Every year, brothers Jack and Jeremy Kolodziejski, create watch lists of 31 horror movies in order to celebrate Halloween all October long. Among these lists are classics they’ve never seen, old favorites due for a revisit, and new movies they’re looking forward to watching for the first time. This year they’ve selected 13 movies from each of their personal lists that they’re most excited to watch. Read on to participate in Story Scream 2018 and be sure to let us know what you think in the comments!
Jack’s List:
Ghost Stories (2018)
I love me some horror anthology, and 2018’s Ghost Stories seems to be a promising one. I missed it in theaters earlier this year, but a fun cast (featuring The End of the F***ing World’s Alex Lawthor and the consistently delightful Martin Freeman) and generally positive buzz make me excited to catch it on VOD.
Director: Andy Nyman, Jeremy Dyson
Available: $5 Rental on Youtube and Amazon
The Amityville Horror (1979)
It’s been years since I’ve seen this one. Time to revisit a classic!
Director: Stuart Rosenberg
Available: Hulu, $3 Rental on Youtube and Amazon
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
This classic is an unfortunate blind spot in my horror backlog. I’ve never seen it! I have seen the 2003 reboot, but that’s...well, it’s not the original. This is the year I rectify that.
Director: Tobe Hooper
Available: $3 Rental on Youtube and Amazon
Suspiria (2018)
Say what you will about horror remakes, but the moment I heard that Luca Guadagnino was taking on Dario Argento’s seminal horror classic Suspiria I was thrilled. Many will probably argue that the original is a work of art that shouldn’t be touched, but Guadagnino proved he has some serious chops with the absolutely beautiful Call Me By Your Name. Combine that with a soundtrack from Radiohead’s Thom Yorke, and you’ve got a recipe for a worthwhile modern reimagining.
Director: Luca Guadagnino
Available: Limited theatrical release on October 26th 2018, Wide release November 2nd, 2018
Ravenous (2018)
This post apocalyptic zombie horror made a big splash last year when it dropped on the Canadian film festival circuit. It just hit US Netflix and is high on my priority list to check out.
Director: Robin Aubert
Available: Netflix
The Endless (2018)
This indie-horror darling really surprised me when I caught it earlier this year. Directorial duo Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead play a pair of brothers that escaped a creepy desert cult back in their youth. What results is less of an explicit horror film, and more of a meditation of family through the lens of cosmic macabre. I’m looking forward to revisiting it again, as I think it’s one that will benefit from multiple viewings.
Director: Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead
Available: Netflix
Hereditary (2018)
A24 has been on a long running hot streak with their critically acclaimed art-house horror flicks. The VVitch and It Comes at Night were two of my favorite movies from the last couple of years, and this year’s Hereditary continues that trend. Writer and director Ari Aster’s full length debut is a masterpiece of atmosphere and tone. Don’t miss it.
Director: Ari Aster
Available: $5 Rental on Amazon
Unsane (2018)
Upon release, most of the buzz around Steven Soderberg’s Unsane concerned how it was filmed entirely on an iPhone. While that might sound like a distracting gimmick, Unsane is a surprising and underrated suspense thriller that uses its unique cinematography to its fullest advantage. The aspect ratio and fish eye perspective lend to a claustrophobic effect that perfectly fits the with film’s themes of stalking and institutionalization.
Director: Steven Soderberg
Available: Free streaming for Amazon Prime members
The Blackcoat’s Daughter (2015)
I don’t know much about this one other than some good word of mouth. If you’re like me and eagerly anticipating Netflix’s creepy reboot of Sabrina the Teenage Witch, this one may be worth checking out to get an idea of what actress Kiernan Shipka can do in a horror role.
Director: Oz Perkins
Available: $3 Rental on Amazon and Youtube
Funny Games (2007)
Home invasion movies are rarely fun, but Funny Games brings the genre to a new level of demented. The 2007 Funny Games is an American remake by the same director of the original German film, and it is more or less shot for shot the same movie. But a stacked cast featuring Naomi Watts, Tim Roth, and Michael Pitt gives this version a unique advantage. Funny Games turns the tropes of a home invasion horror movie on its head with a meta commentary that felt ahead of its time back in 2007, and I’m excited to see if it still holds up.
Director: Michael Haneke
Available: Netflix
Mandy (2018)
Mandy is a fucking gift. It’s a perfect blend of slow burn art-house horror and manic revenge thriller. It’s delightfully weird and full of psychedelic imagery and laugh out loud comedic release. It’s unflinchingly genuine and has moments of true heartbreak and catharsis. It has Nic Cage at his most unchained and an equally fantastic performance from Andrea Risborough. It features the final score from composer Johan Johansson, whose music creates a thick atmosphere that drones and croons along with the film perfectly. I genuinely can’t stop thinking about this movie and I can’t wait to watch it again.
Director: Panos Cosmatos
Available: $5 Rental on Amazon
The Night Eats the World (2018)
The Night Eats the World is a French post apocalyptic zombie film that has good buzz from the film festival scene. If that description sounds familiar, that’s because it’s almost identical to Ravenous. But hey, if you give me two promising French zombie indie thrillers in a year, I will watch two promising French zombie thrillers.
Director: Dominique Rocher
Available: $5 Rental on Amazon and Youtube
Apostle (2018)
Gareth Evans, director of The Raid: Redemption and The Raid 2, is making his English language feature film debut with Apostle. He flexed his horror chops back in 2013 with his short, Safe Haven in V/H/S 2, one of my favorite segments of the V/H/S anthology series. With Dan Stevens in the role as a man attempting to rescue his sister from a religious cult, my hopes for this one are exceedingly high. Netflix has a spotty track record when it comes to their original feature films, but I’ve got my fingers crossed.
Director: Gareth Evans
Available: October 12th on Netflix
Jeremy's List:
I take a different approach to Jack’s method of enjoying the Halloween season through film. Instead of revisiting any favorite, I deliberately fill out my list with horror films I have yet to see, recommended to me either by friends or critics whom I trust. That way, I can enjoy the Halloween season while discovering something personally new and (hopefully) something to get me into that spooky All Hallows’ Eve mood. Here are 13 from that list. I hope, if you have yet to discover them yourself, you’ll discover something new, fun, and classic just as I hope to do, but if you’ve seen one or all of them, you’ll either revisit or can happily debate/agree on why this list deserves or doesn’t deserve its current line-up. See you in the comments!
The Ritual (2018)
Director: David Bruckner
Available: Netflix
Summer of 84 (2018)
Director: Anouk Whissell, Francois Simard, Yoann-Karl Whissell
Available: Amazon
The Wailing (2016)
Director: Na Hong-jin
Available: Netflix
The Burbs (1989)
Director: Joe Dante
Available: Amazon Prime
Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988)
Director: Stephen Chiodo
Available: Hulu
Southbound (2015)
Director: Multiple (Series)
Available: Shudder, Amazon Prime
Tragedy Girls (2017)
Director: Tyler MacIntyre
Available: Hulu
In the Mouth of Madness (1994)
Director: John Carpenter
Available: Amazon, YouTube
The Loved Ones (2009)
Director: Sean Byrne
Available: Amazon Prime
The Fog (1980)
Director: John Carpenter
Available: Shudder, Amazon, YouTube
The Love Witch (2016)
Director: Anna Biller
Available: Amazon Prime
Matinee (1993)
Director: Joe Dante
Available: Amazon, YouTube
Channel Zero (2016)
Director: Arkasha Stevenson (Series)
Available: Shudder
Jack Kolodziejski
Co-Head of Podcasting
Jack makes drugs for a living, but not necessarily the fun kind. He enjoys international travel and discussing music, movies, and games in excruciating detail.
Jeremy Kolodziejski
Jeremy is younger than he looks, and has passionately studied the art and craft of filmmaking for as long as he can remember. He is currently a freelance wedding videographer, and is also heavily involved in Competitive Fighting Games. IG: jeremyko95
