All the New Horror Movies Coming Out Before Halloween
September and October are always the best months for fans of horror movies, as the lead up to Halloween brings all sorts of blood-splattered delights into your local theaters (and into your streaming devices).
Below are 13 new and notable horror flicks coming out between now and All Hallow’s Eve. They run the gamut from classy ghost stories like A Haunting in Venice to the gritty mutilations of Saw X, and everything between. Mark your calendars (in blood???) and buy your tickets early (or renew your Shudder subscription).
Satanic Hispanics (Sept. 14)
Start off the holiday scare season early with an anthology of five horror tales drawn from Latin American culture. Satanic Hispanics’s crew of LatinX directors includes The Blair Witch Project’s Eduardo Sánchez, Gigi Saul Guerrero of Bingo Hell fame, and Mike Mendez, the man who delighted horror fans with 2014’s Big Ass Spider!, so expect over-the-top horror, comedy, action, drama, and dios knows what else.
Where to see it: in theaters on Sept. 14
Elevator Game (Sept. 15)
The Elevator Game mines horror from the darker corners of the internet, telling the story of skeptical content creators on a mission to debunk an online rumor by playing “the elevator game,” a series of rituals meant to summon “The 5th Floor Woman.” I haven’t seen this movie, but I’d put down money that the ritual actually works.
Where to see it: streaming on Shudder, Sept. 15
A Haunting in Venice (September 15)
Some people like Sherlock Holmes, but for my money, there’s no better old-timey European detective than Agatha Christie’s Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot. A Haunting in Venice is director Kenneth Branagh’s third stab at a Poirot franchise, and sees the investigator solving a murder with supernatural overtones by sticking his comical mustache into the world of psychics and seances in 1947 Italy. It might be more mystery than horror, but A Haunting in Venice seems likely to creep people out—in a refined way, of course.
Where to see it: in theaters Sept. 15
El Conde (September 15)
Sometimes the premise of a movie alone elevates it to “must see status.” Taking a break from the tragic stories of caged women like Jakie O and Princess Di, director Pablo Larraín is tackling El Conde, a dark satirical horror/comedy that reveals Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet is actually a 250-year-old vampire who just wants to die. Take my money, already, Netflix. (Wait, you already do.)
Where to see it: streaming on Netflix Sept. 15
It Lives Inside (September 22)
In the best horror movies, the monster always represents something all too real. In It Lives Inside, the baddie is a metaphor for an Indian-American teenager’s questions about her cultural identity. When a Hindu entity kidnaps her best friend, Sam must confronts the supernatural (and her own family history) to banish evil.
Where to see it: in theaters Sept. 22
No One Will Save You (September 22)
If you’re down for a movie about scary extraterrestrials, No One Will Save You should make you very happy. In this tense, action-heavy movie, a young woman wakes up to find aliens attacking her home, so she sets out save herself from their nasty ways. Imagine a mash-up of an evil E.T. and an evil Home Alone and you’re halfway there.
Where to see it: streaming on Hulu Sept. 22
Saw X (September 29)
In the tenth installment in the Saw franchise, Tobin Bell returns as John Kramer, and this time his victims deserve it. Set between Saw and Saw 2, X sees Kramer battling terminal cancer. He travels to Mexico for an experimental procedure, but is taken advantage of by medical con artists. Vowing to live whatever life he has left to its fullest, Kramer creates a series of elaborate, deadly traps in which to torture and kill his enemies (as is his way).
Where to see it: in theaters Sept. 29.
Pet Semetary: Bloodlines (October 6)
A prequel to 2019’s reboot of the 1989 film based on Stephen King’s 1983 novel Pet Sematary, Bloodlines tells the story of Jud Crandall’s terror-filled clash with the reincarnated corpse of Timmy Baterman, a local boy who came back from Vietnam in a coffin and was laid to rest in a truly unfortunate spot. I always thought this was the scariest part of the book, so I’m glad it’s getting its own movie.
Where to see it: streaming on Paramount+ Oct. 6
The Exorcist: Believer (October 6)
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Exorcist, sequel The Exorcist: Believer pretends the two sequels to the original never happened (which is probably for the best). Director David Gordon Green, who wrapped his Halloween trilogy last year, picks up the story where the original left off, even featuring an appearance by the original possessee’s mother (the 90-year-old Ellen Burstyn). Will there be head-spinning and projectile vomiting? We can only assume.
Where to see it: in theaters Oct. 6.
Malibu Horror Story (October 20)
Malibu Horror Story is about paranormal investigators looking into the disappearance of some teenagers near a sacred Native American site. The description doesn’t suggest a ton of originality, and I have no idea if it will be any good—but it’s a found footage fright flick that somehow has secured a (limited) theatrical release, and members of the horror press have given it solid reviews so far, so maybe it’s killer. This is how The Blair Witch Project started, right?
Where to see it: in theaters on Oct. 27
Five Nights at Freddy’s (October 27)
Horror fans have been waiting a long time for a film version of video game franchise Five Nights at Freddy’s, and it’s finally coming here…and looking promising. The movie follows a hapless security guard who is hired to work the night shift at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, a kiddie eatery known more for its history of murderous animatronics and missing children than its cuisine. As a bonus, you’ll be able to choose between seeing it in theaters or streaming.
Where to see it: in theaters and streaming on Peacock on Oct. 27.
Thanksgiving (November 17)
OK, so Eli Roth’s Thanksgiving is coming out long after Halloween, but it’s not like I’m going to be able to make a list of Thanksgiving horror flicks, so I’m including it here. Thanksgiving is based on a fake trailer Roth made for 2007’s Grindhouse, and while I wish it stuck with the awesome ‘70s production values of the original short, I’m still on board for another of Roth’s darkly comedic riffs on slasher movie tropes.
Where to watch it: in theaters Nov. 17
Stephen Johnson is a Staff Writer for Lifehacker where he covers pop culture, including two weekly columns “The Out of Touch Adults’ Guide to Kid Culture” and “What People are Getting Wrong this Week.” He graduated from Emerson College with a BFA in Writing, Literature, and Publishing.
Previously, Stephen was Managing Editor at NBC/Universal’s G4TV. While at G4, he won a Telly Award for writing and was nominated for a Webby award. Stephen has also written for Blumhouse, FearNET, Performing Songwriter magazine, NewEgg, AVN, GameFly, Art Connoisseur International magazine, Fender Musical Instruments, Hustler Magazine, and other outlets. His work has aired on Comedy Central and screened at the Sundance International Film Festival, Palm Springs International Film Festival, and Chicago Horror Film Festival. He lives in Los Angeles, CA.