What’s better than spending Halloween night out partying? Marathoning horror movies, of course! Being cozy AND spooked is my favorite way to celebrate the holiday. The best part is you can do it with friends or on your own. For me, the only hassle I always find myself in is deciding what to watch first. Luckily for you, I watched a bunch of movies and rated the best indie horror films I could find. Here’s my top 5! Beware: some spoilers ahead.
1. Green Room ★★★☆☆
This one is a slasher film, which I don’t usually watch. The plot is, probably, one of the more realistic ones I’ve seen played out on film. The movie deals with a punk-rock band who, after witnessing a murder, are surrounded by an underground neo-Nazi group who tries to kill them off (it makes sense in context). It was slow at first, but it unexpectedly picks up and grips you ‘til the end. It wasn’t as gruesome as other movies I’ve watched, but it definitely has its moments. I’d say this one’s not for the faint of heart.
2. Birth/Rebirth ★★★☆☆
The film follows a mother and a scientist who, as an unlikely pair, team up for a modern life Frankenstein-like experiment. This movie explores the lengths a mother will go to for her child, and a scientist for her life’s work. There are no jump-scares and it’s under the psychological horror genre with some gore scenes. However, it’s fast-paced and offers an interesting plot. I promise you won’t get bored, but you might get disturbed.
3. Talk to Me ★★★★☆
Imagine possession becomes a TikTok trend; this is what the story centers on. We follow a grieving teenager who starts relying on possession to talk to her dead mother. As you might expect, things start going downhill from there. Talk to Me is a better-known indie horror movie because of its directors, youtubers and brothers, Michael and Danny Philippou. The movie itself surprised me; they don’t overly rely on CGI. Instead, they execute the use of special effects makeup excellently. It’s considered a mystery-thriller movie, so it isn’t too scary to watch alone. However, like Birth/Rebirth, there are a fair amount of gore scenes, I’d say even worse than the last movie. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
4. Men ★★★★☆
This movie follows a woman who lost her (abusive) partner in a freak accident and searches for a safe space to reflect. So, she rents out a lovely home in the countryside, where a rather particular host welcomes her into his residence and small town. I can only describe this film as a rollercoaster of emotions AND events. It centers on the twisted nature of men, who, like it’s emphasized in the film, torment women. The male characters are creepy, unsettling, and nerve-racking, their designs are very uncanny valley-ish. The ending is one of the weirdest ones I have ever seen, and I would not watch this movie alone.
5. Lamb ★★★★☆
A foreign film that, directed in the gloomy Icelandic landscape, follows a secluded couple who recently lost their child. Their lives change when one of their lambs gives birth to a hybrid creature, half lamb, half human (and absolutely adorable). There isn’t much dialogue, which makes it hard to completely understand what goes down in the later half of the movie (which I won’t spoil). Upon further investigation, I found that the creatures involved have to do with Icelandic folklore. That being said, it’s not action-packed, but it’s suspenseful. The film is filled with metaphors and enough material to dissect and interpret for yourself, making it a very interesting watch!