Looking for under-the-radar horror films to watch this month? You’ve come to the right place.
What began as a month-long horror film binge with friends last October has turned into the most daunting project of our young site’s history. We spent nearly the entire summer carefully curating an eclectic lineup of horror films including drive-in favorites, Lovecraftian nightmares, lesser-known gems from horror auteurs, gruesome French slashers and all sorts of other creepy eccentricities that lurk in the remaining gaps. We are thrilled to present our first complete website takeover series.
Welcome to Split Tooth Media presents: 31 Days of October Horror.
Every day in October, we will feature at least one new piece of horror film criticism. These will come in the form of traditional essays, podcasts (including Cinesthesia’s Herculean attempt to produce a 31-part miniseries called “Hell to the King” about Stephen King film adaptations) and at least one piece that defies definition. We are excited to welcome an incredible group of new contributors to the Split Tooth team. Coming from a wide-range of backgrounds and hailing from across the country, it has been enlightening to feature such a variety of styles and critical approaches to the horror genre.
This is not a definitive “best-of” the genre list. It is instead a selection of films chosen by our writers that they felt particularly passionate about sharing. We invite you to join us through the month and share your favorite horror films as we go. This list will be updated daily.
Follow along with Hell to the King’s 31-day plunge through Stephen King film adaptations.
Oct. 1: What Ever Happened to Spider Baby? (Jack Hill, 1967) by Jason Michelitch
Oct. 2: Martin: Searching for the Soul of an Incel Vampire in 2019 (George Romero, 1977) by Bennett Glace
Oct. 3: High Tension: Conflicting Fantasies of a Different Body (Alexandre Aja, 2003) by Logan Taylor
Oct. 4: Spellbound: Magic, Art and Sex in The Love Witch (Anna Biller, 2016) by Frankie Vanaria
Oct. 5: Malleable Fantasy: Coming of Age in Lemora: A Child’s Tale of the Supernatural (Richard Blackburn, 1973) by Snow Lietta
Oct. 6: Death Trip USA: The Sinister Romance of Manhattan Love Suicides (Richard Kern, 1985) by Brett Wright
Oct. 7: A Letter to George Barry, Creator of Death Bed: The Bed That Eats (1977), from Shane Pfender
Oct. 8: Your Changing Body: Monstrous Adolescence in Ginger Snaps (John Fawcett, 2001) by Victoria Quamme Rhoden
Oct. 9: The Beauty and horror of Eyes Without A Face is More than Skin-Deep (Georges Franju, 1960) by Jodi Please
Oct. 10: There’s Definitely Something Out There: Uprooting Convention in There’s Nothing Out There (Rolfe Kanefsky, 1991) by Nick Miller
Oct. 11: Bob Clark Shows Why Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things (Bob Clark, 1972) by Brett Wright
Oct. 12: The Battery: Adjusting to a New Reality After the Death of Everyone Else (Jeremy Gardner, 2012) by Cooper Green
Oct. 13: Night of the Hunter (Charles Laughton, 1955) by Reel Rap
Oct. 14: Don’t Look Now: Location as Monster (Nicolas Roeg, 1973) by Logan Taylor
Oct. 15: Innocence, Hunger, Need: Let The Right One In (Tomas Alfredson, 2008) by Snow Lietta
Oct. 16: The Brood: Psychoplasmic Violations and Familial Crises (David Cronenberg, 1979) by Frankie Vanaria
Oct. 17: Joel Potrykus’ Midwestern Monsters Pt. 1: Ape and Relaxer by Bennett Glace
Oct. 18: Joel Potrykus’ Midwestern Monsters Pt. 2: The Alchemist Cookbook and Relaxer by Bennett Glace
Oct. 19: Cosmic Horror: Glimpsing The Secret Structures of the Universe in Moving Pictures by Jason Michelitch
Oct. 20: Begotten: Images Never Meant to be Seen (E. Elias Merhige, 1990) by Brett Wright
Oct. 21: Frailty (Bill Paxton, 2001) by Reel Rap
Oct. 22: The Phantom Sound of Terror: The Town That Dreaded Sundown (Charles B. Pierce, 1976) by Craig Wright
Oct. 23: Carnival of Souls as a Paranoid Psychosexual Nightmare (Herk Harvey, 1962) by Logan Taylor
Oct. 24: The Girl on the Third Floor is waiting: Toxic Masculinity Meets the Female Gaze (Travis Stevens, 2019) by Victoria Quamme Rhoden
Oct. 25: Vampire’s Kiss: The Limits of Performance (Robert Bierman, 1989) by Shane Pfender
Oct. 26: Salting the Franchise Fields: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (Tobe Hooper, 1986) by Bennett Glace
Oct. 27: Reel Rap: Ganja and Hess (Bill Gunn, 1973)
Oct. 28: The Cell: A Journey Through the Hellscape of the Mind (Tarsem Singh, 2000) by Victoria Quamme Rhoden
Oct. 29: An Artist’s Nightmare: John Cassavetes, Horror Films and ‘The Incubus’ (1981, John Hough) by Brett Wright
Oct. 30: Split Tooth Staff Picks: Our Favorite Horror Films
Oct 31: Dario Argento And The Three Mothers: Evil On The Wind, Menace In The Walls by Jason Michelitch
Find the complete October Horror Archive here:
Follow our list of the 31 Days of October Horror on Letterboxd
Graphic and logo by Sararosa Davies
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