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    31 Horror Films You Might Not Have Seen (But Can Stream This Spooky Season)

    These hidden gems are worth a good scare.

    Ken W. Hanley
    by Ken W. Hanley

    BuzzFeed Contributor

    October is almost here, and that means it’s time to break out the plastic pumpkins, heat up those ghost-shaped cookies, and put together your horror movie playlists for spooky season viewing.

    Hive Media Corp.

    But if you’re tiring of watching the same ol’ scary stuff year after year, I’ve got you covered, as I’ve assembled 31 underrated and overlooked terror titles that you can watch to freshen up your macabre media diet before All Hallows' Eve arrives.

    1. Stake Land

    A torch-wielding man attempts to repel a pack of vampires in "Stake Land"
    Glass Eye PIx / Cinematic Collection / Alamy

    With a grim, grounded take on a post-apocalyptic horror story akin to The Walking Dead, this gruesome fright flick follows a group of nomadic humans who must rely on one another to survive a world overrun by vampires.

    Watch Stake Land on Peacock here.

    2. The Eyes of My Mother

    A young woman observes her mother prepare a severed cow's head in "The Eyes of My Mother"
    Tandem Pictures via YouTube

    From visionary filmmaker Nicolas Pesce, The Eyes of My Mother follows a young woman who indulges in bizarre and violent behavior while coming to terms with a traumatic childhood event.

    Watch The Eyes of My Mother on HBO Max here.

    3. The Deep House

    A diving cameraman comes across a gate toward an underwater house in "The Deep House"
    Prod DB / Radar Films / Logical Pictures / Apollo Films / Alamy

    Two scuba divers discover a haunted house at the bottom of a lake in France in this breathtaking and terrifying found footage film unlike anything the genre has previously produced.

    Watch The Deep House on Paramount+ here.

    4. Charismata

    A group of forensic investigators wearing headlamps investigate a ritualistic crime scene in "Charismata"
    Loose Canon Films via YouTube

    An intuitive police officer examines a series of bizarre murder scenes that might have potentially supernatural ramifications in this eerie mash-up of Se7en and Sinister.

    Watch Charismata on Tubi here.

    5. Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum

    The theatrical poster for "Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum"
    Collection Christophel / Won-kuk Kim / Jung Bum Shik

    In this found footage frightener, a group of young filmmakers searching for viral video fame decide to set up a night shoot at an infamous abandoned asylum, but nothing could prepare them for the heart-stopping horror that awaits behind the walls at Gonjiam.

    Watch Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum on Amazon Prime here.

    6. Butterfly Kisses

    A student filmmaker attempts to prevent herself from blinking in "Butterfly Kisses"
    Four-Fingered Films via YouTube

    Directed by the late Erik Kristopher Myers (who also appears in the film), Butterfly Kisses surrounds an obsessive documentarian who attempts to find the truth behind a supposed student film about a local legend called “The Blink Man,” who appears closer and closer to his victims every time they blink.

    Watch Butterfly Kisses on Paramount+ here.

    7. Offseason

    A woman investigates a foggy, empty island town in "Offseason"
    Defiant Studios via YouTube

    Tonally similar to classic chillers like Messiah of Evil and Dead & Buried, Offseason is the latest from horror wunderkind Mickey Keating, who tells the tale of a woman who returns to the desolate island town where her mother had died only to discover the town itself has other plans for her.

    Watch Offseason on Shudder here.

    8. Let Us Prey

    An intense, bearded stranger stares at someone through the eye of a jail cell in "Let Us Prey"
    Creative Scotland via YouTube

    A police station is infected from within by the appearance of a powerful vagabond with bad intentions in this bloody and brutal horror offering starring Game of Thrones actor Liam Cunningham.

    Watch Let Us Prey on Peacock here.

    9. The Witch in the Window

    A tormented man screams through a glass window at "The Witch in the Window"
    One Bad House Films via YouTube

    A father attempts to repair his strained relationship with his young son while renovating an old, remote home, only to find that they might not be the only ones in the house in this pulse-pounding modern ghost story.

    Watch The Witch in the Window on Shudder here.

    10. The Pit (1981)

    The theatrical poster for "The Pit"
    New World Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection

    A young boy is manipulated by his evil teddy bear to bring strangers to a pit in the forest containing flesh-eating monsters in this bonkers Canadian cult classic.

    Watch The Pit on Peacock here.

    11. The Seventh Day

    Two Exorcists attempt to purge a demon from a possessed boy in a boarded-up room in "The Seventh Day"
    Cinestate / Collection Christophel / Alamy

    A cross between Training Day and The Exorcist, this chiller follows a young priest who is taken under the wing of a grizzled veteran exorcist as he trains to effectively battle demonic possession.

    Watch The Seventh Day on Netflix here.

    12. Anything for Jackson

    Two grandparents embrace one another in the face of a scary situation in "Anything for Jackson"
    Vortex Productions / Prod DB / Alamy

    A pair of grieving grandparents go to unthinkable lengths in order to resurrect their late grandchild in this nightmarish horror offering.

    Watch Anything for Jackson on Shudder here.

    13. Patchwork

    A Frankenstein'd woman awakes from her surgery in a bloody laboratory in "Patchwork"
    Infinite Lives Entertainment via YouTube

    From the filmmaker behind the modern cult favorite Tragedy Girls, Patchwork is a twisted contemporary take on Frankenstein following three young women who awake from a night of partying to find themselves pieced together as one monster, causing their conflicting personalities to clash as they search for answers behind their petrifying predicament.

    Watch Patchwork on Tubi here.

    14. The Nightmare

    View this video on YouTube
    Altitude Films / Via youtube.com

    Directed by experimental documentarian Rodney Ascher, The Nightmare is a deep dive into true life tales of sleep paralysis, with the visceral visions on record painstakingly recreated with disturbing detail.

    Watch The Nightmare on Shudder here.

    15. Come True

    A young woman splattered with blood stares into a mirror in "Come True"
    Copperheart Entertainment / Album / Alamy

    With one of the more controversial endings in recent memory, this wicked flick from rising filmmaker Anthony Scott Burns is a waking nightmare worth watching for yourself and surrounds a desperate teenager who partakes in a sleep study with potentially sinister undertones.

    Watch Come True on Hulu here.

    16. The Hunger

    A stylish vampire duo are lit in a gothic nightclub in "The Hunger"
    MGM / United Artists / Pictorial Press Ltd. / Alamy

    This moody and macabre arthouse vampire flick from the late, great Tony Scott showcases some incredible makeup SFX as well as a brooding soundtrack and spectacular performances from Catherine Deneuve, David Bowie, and Susan Sarandon.

    Watch The Hunger on HBO Max here.

    17. WNUF Halloween Special

    View this video on YouTube
    Midnight Crew Studios / Via youtube.com

    Expertly produced to emulate a rediscovered VHS recording of a local news broadcast during Halloween in 1987, this fantastic horror comedy has spread like wildfire among its growing cult fanbase for good reason.

    Watch WNUF Halloween Special on Shudder here.

    18. In the Tall Grass

    A group of survivors have a tense conversation in "In The Tall Grass"
    Lifestyle Pictures / Netflix / Alamy

    This mind-bending adaptation of Joe Hill and Stephen King’s surreal and scary short story from Cube filmmaker Vincenzo Natali surrounds a pair of siblings who venture into a field of tall grass where space and time appear to be boundless.

    Watch In the Tall Grass on Netflix here.

    19. Censor

    A woman soaks in the static of a television late at night in "Censor"
    Prod DB / Maria Lax / Silver Salt Films / Timpson Films / Alamy

    Niamh Algar is stunning as Enid, a film censor in the 1980s who becomes obsessed with a new film that seems to curiously reflect a traumatic event from her childhood in this incredible mindf*** of a movie.

    Watch Censor on Hulu here.

    20. Two Pigeons

    A man hides mere inches away from a man ironing clothes in "2 Pigeons"
    West London Film Studios via YouTube

    This darkly comedic revenge tale about a predatory real estate agent and a vindictive “housemate” is guaranteed to send your gag reflex into overdrive.

    Watch Two Pigeons on Paramount+ here.

    21. Would You Rather

    A woman sadistically smiles after sending an electric shock to an old woman in "Would You Rather"
    Periscope Entertainment / Cinematic Collection / Alamy

    A group of desperate individuals come together for a mysterious dinner party with the promise of financial rescue but later find themselves immersed in a deadly game in this wickedly wonderful creepshow starring Brittany Snow, Robin Lord Taylor, and Jeffrey Combs.

    Watch Would You Rather on AMC+ here.

    22. Southbound

    A traumatized, blood-covered man collapses on a hospital floor after a surgery gone wrong in "Southbound"
    Prod DB / Soapbox Films / Willowbrook Regent Films / Alamy

    From the producers of V/H/S as well as the filmmakers behind The Night House and Scream (2022), Southbound assembles five interconnected horror stories taking place in a remote desert town that invites the sinful and sinister to face their inner demons.

    Watch Southbound on Hulu here.

    23. Don't Knock Twice

    A woman attempts to search for someone on her lawn at night in "Don't Knock Twice"
    Seymour Films via YouTube

    Katee Sackhoff headlines this spine-tingling film about a former drug addict who welcomes her estranged daughter into her home and life, unaware that the latter had invoked the wrath of a demonic urban legend.

    Watch Don’t Knock Twice on AMC+ here.

    24. Possum

    The shadow of a spider-like marionette is cast into a messy room in "Possum"
    Prod DB / thefyzz / BFI Film Fund / Evandine Productions

    A disturbing horror story crafted by British comedy mainstay Matthew Holness, Possum follows a disgraced puppeteer who must return to his decrepit childhood home, where he is frequently tormented by his spider-like marionette and his sadistic uncle.

    Watch Possum on Shudder here.

    25. Pledge

    Three scary-looking fraternity brothers stand in full suits in front of a candlelit room in "Pledge"
    BoulderLight Pictures via YouTube

    Three young men find themselves in a fight for their lives when a fraternity hazing turns into something far more malevolent in this jaw-dropping independent fright flick.

    Watch Pledge on AMC+ here.

    26. Apartment 212

    A scared woman narrowly avoid a thrown knife in her kitchen in "Apartment 212"
    UnReal Media via YouTube

    After escaping from her abusive ex-husband, a young woman suspects that she is not alone in her new apartment when she begins to wake up with strange bite marks.

    Watch Apartment 212 on Paramount+ here.

    27. Ruin Me

    A woman discovered a hooded and chained body on a beach in "Ruin Me"
    Terror Weekend Productions on YouTube

    A young woman is invited by her husband to join him for “Slasher Sleepout,” an immersive forest-bound horror movie experience that blurs the lines between reality and nightmare, in this twisty and oh-so-creepy horror-thriller.

    Watch Ruin Me on Shudder here.

    28. The Djinn

    A young boy avoids the arm of a monster while hiding in a bathroom in "The Djinn"
    Mad Descent Kinogo Pictures via YouTube

    A mute boy discovers a book of spells in his father’s new apartment that transforms his night alone into a living hell in this intense and suspenseful cavalcade of chills.

    Watch The Djinn on Showtime here.

    29. Watcher

    A distressed woman waves out of her window to a creepy neighbor in "Watcher"
    Imagenation Abu Dhabi FZ / Album / Alamy

    Maika Monroe once again kills it in the horror genre as a woman who moves to Bucharest alongside her husband, but immediately descends into paranoia amid a series of nearby serial killings and a neighbor whom she suspects of watching her from across the street.

    Watch Watcher on Shudder here.

    30. Wrong Turn (2021)

    A pair of masked cave-dwellers appear for a ceremony in "Wrong Turn"
    CONSTANTIN FILM / Album / Alamy

    Turning the backwoods horror franchise a full 180 degrees from its origins, this impressive remake follows a group of young people who veer off course from a hiking trip through the Appalachian Trail only to face unimaginable consequences.

    Watch Wrong Turn (2021) on Showtime here.

    31. Haunt (2019)

    A devil man holding a pitchfork guides people towards a small tunnel in "Haunt"
    Sierra Affinity / Album / Alamy

    Quickly emerging as a contemporary classic among horror fans, this ultraviolent slasher film from the writers of A Quiet Place surrounds a group of young people who come across an enigmatic haunted attraction that offers something more menacing than just cheap thrills.

    Watch Haunt (2019) on Shudder here.