Every year, spooky season comes and goes and all of the tried and true movies get watched. Of course, we sit down and watch Halloween, Friday The 13th, Scream, and A Nightmare On Elm Street. Duh, those are classics and they never get old. However, sometimes we need a fresh, new movie to scare us as we descend into creepy basements, walk down empty hallways, and answer the phones. I don’t just mean what’s popular right now either, I mean truly hidden gems that don’t get their blood-soaked flowers. So, if you’re ready to start spooky season and want to know what else you can watch, look no further!
Haunt (2019)
Haunt is criminally underrated. It easily became one of my favorite horror movies after the first watch. Haunt takes place in a haunted house where a group of college kids have impulsively decided to stop at on Halloween. Every year, they find a last-minute sketchy haunted house to go to, and this year they hit the jackpot. After signing a waiver and surrendering their phones before they enter, these students have zero idea that they will fight for their lives to get out. It sounds very straightforward in terms of plot, but the scares and tension building throughout are *chef’s kiss*. Watch Haunt on Prime Video and Tubi.
Hell House, LLC (2015)
The whole Hell House, LLC franchise is amazing, so you kind of get a four-in-one (with a potential 5th coming in 2025) with this. This is another haunted house movie but in a different way than Haunt. Told in the form of a documentary, Hell House, LLC picks up after a film crew goes to visit an abandoned haunted house because it was the site of 15 people dying unexpectedly on their opening night. The film crew is trying to figure out what happened and what went wrong, but they didn’t expect what they found. This is a haunted house movie with actually supernatural happenings, so get ready to feel spooked out and potentially never look at a haunted house the same again. Watch Hell House, LLC on Prime Video, AMC+, Shudder, and Tubi.
Behind The Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006)
So Behind The Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon is unique. It’s a mockumentary film that follows an up-and-coming serial killer as he rises to fame in his town. Yes, you read that all correctly. Behind The Mask essentially takes all of our interest in true crime podcasts and shows and turns it into a full-length film where a film crew is following Leslie Vernon around and allowing him to commit murderous acts on film so they can better understand what it is like to be a serial killer. It’s executed pretty well and even infuses a little comedy into the film. True crime lovers will get to actually see what it’s like for serial killers living life every day. Watch Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon on Amazon Video.
As Above, So Below (2014)
As Above, So Below is a found footage film that takes you to the underworld of the Paris catacombs. There is a ton of mystery and fear surrounding the catacombs in real life, so this movie explores how creepy they truly are as an archaeologist and her team dives deep into the underworld to find the Philosopher’s Stone. Nothing is as it seems as they propel deeper and deeper into this world and they find themselves seeing truly unbelievable sights. As Above, So Below combines real history, locations, and alchemy to make this augmented version of reality truly terrifying. Found footage films can sometimes fall short, but this film is eccentric and a standout in the genre. Watch As Above, So Below on Amazon Video.
