It’s finally cold, the leaves are falling, and I’ve challenged myself to watch as many horror movies as I can before autumn’s end. Body horror, psychological horror, slasher — I’m diving headfirst into it all.

My guiding star is quantity, not quality, so here are the first five movies I’ve watched thus far to jump-start my spooky season.

“The Loved Ones,” 4/5 stars

“The Loved Ones,” directed by Sean Byrne, is a 2009 Australian horror film that combines a prom gone wrong with an incestuous father-daughter relationship. You might not initially pair those two topics; however, together they make a truly eerie and uncomfortable masterpiece. 

The movie starts with Brent, the main character, rejecting Lola when she asks him to the prom. Brent soon regrets this decision when he finds himself at a makeshift prom in Lola’s house of horrors. 

Lola spends the movie torturing Brent with the help of her father, while simultaneously creating a vibe reminiscent of Lana Del Rey meets manic pixie dream girl. 

This movie falls under the category of body horror, but it is not unbearable for the average viewer due to its low budget. “The Loved Ones” was one of my favorite watches and reminded me of camp horror classics like “Jennifer’s Body.” 

“Talk to Me,” 3.5/5 stars

I remember that when this movie came out, it seemed like everyone was talking about it — but I never ended up watching until now. 

My viewing experience for this movie was ideal: I was alone in my apartment on the first truly chilly night of the autumn season. I enjoyed it much more than I expected. 

The story follows a group of teenagers and a mummified hand that has the ability to possess someone if they hold it while saying, “Talk to me.” Things take a turn for the worse when a younger boy is possessed for longer than the recommended 90 seconds. 

This movie definitely falls under the body horror category and has pretty intense gore in the second half.

There is an absolutely captivating possession montage sequence in this movie that brought back my attention right when it was drifting away. Overall, a fun watch with well-developed characters.

“I Am the Pretty Thing that Lives in the House,” 0.5/5 stars

I had to watch a Netflix Original, I don’t make the rules. 

While I am a huge fan of Netflix documentaries, most other Netflix Originals fall flat in every other category. “I Am the Pretty Thing that Lives in the House” was no exception to this rule. 

This movie follows a hospice nurse who is taking care of an elderly horror novel author. The nurse narrates the pseudo-philosophical story in a grating voice that I could not adjust to. 

The movie relied entirely on eerie background music to build suspense, which points to a less-than-desirable script and storyline. Additionally, the use of fade-out transitions suffocated any suspense that the music did create. 

I could not even take an educated guess as to what the plot of this movie was, and I am questioning how it got greenlit. I have nothing else to say other than do not watch this movie. 

“A Nightmare on Elm Street,” 4/5 stars

This 1984 classic horror movie pleasantly surprised me with its practical effects and believability. Going into this viewing, I was expecting to have a few laughs and call it a night. 

However, I was taken aback by the realistic nature of the possession scenes and the suspense that built throughout the film.

The main plot of this movie is a mysterious man named Freddy attacking people in their dreams, but the injuries acquired in the dreams appear in real life as well. 

This movie sparked multiple conversations with my friends about what the open-ended conclusion could mean. We all had different answers at first, but were able to land on one verdict: running away from trauma. 

I got much more out of this film than expected and would recommend watching it with a group to bounce around theories about the ending. 

Two notable mentions of this movie are an almost-unrecognizable young Johnny Depp and the pimple that grew on the forehead of the female lead throughout. Bring back humanity in media. 

“Bring Her Back,” 5/5 stars

I was disappointed to miss this 2025 horror film in theaters, but when I finally got around to watching it at home, the film exceeded my expectations. 

“Bring Her Back” was directed by the same pair of Australian brothers who directed “Talk to Me,” Danny and Michael Philippou, solidifying Australia’s long-standing dominance in the horror movie genre. 

This film follows two siblings as they enter the foster care system after their father’s death. They are matched with a peculiar foster mother, Laura, who is already fostering  another boy as she mourns the recent loss of her biological daughter. 

The standout of this movie is its sound effects. From the mundane sounds of jewelry clinking together to the horrifying sounds of knives breaking teeth — they nailed every note. A focus on such exquisite soundscapes is clearly an intentional choice, as two of the main characters are blind.

I couldn’t think of any critiques for this movie. It was cast perfectly, paced impeccably and showcased a beautiful blend of horror, emotion-building and character development.

“Bring Her Back” did something no horror movie has ever done to me before — it left me in tears