October hardly needs an introduction (especially from me), so let’s dig right in because there’s a lot to be excited about this Halloween season. There’s a release each week this month that you’ll probably want to check out, so mark your calendars (or just check back here) and start planning your Halloween-watching list. Some of the films I’m looking forward to the most are the The Lighthouse, Little Monsters, Sweetheart, and Parasite, but there are so much more—I hope you have a bunch of free time laying around because you’re going to need it! Take a look:
October 4
In the Tall Grass (Netflix)
Director: Vincenzo Natali
Cast: Laysla De Oliveira, Avery Whitted, Patrick Wilson
After hearing a young boy’s cry for help, a sister and brother venture into a vast field of tall grass in Kansas but soon discover there may be no way out…and that something evil lurks within.
October 11
Along Came the Devil 2 (VOD)
Director: Jason DeVan
Cast: Bruce Davison, Laura Wiggins, Mark Ashworth
After receiving an unsettling voicemail, Jordan (Wiggins) returns home, looking for answers, only to find her estranged father and even more questions. A demonic force has attached itself to the town and no one is safe. The only one who seems to know anything is the small town’s Reverend.
Fractured (Netflix)
Director: Brad Anderson
Cast: Sam Worthington, Lily Rabe, Stephen Tobolowsky
Driving cross-country, Ray and his wife and daughter stop at a highway rest area where his daughter falls and breaks her arm. After a frantic rush to the hospital and a clash with the check-in nurse, Ray is finally able to get her to a doctor. While the wife and daughter go downstairs for an MRI, Ray, exhausted, passes out in a chair in the lobby. Upon waking up, they have no record or knowledge of Ray’s family ever being checked in.
Little Monsters (Hulu)
Director: Abe Forsythe
Cast: Lupita Nyong’o, Josh Gad, Stephen Peacocke
A washed-up musician teams up with a teacher and a kids show personality to protect young children from a sudden outbreak of zombies.
Mary (VOD)
Director: Michael Goi
Cast: Gary Oldman, Jennifer Esposito, Emily Mortimer
A family looking to start a charter-boat business buys a ship that holds terrifying secrets once out on isolated waters.
Parasite (Theaters)
Director: Joon-ho Bong
Cast: Kang-ho Song, Sun-kyun Lee, Yeo-jeong Jo
All unemployed, Ki-taek’s family takes peculiar interest in the wealthy and glamorous Parks for their livelihood until they get entangled in an unexpected incident.
The Addams Family (Theaters)
Director: Greg Tiernan, Conrad Vernon
Cast: Oscar Isaac, Charlize Theron, Chloë Grace Moretz
An animated version of Charles Addams’ series of cartoons about a peculiar, ghoulish family.
The Dead Center (VOD)
Director: Billy Senese
Cast: Shane Carruth, Poorna Jagannathan, Jeremy Childs
A hospital psychiatrist’s own sanity is pushed to the edge when a frightened amnesiac patient insists that he has died and brought something terrible back from the other side.
October 18
The Lighthouse (Theaters)
Director: Robert Eggers
Cast: Willem Dafoe, Robert Pattinson, Valeriia Karaman
The hypnotic and hallucinatory tale of two lighthouse keepers on a remote and mysterious New England island in the 1890s.
Wounds (Hulu)
Director: Babak Anvari
Cast: Zazie Beetz, Dakota Johnson, Armie Hammer
Disturbing and mysterious things begin to happen to a bartender in New Orleans after he picks up a phone left behind at his bar.
Zombieland: Double Tap (Theaters)
Director: Ruben Fleischer
Cast: Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin, Zoey Deutch
Columbus, Tallahasse, Wichita, and Little Rock move to the American heartland as they face off against evolved zombies, fellow survivors, and the growing pains of the snarky makeshift family.
Trick (VOD)
Director: Patrick Lussier
Cast: Omar Epps, Jamie Kennedy, Vanessa Aspillaga
A no-nonsense detective tries to track down a serial killer named Trick, who is terrorizing a small town.
October 22
Sweetheart (VOD)
Director: J.D. Dillard
Cast: Emory Cohen, Kiersey Clemons, Hanna Mangan Lawrence
Jenn has washed ashore a small tropical island and it doesn’t take her long to realize she’s completely alone. She must spend her days not only surviving the elements, but must also fend off the malevolent force that comes out each night.
October 25
Girl on the Third Floor (VOD)
Director: Travis Stevens
Cast: C.M. Punk, Trieste Kelly Dunn, Sarah Brooks
Don Koch tries to renovate a rundown mansion with a sordid history for his growing family, only to learn that the house has other plans.
The Gallows Act II (VOD)
Director: Travis Cluff, Chris Lofing
Cast: Ema Horvath, Chris Milligan, Brittany Falardeau
When Ana Rue transfers to a prestigious new acting school, she encounters a malevolent spirit after participating in a viral challenge.
October 29
47 Meters Down: Uncaged (VOD)
Director: Johannes Roberts
Cast: Sophie Nélisse, Corinne Foxx, Brianne Tju
Four teen girls diving in a ruined underwater city quickly learn they’ve entered the territory of the deadliest shark species in the claustrophobic labyrinth of submerged caves.
September Highlights
themissingreel.com 
I had the opportunity to watch parasite.
It starts do great but it loses steam and the ending is so-so…
Can´t wait for wounds and the lighthouse!
Same! The Lighthouse seems like it’s going to be… weird (but in a good way).
A great feast of horror coming up! Damn. And so cool to see Shane Carruth in something again! I’ll never forget seeing Primer and even more so Upstream Color for the first time. Talk about some original storytelling!
I’ll take a chance on that Gary Oldman horror on a boat, because, you know — GARY OLDMAN!!!
Lol, solid point about Gary Oldman. I probably would have skipped it for this list if he wasn’t in it. It has had like no marketing whatsoever (strange). With you on Shane Carruth! Both of those movies you mentioned are something else.
For some reason I thought Little Monsters came out already. I must be confusing the festival hype. I’m definitely seeing The Lighthouse in theaters, and probably Zombieland 2 even though I’m not as hyped for it. I may check out a few of these streaming options too.
I’m pretty sure Little Monsters had a very small theatrical release not too long ago. It’s hard to keep track of all these movies, though! The Lighthouse looks awesome.
A lotta intriguing streaming options, but I’ve been looking forward to “Lighthouse” for months. Light up, I say!
Hype!
Parasite looks intriguing, although I think it’s getting some mixed reviews, no?
Being a fan of animation, I’m really looking forward to The Addams Family.
I almost didn’t recognize Willem Dafoe in that still from The Lighthouse. He really looks the part of a grizzled old lighthouse keeper!
Parasite has been getting nothing but high praise—Bong Joon Ho’s best film yet, apparently. Not that Rotten Tomatoes is a great resource, but it does have a 99% with over 200 reviews. Not bad!
I really want to see The Lighthouse.