
• Cooties (review): Easily one of the funniest movies of the year, Cooties is nonstop entertainment that’s just as bloody as it is funny.
• Some Kind of Hate (review): An unfortunate misfire that fails to live up to its very good premise despite a wicked cool villain.

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October 2

Deathgasm (Theatrical & VOD)

Director: Jason Lei Howden

Cast: Milo Cawthorne, James Blake, Kimberley Crossman

Two teenage boys unwittingly summon an ancient evil entity known as The Blind One by delving into black magic while trying to escape their mundane lives.

A Christmas Horror Story (VOD)

Anthology

Cast: George Buza, Percy Hynes White, Oluniké Adeliyi

Interwoven stories that take place on Christmas Eve, as told by one festive radio host: A family brings home more than a Christmas tree, a student documentary becomes a living nightmare, a Christmas spirit terrorizes, Santa slays evil.

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October 6

Old 37  (VOD)

Director: Alan Smithee

Cast: Kane Hodder, Bill Moseley, Jake Robinson

Two brothers intercept 911 calls in a beat up old ambulance to torture and kill helpless victims.

In the Dark (VOD)

Director: Chris St. Croix & David Buchert

Cast: Katie Groshong, Shellie White, William Harrison

In the Dark tells the tale of two female assassins hiding out in a rundown motel who discover a bag of unmarked videotapes. With each tape they play, they are drawn deeper into a twisted world where anything can happen. From a gang of murderers who must fight to survive against a giant sin-slaying creature from hell to an axe wielding maniac playing a deadly game of cat and mouse with a family in an abandoned mental hospital; and finally, a lonely man promised true love by a supernatural matchmaker who finds his desire comes at a bloody price.

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October 9

The Final Girls (Theatrical & VOD)

Director: Todd Strauss-Schulson

Cast: Malin Akerman, Nina Dobrev, Taissa Farmiga

A young woman grieving the loss of her mother, a famous scream queen from the 1980s, finds herself pulled into the world of her mom’s most famous movie. Reunited, the women must fight off the film’s maniacal killer.

Knock Knock (Theatrical & VOD)

Director: Eli Roth

Cast: Keanu Reeves, Lorenza Izzo, Ana de Armas

When a devoted husband and father is left home alone for the weekend, two stranded young women unexpectedly knock on his door for help. What starts out as a kind gesture results in a dangerous seduction and a deadly game of cat and mouse.

Yakuza Apocalypse (Theatrical & VOD)

Director: Takashi Miike

Cast: Yayan Ruhian, Rirî Furankî, Mio Yûki

One day, men arrive from a competing clan and deliver him an ultimatum: Play nice or die. Kamiura refuses and, during a fierce battle, is torn limb from limb. With his dying breath, he passes on his vampire powers to his loyal lieutenant, Kageyama. His first order of business is to avenge his mentor, setting him on a collision course with the seemingly unstoppable foreign syndicate, and take his place as the new Yakuza boss.

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 October 16

Crimson Peak (Theatrical)

Director: Guillermo del Toro

Cast: Charlie Hunnam, Jessica Chastain, Tom Hiddleston

In the aftermath of a family tragedy, an aspiring author is torn between love for her childhood friend and the temptation of a mysterious outsider. Trying to escape the ghosts of her past, she is swept away to a house that breathes, bleeds…and remembers.

Tales of Halloween (Theatrical & VOD)

Anthology

Cast: Booboo Stewart, Grace Phipps, Lisa Marie

Ten stories are woven together by their shared theme of Halloween night in an American suburb, where ghouls, imps, aliens and axe murderers appear for one night only to terrorize unsuspecting residents.

The Diabolical (Theatrical & VOD)

Director: Alistair Legrand

Cast: Wilmer Calderon, Kurt Carley, Merrin Dungey

Madison, a single mother, and her children, are awoken nightly by an increasingly strange and intense presence. She seeks help from her scientist boyfriend Nikolai, who begins a hunt to destroy the violent spirit that paranormal experts are too frightened to take on.

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October 30

Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse (Theatrical)

Director: Christopher Landon

Cast: Tye Sheridan, Halston Sage, Logan Miller

Three scouts, on the eve of their last camp-out, discover the true meaning of friendship when they attempt to save their town from a zombie outbreak.

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October 31

Ash vs. Evil Dead (Starz)

Season 1

Cast: Bruce Campbell, Jill Marie Jones, Dana DeLorenzo

Ash has spent the last 30 years avoiding responsibility, maturity and the terrors of the Evil Dead until a Deadite plague threatens to destroy all of mankind and Ash becomes mankind’s only hope.

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Predictions

What you shouldn’t miss:

This should go without saying, but this month’s “must sees” are without a doubt Deathgasm, The Final Girls, Crimson Peak and Ash vs. Evil Dead.

• By now you should all know my love for Deathgasm (read my review here and exclusive interview with director Jason Lei Howden here), so I’m hoping that my praise for the film has rubbed off on you guys by now. It’s just a wonderful story with more blood and guts than you’ll know what to do with. See it!
• With so much festival praise, The Final Girls was an easy inclusion here. It has absolutely killed it at every screening and looks like a total blast.
• Any time Guillermo del Toro steps into the realm of horror it’s something worth getting excited about, especially when its a big budget haunted house epic like Crimson Peak. It sells itself, really.
• The fact that we’re getting a new adventure with deadite slayer Ash Williams is still hard for me to wrap my head around, let alone that we’ll actually be watching this Halloween! You’re crazy if you miss out on this one, folks.

What you should take a chance on:

The films you should take a chance on this month could have just as easily been labeled as a “must see,” which is a sure sign of a good month if you ask me. Those films are Knock Knock, Tales of Halloween and Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse.

• While the early word on Knock Knock hasn’t been great, Keanu Reeves and Eli Roth are too exciting of a tandem to ignore, and it looks like a nasty little midnight treat, at the very least.
• Tales of Halloween is a promising looking horror anthology that takes place on the best night of year, Halloween. It’s an appropriate fit for October and the early buzz has been great, so definitely give this one a shot.
• If you watched the trailer for Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse then you know why it landed a spot here. This movie looks like so much damn fun that I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s one of the best movies of the year. Definitely give it a shot!

Which film are you looking forward to the most?

Do you really have to ask? Ash vs. Evil Dead is a dream come true and I can’t wait to see what Ash has gotten himself into after all these years!

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