This October, you’re probably looking for something to watch with your friends at the next spooky hangout or Halloween party. If you’re tired of the same five films that everybody suggests, here are four films that break the mold while maintaining that Halloween spirit.

The Guest (2014, dir. Adam Wingard)

Image credit to Picturehouse via FILMGRAB

Although Adam Wingard would later be best known for his American Godzilla/Kong films, his roots have always been in horror. From his V/H/S (2012) wraparound segment to You’re Next (2011) and Blair Witch (2016), Wingard has always given the horror community something to chew on. He first flexed his horror background with something new in the action thriller category with his 2014 film The Guest. The film follows a simple premise: an unexpected visitor (Dan Stevens) claims to be a friend of their son who died in military combat, but he’s not who he seems. Chaos ensues.

Also starring Maika Monroe, The Guest takes an already tense premise about a family grieving and elevates it into an equally compelling action thriller. This is largely due to Stevens’ fully committed performance as David. What makes this film even more unique is its Carpenter-esque approach to cinematography and soundtrack. The soundtrack is full of 1980s European dark-wave, and the third act goes completely off the rails. Its New Mexico in October setting is also central to the film’s identity. Halloween decorations are everywhere, and the final showdown takes place in a haunted house maze. 

For those looking for a more action-oriented way to ring in the season, look no further than one of Wingard’s most creative pieces pre-Onslaught (2026).

Ginger Snaps (2000, dir. John Fawcett)

Image credit to Lionsgate via FILMGRAB

Katharine Isabelle and Emily Perkins are known as much for their roles as sisters in Another Cinderella Story (2008) as they are for their roles as sisters in John Fawcett’s 2000 Canadian horror film Ginger Snaps. Ginger and Brigitte (Isabelle and Perkins, respectively) are outcasts who only have each other. Their dynamic irreparably changes when Ginger is bitten by a mysterious creature and undergoes a monstrous transformation. 

Ginger Snaps is unique because it links the moon cycle to the menstrual cycle, offering a feminist approach to werewolves and taking the monstrous feminine to its most literal. As her relationship with her sister gets strained as her predatory instincts kick in, Ginger is given a chance to explore herself in a way she never thought possible. 

While Ginger Snaps is a significant feminist horror film similar to Jennifer’s Body (2009), it also relishes in blood and gore wherever it can. The final act, in particular, takes Ginger through her full wolf transformation at a Halloween party, complete with impressive practical effects and an iconic performance from Isabelle that clearly informed Megan Fox’s Jennifer Check. For those looking for a watch that everyone (especially the girls) will enjoy, Ginger Snaps checks many of the same boxes as its more popular sister. 

The Crow (1994, dir. Alex Proyas)

Image credit to Miramax Films via FILMGRAB

What would you do if you had one night to get revenge for the one you loved? That’s the question Alex Proyas’ adaptation of James O’Barr’s iconic graphic novel The Crow asks. Starring the late Brandon Lee, the film has a grungy, gothic energy that’s perfect for October. 

On the night before Halloween, Eric Draven and Shelley Webster (Lee and Sofia Shinas) are murdered in their apartment. One year later, Draven comes back with a winged companion (the titular crow) to get revenge on those who killed him and his fiancée. The world of The Crow has the perfect melancholic, rainy feeling for October, and the soundtrack fits the vibe too. Filled with artists like Nine Inch Nails, The Cure, Stone Temple Pilots, and more, the music is one of the rare instances where a soundtrack very clearly made to sell the movie only enhances the viewing experience. 

The shadow cast over the entire film is Lee’s untimely death during its production, and throughout The Crow you can feel how much his presence was missed by the entire post-production crew. Had he not left this Earth so soon, this was clearly a star-making performance that would have catapulted his career into superstar territory. While this is definitely one of the sadder films on this list, it’s remained a staple of my Halloween watchlist due to its emotional lead performance from Lee and the dreary, rainy, late-fall vibe the film nails with such effortless precision. 

Hell House LLC (2015, Stephen Cognetti)

Image credit to Terror Films via IMDb

One of the less talked-about but more highly regarded found footage films, Stephen Cognetti’s Hell House LLC (2015) takes a basic haunted house premise and elevates it with a convincing mockumentary presentation. The film chronicles what happened at the Abaddon Hotel, where a group called Hell House held their final haunted attraction. Through footage recorded by the deceased, we learn what exactly went on in the hotel that resulted in nearly the entire crew, as well as some guests, dying. Though not as depressing, Hell House reminds me a lot of Lake Mungo (2008), another mockumentary-style found-footage film that maintains ambiguity.

Hell House LLC is on this list not just because of its premise centering around a haunted house, but because of its commitment to subtle yet effective scares. Many of these scares are hardly noticeable unless keen-eyed viewers pay attention; however, those looking for ghosts and ghouls still get their fill. As the opening date for the attraction draws closer and closer, the tension escalates slowly until the climax results in one of the most chaotic, unsettling, and ambiguous endings since The Blair Witch Project (1999). While this is far from the best film on this list, Hell House LLC is a fun, scary October watch that uses the found footage subgenre effectively. 

What films re-enter your rotation in October?

List courtesy of Nadia Arain

Feature image from HELL HOUSE LLC; credit to Terror Films via Bloody Disgusting