Jo, who you might know from our short-lived podcast, probably watches more horror movies than anyone I know. Even when they're terrible, she always finds something to like about them. I think this makes her a true horror fan, unlike my judgmental ass who will turn something off because I know it's going to annoy me into a rage spiral. She's been taking notes on everything she's watched recently, so I asked her if I could post them for everyone else in search of something spooky and a bit more under the radar this season. Bonus: you can find everything on this list for free somewhere (mostly Tubi, because those freaks know what's what).
John "Bud" Carlos's "Mutant" aka "Night Shadows" (1984)
If you are in the mood to see a less than stellar horror film taking place before cell phones and social media — when a zombie/mutant outbreak could be plausibly contained for days in a small hick town — "Mutant" is for you.
Reasons to skip:
Continuous breaking glass, people making dumb decisions on repeat, lots of Quaker State placement ads, awful home decor, fucked up things happening to children.
Reasons to watch:
See "Reasons to skip" 👆
(Add in a cool elementary school bathroom scene which would probably cause an evangelical church to picket outside the theater in present day.)
Highlight:
Wings Hauser, a prolific character actor in film and television. He was also a musician and developed the story for the 1983 box office hit "Uncommon Valor" (though he lost the credit in a Writers Guild arbitration). His son is actor Cole Hauser, who is probably best known as Rip Wheeler on "Yellowstone." Wings's Gary Busey-esque beaver-tooth smile and charisma for days made this movie bearable.
Where to watch:
Free on YouTube.
Takashi Miike's "Audition" (1999)
"Audition" is graphic body horror torture thrown right in your face like a big old bloody coconut cream pie with a hint of "The Ring" sprinkled in for good measure.
Reasons to skip:
Copious amounts of blood, vomit, balls-to-the-wall excruciating torture, objectification of women, and disturbing childhood trauma.
Reasons to watch:
Torture that comes with a good message; thoughtfully fleshed out (pun intended) ideas about how childhood trauma can fuck someone up for a lifetime; beautifully shot, brutal, mesmerizing sequences that weave in and out of reality like a nightmarish dream.
Highlight:
Eihi Shiina's performance as Asami Yamazaki brings just the right amount of tragic, subversive, and disturbing verve this role deserves. Her unsettling presence and body language were enough to put me on instant high alert. Especially considering this was her first acting role (her background is in modeling), I must salute her for a job well done.
Where to watch:
Free on Kanopy and Tubi.
Prano Bailey-Bond's "Censor" (2021)
"Censor" is British stiff-upper-lip psychological horror set in the mid-'80s during the height of the "video nasty" banned films period.
Reasons to skip:
Slowwww burn, endless scenes of commuting on a depressingly stark Tube, repressed trauma served with a side of dysfunctional family dynamics.
Reasons to watch:
Strong acting performances (with a special shout-out to Niamh Algar), an interesting look into the video nasty climate, great cinematography, a nerve-tingling eerie score from composer Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch.
Highlight:
Actor Michael Smiley, who started his career as a stand-up comic. It's worth your while to check out his iconic, lightning-fast, wisdom-spewing bike messenger character Tyres O'Flaherty on the older British TV series "Spaced" (free on Tubi). In "Censor," the amount of pure creep factor he quietly radiates will make your skin crawl with the voracity of 10,000 bedbugs. An A+ scene-stealing performance.
Where to watch:
Free on Kanopy and Tubi.
Gary Sherman's "Dead and Buried" (1981)
In "Dead and Buried," prosthetic gore meets damp and foggy tattered New England coastal town meets creepy town residents who are not what they appear to be.
Reasons to skip:
Low budget, boring characters, predictable plot, town scenes meant to be atmospheric and spooky that instead come across as dirty and murky.
Reasons to watch:
Surprisingly good horror effects for the time, acting legend Jack Albertson in his final role (his usual "fire" was reduced to embers at this point but he's still heads above the rest of the cast), a young Robert Englund before Freddy Krueger fame (no home run, but still fun), the chance to see a video nasty whose uncut version wasn't available in the US until 2003.
Highlight:
An up-and-coming Stan Winston (legendary makeup effects artist known for films like "The Terminator" and "Edward Scissorhands") was hired to create the special horror effects. On a shoestring budget, he gives groundbreaking effects for the time, including an extensive use of puppetry. One incredible scene of a dead face reconstruction in a morgue still holds up to this day.
Where to watch:
Free on Tubi.
Armand Weston's "The Nesting" aka "Phobia" (1981)
"Nesting" is about an agoraphobic single woman writer who discovers ghosts and more at an old Victorian mansion in fictional Dover Falls.
Reasons to skip:
Over the top sound design (I don't need a jump scare from a car being started), screaming and more screaming, John Carradine's performance, which is so sad it borders on elder abuse.
Reasons to watch:
Slow-mo killings, ghost sex, the incredible Armour-Stiner Octagon House in Irvington, NY, all the men suck but most of them die, a woman making questionable decisions while running to and fro over the countryside à la Patricia in "Widow's Bay."
Highlight:
Gloria Grahame, best known as "loose woman" Violet from "It's a Wonderful Life," plays a 1940s madam. Her screen time is brief, the role has no substance, and her talent is wasted, but she's a legend and this is her last film role. She died of cancer at age 57 right before the release. (Be sure to check out Grahame's filmography and her life — very intriguing. For starters, she married her former stepson when she was 37 and he was 23, and had two children with him. Cha-ching!)
Where to watch:
Free on Tubi.
Herk Harvey's "Carnival of Souls" (1962)
A beautiful, stylish, kitten-heel-clad church organist must navigate a macabre, monochromatic landscape, traipsing tentatively between the living and the dead in "Carnival of Souls."
Reasons to skip:
Too many controlling and predatory men, snail-paced action, a predictable plot with clunky supporting actors.
Reasons to watch:
Girls drag racing, a solid performance from Candace Hilligoss as the lead, creepy organ music, Saltair Pavilion (look up the second version from 1926-1970), a cult film classic.
Highlight:
The cinematography and score are the real stars here. Using a handheld Arriflex battery-powered camera, cinematographer Maurice Prather gives us a cacophony of inventive, jarring camera shots that are expertly woven together with beautifully stark light and shadow to create a stylistic, unsettling journey between being and nothingness. Kansas City organist and composer Gene Moore concocts a soul-rave of melodies using an electric Thomas organ. These spectral strains brilliantly carry us along our protagonist's journey into other realms and beyond.
Where to watch:
Free on Tubi, Kanopy, and YouTube.
Michael J. Ahern, Christopher Dalpe, and Brandon Perras-Sanchez's "Death Drop Gorgeous" (2021)
The worlds of a downtrodden bartender returned to his old town and an aging drag queen fighting to stay relevant collide in the midst of a deranged serial killer rampage — all centered around The Out Gay nightclub in Providence, Rhode Island.
Reasons to skip:
Largely amateurish acting, a meandering plot that fumbles to find its footing over two hours, clunky editing, Temu John Waters vibes.
Reasons to watch:
Glory holes, fab fashion, a smattering of catchy dialogue ("young, dumb, and full of cum" is my new sunrise chanting mantra), some truly funny and wonderfully inappropriate scenes, strong performances by Michael McAdams aka Payton St. James (Gloria Hole), lovely showcasing of Providence and its drag scene.
Highlight:
The kills, baby! This B-minus film serves up some glittery slasher movie cunt with a topping of delicious high-heeled bloody gore. They had me, a rode-hard horror whore, squirming in my seat. The effects were absurd, campy, and surprisingly good for the mere $20k crowdfunded budget. Props to special effects makeup artist and Dragula alum Victoria Elizabeth Black, who helped bring several of these cringe-inducing scenes to life.
Where to watch:
Free on Tubi.
Jane Schoenbrun's "We're All Going to the World's Fair" (2021)
"We're All Going to the World's Fair" is a surreal exploration into the isolating culture of the internet from the viewpoint of an emotionally vulnerable teenager entrenched in an online role-playing game, blurring the lines of reality and fantasy.
Reasons to skip:
Scarring psychological teen trauma.
Reasons to watch:
Intriguing opening scene, an excellent teen-angst black-light-lit attic bedroom, tarot cards, Poe, a creepy 50-year-old dude still living with his mom complete with childhood bedroom and school trophies, epic and heartbreakingly cringe bedroom video dance.
Highlight:
Anna Cobb shines in the lead role of Casey. She dons the skin of teen depression and disconnection in a believable way, serving up painfully awkward, volatile outbursts, frenzied energy, and catatonic stares with a "you can't look away because I'm that good" kind of acting. She alone is worth the watch.
Where to watch:
Free on Tubi.
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