If you’re anything like me, October is the best month for movie watching. With the Fall weather and Halloween spirit finally in full swing, thrillers and horrors are a must this month. Here are some of the best thrillers I watched this October that had me sleeping with one eye open.
1. The Substance (2024)
As someone who can usually stomach any level of gore or body-horror, I didn’t think I’d have any problem watching The Substance. I couldn’t have been more wrong. This drama, starring Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley showcases a mysterious drug that allows women to create younger versions of themselves, but with terrifying consequences. Without spoiling too much, I want to point out the two reasons why this movie earned a perfect 5-star rating from me and the number 1 spot on my list this month.
For starters, this movie was grotesque enough that I had to take a break and come back to it numerous times. This might seem like a bad characteristic for a film, but to me, that’s what made it so good. It was refreshing to see a film that could make me so uncomfortable. But it wasn’t just the gore that made me squirm, it was the message.
At its core, The Substance is about the deep psychological impact of society’s expectations for women and their appearance, especially as they age. By showing how a woman literally splits herself into a younger version, the film points to the pressure placed on women to remain youthful and desirable; a desire that stretches far enough to completely destroy her identity.
I don’t know if I could ever watch this movie again. Despite being entirely fiction, it felt disgustingly familiar, and for that, it gets 5 stars.
2. Get out (2017)
Jordan Peele’s Get Out is a psychological thriller where a Black man, Chris, visits his white girlfriend’s family home and discovers a dark secret about the house staff. This film in particular doesn’t make you jump or gag; there are no ghosts and no gore. Instead, Peele relies on subtle oddities and a slow unfolding of terror that leaves watchers with a pit in their stomach. Tackling themes of systemic racism and liberal hypocrisy, this film forces readers to get comfortable with the uncomfortable, to look deeper at a story about a racist family and understand how it applies to American society.
The end scene of this movie is what caused me to rank it so high. Without spoiling too much, it is the image of those red and blue flashing lights that left me with more dread than any other scene in this movie. The anticipation that builds throughout the third act slams into a brick wall here.
My favorite horror movies will always be the ones that entertain, scare, and educate all at once. Peele never fails to do so, and this movie is a prime example of that. 5 stars.
3. Mother! (2017)
I always explain Darren Aronofsky’s Mother! as a two-hour anxiety attack. This movie is a psychological horror that uses an extremely detailed allegory to explore humanity’s relationship with creation, God, and the Earth. The story follows a woman (my favorite actress, Jennifer Lawrence), referred to as “Mother,” who lives with her poet husband (“Him”) in a secluded house she is restoring. Peace unravels as uninvited guests arrive, escalating into chaos as the home becomes overrun with strangers.
Each of the main character’s embody a biblical figure in this movie, providing a commentary on human worship as well as disregard for the environment. As Mother’s husband loses sight of her, overwhelmed with ego as strangers begin to praise him, the home (which Mother has spent the entirety of their marriage fixing) begins to die.
The movie makes a bold and terrifying claim: the creator is praised and uplifted for his work while the Earth itself falls into ruin beneath the feet of those which rely upon it. Meanwhile, the creator forgets his creation, blinded by the love and approval of humanity. He protects them; he allows them to steal from Mother Earth.
It may not be the scariest watch, but the themes of faith, creation, and ecological destruction in Mother! have left a mark on me since I first watched it in 2020.
4.5 stars.
4. Black bear (2020)
I went into this movie completely blind, and I am so grateful to have done so. In fact, I can’t say much about Black Bear without giving away the second act. It is (yet another) psychological thriller, this time about creativity, relationships, and manipulation. The movie is told in two parts– which results in a bit of confusion but bear with me– blurring the line between art and reality.
Aubrey Plaza’s performance in this movie is what really sold it for me. In fact, I would believe you if you told me that the entire second act wasn’t a performance at all, but a raw recording. You’ll find yourself attached to her at the hip, feeling her frustration and uneasiness as if it is your own.
I will say, though, that I left this movie entirely confused about what I had just witnessed, but I think that’s how it’s meant to be. The ending is open to the watcher’s interpretation, and you’ll have to see it yourself to form your own truth.
At its core, Black Bear is less about its literal plot and more so about the uneasy relationship between art, truth, and exploitation. It’s a puzzle of a movie that uses dual perspectives to expose how creativity often feeds on destruction.
4 stars.
5. HIM (2025)
Him is a sports-horror film that follows a young football player, Cam, whose pursuit of greatness under the mentorship of his idol (Isaiah) spirals into a manipulative, violent, psychological nightmare. The movie uses the world of elite football as a metaphor to explore the darker costs of fame.
Although I didn’t enjoy this movie as much as I expected to, there wasn’t a dull moment. As someone who has been caught up in the toxicity of relentless ambition, the scariest part of this movie was seeing my own fear of failure reflected in Cam. However, I found that this movie was trying to say so much about masculinity and sacrifice, but it ended up not saying much at all– at least not from my perspective. In simpler terms, it was doing too much and not enough.
Regardless, this movie was a fun watch with a satisfying ending for Cam. It has the potential to open discussion about the exploitation of young athletes and toxicities of hustle culture, all while making watchers stare at the screen in absolute awe. For that, it gets 3.5 stars.