October only means one thing; it's two months until Christmas! Too soon? Well, I guess there is that other thing... Halloween. It's a well-known fact that with Halloween comes horror, especially in the movies. From Texas Chainsaw Massacre to the Saw franchise, it's hard to escape the film fear, even YouTube puts an un-skippable horror trailer before every video, and this year is no different. This season we're reunited, for the eleventh time might I add, with crazed killer Mike Myers in the suitably named film: Halloween.
Horror is a genre that's clearly never going to die, no matter how cringe, overdone or just plain bad the movies are. But over the past few years, we've seen a shift in success with spooky films becoming serious contenders in the industry. If you're getting a bit bored of the standard blood, guts and gore, here's a bunch of independent movies managing to put a spin on what it means to be spooky.
1. Get Out
Produced by Blumhouse, Jordan Peele's thriller take a modern look at horror with an underlying racial theme. Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) and his girlfriend Rose (Allison Williams) travel to her parents home for a special weekend away after approaching the meet-the-parents hurdle, which in any right is already pretty scary. Chris believes that the family's strange behaviour is a coping mechanism for them dealing with their daughter's interracial relationship. But in classic movie fashion, that just isn't true. Chris discovers the truth is much more disturbing than he, or you, could have ever predicted. Two things, if you haven't watched Get Out before, do it right now, and if you have, watch it again!
Available to watch on Sky Cinema.
2. Mother!
Staring our favourite Hunger Games girl, Jennifer Lawrence, 'Mother!' is a two-hour movie metaphor for, well, you can decide that one! A married couple, who both remain unnamed throughout, have their peaceful home existence turned into an unsettling dream of dismay when a number of uninvited guests start to hijack their house. As a result, all hell breaks loose leaving you feeling both angry and agitated. The simplicity of the story accompanied by the moments of complete and utter madness is terrifying. Everything seemed to normal at the start...
Available to watch on Sky Cinema.
3. A Ghost Story
If you couldn't already tell from the title, we follow life after death in this contemporary movie. After becoming recently deceased, C (Casey Affleck) returns home only to discover he is stuck in an alternative universe and being forced to watch his previous life leave him behind. A Ghost Story is a refreshing take on paranormal movies and is a haunting tale in all senses of the word. It's perfect for those who want a more emotional and thought-provoking flick!
Available to watch on Netflix.
4. Split
James McAvoy showed his real talent in yet another Blumhouse produced masterpiece. Suffering from Schizophrenia for most of his life, Kevin Crumb (James McAvoy) confides in his 23 separate personalities to his psychiatrist, Dr Fletcher (Betty Buckley), but he hasn't been 100% truthful, there's one secret he's kept hidden. After being compelled to abduct a bunch of teenage girls, Kevin starts a war with himself to unleash the beast inside him. Split is a consistently tense thriller, which will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Available to watch on Sky Cinema.
5. The Gift
The oldest movie on the list, coming out in 2015, The Gift takes a more sinister look at friendships. When married couple Simon (Jason Bateman) and Robyn (Rebecca Hall) meet an old classmate from Simon's past, they did what any friendly couple would do and invite him over for dinner. But when he starts showing up unexpectedly with unusual gifts, revelations from the past start to be uncovered.
Available to watch on Amazon Prime.
Year after year, independent movies just keeping pulling it out the bag! If you haven't been formally introduced to any of those mentioned above, make sure to put them at the top of your to-do list. Let me know your flick thoughts over on Twitter at @meg_ismyname.
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