1. The Orphanage (2007)

Easily in the top 5 scariest movies I’ve ever seen. The Orphanage is a mystery and a nightmare on an epic scale. It’s set in a home that used to be an orphanage for special children (scary location: check!) on a cliffside with secret caves (check, check) creepy kids, masks, ghost hunters, flashbacks and flashforwards that leave your head spinning. It’s a cliché, but truly nothing is as it seems. The suspense doesn’t stop and the ending only fills you with further dread. This film deserves Oscars for its craftmanship and storytelling.

2. Graveyard Shift (1990)

Brad Dourif as the exterminator, David Andrews plays the drifter, Andrew Divoff a bully, and Stephen Macht as the evil, power hungry foreman, all deliver pretty great performances in this made for TV movie. Both Nardello and Wisconsky are rare, fantastic female characters that round out the group nicely. It’s definitely one of my favorite Stephen King adaptations. But more importantly, THIS IS A MOVIE ENTIRELY FILMED IN A DECREPIT OLD MILL IN MAINE AND FEATURES A HUGE AND GROSS RAT/BAT/CREATURE THING!

3. Gags the Clown (2018)

The newest one on my list, because it really took me by surprise. This movie is anything but another killer clown movie or your overdone found footage flick. Gags is weird and funny and carries surprisingly deep undertones (also creepy as shit.) The story never goes where you think it will. It reminded me a lot of Trick ‘R Treat and it should be a required viewing Halloween this year!

4. High Tension (2003)

Dark, disturbing, and just badass. This movie has all the great moments you hope for when you watch a horror movie for the first time. The story is smart and the cinematography is engaging. They both play tricks on the viewers throughout the film. The gore is never shied away from, in fact they lean into it. This is an emotional and psychological horror movie and it stands out from the rest.

5. Tales of Halloween (2015)

I rolled my eyes at another horror anthology until I realized I love horror anthologies and this one was made for horror fans and casual movie goers alike. With films and cameos by all the usual suspects and cult favorites of horror, it really just made me happy to see these guys having fun. The stories aren’t overly complicated, some are genuinely creepy, and each one brings a little something different all while focusing on Halloween.

Natalie Pohorski is a freelance film, television, and game producer based in Madison, WI. She is a big horror fan and FEARnet alum, and now Camp Director for the upcoming Camp Blood Film Festival where campers team up to make a horror short in a weekend at a creepy, old summer camp – www.campbloodfilmfestival.com

Let’s get some podcasters up in here to give some recommends. First up comes Rachel Shatto from the Zombie Grrlz Horror Podcast with her recommends.

1. Prevenge (2016)

Directed, written, and starring Alice Lowe, this slasher comedy was the movie I recommended to everyone when it came out in 2016, largely due to Lowe’s performance of a pregnant woman on a killing spree — on the behest of her unborn child, no less. Yep, this is a weird one, but truly one of the most compelling movies about maternal ambivalence and female rage I’ve ever seen. Plus, it’s so funny in the most disturbing ways and has final shot that horrifies as much as it delights. I’ve been a fan of Lowe’s comedic work ever since Garth Merenghi’s Darkplace and Sightseers, but this film shows that she has incredible range she has both behind and in front of the camera. 

2. Revenge (2017)

I am typically not a fan of the rape revenge genre, but, when experienced through the gaze of French filmmaker Coralie Fargeat, there is as much ferocity as there is style, which makes it both compelling and cathartic. It’s also awesomely gruesome and makes you cringe in the most delicious ways. It’s actually hard to believe that Revenge marked Fargeat’s feature film debut as it;s absolutely stunning and confidently created. It’s a feast for the eyes, whether it’s the sprawling desert vistas or gallons of blood and gore coating every surface on screen. 

3. Ravenous (1999)

Ravenous is a criminally under-seen gem. It’s one of those movies that, when it comes up in conversation and you discover there is one other person in the room that has seen and loved it, you find yourself excitedly talking about how weirdly wonderful it is. The film, which was directed by Antonia Bird, stars Guy Pierce and Robert Carlyle who, for reasons I won’t spoil, have to leave a remote 19th century military outpost in order to go on a rescue mission, and from there things get real weird. I’m talking cannibals, frostbite, compound fractures, and wendigos. Yep, this movie really has it all. 

4. Braid (2019)

Fans of surreal horror take note: Braid, the feature film debut of Mitizi Perione, is the mind-bending, technicolor nightmare of your dreams. The film is about two friends who decide to rob a wealthy but dangerous childhood friend who allows them into her home — provided they are willing to play a very special and gruesome game. If you like your horror linear, you’ll want to steer clear, but if, like me, you enjoy having your neurons tweaked Braid is going to be your jam. 

5. Honeymoon (2014)

Director Leigh Janiak (who you’ll be hearing plenty of soon as she’s just been tapped to direct all three of the upcoming R.L. Stine Fear Street movies) made her debut with this moody and gut wrenching film. The movie stars Rose Leslie and Harry Treadaway as newlyweds Bea and Paul on their honeymoon in a remote cabin. The couple’s troubles begin when Paul finds his new wife Bea sleepwalking in the woods, appearing as though she has been attacked. Over the course of the following days, what started off as wedded bliss slowly descends into paranoia and haunting body horror. What makes this movie truly special is the chemistry between Leslie and Treadaway. You suffer with them as tragedy unfolds and are horrified with them as their once romantic vacation turns grisly. 

Rachel Shatto is a lifelong horror nerd and opinion haver who, when she isn’t watching horror movies, is podcasting about them. She co-hosts the Zombie Grrlz Horror Podcast, which critiques horror from a feminist perspective. She can also be found talking about horror movies, both good and (more often) bad, that you can watch online on The Stream Queens Podcast. As if that wasn’t enough, Rachel is also an avid Stephen King fan who podcasts about his master work, The Dark Tower book series, on The Cast of Ka. 

Today we’re taking a look at suggestions from someone who has been in a lot of horror films. Actor Bill Oberst Jr. has made a name for himself in the horror genre and even been portraying Ray Bradbury in a stage show. Let’s see what he has to recommend.

1. Angst (1983) 

Why? (a) It is German. (b) It is disconcerting to watch. (c) Things like this actually happen.

2. Cannibal (2006)  

Why? (a) It is German. (b) It is uncomfortable to watch. (c) This exact thing actually happened.

3. Amadeus (1984) 

Why? (a) They were German. (b) Salieri’s fall into madness is true horror. (c) No one is happy at the end.

4. Freaks (1932)  

Why? (a) The freaks are real but… (b) The freaks are not the real freaks. (c) The cruel people die.

5. Duel (1971) 

Why? (a) The windows are tinted. (b) There’s no reason – it just wants you dead. (c) It won’t stop until you die.

Bill Oberst Jr. is an actor of stage and screen who is not afraid of the dark. His “Criminal Minds” TV character is included in CBS’s list of “The Most Notorious Serial Killers In Criminal Minds History.” His major awards include a Daytime Emmy Award, the inaugural Lon Chaney Award For Excellence In Horror Film presented by Lon Chaney’s great-grandson Ron Chaney, a United Solo Off-Broadway Award and dozens more. Bill’s latest film is Rob Zombie’s “Three From Hell.” His latest stage project is “Ray Bradbury Live (forever)” a solo portrayal of Ray Bradbury authorized by Ray’s family and estate. His official site is billoberst.com. His IMDb page is https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2454994.   

1. 13 Ghosts (1960)

A film I grew up watching, and can never get enough of during the Halloween season. Great film to watch in the dark.

2. Nothing but trouble (1991)

Funny and Scary, there are some weirdos out there and you never know when you’ll run into them. LOL.

3. Haunted Honeymoon (1986)

Wonderful film, great cast, great writing.

4. When a Stranger calls (1979)

Great suspense, perfect beginning to a film, something the remake could not pull off.

5. Ghost Story  (1981)

I like to watch good ghost stories and this is one of them.

Reyna Young’s alter ego Miss Misery has been labeled by press as “The Queen of Horror in the bay area”. She currently resides in San Francisco with her husband John Gillette and son Logan. Reyna is a Director and actress with over 15 years of experience in Theater, Television and Film.

Reyna is known for her work in the horror and action genre films and is a late night horror hostess of the popular syndicated show Movie Massacre which she writes, directs and produces. She was born in 1983 in San Francisco, Ca and grew up taking dance, singing, tap dancing, martial arts and acting classes. The oldest of two children, her younger sister and her were raised by their Father. She is of English, Hispanic and Native American descent.
http://www.lastdoorwayproductions.com

We’re back once again with some alternate viewing pleasures for your Halloween Season. Yes we love our Halloween staples but why not this year find something new to watch and possibly find a new favorite? First up is Lauren Gallo:

1. Hush (2016)

Hush feels like a familiar horror/thriller set up: a remote home in the woods, a serial killer, and the young woman who has become his next victim. The difference here is that our main character is deaf, something the killer quickly learns and likely thinks will make his target an easy kill, but Maddie is anything but. While the premise isn’t new, it is interesting watching the main character portrayed with the inability to hear, as we rarely see Final Girls with perceived disabilities in horror and hopefully this opens the door for more inclusive choices within horror.

  2. Inferno (1980)

With Dario Argento’s second offering in his “Mother of Tears” trilogy, it must be said right off the bat that Inferno is not near the masterpiece it’s predecessor, Suspiria, is. That being said, it’s not awful either and serves as a decent Italian horror flick that continues the supernatural story of three powerful witches, Mater Suspririorum, Mater Tenebrarum, and Mater Lachrymarum, who each do their dark workings behind the scenes from their respective homes in Germany, New York, and Italy. In this installment, an American music student studying in Rome, Mark Elliot, heads to New York after an urgent letter from his sister Rose, who suspects she’s come across one of the infernal Mothers.

While it doesn’t quite live up to Suspiria, Inferno still has some beautiful imagery and a good progressive rock score by Keith Emerson, whom Argento chose to score this film as he wanted a different sound for this one than the iconic Goblin score of the previous film. This is a good late-night, popcorn type of watch if you dig Argento’s Mater mythos.

3. It Follows (2014) 

In what is the most literal haunting allegory for one hell of an STD, It Follows follows the story of teenaged Jay, who after a sexual encounter starts being stalked by a strange supernatural force in the form of many different human-looking creatures that only she can see. With the help of her friends, Jay tries to get the bottom of this sinister force, which is apparently like a curse passed on through sex. Starring the talented Maika Monroe, this is a movie where the houses and settings feel so real and not the hyper-stylized homes of other Hollywood films. They look truly lived in, messy, and almost circa the ’80s with little modern updates. The unknown, stalking creeping terror of what follows Jay is well done, with a scene by the beach and in an indoor pool being truly excellent at showing how this force can hurt more than just it’s intended victims.

If you’ve felt a little bored of the classic slasher and have been looking for something that feels fresh and original, give this one a try. Also, don’t have sex, apparently, either.

  4. The Invitation (2015)

Being invited to a dinner party in the LA canyons by your ex-wife and her husband is totally not awkward enough right? So let’s make it worse and add murder. Will and his wife Eden divorced after the tragic accidental death of their young son, and now Eden lives with her new husband David and is hosting a dinner party in which she invites Will, his current girlfriend Kira, and several of their mutual friends plus a few friends of David. What starts as awkward starts to thaw a little, but something has Will feeling a little off and then sliding into paranoia about what’s actually going on. It doesn’t help Eden and David have seemed to find “religion”, and not in a good way, and the party definitely goes tits up when people start dying.

This is a slow burn type of thriller that ratches up the tension incrementally, and makes me hope the LA wellness crowd sticks to yoga and adaptogens, and, you know, not mass murder. 

5. Berlin Syndrome (2017) 

When a holiday fling goes wrong in this film, it goes really, really wrong. Aussie tourist and photojournalist Clare is visiting Berlin where she meets local gym teacher Andi, a seemingly kind, slightly shy man who she keeps running into. What seems like two lonely souls finding comfort in a physical connection goes very wrong when he’s not willing to let Clare go. Not just emotionally either, Andi locks Clare in his apartment and ends up keeping her trapped there, trying to force the relationship to continue. 

This is another one that starts off a bit slow, but then when shit hits the fan (or rather, lock hits the door) the film dives deeper and deeper into the tension of Clare trying to survive her captivity, discovering she was likely not the first girl Andi has kidnapped and then trying to survive his growing dissatisfaction with her that could likely be fatal. All in all, Berlin Syndrome is a good thriller/drama and Teresa Palmer as Clare really sells the loneliness, fragility, and yet also stubborn strength of her character. Moral of the story is, when Nice Guys go bad, they go realllllly bad. 

Lauren Gallo has been a horror fan since family members who would babysit her as a child would leave things like A Nightmare on Elm Street on in the background. A sometimes contributing writer to Geek Nerdery, Lauren now spends a lot of her time on the real-life horror that is riding Bay Area Rapid Transit and relaxing to Bon Appetit Youtube videos.