10 More Great Modern Horror Movies To Watch This Halloween (That We Think You’ve Never Seen) – 2021 Edition

Last year we wrote a list. Open up your browser and type into Google ‘horror movies to watch this Halloween’ and stare in horror at the insane amount of options available to you. Everyone, from the largest to the smallest of websites has done a list and most hit up all the usual suspects. You know what movies are making these lists. The staples of horror, normally capped off with Halloween itself.

We’re not knocking these lists. They can be fun to read and fun to write but last Halloween we decided to buck that trend. A list of 10 modern horror movies we thought you should check out as you may not have seen them. We enjoyed writing it so much, we thought we’d do it again with another 10!

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Till Death (2021)

Directed by S.K. Dale in his directorial debut, from a screenplay by Jason Carvey. Till Death is a horror/thriller that stars Megan Fox, Callan Mulvey, Eoin Macken, Aml Ameen and Jack Roth.

In the middle of nowhere, the house empty and the cold seeping in. Emma’s situation is bleak but being handcuffed to the dead body of her husband makes it even worse. How did she get into this situation but more importantly, how is she going to get out of it?

Till Death is a good movie. One that isn’t doing anything particularly original but has such a tight script, it feels quite original. The solid cast, good effects (some practical blood and gore here too) and setting just adds so much gravitas to the situation.

Slashlorette Party (2020)

From the writing and directing team of Paul Ragsdale and Angelica De Alba comes Slashorette Party. An entertaining throwback slasher with some great comedy moments and lashings of blood.

Slashorette Party knows that you’re looking forward to some bloody violence and slowly ups the ante with an array of kills, all using practical effects. The killings start off slow but the film really dials it up as it moves into the third act. Don’t worry, your bloodthirst will be sated.

It might sound par for the course but it is very entertaining, in a simplistic horror way. Where Slashorette Party differs is by revealing who its killers are early on and instead throws an unexpected curveball. The reveal and ensuing comedy, thanks mainly to the wonderful Drew Marvick who is consistently hilarious in all his movies, is well worth it.

Bloody Hell (2020)

Bloody Hell is an Australian-British action horror film directed by Alister Grierson and written by Robert Benjamin. It tells the story of a man with a mysterious past who flees from his homeland to escape his own personal hell – to unknowingly experience something even more sinister and hellish. The film stars Ben O’Toole, Caroline Craig and Matthew Sunderland.

Bloody Hell was one hell of a pleasant surprise. It has a wicked comedic edge, that O’Toole performs perfectly.

The gore is realistic and gruesome, although there could have been a little more. Bloody Hell is definitely an anti-kidnapping/robbing movie. You never know what kind of psycho you might have chosen.

Paintball Massacre (2020)

Written by Chris Regan and directed by Darren Berry, Paintball Massacre takes its prompts from the likes of the 2006 horror comedy, Severance. However, it stands on its own two feet by having a super strong cast who are clearly having a ton of fun.

The plot surrounds a group of old school friends who have arranged a reunion party and paintballing the next day. Anyone who has tried paintball with a hangover can tell you how bad of an idea that is. Especially when not everyone is enjoying the reunion in quite the same way.

Bad memories surface, squabbles break out and forgotten relationships should probably stay forgotten. However, all of that becomes the least of the group’s problems when the game gets serious. There is a new player on the field, one with an array of deadly weapons.

Paintball Massacre is a blast. A gory and violent blast. One that aims for the head and hits its mark. Once the killing begins, it enters delightedly amusing territory. Almost every death has a tongue in cheek feel to it which makes the ones that don’t, feel so much darker.

Don’t Look Back (2020)

Adapted from a 2014 short called Good Samaritan that he wrote and directed, Jeffery Reddick (best known for creating the Final Destination film franchise) brings us, Don’t Look Back. A full-length version of his earlier short that stars Kourtney Bell, Will Stout and Skyler Hart.

A story about intervention. Instances where people have been attacked and/or hurt in public and no-one did a thing. In many cases, such as during violent fights, bystanders pulled out their phone and filmed. It’s sobering because it’s a sad reality of the modern world. Few will intervene and it is all too common for the footage to end up on social media.

What happens if your lack of intervention makes you public enemy number one?

A clever and interesting watch, Don’t Look Back nails several important elements to ensure it holds the attention up until the very end. Firstly, the story plays out well. Even when it hits familiar beats regarding potential supernatural elements, it always leaves room to manoeuvre it elsewhere. This is important as it keeps things mysterious up until its final reveal and even a little bit after.

Overall, Don’t Look Back is a good movie that delivers strong performances, a well-thought out story and an effective resolution.

After Midnight (2019)

After Midnight is more of a drama with touches of monster-movie madness here and there. Does that mean you shouldn’t watch it if you’re a horror nut? Absolutely, you should as it’s got some occasional good scares, mystery and a bloody finale. However, the main reason you should watch it, is because it is an excellent movie overall.

Directed by Christian Stella and Jeremy Gardner, the latter also wrote and stars in the movie. He plays Hank and he is in love with Abby (Beau Grant). We meet the pair early in their relationship where he has brought her to a decrepit old house his family owns in a small Florida town. It’s a heart-warming and lovely introduction as the pair have great chemistry and then the film smash cuts to Hank as he is now, shooting a hole through his front door that he has barricaded with his couch.

There’s something outside, something that comes at night and scratches to get in.

It’s a movie that captivates from beginning to end, even if its focus is more on couple drama than anything else. Add in lovely cinematography and a moving soundtrack and you really have a top-shelf movie.

Yummy (2019)

No-one is expecting anything fresh from the zombie genre these days. All you can hope is that we at least get a serviceable if not enjoyable take on the classic shambling dead. Yummy, a zombie horror comedy, doesn’t even try to freshen up the stink of the rotting flesh. Instead taking what we all know so well and making sure it’s as good as it could be. The end result is a fun zombie-romp with a deliciously dark ending.

A strong cast is always a positive even if it’s not often the most important element of a zombie flick. You’re here for the gore and happily Yummy absolutely delivers on that. The zombies look great and the blood pours and the flesh flies. Chunky, gooey and grimy…it’s impressive stuff.

A fun zombie flick that isn’t doing anything new or interesting but takes the well-worn formula and makes it memorable again.

Oxygen (2021)

Oxygen (French: Oxygène) is a 2021 French-language science fiction thriller film directed and produced by Alexandre Aja, from a screenplay by Christie LeBlanc. As part of an American-French co-production, it stars Mélanie Laurent, Mathieu Amalric and Malik Zidi.

A young woman awakens in an airtight medical cryogenic unit, and discovers that she is trapped and that the unit’s oxygen levels are falling rapidly. Suffering from memory loss, she does not remember who she is or how she got there. She is assisted by an advanced A.I. named MILO, but it refuses to open the cryo unit without an administrator code.

Oxygen is a claustrophics and conspiracy theorists nightmare all wrapped up in one. A fascinating concept and although the twist is not earth shattering – because it could really only be a handful of things – it was cool nonetheless. Laurent’s performance is fantastic and believable, as are the effects.

Overall, a fantastic confined, sci fi horror movie.

Killer Rack (2015)

From writer Paul McGinnis and director Greg Lamberson comes Killer Rack. A rare treat, Killer Rack bills itself as a comedy horror and actually turns out to be very funny and very entertaining.

Tired of being overlooked because of her flat chest, Betty sees an ad on TV for plastic surgery, so she decides to go and get a consultation. Once there, she meets Dr. Thulu (Debbie Rochon) who has finally found the patient she has been looking for. Someone who can be the vessel for an ancient evil. Betty is going to get the boobs she wants but unfortunately for her, they have very malevolent intentions.

It’s as silly as it sounds but from beginning to end, it entertains. So many of the jokes land, this is simply one of the funniest horror movies you’ll see in the modern times. The plot is absurd and everyone knows it is absurd but plays it so straight, it’s too much fun. If all of that wasn’t enough, we get several class musical numbers too!

Savageland (2015)

In a sub-genre of horror bereft of new and fresh ideas, Savageland stands out amongst the modern crop of found footage movies. Simply by taking a different stance on it, ramping up the mystery and adding a whole lot of social commentary to its documentary-style presentation.

You’ll remember Savageland afterwards even with its flaws.

Playing out like a true-crime documentary (very effectively too), Savageland focuses on the small town of Sangre De Cristo. A town on the border of Arizona and Mexico where over-night almost every resident was wiped out. A fictional case described as the largest mass murder in American history.

There was one survivor though, a man named Francisco Salazar who was picked up afterwards and charged with the murders, all 57 of them.

What follows is the analysis of Salazar’s supposed crimes and the events that may have taken place that night. Interviews and thoughts from locals, the authorities, the families and loved ones of victims and more.

For many, Salazar is a guilty man but for some, something just don’t sit right. Something that we as the viewer can share. Especially when a roll of film from Salazar’s camera is found and developed.

These images tell a different and all together, more terrifying tale.




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