It's October, and we all know what that means. With Halloween just a few weeks away, horror movie fans have an excuse to binge watch every gory, chilling, and spooky film they have time for. (Even people who aren't scare-obsessed might be in the mood for a good fright.) There's just nothing like throwing on a favorite hoodie, fuzzy socks, and hiding under a warm blanket to watch something scary on a cold, windy, and dark fall night.
… especially when there's a full moon!
While the classics — think Halloween and Friday the 13th — are always fun to watch, there are a bunch of really well-done, unique, and absolutely bone-chilling horror flicks that have come out in 2020.
Since movie theaters were closed for so much of this year, many of us may have missed them, but the newest films to hit the horror genre are totally worth tracking down and checking out. (Some of them may even be worth paying for!) There are, after all, 10 months of new horror releases to catch up on — and while we know there are a bunch of horror films that never reach theaters released every year, this year, almost none of those that made our list of the year's best horror movies were in theaters — so many, many people have yet to see them.
Keep reading to find out which new horror movies to add to the must-watch queue to keep the scares coming all month long. Just be sure not to stress-eat too much of that Halloween candy waiting in the cupboards.
'Gretel & Hansel'
Watch on: Amazon Prime
Gretel & Hansel was initially released in January, so it was one of the few horror films that was actually shown in theaters this year — but it was so long ago at this point, that many movie lovers may have forgotten about it. The film offers a new take on the old fairy tale, with Gretel taking the lead role, as the brother and sister fight for survival, first from hunger and poverty and then from their rescuer.
'Yummy'
Watch on: Amazon Prime beginning October 6
This Belgian horror-comedy is absolutely bizarre, but offers serious amounts of gore and guts, alongside a truly original story line. It's about a young couple who travel to Eastern Europe to get plastic surgery, and unwittingly, cause the outbreak of a zombie virus that threatens to reach far beyond the clinic.
'The Lodge'
Watch on: Hulu
Within the first five minutes of the film, The Lodge proves that it will be a seriously disturbing film. While this movie — about two kids who end up staying in a remote cabin with their troubled stepmom over winter break — features plenty of suspense throughout, it's the ending that will truly freak out anyone who watches it. Be prepared to feel really unsettled when it's done.
'The Wretched'
Watch on: Hulu
The Wretched is a must-watch for horror lovers who are into witchcraft and enjoy incredible special effects, particularly costumes and makeup. It's about a young teen boy having a difficult time accepting his parents' divorce, who finds himself living next door to an ancient witch in disguise.
'The Beach House'
Watch on: Shudder
This Shudder original follows a college-aged couple as they retreat to a family beach house for a romantic getaway and unexpectedly encounter visitors. After their arrival, things begin to unravel as it becomes evident that some sort of life-threatening contagion is spreading. It'll certainly make viewers think twice about that remote getaway.
'1BR'
Watch on: Netflix
In a word, 1BR is unexpected. It's a unique movie about a young woman struggling to to start her own life. She finally finds a place of her own in what seems like a wonderful apartment building, but strange events begin to occur shortly after she moves in … and she discovers that sinister forces are at work in her new community.
'#Alive'
Watch on: Netflix
#Alive is a new zombie film out of Korea that somehow manages to be sweet and heartfelt while still being absolutely horrifying and ridiculously timely. An unknown virus has taken over Seoul, creating violent, flesh-eating zombies. There are almost no survivors, but the film follows one of the few as he isolates in his family's tiny apartment for weeks, struggling mentally, physically, and emotionally.
'Blood Quantum'
Watch on: Shudder
Blood Quantum offers another interesting take on the zombie flick. It's about one indigenous tribe that seems to be mysteriously immune from the zombie virus that has taken over most of the world. Those living on the reservation must decide whether they will isolate and protect their community or provide refuge for outsiders.
'The Invisible Man'
Watch on: HBO Max
The Invisible Man, starring Elizabeth Moss, also released in theaters shortly before our new normal shut everything down. The film had to quickly shift to streaming services and on demand, but it still managed to gain some traction. Relying heavily on Elizabeth's stellar acting skills, it tells the suspenseful story of a woman who inherits her abusive ex's fortune after he takes his own life, but soon becomes suspicious that he's haunting her.
'Relic'
Watch on: Amazon Prime
The eerie Relic follows a mother and daughter as they arrive at the family matriarch's rural home in search of her, after a dementia episode leads to her disappearance. When she returns, and her behavior becomes more and more erratic and violent, they become suspicious that a supernatural presence in the home may actually be possessing her.
'La Llorona'
Watch on: Shudder
La Llorona is a tale that's been told time and time again, but just seems to get scarier and scarier with each iteration. In the film, a Guatemalan dictator is revisited by the spirit of a woman who was murdered alongside her children in a military attack he ordered 30 years ago.
'Extra Ordinary'
Watch on: Showtime on Amazon Prime
Extra Ordinary is a cute but spooky horror comedy about a quiet Irish driving instructor, who just happens to have special powers, and how she must step out of her shell to save a neighbor's daughter — whose been kidnapped by an old rock star who sold his soul to the devil. Get all that?
'Host'
Watch on: Shudder
In Host — perhaps the most relevant of all the films on this list — a group of friends enlists a medium to hold a video seance via Zoom while they are all sheltering in place. Much to their surprise, though, their virtual beckoning welcomes a demon into their real-life homes.
'Spree'
Watch on: Amazon Prime
Starring Joe Keery of Stranger Things, alongside David Arquette as his father, Spree is about a young rideshare driver, desperate to become a social media influencer, who, eventually, hatches a murderous plan to increase his following that involves his unknowing passengers.
'Swallow'
Watch on: Amazon Prime
Think My Strange Addiction, but way more dramatic and totally terrifying. Swallow is about a wealthy, pregnant housewife who feels like she's losing control of her own life and begins to eat dangerous things … just to feel like she once again has some sort of power.
'The Rental'
Watch on: Amazon Prime
The Rental is proof that horror movie makers are once again tapping into their creative sides, using real life as real inspiration for real scares. It's about two couples who head off to a vacation rental home, but once they arrive, become suspicious that the host is spying on them.
'VFW'
Watch on: Amazon Prime
Horror movie fanatics more into guts and gore than the slow burn should enjoy VFW, a grim film about a group of war veterans set on protecting a woman who shows up at their VFW on the run from a violent drug gang intent on killing her.
It's definitely interesting!
'Color Out of Space'
Watch on: Shudder
Color Out of Space, starring Nicolas Cage, is a bizarre sci-fi-horror film about a family that moves from the city to live on and run a remote farm in New England. (Stephen King scary?) When a meteorite lands on their property, they realize that an alien form is actually mutating everything around them.
'Come to Daddy'
Watch on: Amazon Prime
There's just something about Elijah Wood playing a total weirdo that we can't resist. In Come to Daddy, he plays a troubled 30-something who travels to his estranged father's remote cabin in the hopes of reconnecting, but instead, discovers something far more sinister about his father than he ever imagined.
'After Midnight'
Watch on: Amazon Prime
A man is suddenly shaken from his idyllic existence, with his long-term girlfriend when he wakes up one day and she's not there. With just a cryptic note left behind to figure out why she left, Hank begins to lose it … and soon becomes convinced that there's a monster lurking in the woods outside his home.
