5 Brand New Indie Horror Films for A Spooky Halloween


We’re now officially into the spookiest month of the year, which means it’s time to start thinking about the scariest movies to watch for a happy Halloween.

As a huge fan of the horror genre, I checked out Grimmfest 2018 – a horror film festival showcasing the best and goriest movies that you haven’t yet seen.

If you’re a bit bored of Scream and you were underwhelmed by The Nun, check out the following movies for the best shocks, scares and all the bumps in the night…

Nightmare Cinema


Photo by Michael Moriatis
In this twisted horror anthology, five strangers are drawn to an abandoned theatre and forced to watch their deepest and darkest fears play out before them.

Perfect for Black Mirror fans, Nightmare Cinema is a creepy anthology that ticks every box if you take your horror with a pinch of satire, gore and a whole lot of creep.

Here we enjoyed a traditional teen slasher, plastic surgery going very wrong, a black and white terror very reminiscent of Silent Hill, and every child’s worst nightmare.

Definitely would recommend this one if you like your weird and wonderful horror.

Cast: Mickey Rourke, Elizabeth Reaser, Richard Chamberlain, Annabeth Gish

Director: Alejandro Brugués, Joe Dante, Mick Garris, Ryûhei Kitamura, David Slade

 

Pledge

A group of college freshmen pledge an exclusive fraternity but soon realize there’s more at stake than they could have ever imagined.

Pledge was a pretty fun and gory rollercoaster of a movie. I’d expected something along the lines of Sorority Row, but ended up with Superbad-meets-Saw.

I can definitely handle a lot of intense gore, but what I can’t handle is people eating disgusting things, so there was a bit of closing-my-eyes in this one.

If you’re big on college humour and have a fascination with cults like the Illuminati then this is a fun title for your Halloween shindigs.

Director: Daniel Robbins

Cast: Zack Weiner, Phillip Andre Botello, Zachery Byrd, Cameron Cowperthwaite, Aaron Dalla Villa, Jesse Pimentel, Erica Boozer

 

Alive

A severely injured man and woman awake in an abandoned sanitarium only to discover that a sadistic caretaker holds the keys to their freedom and the horrific answers as to their real identity.

Alive is ideal for you if you prefer gore over ghosts. This seems like your typical horror story – two pretty protagonists awake in an abandoned hospital with no memories, being ‘cared for’ by a creepy surgeon who wants them to be a part of his family.

There’s a very unexpected twist at the end, but how successful you think it is is down to your taste in horror…

This is fun, jumpy and very visually distressing. If that’s how you like your movies, this is a good one to check out.

Director: Rob Grant

Cast: Thomas Cocquerel, Camille Stopps, Angus Macfadyen

 

The Devil’s Doorway

In the fall of 1960, Father Thomas Riley and Father John Thornton were sent by the Vatican to investigate a miraculous event in an Irish home for ‘fallen women’, only to uncover something much more horrific…

Set in Ireland in the 1960s, The Devil’s Doorway, is a found-footage version of The Exorcist, with two priests investigating an apparent ‘miracle’ at a sanitarium.

This had plenty of jump-scares, plenty of realism, and plenty of edge-of-your-seat moments.

If there’s nothing scarier to you than child-ghosts and found-footage movies, this ticks every box.

Director: Aislinn Clarke

Cast: Lalor Roddy, Ciaran Flynn, Helena Bereen

 

The Witch In The Window

When Simon brings his twelve year-old son, Finn, to rural Vermont to help flip an old farmhouse, they encounter the malicious spirit of Lydia, a previous owner. And now with every repair they make – she’s getting stronger.

What can I say about this movie? This was, hands-down, one of the best horror films I’ve ever seen (and I’ve seen a lot).

The story follows a troubled pre-teen, sent to live with his dad who’s in the process of doing up a dilapidated house.

Of course, spookiness ensues but really I don’t want to say much more. Go in with no idea what’s about to happen and you won’t be disappointed.

If you like movies like The Conjuring and The Nun, this movie will teach you what real horror truly is.

Director: Andy Mitton

Cast: Alex Draper, Charlie Tacker, Greg Naughton, Arija Bareikis, Carol Stanzione

Based in Manchester, UK, Grimmfest 2018 recently celebrated the 10th anniversary of the festival, welcoming special guests and opening its doors to hundreds of horror film fanatics.

The lovely folks at Grimmfest showcased a bunch of creepy genre titles, complete with Q and As with directors, writers and actors, over the course of three days.

An annual festival, you can find out everything you need to know about Grimmfest right here.