Five Underrated Horror Movies to Watch at Halloween

It’s October, so time to talk about what those of you who don’t watch horror movies all year long, should watch leading up to All Hallows’ Eve. Every October, my wife and I watch the basics: The Shining, Michael Myers movies, and Trick ’R Treat just like everybody else. There are many other great movies to watch in October, such as Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street, and other classic horror films. However, most people have their own special scary movies they watch every year that might not be on the normal list of Halloween movies.

So, I thought I’d make a list of the horror films I like to watch in October that might be something you haven’t seen before. I’d recommend watching them with the lights off and a little buzz, but that’s up to you. Here are some of my favorite horror films to watch in October that just aren’t talked about nearly enough. 

1. Hack-O-Lantern. It’s cheesy, and you cannot watch it expecting a serious movie. However, if you’re in the right mood, it can be a hilarious and joyful thing to watch. Hy Pyke plays grandpa and between him and the devil’s son, Tommy, they make devil-worshiping great again. The movie is about Tommy and how important he is to the local satanic cult’s upcoming ritual. It’s just that Tommy may not be up to the job, and dreams of rock and roll instead of going to church. Whether it’s the church of Satan or Jesus, it shows that teenagers just aren’t as interested in religion as their grandpa. 
2. Slumber Party Massacre. This isn’t the best slasher film of all time, but it’s pretty damn good. It ripped off Halloween by having the killer’s point of view a bunch. However, one cool part of the movie is that it doesn’t mess around with the fact that the killer is not some other minor character in the movie. They kind of show the killer’s face early on and make it apparent that it’s a bad guy and not some surprise at the end (like some slasher movies of the time tried to do). There is an actual slumber party, but unlike the sequel, it doesn’t have characters breaking into funny rock songs. It takes itself more seriously and actually keeps the tension pretty well. In the beginning, the killer grabs someone in broad daylight and it kind of sets the stage by letting you know this killer isn’t afraid of the daytime. Also, the killer has a drill, so there are some pretty gross kill scenes.
3. The Monster Club. The music. It is all about fantastic music. The live performances are a lot of fun. You also can’t beat the premise. Vincent Price plays a vampire who feeds on a famous horror author. When the author wakes up, the vampire recognizes him and explains how much he loves his stories.  He invites the author to the Monster Club. There, the vampire tells three stories about monsters. In between the stories is the splendid music. The stories are based on tales by British horror author R. Chetwynd-Hayes and, to be honest, the author in the movie seems based on him. It’s just a lot of fun. The Shadmock story is the first one and my favorite.
4. Phantasm. I don’t think it’s underrated among horror fans, but more people outside of the horror bubble should watch it. It’s got creepy music and Angus Scrimm is perfect as the Tall Man. The flying sphere is totally unexpected and everyone can clearly see in this movie how much tougher kids were forty-four years ago. 
5. Prom Night 2: Hello Mary Lou. Demon in a trunk. A foul-mouthed prom queen. A fun music score. It’s a kinky prom night and lots of fun.