31 horror films you need to watch this October

The Hallow

The Plot

After moving into an old house on the edge of the Irish forest with his wife and new baby, British conservationist Adam isn’t wholly worried by the unfriendly locals with their dire warnings of supernatural forces within the forest. They take the unsightly iron bars off the windows, scoffing at the warnings that they keep the faeries out; until the window in his infant son’s room is broken, and Adam starts to see strange things moving in the woods.

Before long the forest itself seems to be invading, with strange fungal creatures bursting through the doors and windows and sabotaging their car, all after one thing: the couple’s new baby. Trapped in the house with no means of escape, the family has to make it to dawn—or risk a fate worse than death.

The Breakdown

A creepy modern fairy tale, The Hallow’s fantastic and original concept is elevated to true terror with visceral body horror. The atmosphere is rich and intense, the set-up novel and the danger real. The design of the Hallow themselves is phenomenal; it perfectly marries the idea of ancient woods-dwelling supernatural creatures with modern scientific ideas, drawing especially from specific types of real-life fungus with fascinating psychological effects. It’s a genuinely beautiful movie, both in its creature design and use of light and atmosphere.

The Scare Factor

The Hallow look frightening enough in themselves, but it’s their mind and body-altering properties that make them truly horrifying. Paired with the movies visual flair and dense atmosphere, The Hallow knocks it out of the park.