31 horror films you need to watch this October

Get Out

The Plot

Nerves are running a little high as young couple Chris and Rose head into the country to introduce Chris to Rose’s parents. Being black, Chris is a little apprehensive about meeting Rose’s white family; but ultimately she convinces him that her family, while a little awkward, are definitely not racists.

However, it isn’t long after Chris and Rose arrive at the house before the vaguely uncomfortable little comments start to crop up, from Rose’s father assuring Chris he would have voted for Obama a third time to her brother’s racist comments over dinner. On top of that, the family’s housekeeper and groundskeeper Georgina and Walter are both black, a dynamic so stereotypically racist that Rose’s father even brings it up; but despite Rose’s attempts to assuage Chris’s concerns, he quickly becomes convinced there’s something truly sinister happening.

The Breakdown

Wrapping cutting social commentary into a genuinely terrifying horror story is no mean feat, but Get Out shoulders the weight of both with ease. Get Out criticizes white liberal attitudes towards people of color while telling a story with rock solid characters, a plot that will keep you guessing, and of course, a few spare servings of good, honest fear.

Unlike some horror movies, whose commentary is mostly limited to metaphors and analogs, Get Out is not only a movie with a message about racism; it’s a movie where racism drives every element of the plot, interwoven so deeply into the story that without it there is no story. It pulls no punches on either the fear or the social criticism.

The Scare Factor

Psychological, relevant, and truly horrifying. This movie is a piece of art, and unquestionably worthy to be watched on Halloween itself. It will get under your skin and stay there—and it should.

Well, there you have it, folks. 31 top-notch horror movies to spread out over the month of October. And hey, there’s no reason why you can’t keep the party going into November. And December. And you know, if you want to start the year off right, a January horror marathon is just what the doctor ordered.