October, host month to Halloween, is always a 31-day celebration of all things spooky and there will be several new horror movies to watch during it.
October, host month to Halloween, is generally a 31-day celebration of all things spooky and 2021 will see the arrival of several new horror movies to watch during it. While horror is arguably more widely accepted a genre now than it’s ever been, it seems there will always be parts of society that view it as a lower form of entertainment. That especially holds true for slasher films, which are usually full of blood, guts, gore, sexual content, and even sometimes take their franchise to space.
While horror fanatics would argue that slashers are just as valid as any other type of movie, the genre is so much more than hulking killers slicing up teenage victims – even if non-fans try to stereotype it that way. Anything can happen in horror, in much the same way as with sci-fi or fantasy and that allows for nearly limitless opportunities for creativity. That’s why Oscar-winning classics like The Exorcist, B-grade hilarity like Leprechaun or literal trips to Hell like Event Horizon can all share space under the vast horror umbrella.
October 2021 will bring audiences no less than seven brand new horror films to experience, some in theaters and others via streaming. The styles range from dark comedy to slasher to psychological terror to zombies, and more. Without any further ado, here’s all the new horror due around Halloween.
The Addams Family 2 (October 1)
While The Addams Family 2, the sequel to 2019’s hit animated reinvention of the franchise, certainly isn’t a traditional horror film by any means, horror fans tend to love the creepy and kooky family for obvious reasons. The Addams clan embodies a love for the dark and strange, and while that’s taken to comedic extremes, it’s a spirit many horror viewers can relate to. It makes perfect sense the latest Addams adventure is timed to kick off the spookiest month of 2021. Almost the entire main voice cast is reprising their roles, including future Moon Knight actor Oscar Isaac as Gomez and Charlize Theron as Morticia, with the only notable absence being Finn Wolfhard opting not to come back to voice Pugsley.
There’s Someone Inside Your House (October 6)
Ever since Netflix began making a name for themselves as an original content provider in the mid-2010s, horror has been a big part of their original movie and TV offerings. From movies like Gerald’s Game and Bird Box to shows like Stranger Things or The Haunting of Hill House, subscribers seem to love a good scare. The first Netflix original horror film of October 2021 is There’s Someone Inside Your House, directed by Patrick Brice, helmer of the Creep movies. The story sees a Hawaii to Nebraska transfer student end up in danger after a terrifying serial killer begins picking people off in her new town.
Halloween Kills (October 15)
After a year-long delay due to the Coronavirus pandemic, Halloween Kills finally sees Michael Myers return to ring in another Halloween season. As seen in the trailers, the sequel picks up directly following Halloween 2018, with Michael escaping Laurie’s burning house, slaughtering a bunch of luckless firefighters and going back on the hunt for Laurie Strode and her offspring. While this Michael is no longer Laurie’s brother, there’s definitely a personal vendetta between them, one which can only be solved by the death of the other. It remains to be seen how Halloween Kills will do financially though, as it’s in direct competition with high profile Sony/Marvel sequel Venom: Let There Be Carnage.
Night Teeth (October 20)
Another new original horror offering from Netflix in October, Night Teeth‘s plot synopsis almost sounds like a darker twist on the Tom Cruise/Jamie Foxx thriller Collateral. Night Teeth sees a college student working as a driver to make ends meet pick up two magnetic young women for a night on the town. What seems like a simple job turns crazy when the women are revealed to be bloodthirsty vampires, and what’s more, at odds with rival vampire tribes. Even weirder, his own brother leads the fight against them.
Last Night in Soho (October 29)
There aren’t many filmmakers with enough name value to generate interest in whatever they’re working on via reputation alone, but at this point, director Edgar Wright seems to have gotten to that level. Of course, it doesn’t hurt Last Night in Soho, a psychological horror story, looks like a mesmerizing descent into the unsettling shadows of life, with young Eloise (Thomasin McKenzie) mysteriously transported back to the 1960s and in the body of her favorite singer of the time, Sandie (Anya-Taylor Joy). That sounds like the recipe for fun on the surface, but neither the past nor Sandie is as light and bubbly as it first appears to be.
Antlers (October 29)
Also opening on Halloween weekend is Antlers, which has been waiting to be unleashed for quite some time, as it was another long-delayed movie as a result of the Coronavirus. Antlers is directed by Crazy Heart‘s Scott Cooper and based on a story by Channel Zero creator Nick Antosca, Antlers casts Keri Russell as Julia, a small-town teacher who gets way too involved in one of her student’s lives, while said student is acquainted with a real-life monster. The always reliable Jesse Plemons also stars as Julia’s brother, who happens to be the town sheriff investigating a mysterious murder.
Army of Thieves (October 29)
Also landing on Halloween weekend, this time on Netflix, is Army of Thieves, a prequel to Zack Snyder’s well-received horror comeback Army of the Dead. Viewers shouldn’t expect a full-on Horror Movie though, as this prequel is set back near the beginning of the outbreak, and is just as much of a heist movie as it is a zombie flick, perhaps more so. There are also romantic comedy elements in play, so Army of Thieves could well join the small rom-zom-com club popularized by Edgar Wright’s Shaun of the Dead. Snyder isn’t directing things this time out though, with that gig going to Matthias Schweighöfer, a German actor and director who’s mostly known for his work in his home country. Snyder still has a story credit though and serves as a producer.
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