2020 Horror Movie Month Halfway Report

In October I watch a horror movie every night. Usually I watch ones I’ve never seen before, with the exception of one older franchise that I revisit (this year it’s A Nightmare On Elm Street). Below is my list of movies from the first half of the month, along with a brief note on each. These aren’t “reviews” because my taste in movies is not that nuanced. I like pretty much everything in the horror/thriller genre. Well, “like” might be too strong of a word. But I have no problem sitting through most horror movies. The ones in bold below are the ones that I would watch again in the future. I’ll also include on what streaming service they’re currently available. Otherwise they’re all likely available on Amazon to rent. A good site to find where a movie is streaming is justwatch.com.

A ⭐️ means it was one of my favorites of the month so far.

A 💀 means I thought there was some legitimately scary moments (beyond just a jump scare or something like that)

Oct. 1 - The Invisible Man (2020) - I realize I don’t know the story of the original Invisible Man flick. Does he drink a potion or some shit like that? Well, whatever, this new version was pretty solid. (HBOMax)

Oct. 2 - A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984) - This actually holds up surprisingly well. I was sort of surprised by that.

Oct. 3 - Blood Rage (1983) - If you schlocky 80s horror, you’ll enjoy this. That’s not really my scene. Filmed in 1983 and released in 1987, I have a feeling it probably felt dated even upon its release. (AmazonPrime)

⭐️ Oct. 4 - Better Watch Out (2016) - This has been one of my favorites this month. Not “scary” really, but I had no idea where it was going, so that’s why I found it so enjoyable. If you’re going to watch it, don’t read anything about it. Just fire it up and watch. (AmazonPrime)

⭐️ 💀 Oct. 5 - The Hole In the Ground (2019) - Very good movie in the “creepy kid” genre. (Amazon Prime)

⭐️ Oct. 6 - Triangle (2009) - More existentially scary than spooky scary. This is a mind-bending movie. The kind of one you go to youtube after to fully unravel.

Oct. 7 - Afflicted (2013) - A well done found-footage style horror movie with some scary moments.

Oct. 8 - Hubie Halloween (2020) - Adam Sandler’s new Netflix movie. It’s about what you’d expect it to be. (Netflix)

Oct. 9 - A Nightmare On Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge (1985) - A big drop-off from the first film. It doesn’t even have the same mythology. Freddy—a monster who attacks you in dreams—is now crashing pool parties in the real world. The movie is probably more interesting sociologically. It was a mainstream horror release in the 80s but it has been described as “gloriously gay.”

Oct. 10 - Stake Land (2010) - Like a season of the Walking Dead condensed into a movie (and not about zombies). Not bad. (AmazonPrime)

💀 Oct. 11 - As Above So Below (2014) - This got pretty bad reviews, so I didn’t watch it when it was originally released. Watching it now, I enjoyed it. It’s a found-footage style movie that mostly takes place underground in the Catacombs of Paris. I found that setting very effective for a horror movie. (Netflix)

💀 Oct. 12 - The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016) - Good. Scary setting. Lots of creepy visuals. (Netflix)

Oct. 13 - Happy Death Day 2U (2019) - Not as good as the first movie in the series. But this gets points for combining so many genres in one film. It’s as much or more a comedy film and a sci-fi film as it is a horror film. There’s even some family drama elements to it. My eyes legitimately got teary at one point. I think this is the only movie on the list to do that.

Oct. 14 - The Loved Ones (2009) - A well done torture porn type of film. If you had asked me 10 years ago, I probably would have really liked this. But I guess I’m mellowing or something because it was almost too much for me in some spots. (AmazonPrime)

Oct. 15 - Zombieland: Double Tap (2019) - I remember really enjoying the first one. This one didn’t quite do it for me. Some funny moments, but overall just a weaker version of the original.

Oct. 16 - A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987) - This gets the series back on track. Some fun visuals and Freddy starts calling people “bitch.”

⭐️ 💀 Oct. 17 - Haunt (2019) - This was just a really well executed horror movie. It doesn’t really try to do anything too crazy. The set-up (young adults go to an “extreme haunted house “ attraction out in the middle of nowhere) is something that could have been done in the 80s. But it’s really effective and I found the “monsters” to be pretty unsettling. If you think of yourself as a horror movie fan, then I think you’ll like this one.