You probably don't need me to tell you that there are a lot of new horror movies and series coming out in October. The Exorcist: Believer is reviving an iconic franchise, Five Nights at Freddy's is bringing a hit video game to the big screen, and The Fall of the House of Usher is delivering Gothic goodness with signature Flanagan flair. Chances are, if you throw a stone in a movie theater or at your smart TV this month, you'll hit something spooky.
But if you're willing to travel a little further for your frights, October's release schedule is also packed with weird, obscure, and downright terrifying titles hailing from all over the world. From flesh-eating Filipino fairies to South Korean sentient mold, here are 15 global horror movies and series to add to your Halloween watchlist.
1. Creepy Crawly (Thailand)
Released in its home country last year under the title The One Hundred, Thai creature feature Creepy Crawly unleashed a horde of beasties on DVD, Blu-ray, and digital platforms on October 3.
Chalit Krileadmongkon and Pakphum Wongjinda wrote and directed the film, which sees a group of quarantined hotel guests disappearing one by one under mysterious circumstances. Perhaps there's some truth to the local legend about a creature that possesses its victims. Either way, it might be best to avoid the centipedes crawling all over the walls…
2. Mary Had a Little Lamb (UK)
Directed by visual effects artist and animator Jason Arber (Meg 2: The Trench), Mary Had a Little Lamb takes a beloved nursery rhyme and turns it into a blood-soaked nightmare.
In the British slasher film, which got a digital release on October 3, a radio host and her crew set out to discover the truth behind some disappearances. But after they encounter Mary and her lamb, their true crime show turns into a fight for survival. Spoilers: the titular lamb isn't so little, and its fleece won't stay as white as snow for long.
3. Aberrance (Mongolia)
Following its North American premiere at SXSW earlier this year, director Baatar Batsukh's Aberrance will make history on October 6 when it becomes the first Mongolian horror feature to get a US theatrical release.
Aberrance follows city dwellers Erkhmee (Erkhembayar Ganbat) and Selenge (Selenge Chadraabal), who retreat to an old cabin in the Mongolian wilderness. Erkhmee seemingly wants to provide a safe, nurturing space for the artistic Selenge… but a quizzical neighbor soon observes behavior that would suggest otherwise.
4. Pet Sematary: Bloodlines (Canada/US)
Sometimes, dead is better—but Jud Crandall is very much alive in Pet Sematary: Bloodlines because it's a prequel to Stephen King's original tale of resurrection gone wrong!
The X-Files' David Duchovny, Blaxploitation icon Pam Grier, and The Haunting of Hill House's Henry Thomas are among the cast of the American-Canadian film, which comes to us from Lindsey Anderson Beer, making her directorial debut. The plot follows a young Crandall (Jackson White) as he first uncovers the sinister secrets buried beneath his hometown of Ludlow, Maine. Get your Stephen King on when Pet Sematary: Bloodlines arrives on Paramount+ on October 6.
5. When Evil Lurks (Argentina/Uruguay)
Argentinian director Demián Rugna scared the pants off audiences in 2017 with his supernatural shocker Terrified. He's back with When Evil Lurks, a new nightmare coming to theaters on October 6 ahead of its Shudder premiere on October 27.
When Evil Lurks centers around two brothers who discover that something evil is about to be born in their small, rural community. Unfortunately, their attempts to get rid of it only add fuel to the hellish fire…
6. In My Mother's Skin (Philippines/Singapore/Taiwan)
Another SXSW selection, In My Mother's Skin brings a flesh-eating fairy to Amazon Prime Video on October 12.
Writer-director Kenneth Dagatan is behind the folk-horror fairytale. Set in the Philippines at the end of World War II, the film sees a young girl desperate to help her ailing mother, turning to a beguiling fairy for assistance. But the creature is hungry, and the child's trust may have been disastrously misplaced…
7. The Conference (Sweden)
If you've worked in the corporate world for any length of time, the very name The Conference might send shivers down your spine. Luckily, this is not a boring meeting your boss expects you to attend—it's a Swedish horror-comedy coming to Netflix on October 13.
Directed by Patrik Eklund, The Conference follows a group of municipal employees attending a team-building conference. The WiFi is dodgy, accusations of corruption abound, and a mysterious figure is picking off teammates left and right. Talk about a hostile work environment
8. The Elderly (Spain)
From directing team Raúl Cerezo and Fernando González Gómez, festival hit The Elderly is getting a theatrical release on October 12 before coming to VOD platforms and Blu-ray on October 31.
Zorion Eguileor (The Platform) stars as Manuel, an octogenarian who begins acting strangely following the death of his wife by suicide. Before long, other elderly locals start behaving oddly as well. They all seem to know something that the young do not—and their sudden lust for blood is certainly alarming.
9. Three Blind Mice (United Kingdom)
Just weeks after the release of its title, Mary Had a Little Lamb, Uncork'd Entertainment is giving another classic nursery rhyme the horror treatment with director Pierre B's Three Blind Mice.
Starring Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey's May Kelly, Three Blind Mice explores what happens when a recovering addict attempting to go cold turkey in a remote cabin comes face to face with, well, three blind mice. See how they run when the film gets its digital and DVD release on October 17.
10. Creature (Turkey)
Ever wanted to see a Turkish re-imagining of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein? Netflix has you covered with Creature, an eight-episode series from Çagan Irmak that's set to debut on October 20.
In the series, a young, rebellious student in Ottoman-era Istanbul conducts a forbidden experiment that leads to devastating consequences. While this one looks like it skews closer to a dark drama than a straight-up horror show, who doesn't need more Frankenstein content in their life around Halloween?
11. Night of the Hunted (France/US)
French director Franck Khalfoun, who helmed the underrated Maniac remake and the underseen P2, returns this Halloween season with Night of the Hunted.
In the Alexandre Aja-produced film, a quick stop at a remote gas station turns into a tense game of survival when an unsuspecting woman encounters a sniper with a secret vendetta. A remake of the 2015 Spanish film La Noche del Ratón, Night of the Hunted starts streaming on Shudder on October 20.
12. The Fifth Thoracic Vertebra (South Korea)
Okay, who's ready to get really weird? The feature debut of South Korean filmmaker Park Syeyoung, The Fifth Thoracic Vertebra is here to tell the story of some mold left on a mattress after a couple splits. Naturally, the creature that develops from this mold begins to feast on the vertebrae of the bed's inhabitants.
Still with me? Good, because this one looks strangely lovely. If you're looking for something truly unique, seek it out on Indiepix Unlimited from October 20.
13. Door (Japan)
Released in Japan in 1988, director Banmei Takahashi's home invasion horror Door was screened outside of its home country for the first time ever at Fantastic Fest just last month. If you missed the screening, never fear: the newly remastered film drops on SCREAMBOX on October 24.
In Door, a lonely housewife is held hostage in her own apartment by an increasingly deranged door-to-door salesman. Check your deadbolt before checking it out.
14. Sister Death (Spain)
Eager to get back in the habit after The Nun II? Then you won't want to miss Sister Death, director Paco Plaza's prequel to his 2017 hit Verónica.
Set in post-war Spain, Sister Death follows a young novice with supernatural powers who encounters a series of strange events and increasingly disturbing situations at a former convent that's now a school for girls. Catch it on Netflix from October 27.
15. Help! My In-Laws Are Vampires (Italy)
After spending the month binging every gnarly horror film you can get your hands on, you may be in the mood for something a little lighter on Halloween night. With echoes of The Munsters and The Addams Family, Italian horror-comedy Help! My In-Laws Are Vampires (Una Famiglia Mostruosa) looks like the perfect campy romp to enjoy over a bowl of candy corn.
Creeping onto SCREAMBOX on October 31, director Volfango De Biasi's film centers around a young woman who finally meets her partner's family after she becomes pregnant. Why was he so hesitant to introduce her? Well, it might have something to do with the fact that he has a vampire father, a witch mother, a ghost grandmother, and a zombie uncle. I'd call that altogether ooky.
Looking for even more great horror films to watch this Halloween? Check out our horror streaming guides for Hulu, Shudder, and more. And don't forget to check back in November for an all-new round-the-world round-up to keep the spooky times rolling.
