As the leaves in the mountains start to turn beautiful oranges and yellows and the air grows a little crisper, it's time to make a cup of cider and put on a good scary movie—or a super cheesy one. This October, I will be watching 31 horror movies, including rewatching some old favorites and discovering new frights.

Satan Wants You, dir. Sean Horlor & Steve J. Adams (2023)

I did back-to-back documentaries this week starting with one from last year that discussed the Satanic Panic of the 1980s. As someone who knew more about the frenzy because of its relationship with heavy metal, rock and roll, and Dungeon and Dragons, it was interesting to learn about its origins. It included a bunch of great interviews, recordings, and archival footage of news broadcasts from that era.

Living with Chucky, dir. Kyra Elise Gardner (2022)

The second documentary was one I had heard about for a while. Kyra Elise Gardner, the director of the film, was very active on TikTok during the pandemic and I saw plenty of behind-the-scenes material from before the film came out. She is the daughter of the main puppeteer and special effects artist from the Chucky series. It was great to hear from basically everyone involved in the movies and hear about how the majority of the cast and crew have become a family. I used to be extremely into the Chucky movies and this documentary makes me want to catch up on the new television series based on the franchise.

The Slumber Party Massacre, dir. Amy Holden Jones (1982)

This classic slasher has been on my list for a long time; it's one of the rare ones written and directed by women. Of course, plenty of women were making their way in the behind-the-scenes aspects of film for a long time but even by the 80s there weren't that many female directors in the world of horror. This film takes a lot of the exploitative aspects of 80s horror, dials it up, and pokes fun at it simultaneously. It isn't surprising to hear that the screenwriter for this also wrote feminist and queer poetry, and it makes the film's commentary of the sexualization of women in horror even more clear.

The Centerfold Girls, dir. John Peyser (1974)

We go from commentary on women's vulnerability to an early 70s independent film that features so much unnecessary nudity and sexual abuse. The film is split into three parts as our killer goes after "centerfold girls" that appear in a calendar. The first two sections seemed lackluster and the excessive violence had no appeal. It's not shot interestingly and the acting from the victims isn't compelling. The third part redeems the earlier sections as Andrew Prine (this movie's slasher) gets more screentime and the suspected victim has a lot more agency and actually fights against him.

Whistle and I'll Come To You, dir. Jonathan Miller (1968)

Originally released as part of a British documentary series called Omnibus, Whistle and I'll Come To You is a slow-burn ghost story set in the English countryside. It feels like a ghost story that would be told in front of a cozy fire while you're wrapped in a warm blanket. It had some interesting moments and it's worth the runtime of just under an hour; I don't think it could have been dragged out into a full-length film but it has an eerie appeal and is easy to find for free online.