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Tourist Trap (USA, 1979)

My one hard rule for the October Horror Movie Challenge is that I can’t have seen any of the films before. Tourist Trap feels like a bit of a cheat. I started watching it many years ago, making it about half an hour in, but got interrupted before I could finish. I’ve meant to go back to it many times but somehow never did. Once again, the OHMC is giving me a chance to put things right.

Tourist Trap is currently streaming on Shudder in the UK.

Synopsis

Woody and Eileen, a young couple, are stranded when their car gets a flat tyre. Woody heads off in search of help, only to find a gas station full of mannequins and flying objects. One of these objects, a metal pipe, skewers him with fatal consequences.

Meanwhile, Eileen is picked up from the roadside by a group of her friends Jerry, Becky and Molly. Their search for Woody is cut short by their own car troubles and they continue on foot. They stumble upon the grounds of Slauson’s Lost Oasis, a one-time tourist trap rendered obsolete by the construction of a new highway.

The kindly Mr Slauson, owner of the establishment, tells Jerry where he can find a mechanic. Meanwhile, he offers the women a tour of his wax museum. The exhibits are all animated in unusual ways, and the centrepiece is a model of Slauson’s late wife. Slauson warns the women to stay in the museum for their own safety.

Of course, the women do no such thing. This wouldn’t be much of a horror film if they played safe. Instead, Becky and Eileen explore the neighbouring house, which is even more packed with creepy mannequins. It is also home to Slauson’s supposedly deceased brother, a masked psychic serial killer with a mannequin fetish. This ends about as well for them as you might suspect.

What is the terrible secret behind all these mannequins? Why do they sometimes move and speak like people? And just what terrifyingly predictable twist about the brother’s identity awaits us?

General Thoughts

Tourist Trap‘s theme music and score are odd. They are bouncy and cheerful, like something from a 1950s sitcom, only with a few sinister flourishes. While this may sound like an odd choice, it adds to the unsettling tone of the film. The soundtrack was written by Pino Donaggio, who had scored major successes like Don’t Look Now and Carrie. His fee apparently ate up a significant chunk of the film’s budget.

This was also an early outing for prolific producer Charles Band, who would later found Full Moon Features, responsible for hundreds of straight-to-video horror and science fiction movies over the following decades.

As with Eyes of Fire, Tourist Trap rode the wave of horror movies featuring psychic powers that followed the success of Carrie. Initially, these powers feel somewhat shoehorned in, offering window dressing for what is otherwise a pretty routine slasher film. The result is still creepy enough to justify their presence. By the end, however, they play a far more important role and the resolution wouldn’t be anywhere near as effective without them.

Oddly, Tourist Trap was awarded a PG rating upon release. While the film is fairly bloodless, it still revolves around a sadistic killer doing horrible things to helpless victims. The producers were disappointed by the rating and believed it undermined the film’s commercial success. This is an interesting contrast to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, where Tobe Hooper was surprised and disappointed not to get a PG rating.

Verdict

It can be a intimidating to review a beloved classic of the genre. So many people saw Tourist Trap in their formative years and fell in love with it. And, honestly, I can see why. If I’d watched it back in the ’80s, it might even have become one of my favourite films. But now? Well, it’s not bad…

In terms of story, Tourist Trap is about as basic as horror films get. It’s a mash-up of Psycho, House of Wax, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and Carrie. But we don’t really watch films like this for their originality.

What stops Tourist Trap from being just another generic slasher film is the weirdness of its execution. Mannequins and masks are always going to be creepy, and they’re used exceptionally well here. The killer’s treatment of his dummies as real people is unsettling enough, but the way his psychic powers animate them into a mockery of life makes them uniquely upsetting. Even when such scenes are played for comedy, such as Slauson dining with a female mannequin, they still make us shudder more than laugh.

Everything builds towards what I can only describe as an absolutely batshit climax. Until then, I wasn’t entirely sold, but the sheer lunacy that caps off Tourist Trap is irresistible. It wouldn’t be out of place in the most bizarre of Italian horror films.

While I don’t see Tourist Trap becoming an enduring favourite of mine, this is more because I watched it 40 years too late than any fault of the film. It’s patchy, and it drags in places, but still offers enough imagination and unpleasantness to offset its shortcomings. If you’re looking for a weird piece of horror movie history, this one is definitely worth a watch.

The October Horror Movie Challenge

Please do join in and share your own thoughts with us about this or any other films as the month goes on. You can usually find us on Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, Discord, or lurking in the dark corners of your home.

If you would like to play along at home, my provisional selections are:

1. Werewolves Within (USA, 2021)
2. Crystal Eyes (Argentina, 2018)
3. Super Dark Times (USA, 2017)
4. Thirst (Australia, 1979)
5. A Ghost Waits (USA, 2020)
6. Cemetery of Terror (Mexico, 1985)
7. I Came By (UK, 2022)
8. 100 Monsters (Japan, 1968)
9. Sea Fever (Ireland, 2020)
10. Mill of the Stone Women (Italy, 1960)
11. Glorious (USA, 2022)
12. All the Moons (Spain, 2021)
13. Broadcast Signal Intrusion (USA, 2021)
14. Incantation (Taiwan, 2022)
15. The Gore Gore Girls (USA, 1972)
16. Luz: The Flower of Evil (Colombia, 2019)
17. Butterfly Kisses (USA, 2018)
18. The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave (Italy, 1971)
19. Saloum (Senegal, 2021)
20. The Addiction (USA, 1995)
21. Good Madam (South Africa, 2021)
22. The Freakmaker (UK, 1974)
23. The Long Walk (Laos, 2019)
24. Eyes of Fire (USA, 1983)
25. Errors of the Human Body (Germany, 2013)
26. Caveat (Ireland, 2020)
27. The White Reindeer (Finland, 1952)
28. His House (UK, 2020)
29. Tourist Trap (USA, 1979)
30. Häxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages (Sweden, 1922)
31. Flux Gourmet (UK, 2022)

A Final Note

If you have been enticed here by these posts, please do look around at some of our other film reviews. We also have a podcast, called The Good Friends of Jackson Elias, which occasionally covers horror films. If this appeals, you might want to check out some of the following episodes.

• The Night House
• Gozu
• The Changeling
• The Endless
• Cadaver
• Our favourite Cthulhu Mythos media
• The Fly
• Midsommar
• A Dark Song
• Martyrs
• The Thing
• The Ritual
• The Wicker Man
• The Stone Tape
• Hellraiser
• Event Horizon
• Pontypool
• The Witch
• INLAND EMPIRE
• Nightbreed and Lord of Illusions
• Maléfique and The Ninth Gate
• Re-Animator and From Beyond
• Repulsion and The Babdook
• Man Bites Dog, Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon and S&man
• A selection of weird films
• David Cronenberg
• The films that scared us most

If you dig through the archives, you will also find episodes about a wide variety of horror stories and games. Happy nightmares!

His House (UK, 2020)

I was going to review His House for last year’s October Horror Movie Challenge but I ran out of month. One of the hardest parts of choosing these films is whittling down my average shortlist of around 70 films to the 31 I’ll actually have time to watch and review. There are just too many interesting horror films out there to keep up with.

Seeing how well His House was received made me regret my decision not to include it last time. So, once again, I am using this month’s selections as an opportunity to right wrongs. Given the film in question, that seems oddly appropriate.

His House is currently streaming on Netflix in the UK.

Synopsis

We are introduced to Bol and Rial as they flee bloody conflict in South Sudan. They attempt to cross the English Channel on an overcrowded boat full of refugees, but hit trouble. While they survive, many are drowned, including their young daughter Nyagak.

After being released from a detainee centre in England, the couple are given accommodation in a rough area of London. Their new home is large but squalid, leaving the couple to deal with festering rubbish, peeling wallpaper and strange sounds coming from the walls.

As Bol tries to find a place in the local community, actively attempting to assimilate, Rial barely leaves the house and holds onto her past for dear life. This conflict drives a wedge between them even as things get weird within the house.

Although the house appears to be haunted, with sinister figures appearing in the darkness and scurrying through the walls at night, these ghosts prove to be ones Bol and Rial brought with them. Chief amongst these spectres is Nyagak, whose rage leads her to stalk and attack Bol.

As Bol faces down these ghosts, he starts tearing into the walls with a hammer, searching for their source. When their housing officer sees the damage, he threatens to launch an investigation. This would almost certainly lead to deportation and the risk of violent death.

Eventually, Rial deduces that there is a night witch, living within their house, conjuring up all these ghosts. This witch seems to want something from Bol, but what is really driving its hunger for blood and vengeance?

General Thoughts

Like so many films that blend real atrocities and trauma with more supernatural threats, the ghosts of His House almost dilute the horror. While they pose a real threat to Bol in particular, they seem mild compared to the bloodshed we see in flashbacks to South Sudan and the terrors of the boat crossing. Rial even address this explicitly, telling her husband, “After all we’ve endured, after what we have seen, what men can do, you think it is bumps in the night that frighten me? You think I can be afraid of ghosts?”

The more grounded horrors don’t stop when Bol and Rial leave the detention centre. Almost everything about their treatment is dehumanising, from the exit interview conducted by a contemptuously bored panel to the way their belongings are packaged in bin bags and tossed on the pavement. As the couple try to adapt to their new environment, they face everything from a well-meaning doctor’s awkward misunderstanding of the cultural significance of Rial’s scars to a group of black teenagers who mock Rial’s accent and tell her to go back to Africa. The housing officer, in turn, tells Bol to “Be one of the good ones.” It almost feels like a relief when we go back to the ghosts.

Still, the ghosts of His House are pretty damn scary. Not only do they look disturbing but they only manifest in the dark. At times, the witch takes control of the house’s electrics, plunging Bol into darkness and vulnerability. These ghosts don’t just haunt — their manifestation is physical and they can inflict real harm.

Verdict

Maybe it was all the hype or maybe it was anticipating the film for a year, but I was a little let down by His House. Don’t get me wrong — I still enjoyed it very much. It’s a clever, often scary blend of horrors that kept me engaged throughout. I just went into the film expecting it to be one of my picks of the month and left thinking it was merely above average.

One of the biggest problems is that the story pulls in too many directions at once. We have sharp commentary on British racism and the treatment of refugees, a couple attempting to maintain their dignity and identities while assimilating into a new culture, the literally haunting effects of PTSD, and a sort of redemption arc where Bol faces the sins of his past. Each of these is a compelling storyline in its own right, but the combined effect is too muddled for any one to truly stand out. The redemption aspect, in particular, risks actively undermining the other strands. This is a shame, as there is a lot to enjoy and admire in the narrative chaos.

Despite these faults, I’d still unreservedly recommend His House to anyone looking for a ghost story with a bit more depth. It’s an entertaining, creepy film that keeps you thinking even as it tries to scare the more primal parts of your brain. I just feel that a bit more script editing could have turned it into something remarkable.

The October Horror Movie Challenge

Please do join in and share your own thoughts with us about this or any other films as the month goes on. You can usually find us on Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, Discord, or lurking in the dark corners of your home.

If you would like to play along at home, my provisional selections are:

1. Werewolves Within (USA, 2021)
2. Crystal Eyes (Argentina, 2018)
3. Super Dark Times (USA, 2017)
4. Thirst (Australia, 1979)
5. A Ghost Waits (USA, 2020)
6. Cemetery of Terror (Mexico, 1985)
7. I Came By (UK, 2022)
8. 100 Monsters (Japan, 1968)
9. Sea Fever (Ireland, 2020)
10. Mill of the Stone Women (Italy, 1960)
11. Glorious (USA, 2022)
12. All the Moons (Spain, 2021)
13. Broadcast Signal Intrusion (USA, 2021)
14. Incantation (Taiwan, 2022)
15. The Gore Gore Girls (USA, 1972)
16. Luz: The Flower of Evil (Colombia, 2019)
17. Butterfly Kisses (USA, 2018)
18. The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave (Italy, 1971)
19. Saloum (Senegal, 2021)
20. The Addiction (USA, 1995)
21. Good Madam (South Africa, 2021)
22. The Freakmaker (UK, 1974)
23. The Long Walk (Laos, 2019)
24. Eyes of Fire (USA, 1983)
25. Errors of the Human Body (Germany, 2013)
26. Caveat (Ireland, 2020)
27. The White Reindeer (Finland, 1952)
28. His House (UK, 2020)
29. Tourist Trap (USA, 1979)
30. Häxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages (Sweden, 1922)
31. Flux Gourmet (UK, 2022)

A Final Note

If you have been enticed here by these posts, please do look around at some of our other film reviews. We also have a podcast, called The Good Friends of Jackson Elias, which occasionally covers horror films. If this appeals, you might want to check out some of the following episodes.

• The Night House
• Gozu
• The Changeling
• The Endless
• Cadaver
• Our favourite Cthulhu Mythos media
• The Fly
• Midsommar
• A Dark Song
• Martyrs
• The Thing
• The Ritual
• The Wicker Man
• The Stone Tape
• Hellraiser
• Event Horizon
• Pontypool
• The Witch
• INLAND EMPIRE
• Nightbreed and Lord of Illusions
• Maléfique and The Ninth Gate
• Re-Animator and From Beyond
• Repulsion and The Babdook
• Man Bites Dog, Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon and S&man
• A selection of weird films
• David Cronenberg
• The films that scared us most

If you dig through the archives, you will also find episodes about a wide variety of horror stories and games. Happy nightmares!

The White Reindeer (Finland, 1952)

While it achieved international fame and won awards for several years after release, The White Reindeer had fallen into relative obscurity by the time I became interested in horror. I’m pretty sure I’d never even heard of it until last year. Happily, the current interest in folk horror has brought it back to public attention. It was certainly this folk horror connection that piqued my interest. From the name and the poster alone, I might never have guessed what a strange, dark film this is.

I was in two minds about including it in this year’s October Horror Movie Challenge. The prospect of seeing a classic horror movie from Finland tipped the balance, however. Let’s see whether The White Reindeer deserves its reputation as a classic of the genre.

The White Reindeer is currently streaming on Shudder in the UK.

Synopsis

We open with a montage of the birth of Pirita, set to the eerie strains of a traditional Sámi folk song. The lyrics tell us of a child born to a witch and of sacrifices to the stone god, foreshadowing much of what is to come.

The narrative then jumps forward to Pirita as an adult, being courted by Aslak, a reindeer herder. While the two fall in love and marry, Pirita soon becomes unhappy. Aslak’s work takes him all over the region, leaving Pirita on her own for long periods. She grows lonely and sexually frustrated.

In desperation, Pirita visits what the film refers to as a wizard but who more resembles a shaman. He offers to help her win the heart of any man. This requires making a sacrifice to the stone god. The process goes terribly wrong, however, due to the witchcraft in Pirita’s lineage.

Instead of simply gaining power over men, Pirita becomes a vampiric shapeshifter, uncontrollably turning into a white reindeer that lures men to their doom. Will she manage to break free of this curse or is she fated to bring death to all those around her?

General Thoughts

Folk Horror

The White Reindeer is introduced as “A tale from Lapland”. It draws heavily upon Sámi folklore and looks to have been shot almost entirely on location. The characters all wear traditional Sámi garb and follow equally traditional ways of life (apart from speaking Finnish, which might have been the case around the time the film was made). Even the opening scene is narrated entirely through a Sámi folk song. This is a film that earns its place in the folk horror pantheon.

At the same time, The White Reindeer is very much a fairy tale, just one of the darker variety. From Pirita’s yearning for love to the magic that leads her to a tragic fate, the story follows tropes we’ve seen in traditional tales from many cultures. One detail that stood is the huntsmen’s belief that cold iron offers the only way to slay the white reindeer. This is similar to protections against fairies in British and Celtic folklore. It’s fascinating to see how widespread these beliefs can be.

One big difference between The White Reindeer and most European fairy tales is that Pirita visits a shaman instead of a witch. Obviously, this is rooted in local Sámi traditions, but it also seems to be an important distinction once we learn that Pirita is a witch herself, albeit an unwitting one.

I was amused that one of the ingredients in the shaman’s love potion is the testicles of ten bull moose. I can’t imagine such a thing in a British or American film from the era.

Other Themes

Although it’s framed as loneliness in the film, Pirita’s motivation for visiting the shaman is very much sexual frustration. In this context, The White Reindeer falls into the broader genre of horror films rooted in fear of female sexuality. Giving into her desires turns Pirita into a predatory monster who preys on men. Sure, the men are drawn to her, but they can’t help themselves, right?

While watching, I made a note about how this reminded me of Jacques Tourneur’s Cat People, which was made some 10 years before The White Reindeer. Both involve femmes fatale shapeshifters powerless to stop themselves preying on men. A bit of googling afterwards revealed that I am far from the first person to make this connection.

Music plays a huge role in the The White Reindeer. I’m not sure that there’s a single moment unaccompanied by music. Much of it is pastoral and upbeat, despite the darkness of the story. Almost none is diegetic, however, despite all the festivals and celebrations we see.

And, as an aside, why are the characters in this film surprised when people keep dying in Evil Valley? The clue is in the name. Personally, I’d keep away from there.

Verdict

The White Reindeer is the biggest surprise of the month so far. I had no expectations beyond perhaps seeing an interesting piece of horror history. Instead, this proved to be an utterly gripping, beautiful and moving film.

The cinematography is a particular highlight. With so much of the story taking place outdoors, we are constantly surrounded by the vast, empty landscapes of Lapland. The bleak whiteness of the snow lends the film an otherworldly quality.

We see every aspect of Sámi life against this backdrop, from family life and weddings to reindeer herding and races. In the first act, in particular, I almost felt like I was watching a travelogue or a documentary about Sámi culture. It was especially interesting to see all the different methods of traversing the snow, using an endless variety of skis and sleds.

With so much of the soundtrack given over to music, The White Reindeer almost feels like a silent film. The stark lighting and heavy use of shadows adds to this, lending a touch of German expressionism. It’s almost startling when characters speak, especially given how little dialogue there is.

All these elements come together to create an odd and truly unique cinematic experience. Nothing about the film is self-consciously weird, but the overall combination of location, folklore and mood turn a relatively simple fairy tale into something powerful and disturbing. I’ve simply never seen anything like The White Reindeer. That alone should be enough to recommend it.

The October Horror Movie Challenge

Please do join in and share your own thoughts with us about this or any other films as the month goes on. You can usually find us on Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, Discord, or lurking in the dark corners of your home.

If you would like to play along at home, my provisional selections are:

1. Werewolves Within (USA, 2021)
2. Crystal Eyes (Argentina, 2018)
3. Super Dark Times (USA, 2017)
4. Thirst (Australia, 1979)
5. A Ghost Waits (USA, 2020)
6. Cemetery of Terror (Mexico, 1985)
7. I Came By (UK, 2022)
8. 100 Monsters (Japan, 1968)
9. Sea Fever (Ireland, 2020)
10. Mill of the Stone Women (Italy, 1960)
11. Glorious (USA, 2022)
12. All the Moons (Spain, 2021)
13. Broadcast Signal Intrusion (USA, 2021)
14. Incantation (Taiwan, 2022)
15. The Gore Gore Girls (USA, 1972)
16. Luz: The Flower of Evil (Colombia, 2019)
17. Butterfly Kisses (USA, 2018)
18. The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave (Italy, 1971)
19. Saloum (Senegal, 2021)
20. The Addiction (USA, 1995)
21. Good Madam (South Africa, 2021)
22. The Freakmaker (UK, 1974)
23. The Long Walk (Laos, 2019)
24. Eyes of Fire (USA, 1983)
25. Errors of the Human Body (Germany, 2013)
26. Caveat (Ireland, 2020)
27. The White Reindeer (Finland, 1952)
28. His House (UK, 2020)
29. Tourist Trap (USA, 1979)
30. Häxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages (Sweden, 1922)
31. Flux Gourmet (UK, 2022)

A Final Note

If you have been enticed here by these posts, please do look around at some of our other film reviews. We also have a podcast, called The Good Friends of Jackson Elias, which occasionally covers horror films. If this appeals, you might want to check out some of the following episodes.

• The Night House
• Gozu
• The Changeling
• The Endless
• Cadaver
• Our favourite Cthulhu Mythos media
• The Fly
• Midsommar
• A Dark Song
• Martyrs
• The Thing
• The Ritual
• The Wicker Man
• The Stone Tape
• Hellraiser
• Event Horizon
• Pontypool
• The Witch
• INLAND EMPIRE
• Nightbreed and Lord of Illusions
• Maléfique and The Ninth Gate
• Re-Animator and From Beyond
• Repulsion and The Babdook
• Man Bites Dog, Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon and S&man
• A selection of weird films
• David Cronenberg
• The films that scared us most

If you dig through the archives, you will also find episodes about a wide variety of horror stories and games. Happy nightmares!

Caveat (Ireland, 2020)

While I’ve tried to take in as broad a scope of horror cinema as possible this month, there has been one inadvertent omission so far. None of the films have really been that scary. Don’t get me wrong — there have been some excellent films on the list, including a few that will stay with me for a long time. It’s just that even the best of them has been noteworthy for their imagination, wit or artistic flair rather than, say, their ability to keep me up until 4 AM, hoping that the noise I heard in the dark of the bedroom was just a restless cat.

Well, the trailer and reviews for Caveat suggest that this may finally be the film to scare me. Fingers crossed!

Caveat is currently streaming on Shudder in the UK.

Synopsis

Isaac, a rootless young man recovering from some kind of head trauma, is hired by his acquaintance, Moe, for a special job. Moe’s niece, Olga, is suffering from a psychotic illness and is living alone in their remote family home. Isaac simply needs to look after her for a few days, making sure she comes to no harm. This should be easy, as Olga’s condition leaves her catatonic much of the time.

What Moe hasn’t told Isaac is that the house is on a private island, only accessible by boat. Worse still, Isaac is expected to wear a leather harness and chain while at the house, limiting his access to certain rooms, including Olga’s. This is supposedly to avoid triggering Olga’s paranoia. Given that she has a crossbow and a willingness to use it, this may be for the best.

Almost as soon as Isaac takes up residence, weird things start happening. A creepy painting of a young girl and her toy rabbit develops a life of its own. The actual toy rabbit beats an alarm on its drum to alert Isaac to unseen presences. And then there’s all the business with the dead body in the cellar.

As if all this weren’t bad enough, Olga alternates between catatonia and lucid moments of outright hostility. She claims that Isaac has been to the house before and that he did terrible things here. Is this just a symptom of her psychosis or is Isaac’s memory not to be trusted? Why is the dead body in the cellar so restless? And what the hell is going on with that toy bunny anyway?

General Thoughts

Caveat makes terrific use of very limited locations. Apart from a handful of scenes, almost all the action takes place within a rundown cottage. Between shutters and an outright lack of windows in many rooms, this is a place devoid of natural light, swathed in shadow at all hours. Its starkness, oppressive gloom and small scattering of weird objects conjure up an unsettling gothic atmosphere.

And this is a profoundly gothic film. From its dark family secrets to the house filled with secret passages, everything goes back to the roots of the genre. There is even a little nod to Mario Bava’s Black Sabbath, with a wide-eyed corpse who won’t sit still.

Isaac spends much of his time prowling through the house in the darkness, relying on a torch for illumination. I was particularly impressed at how ineffectual this torch was. Too many films have a character strike a match and light up most of a room. Here, the weak little pool of light Isaac relies upon makes us feel his vulnerability all the more keenly.

Considering this is a film in which two of the characters are psychologically damaged, albeit in very different ways, the presentation of their illnesses is never less than compassionate. Moe does make Olga’s catatonia the butt of jokes, putting a lampshade on her head during one episode, but he is such a thoroughly unpleasant character that this only makes her more sympathetic.

Verdict

Caveat is a near miss. While it has excellent moments and offers a fair few frights, it never quite comes together satisfactorily.

The way Caveat‘s story is told is arguably its strongest aspect. This is a puzzle box of a film with an unreliable narrator and we are left to infer a lot of details. Unlike, say, Broadcast Signal Intrusion, however, the film does give us all the pieces we need and doesn’t make us work too hard for them. It simply uses a few tricks to keep us off-balance and guessing.

Ironically, some of Caveat‘s strongest images are also its undoing. The business with the spooky painting and the rabbit doll is intriguing but not fully developed enough to work. While it fits thematically, we have to come up with our own explanations. This wouldn’t normally be a problem, but given how important piecing together the main narrative is here, it feels like the wrong approach.

These quibbles aside, Caveat is certainly the creepiest film of the month so far. Its sustained atmosphere of dread and moments of startling weirdness serve it well. It’s just frustrating that Caveat comes so close to excellence only to fall short.

The October Horror Movie Challenge

Please do join in and share your own thoughts with us about this or any other films as the month goes on. You can usually find us on Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, Discord, or lurking in the dark corners of your home.

If you would like to play along at home, my provisional selections are:

1. Werewolves Within (USA, 2021)
2. Crystal Eyes (Argentina, 2018)
3. Super Dark Times (USA, 2017)
4. Thirst (Australia, 1979)
5. A Ghost Waits (USA, 2020)
6. Cemetery of Terror (Mexico, 1985)
7. I Came By (UK, 2022)
8. 100 Monsters (Japan, 1968)
9. Sea Fever (Ireland, 2020)
10. Mill of the Stone Women (Italy, 1960)
11. Glorious (USA, 2022)
12. All the Moons (Spain, 2021)
13. Broadcast Signal Intrusion (USA, 2021)
14. Incantation (Taiwan, 2022)
15. The Gore Gore Girls (USA, 1972)
16. Luz: The Flower of Evil (Colombia, 2019)
17. Butterfly Kisses (USA, 2018)
18. The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave (Italy, 1971)
19. Saloum (Senegal, 2021)
20. The Addiction (USA, 1995)
21. Good Madam (South Africa, 2021)
22. The Freakmaker (UK, 1974)
23. The Long Walk (Laos, 2019)
24. Eyes of Fire (USA, 1983)
25. Errors of the Human Body (Germany, 2013)
26. Caveat (Ireland, 2020)
27. The White Reindeer (Finland, 1952)
28. His House (UK, 2020)
29. Tourist Trap (USA, 1979)
30. Häxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages (Sweden, 1922)
31. Flux Gourmet (UK, 2022)

A Final Note

If you have been enticed here by these posts, please do look around at some of our other film reviews. We also have a podcast, called The Good Friends of Jackson Elias, which occasionally covers horror films. If this appeals, you might want to check out some of the following episodes.

• The Night House
• Gozu
• The Changeling
• The Endless
• Cadaver
• Our favourite Cthulhu Mythos media
• The Fly
• Midsommar
• A Dark Song
• Martyrs
• The Thing
• The Ritual
• The Wicker Man
• The Stone Tape
• Hellraiser
• Event Horizon
• Pontypool
• The Witch
• INLAND EMPIRE
• Nightbreed and Lord of Illusions
• Maléfique and The Ninth Gate
• Re-Animator and From Beyond
• Repulsion and The Babdook
• Man Bites Dog, Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon and S&man
• A selection of weird films
• David Cronenberg
• The films that scared us most

If you dig through the archives, you will also find episodes about a wide variety of horror stories and games. Happy nightmares!