Welcome to October, my darklings. I pray to the dark forces beyond that Hocus Pocus 2 was everything you hoped for and more. Let me pay homage to the dark hipsters for a moment and summon the spirits of some of my favourite obscure yet awesome horror movies. I've never quite succeeded in doing the whole 31 movies Hallowatch (Is that a word? Can I TM that?) thing, but here are 15 (because if you're cramming in 31 old horror movies, where are you going to have time for brand new ones?) of my favourite flicks that are criminally forgotten or underseen. If you can't find them on any of your streaming services, you can always check on FilmAffinity (who do not pay me... should they?) to see where they can be streamed in your country.

Trash Fire (Richard Bates Jr., 2016)

I love ‘the ties that bind can cut off all circulation' as a tagline. Watch this at Thanksgiving and thank me later.

The Hound of the Baskervilles (Douglas Hickox, 1983)

A timeless msytery, and this cheesy and charming made-for-TV version is my favourite.

The Inhabitant (Guillermo Amoedo, 2017)

This cool sleeper from Chile ups the ante on the possessed child trope through the eyes of an all-female trio of burglars.

Prey (Dick Maas, 2016)

A monstrous lion gets loose on the streets of Amsterdam. That’s it. That’s the film, and it’s great.

Werewolf (Adrian Panek, 2018)

Totally unique post-WW2 tale about a group of abandoned orphans that quickly escalates from tragedy to a brilliantly bonkers fight for survival.

Book of Blood (John Harrison, 2009)

Not to be confused with the recent anthology, this for me is a deliciously nasty Clive Barker adaptation on par with Hellraiser, Nightbreed, and Midnight Meat Train.

Rift (Erlingur Thoroddsen, 2017)

Gay. Iceland. Caring too much about your ex. I’ve recommended it before. I’m recommending it now. I’ll recommend it again, and again.

Snow White: A Tale of Terror (Michael Cohn, 1997)

It’s Sigourney Weaver as the Wicked Queen. It’s gorgeous, it’s camp, it’s nasty. Track it down.

All About Evil (Peaches Christ, 2010)

In a black comedy worthy of John Waters, the legendary Peaches Christ (and her eyebrows) teams with the incomparable Natasha Lyonne to create a demented camp monsterpiece.

The Bunker (Nikias Chryssos, 2015)

I… this may be the weirdest movie on this list. It’s a highly original take on Stockholm Syndrome… I guess? I don’t know. I may be damaged from this one. Je ne regrette rien.

Radius (Steeve Léonard, Caroline Labrèche, 2017)

Slow burn Canadian sci-fi thriller with a fascinating premise and some killer twists.

The House at the End of Time (Alejandro Hidalgo, 2013)

Fabulous sci-fi tinged ghost story carries on the fine tradition of gorgeous Latin American horror films.

Dr Jekyll and Sister Hyde (Roy Ward Baker, 1971)

It’s pure exploitation horror from Hammer, so artfully made and brilliantly acted, it holds up now, even with its outlook on gender that’s frankly pretty amazing for 1971.

Porno (Keola Racela, 2019)

Sex Education meets Demons in this tale of Christian teens doing battle in the movie house of their puritanical town. Hi-jinks, queerness, bloody chaos, and all-around hilarity ensue.

Shrew’s Nest (Juanfer Andrés, Esteban Roel, 2014)

Macarena Gómez gives a performance worthy of Bette Davis in this housebound battle between two sisters. It’s phenomenal stuff.