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It’s that time of year again! Time to get your spooky on and conquer NerdNet’s October Film Challenge. 31 horror movies selected by our contributors as we slowly drag our worm-ridden corpses toward Halloween. This year we have five contributors who’ve selected some of their favorite hair-raising films–everything from truly terrifying, hide-your-eyes, throw-up-in-your-popcorn-bowl classics, to “sp00py”, ridiculous (but somehow still disturbing) films like Killer Klowns from Outer Space.
Now while we’ve ordered these films for your nightly viewing pleasure, we realize not everyone has the time, patience, or stomach for all of the gruesome ghouls and gore the full list entails. So have a look around and give something new a try! Looking for a cult hit? You might enjoy The Void or Late Night with the Devil. Want something spooky to play while you carve those jack-o-lanterns? Trick ‘r Treat or House on Haunted Hill starring Vincent Price might just be the ticket.
No matter what you end up watching, we hope you and yours have a fantastic spooky season full of horror (the fun kind, of course) and way too much candy. Just be sure to save some for the trick-or-treaters. And if you’re looking for not-so-scary options for the kiddos, check out our list here.
Day 1: Smile (2022)
Selected by: Nathan Dudis
A chilling psychological horror where a sinister entity manifests through a series of terrifying smiles, blurring the line between reality and madness. It masterfully combines unsettling visuals with a deeply disturbing atmosphere that will leave you questioning every smile you see.
Day 2: The Canal (2014)
Selected by: Nathan Dudis
A haunting supernatural thriller about a film archivist who becomes obsessed with a mysterious, malevolent presence lurking in a haunted canal, leading to terrifying revelations. Its eerie setting and psychological depth create a suspenseful experience that gradually drags viewers into its dark, watery depths.
Day 3: The Void (2017)
Selected by: Nathan Dudis
A visceral cosmic horror where a small town becomes ground zero for an otherworldly invasion, forcing a group of survivors to confront unimaginable horrors. Its intense atmosphere, practical effects, and Lovecraftian themes deliver pure adrenaline and dread for horror aficionados.
Day 4: Rosemary's Baby (1968)
Selected by: Nathan Dudis
A disturbing psychological horror about a pregnant woman who suspects her sinister neighbors and husband are part of a devil worshipping cult aiming to use her baby for dark rituals. Its slow-burning tension, iconic performances, and chilling themes make it a timeless exploration of paranoia and evil.
Day 5: The Shining (1980)
Selected by: Nathan Dudis
A psychological horror classic in which a man’s descent into madness is fueled by supernatural forces at a remote haunted hotel, threatening his family’s safety. Stanley Kubrick’s masterful direction and the haunting performance by Jack Nicholson create a deeply unsettling atmosphere that endures decades later.
Day 6: The Invitation (2016)
Selected by: Nathan Dudis
A tense thriller about a dinner party where guests suspect that the hosts harbor a sinister, possibly deadly, secret, leading to a gripping climax. Its slow-building suspense and clever psychological manipulation keep viewers guessing until the shocking finale.
Day 7: Un Chien Andalou (1929)
Selected by: D. Eric Franks
This French, black-and-white and silent film is messed up. I know we all kinda think that back in the day, people were more naive and innocent, but this Salvador Dali and Luis Buñuel surrealist experimental art film is seriously disturbing. It’s got extreme body horror (e.g., a man cuts a woman’s eyeball open with a razor blade in an extreme closeup), a dude has ants pouring out of a hole in his hand, a severed hand in the street, a shocking accident, a man laughing at the accident while graphically sexually assaulting a woman, another dude gets shot, and then a happy romanitc ending. Just kidding. You’ll have to watch it. Fortunately, it’s only 21 minutes long.
Day 8: Moshari (2022)
Selected by: D. Eric Franks
Moshari (The Mosquito Net) is a Bangladeshi post-apocalyptic vampire short (22 minutes). The premise is that people can go out and about their business during the day, because the vampires only come out at night. A siren sounds in the eerie twilight and speakers blare warnings for everyone to get back home, because the vampires are everywhere. The vampires are easy to stop, however: All you need is to be under moshari (mosquito netting) to stop the blood suckers. But there can’t be a hole anywhere in the net or the monsters will find it. The movie follows two sisters - one nearly an adult and the other still a kid - as they go about their daily routine. They don’t have any fear of the monsters, since this has been going on for years. You can guess what goes wrong and they do indeed eventually have to fight a vampire. It’s exciting, tense, with a few jump scares and, in the end, it’s back to the routine: school during the day, get in under the moshari at night, with one major difference. Moshari won many awards and was the first Oscar-qualifying Bangladeshi film.
Day 9: Europa Report (2013)
Selected by: D. Eric Franks
Europa Report is a found-footage style suspense horror film about a manned mission to Jupiter’s moon Europa, one of the most promising places to search for life in our solar system. The found-footage part is that everything we see is from the cameras on the orbiter, landing craft, and helmets. There are quite a few, so you get nice camera angles. This footage is sent back to Earth at the end of the film. Shortly into the mission, there’s a solar storm that destroys delicate communications equipment. Repairing it goes badly wrong and the horror begins. The suspense builds as one thing after another goes wrong in classic horror movie fashion that will have you yelling at the screen, “What are you doing?! Get out! Get out of there!” In our reality, life on Europa is likely simple bacteria-type organisms (if it exists at all), but the scientists discover there might be something bigger out there, while everything goes wrong, and the crew, one by one… I’d say “Spoiler!” but it is a horror film. What did you expect? They should have heeded the warning from 2001 “All these worlds are yours except for Europa. Attempt no landing there.”
Day 10: The Babadook (2014)
Selected by: D. Eric Franks
The Babadook is a suspense thriller and the actual monster barely gets any screen time, if it’s in the movie at all. Maybe it’s all in our hero’s mind? Amelia is a single mother and is exhausted after her husband is killed in an accident while driving to the hospital when she was in labor. Her now young son Sam finds a book at home titled Mister Babadook which she didn’t buy for him. The storybook is a bit scary, but where it came from is even scarier. Sam is convinced Mister Babadook is real. Strange things happen that seem to be caused by Sam, but he always blames Mister Babadook. Amelia rips up the book, but it is back the next day in perfect condition. She has suicidal thoughts based on new pages in the book, but can’t get help. She burns the book. Then, the Babadook shows up. It torments and possesses Amelia and horrible, monstrous things happen. Sam helps exorcize the Babadook from Amelia, but it isn’t gone from the house. Life returns to normalcy for Amelia and Sam… and the Babadook.
Day 11: Shaun of the Dead (2004)
Selected by: D. Eric Franks
We’ve all seen Shaun of the Dead. It’s a classic film, but it also bears rewatching. There are so many details and foreshadowing and touching moments. The zombie bit is really just the background for a movie that is really about the humans, as so many zombie films are. Even just the opening sequence has a bunch of foreshadowing. We see our hero Shaun on a bus, with everyone zoned out in their little world, trudging about their mundane lives like… zombies. When the zombies do show up (and they do so very quickly), Shaun doesn’t even recognize that they are zombies, because they behave so much like Modern Man, going through the motions of yet another day. There are poignant moments with relationships repaired and other relationships that are not. The flick does NOT end how you think, but it is funny. "Let's go to the Winchester, have a nice cold pint, and wait for this all to blow over." Turns out to be great life advice.
Day 12: Army of Darkness (1992)
Selected by: D. Eric Franks
How many times has it turned out that the best movie in a series is the third movie? Honestly, this is more of a comedy than it is horror, but it does have a witch, a bunch of demons, evil dead, jump scares, and a fair amount of gore, so I think it qualifies. The plot? Well, see, Ash (Bruce Campbell) gets transported back to medieval times. He has a shotgun and his right arm is a chainsaw. It’s a long story: Watch the two earlier movies and it might make some sense. Or not. Anyhow, to get back to the present day, he needs to find this book, the Necronomicon… I’ll stop there. It is a very, very dumb movie, but also really, really funny and a bit scary at times.
Day 13: Midsommar (2019)
Selected by: D. Eric Franks
This is Ari Aster’s second big film (after Hereditary) and it gave me the creeps right from the beginning. Sure, Hereditary ramps the horror up a notch or three, but the slow build to insanity (or redemption?) is what Midsommar is about. I saw the camera pan past a bear in a cage at the beginning and thought “Oh, this isn’t going to end well.” And it doesn’t, but completely not in the way I envisioned with the foreshadowing bear. There’s no possible way you can predict it. There are a number of events that you can see coming, but when they happen, they are more disturbing than you can imagine. The movie resolves nicely for our emotionally tormented hero Dani (Florence Pugh), but not so much for anyone else. Other than the cultists. They seem to be just fine.
Day 14: Late Night with the Devil (2023)
Selected by: Jo R. Jardina
This is one of my favorite movies of the last several years, not just favorite horror, but favorite movie, from all genres. The setting unfolds on a live talk show, where each guest becomes increasingly more creepy, supernatural, and gruesome until the end erupts. I love the movie for the interesting setting, and the skepticism - the talk show host doesn’t seem to believe in any of the paranormal things his guests are touting, but he is forced to become a believer.
Day 15: The Gate (1987)
Selected by: Jo R. Jardina
The Gate is a childhood favorite of mine and a cult classic. Not one, but two scenes in this movie imprinted on my brain as a child and still live there rent free. The whole story centers around three teenagers who were left home alone for the weekend, and an accidental sacrificial dog that opens a gate to hell. Then, well, all hell breaks loose, literally. There are a lot of movies about opening gates to hell or other terrible places, so you need to watch at least one this demonic month.
Day 16: A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Selected by: Jo R. Jardina
Freddy Kruger was my original boogeyman. I’ve always had terrible nightmares, night terrors, and sleep paralysis, so as a child he was terrifying and felt more real than any other famous boogeyman. As an adult, I can appreciate that feeling, but all the fear is gone; if Freddy visited me in my sleep tonight I might boop his lil’ burnt nose. I recently saw A Nightmare on Elm Street in the theatre, and I was amazed at how much everyone in the theatre, including myself, was laughing throughout the movie. Mr. Kruger may not scare me anymore, but there is still a lot to enjoy in this movie: the boiler room vibes, yelling at everyone to stop going to sleep, a few iconic scenes (with and without murder), and it is Johnny Depp’s first role. Add it to your list of movies to watch during the spooky stretch.
Day 17: What We Do in the Shadows (2014)
Selected by: Jo R. Jardina
I love a good spooky movie, but sometimes I need a break where I watch something sp00py. At times like these, What We Do In The Shadows is a good choice. The movie is dark, but extremely silly, as it follows a group of vampires that are living together in a mockumentary style. Yes, this is the movie What We Do In the Shadows the FX television show is based off of, but this movie follows a different group of vampires. This movie has Immortal, goth, vampires, who are also idiots, and Taika Waititi. What else do you need to know? When you need a spooky break, but still want to keep it seasonal just watch What We Do In The Shadows.
Day 18: Get Out (2017)
Selected by: Jo R. Jardina
People were skeptical of Jordan Peel’s first foray into horror after years and years of comedy, but Get Out quickly became a favorite for many. Having to go out in the middle of nowhere and meet your girlfriend’s rich, white family could be intimidating and creepy for anyone, but add in racial tension and it becomes terrifying. Jordan Peel is great at building an extraordinary horror story, while blending in elements of the person of color experience in America, and still somehow sprinkling in a few jokes. If you haven’t watched Peel’s movies, you should watch them all, but start with Get Out.
Day 19: Hereditary (2018)
Selected by: Josh McDarris
Midsommar wasn't enough Ari Aster slow-burn dread for ya? Love finishing a movie with a pit in your stomach? I give you Hereditary. Toni Collette gives a fantastic (and horrifying) performance and there's a good handful of cover-your-eyes disturbing scenes–some of the best in modern horror. I saw this in theaters and it left enough of a mark that I refused to watch it again until years later.
Day 20: The Conjuring (2013)
Selected by: Josh McDarris
The Conjuring delivers all of the things I love about supernatural horror: a MacGuffin (there are a good handful in this film), lore or dark history, tension building throughout the entire film which leads to phenomenal jump scares, and finally some sort or mysticism (Catholic, in this case). Based on real cases from paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, this film follows a family tormented by a malevolent presence in their farmhouse. It's also the first time we meet the haunted doll Annabelle before she got her own spin off. One of the best mainstream horror films of the 2010s.
Day 21: The Thing (1982)
Selected by: Josh McDarris
Hands down one of the greatest horror movies of all time, The Thing follows a research team in the frozen isolation of Antarctica who uncover a shape-shifting alien. The creature infiltrates their team, sparking paranoia as no one can be trusted. John Carpenter’s masterpiece blends sci-fi horror, practical effects, and psychological tension. Over 40 years later the practical effects still hold up. A movie I go back to again and again.
Day 22: The Descent (2005)
Selected by: Josh McDarris
A group of women spelunkers find themselves trapped in an uncharted cave system—only to discover they aren’t alone. It's part survival thriller and monster movie with added horror if you're particularly claustrophobic. Watch it for its atmosphere of suffocating dread.
Day 23: House on Haunted Hill (1959)
Selected by: Josh McDarris
It's fun, gimmicky, and stars Vincent Price. Few other classic films set the tone for the spooky season like House on Haunted Hill. In the film, Frederick Loren (Vincent Price) invites strangers to spend an entire night in a haunted mansion with a cash prize at stake. Will everyone survive the night to claim their prize? Once you've watched the original you need to watch the RiffTrax version. Fun fact: when the film opened in theaters, a plastic skeleton was flown on a wire over the heads of the audience during a corresponding scene for maximum thrills.
Day 24: Ginger Snaps (2000)
Selected by: Josh McDarris
A dark coming-of-age story where teenage sisters face the horrors of adolescence—complicated by a werewolf bite. Personally I love how morbid the two sisters are and how much it reminds me of me as a teenager (the love of the macabre, that is). If you're a dude, this is a fun (or possibly traumatizing) one to introduce to your female friends/significant other as they'll probably relate to this hard (except for the turning into a werewolf part, probably). It’s a cult classic that turned the werewolf genre on its head.
Day 25: An American Werewolf in London (1981)
Selected by: TJ Montgomery
While diving through the classic monster tale of the wolfman, we get to see some of the best practical effects work in the horror genre. The transformation scene alone is worth the roughly hour-forty minute run time. It is a very fun time and I would highly advise checking out the behind the scenes after the movie.
Day 26: Evil Dead II (1987)
Selected by: TJ Montgomery
Is it basically a remake of the first movie due to some distribution issues? Most certainly, but by this time everyone was on the same page that this soon-to-be franchise needed to understand it was campy. They nosedived into a more campy tone for this hour and a half film and benefited heavily from that decision. With some fun gore, practical effects, and a very charismatic Bruce Campbell, this movie is a must-watch.
Day 27: Killer Klowns From Outer Space (1988)
Selected by: TJ Montgomery
Is this by definition a good movie? Absolutely not, it is cheesy with an almost non-existent plot. But what it lacks in technicality it thrives in pure enjoyment and very fun aesthetic choices during its hour and a half runtime. Space clowns killing folks through circus-related objects, while wearing recycled troll outfits from ‘Ernest Scared Stupid’? What more could you want?
Day 28: Scream (1996)
Selected by: TJ Montgomery
I could write a full dissertation on why this movie is a must-watch. It revived the horror genre, which was a dying brand of thoughtless sequels at the time, into a whole new type of genre of horror we see prominently today; meta-horror. Through a well-paced two hours, we are gifted with witty dialogue, fleshed-out characters, tongue-in-cheek humor, and a rise in real-life caller ID post-release.
Day 29: The Blair Witch Project (1999)
Selected by: TJ Montgomery
This movie is a must-watch strictly by how incredible its marketing was. Casting unknown actors who then stayed out of the public eye and then marketed it as a found-footage true story of what happened to these three individuals. It is a somewhat tense hour-twenty in the woods investigating local superstition that piloted the found-footage genre of the 2000s.
Day 30: The Strangers (2008)
Selected by: TJ Montgomery
This to me is one of the most frightening horror movies out there because it isn’t a supernatural dream demon, or this hulking zombie with a machete; it is people being horrible because they have the opportunity to. Through this hour-and-a-half movie, we watch two characters being hunted and played with from what should be the safest place, their home. The dread then comes from seeing and hearing what our main characters cannot through creepy wide-angled shots.
Day 31: Trick 'r Treat (2007)
Selected by: Jo R. Jardina
Trick R’ Treat is a movie that should be watched every spooky season. This is my favorite kind of story: an anthology. Some anthologies have a common theme, but Trick R’ Treat is even better, as it wraps 5 stories together - that’s 5 spooky stories for the price (or time) of one. For those who have seen it, you’ll know what I mean when I say you should watch it for our beloved, cutie Sam. You wouldn’t want to make him upset and cry through his burlap sack, which may or may not be his face! Can Sam cry? I don’t know, as his origin and details about him are mysterious. This movie happens on Halloween, which gives it one more reason to be on the list of movies you watch this Halloween.