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SimplyScripts Screenwriting Discussion Board  /  Movie, Television and DVD Reviews  /  Halloween Movie Recommendations
Posted by: ReneC, October 31st, 2019, 1:01pm
I've been binging some of the streaming horror offerings, particularly low budget and lesser known movies. I'll share some of my finds that are worth checking out.

The Babysitter - Not to say this is a great movie, but I really like the acting and chemistry of the leads, the dialogue is vibrant, and it's a lot of fun. It's directed by McG, and I've determined I like his earlier work better than his recent stuff.

Stitches - This is a really low budget horror about clown that comes back from the dead to murder the kids who killed him years earlier. It's cheesy, it looks and feels low budget, but the deaths are incredibly fun, kind of Freddy Krueger style deaths but even more over the top. They had a strong practical effects team and really went for it.

Murder Party - Probably my fave of the bunch, this is a horror comedy that's self-aware and has some great practical effects. If Clerks were a horror, it would be this, with a little Monty Python thrown in.

Errementari - A foreign language entry with insane production value. The visuals are stunning, the effects top notch, the acting is excellent, and I really enjoyed the story. It's well worth checking out on Netflix.

The Autopsy of Jane Doe - It's a horror wrapped up in a mystery. The acting is excellent, the tone spot on, it has some genuine scares, and it's engaging throughout. The payoff to the mystery worked for me, it's the final outcome that didn't feel right, but still worth checking out.

Terrifier - I weighed in on this on its own thread but I'll mention it here again because I really enjoyed it. It's super cheesy with some truly awful acting, and I still love it thanks to the mime from hell who is the antagonist. Uttering not a single sound, he's easily one of the most fun slashers to watch kill people you don't care much about.

Dead Snow: Red vs Dead - If you haven't seen Dead Snow, it's not as good as this sequel but still worth checking out just to fully appreciate this. It's horror comedy done well with an emphasis on action, as in zombie Nazi vs zombie Russians and there's even a tank. Throw in a protagonist with a zombie arm attached that has a mind of its own, a zombie Nazi general with tactical smarts (these are thinking zombies!), and the sense of humor of the Evil Dead series, and it's a fun, wild ride.
Posted by: Zack, October 31st, 2019, 6:35pm; Reply: 1
Good list, Rene. I've seen and enjoyed them all, except for Murder Party. Never heard of that one.

Btw, is anyone else pumped to see Terrifier 2 and Halloween Kills?
Posted by: Demento, October 31st, 2019, 8:05pm; Reply: 2
Murder Party is good, for what it is. In fact, I might watch it. I saw it like 5 years ago, when Blue Ruin came out.
Posted by: LC, October 31st, 2019, 8:21pm; Reply: 3
Is Murder Party, 2007? The trailer looks schlocky awful. Am I missing something?
Posted by: ReneC, November 1st, 2019, 9:20am; Reply: 4

Quoted from LC
Is Murder Party, 2007? The trailer looks schlocky awful. Am I missing something?


Like I said, it knows what it is, and yet it punches above its weight. I don't think there's a way to make a trailer for that movie that wouldn't look awful. It's ultra low budget and looks like something that a bunch of film school students slapped together, but it's surprising and funny and just plain fun to watch once the party starts. It also has a lot to say about youth and art and violence that elevates this well above a cheesy campy attempt at comedy horror.
Posted by: Heretic, November 1st, 2019, 11:10am; Reply: 5
Murder Party is the unsurprisingly excellent debut of Jeremy Saulnier (Blue Ruin, Green Room)!

Good list, Rene. I'd second them all as worth a watch.

Some recent horror/thriller/dark comedy recommendations of my own:

Girl on the Third Floor - Great goofy haunted house fun, the directorial debut of the guy who produced Cheap Thrills, Mohawk, We Are Still Here, and a bunch of other unique indie thrillers.

Knuckleball - A kid is left alone with his old-school grandpa (Michael Ironside!) and a weirdo next door. Fun, twisty thriller.

Harpoon - Super tight one-location microbudget black comedy/horror with a bunch of fast-paced snark, casual violence, and cheerful emotional abuse.

Little Monsters - Yet another zombie comedy, but it's all worth it for Lupita Nyong'o as the zombie-slaying, T-Swift-ukuleleing teacher. This is a full-on comedy though.

Bliss - High-impact, kinetic arthouse indie about a painter finding inspiration. Lotsa metal, lotsa drugs -- would be a good companion to The Devil's Candy (and maybe Deathgasm for a triple feature). DO NOT WATCH THE TRAILER, which will ruin the movie's surprises.

Body at Brighton Rock - A light, fun little campfire story. Ranger trainee demands a hiking route that's beyond her skill level, winds up alone on the mountain at night dealing with a problem that's way beyond her skill level.

Braid - Mind-bending black comedy/horror about two women who attempt to rob their rich, shut-away childhood friend by agreeing to play a fantasy game they all played together as children.
  
Depraved - Larry Fessenden's modern Frankenstein. His best film as director.

The Cleaning Lady - Just a fun little chiller, one of those "don't befriend the weird help" movies.

In Fabric - A weird and wonderful cinematic experience, a pretty standard haunting tale with a highly unusual arthouse approach. Pairs well with Girl on the Third Floor, actually, for two recent takes on a rarely-used plot structure.
Posted by: Dreamscale (Guest), November 1st, 2019, 5:22pm; Reply: 6
Best Halloween flick is still 2007's Trick or Treat.

Why we haven't gotten the long awaited sequel still is a complete shock to this Kid.

Great movie!!!
Posted by: Zack, November 1st, 2019, 5:44pm; Reply: 7

Quoted from Dreamscale
Best Halloween flick is still 2007's Trick or Treat.

Why we haven't gotten the long awaited sequel still is a complete shock to this Kid.

Great movie!!!


Trick or Treat is a great flick. Still waiting for a sequel.

Did you watch Krampus, Jeff? It's from the same director and I thought it was awesome. ;D
Posted by: Demento, November 1st, 2019, 6:22pm; Reply: 8

Quoted from Dreamscale
Best Halloween flick is still 2007's Trick or Treat.

Why we haven't gotten the long awaited sequel still is a complete shock to this Kid.

Great movie!!!


As I remember it took years for that movie to come out in the first place. Good movie.
Posted by: Dreamscale (Guest), November 1st, 2019, 7:27pm; Reply: 9

Quoted from Zack
Did you watch Krampus, Jeff? It's from the same director and I thought it was awesome. ;D



Yes, saw Krampus, but wasn't impressed.  A little too goofy, but funny, my great nephew was over and he was seriously scared and to this day, his sister teases him about it...and she's younger!  HA!!
Posted by: Grandma Bear, November 1st, 2019, 8:27pm; Reply: 10
Posted by: Andrew, November 2nd, 2019, 12:50am; Reply: 11

Quoted from ReneC
I've been binging some of the streaming horror offerings, particularly low budget and lesser known movies. I'll share some of my finds that are worth checking out.

The Babysitter - Not to say this is a great movie, but I really like the acting and chemistry of the leads, the dialogue is vibrant, and it's a lot of fun. It's directed by McG, and I've determined I like his earlier work better than his recent stuff.

Stitches - This is a really low budget horror about clown that comes back from the dead to murder the kids who killed him years earlier. It's cheesy, it looks and feels low budget, but the deaths are incredibly fun, kind of Freddy Krueger style deaths but even more over the top. They had a strong practical effects team and really went for it.

Murder Party - Probably my fave of the bunch, this is a horror comedy that's self-aware and has some great practical effects. If Clerks were a horror, it would be this, with a little Monty Python thrown in.

Errementari - A foreign language entry with insane production value. The visuals are stunning, the effects top notch, the acting is excellent, and I really enjoyed the story. It's well worth checking out on Netflix.

The Autopsy of Jane Doe - It's a horror wrapped up in a mystery. The acting is excellent, the tone spot on, it has some genuine scares, and it's engaging throughout. The payoff to the mystery worked for me, it's the final outcome that didn't feel right, but still worth checking out.

Terrifier - I weighed in on this on its own thread but I'll mention it here again because I really enjoyed it. It's super cheesy with some truly awful acting, and I still love it thanks to the mime from hell who is the antagonist. Uttering not a single sound, he's easily one of the most fun slashers to watch kill people you don't care much about.

Dead Snow: Red vs Dead - If you haven't seen Dead Snow, it's not as good as this sequel but still worth checking out just to fully appreciate this. It's horror comedy done well with an emphasis on action, as in zombie Nazi vs zombie Russians and there's even a tank. Throw in a protagonist with a zombie arm attached that has a mind of its own, a zombie Nazi general with tactical smarts (these are thinking zombies!), and the sense of humor of the Evil Dead series, and it's a fun, wild ride.


The Babysitter is great fun. Really good little flick.

I won't lie, I was also majorly crushing on Sam Weaving, too. She is excellent.
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