Ah, October. The perfect excuse to stay in and fill the gaps in my evenings with the best horror movies, and even though I’m an all-year-round type of person when it comes to horror, October sets the mood. There’s not a single horror movie that I wouldn’t watch, as I love to test my limits, so this month I’ve decided to set myself a little challenge: watch a horror movie every day for the entire month of October 2024.
Each week, I’ll be watching new movies and revisiting some favorites from different sub-genres of horror to explore its variety of categories – while relying on the best streaming services to carry me through the month. My first point of call: slasher movies.
Slashers movies are, in my opinion, the most iconic type of horror simply because of how early influences like Psycho (1960) completely flipped audiences’ views of the horror genre overall. Being both thought-provoking and campy in its nature, the slasher genre is timeless and always evolving – however, I stand by my opinion that the genre’s classical and self-referential eras of the mid-late 20th century have yet to be topped.
I thought slashers would be a smooth way to kick off my Halloween horror movie countdown, and in retrospect, it really helped to get the ball rolling. And while there was one movie that I couldn’t finish, it was a successful slasher week nonetheless – here are my thoughts.
Day 1: Ready or Not (2019)
Director: Tyler Gillett & Matt Bettinelli-Olpin
Running time: 95 minutes
Where to stream: Hulu (US); Disney Plus (UK & AU)
Ready or Not (2019) was the first movie on my list, kicking off the Halloween countdown to a solid start with one of the best horrors on Hulu. Though it’s not your typical slasher and sits more in the dark comedy horror category, it certainly carries the main slasher trope where an individual (or group in most cases) is being chased by a killer(s).
Usually, I’m not a huge fan of movies where horror meets comedy, but that’s because I live for the thrill of being frightened. However, in the case of Ready or Not, there’s just the right amount of suspense weaved in with its comedic elements that did keep me on the edge of my seat while making me giggle at the same time – but I didn’t feel as though I was watching a comedy, which was a relief.
It’s an engaging watch that convinces you that your in-laws are more disturbed than meets the eye, and I’d argue that it has a slight commentary of the narrow-mindedness of sheltered privileged people – though this message is dormant and not necessarily the movie’s purpose.
Day 2: Initiation (2020)
Director: John Berardo
Running time: 96 minutes
Where to stream: Prime Video (US, UK & AU)
Some horror movies just point blank shouldn’t be pitched, let along be greenlit for production, and Initiation is a Prime Video slasher movie that falls into this category. Two days into my Halloween countdown and it almost ruined my entire plan, it’s an insufferable movie – one I couldn’t even force myself to finish.
It’s a modern slasher set on an American university campus that features on-screen text message pop-ups (which was my first red flag), entwined with a disingenuous emphasis on SA that felt as though it was included just so the writers could say they ‘brought light to a serious issue’. It was disappointing not because it’s modern – Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022) is a great example of a modern slasher – but because of its cheap emulation of small town student slashers like Scream (1996).
I’m all for building suspense, but the movie took 40 minutes into its 90-minute run before its plot kicked in and by then, my impatience took its toll. As a result, I reverted to slashers pre-21st century for the remainder of the week – I wasn’t going to take any more chances.
Day 3: A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Director: Wes Craven
Running time: 96 minutes
Where to stream: Max (US)
As familiar as I am with Wes Craven’s ’80s classic, this was actually my first time watching A Nightmare on Elm Street and it saved me from the monstrosity of Initiation. Blending elements of supernatural horror with classic slasher tropes, it certainly didn’t disappoint even if I felt the beginning was a little fast-paced.
Though my experience with Craven’s classic was an adequate one, I don’t think I’ll be venturing further into its series of movies any time soon; partly because I’ve had my dose of slashers, and partly due to there being far too many inserts in one movie franchise. It’s like the Carry On of horror movies.
Day 4: Scream (1996)
Director: Wes Craven
Running time: 111 minutes
Where to stream: Max (US), Paramount Plus (UK), Binge (AU)
In my opinion, Scream is the slasher to end all slashers. I’ve seen it more than enough times to be able to quote it, to the point where it’s ironically become a comfort film for me, so I had to revisit it for slasher week.
The opening scene alone is a masterpiece. It’s an incredible tone-setter with an acting performance that, despite the little screen time Drew Barrymore had, is worthy of scream queen status just as much as Neve Campbell, who has reprised her role as Sidney Prescott for the last 30 years.
What Scream does really well is execute (pun intended) death scenes, and it’s a safe bet if you’re after a slasher filled with scene-stealing kills. As explicit as her death is, Tatum’s garage door situation is one of my favorite scenes in horror, just like the final scene where Sidney puts Billy out of his misery.
Looking at Scream in terms of when it was released, it helped bridge the gap between two different eras of slasher movies, closing the chapter on the classical era and opening a new door for self-referential horrors. It’s a prime example of how influential Wes Craven was with his contributions to the evolution of the horror genre, and it’ll always remain one of my top horror movies.
Day 5: Scream 2 (1997)
Director: Wes Craven
Running time: 120 minutes
Where to stream: Max (US), Paramount Plus (UK), Binge (AU)
I’d watched Scream 2 years ago but my recollection of the movie’s plot had completely faded, so watching it this week as like watching it for the first time again. The first Scream movie will always be my biased favorite, but Scream 2 is a very solid sequel.
While it’s first insert is a great example of a self-referential slasher that pokes at stereotypical horror tropes by referencing classics like Carrie (1976), Scream 2 takes a jab at the cliché of sequels. It’s not often I run into a horror sequel that I’d be willing to return to, but Scream 2 sits up there.
When it comes to the sequel’s deaths, the writers definitely didn’t leave all the iconic murders in the first movie and made sure to begin the film with yet another strong opener where Jada Pinkett-Smith gets butchered in the middle of a movie theatre in front of spectators. And the moment where Sarah Michelle Gellar gets flung over her sorority house balcony is easily up there with Tatum’s fate in the first movie.
Day 6: Scream 3 (2000)
Director: Wes Craven
Running time: 116 minutes
Where to stream: Max (US), Paramount Plus (UK & AU)
Scream 2 was all about sequels, so it was natural for Scream 3 to round it off with a commentary on trilogies and the movie industry’s treatment towards its female stars. After watching it, I felt confident that this is where the Scream franchise could’ve ended.
My experience watching Scream 3 felt considerably less eventful than it’s predecessors and I found myself getting distracted with other things. Looking back on it, I guess I do appreciate how the movie’s conclusion circles back to the first movie, but at the same time it does come across as an ending that was pulled randomly out of a hat among other potential endings.
Day 7: Prom Night (1980)
Director: Paul Lynch
Running time: 93 minutes
Where to stream: Prime Video (US & UK), Tubi (AU)
Just by looking at its poster and trailer, I knew exactly what I was getting myself in to when I decided to watch Prom Night, but give me anything with Jamie Lee Curtis in the credits, and I shall be sat.
For starters, yes, it’s a poor slasher movie. The deaths are naff (bar one decapitation moment) and its suspense factor is almost non-existent, but it’s everything you’d expect from a cult horror – which is why I’m kind of obsessed with it. The movie’s aura is strikingly similar to Sleepaway Camp (1983), another cult slasher of the same era which, like Prom Night, is a poorly shot movie whose antagonist isn’t unveiled until the very last minute of the movie – except Sleepaway Camp’s conclusion is considerably more shocking.
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rowan.davies@futurenet.com (Rowan Davies)
