Shriektober! Black Dog Video’s Horror Recommendations! 2021!

Here we are – October – the best month of the year! And it wouldn’t be October (Shriektober this year) if we didn’t put together our annual horror film recommendation list. We’ll try to only include some smaller numbers for your enjoyment, no Shining, Halloween etc. If you’re sitting comfortably, then we’ll begin.

October 1st

Witchfinder General (1968) – Creepy Vincent Price (is there any other kind) traipses  around the English countryside with his trusty pricker-aid murdering folks accused of witchcraft for profit. Based on a real terrible guy! Great atmosphere, some shocking violence, for the time, make this an excellent way to kick out the jams.

October 2nd

Host (2020) – Fun, creative lock-down pandemic horror movie tells the tale of what happens when 6 friends do a zoom call with a medium to see what happens. Can you guess what happens? It’s not good.

October 3rd

The Blob (1988) – I prefer this remake to the Steve McQueen original as it’s more gross, better effects (of course) and quite funny. Good gooey blob movie!

October 4th

Who Can Kill a Child? (1976) – Nice couple of tourists look to vacation on an island where all the kids have murdered all the adults. Well, that’s not where they were actually looking to vacation, it just turned out that way. Excellent, strange, haunting and, at times, disturbing stuff.

October 5th

Relic (2020) – Nice Australian take on the “does grandma have dementia or is the house haunted?” tale. Lots of creepy atmosphere enliven the proceedings.

October 6th

Vampyres (1974) – A couple of naughty, sexy vampires lure unsuspecting English men to a remote castle where they feast upon them after much awkward kissing. They shared the pleasures of the flesh and the horrors of the grave! Fun stuff!

October 7th

Possessor (2020) David Cronenberg’s sprog, Brandon, proves that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree with this gloriously insane and impressively violent horror/sci-fi mind-bender. Poor Sean Bean. Love this!

October 8th

Opera (1987) From Argento’s heyday comes this wonderfully twisted tale of stalking, opera and eye needles. All presented with his style and flair for the obscene. Nice.

October 9th

Saint Maud (2019) Great slow-burn craziness ratchets up the tension as we follow a pious nurse and her unhealthy obsession with a dying patient. Loved this film. It’ll be on my best of the year list.

October 10th

Rituals (1977) – Who’s killing the nice doctors out in the woods? Forget The Blair Witch Project and enjoy this nice, tense descent into woodsy hell. And it’s Canadian!

October 11th

American Mary (2012) – Medical student Mary Mason gets involved in the world of underground surgeries and weirdo body modification folks in this nice squirmy twisted  tale from Canadian Soska sisters.

October 12th

The Dark and the Wicked (2020) Brother and sister travel back to their parent’s secluded farm to watch their dad die. Good times, right? But what else is going on here? Something sinister perhaps? It is a horror film.