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Oct. 1: Children of the Corn (1984). Start the month off right with the scariest thing there is: kids. Based on a Stephen King short story, Children of the Corn was poorly received at the time but has gained a cult following, because children are terrifying.
The Babadook
IFC Films
Oct. 2: The Babadook (2014). This was last year's breakout horror hit, and it's easily as frightening as you've heard. Plus, switching between the classics and more modern fare will help keep your October horror viewings fresh.
Oct. 3: Rosemary's Baby (1968). Like The Babadook, Rosemary's Baby prioritizes psychological horror over gore. Even if you know the gist of it — and chances are, you do — you'll get caught up in the suspense of Rosemary's demonic pregnancy woes.
V/H/S
Magnet Releasing
Oct. 4: V/H/S (2012). You might be iffy on found footage, but give it a chance: When used effectively in horror, it's truly terrifying. V/H/S has the benefit of being an anthology, so you're bound to find something you like in there.
Oct. 5: Night of the Living Dead (1968). Just because it's black and white doesn't mean it's any less scary. If you've never seen the most iconic zombie film of all time, you're missing out on a tense and surprisingly modern movie that proved foundational for the genre.
Saw
Lionsgate
Oct. 6: Saw (2004). Again: Try to come into this with an open mind. Saw may have necessitated the creation of the term "torture porn," but the original film is just as cerebral as it is bloody. You might enjoy it more than you think.
Oct. 7: The Omen (1976). Because you didn't get your fix of demon spawn with Rosemary's Baby. The Omen is another classic, and it's also a harrowing reminder that children are seriously creepy.
Devil
Universal Pictures
Oct. 8: Devil (2010). Yes, really. Devil never quite got its due, perhaps because it had producer M. Night Shyamalan's name slapped on it long after such things were in fashion. Nevertheless, it's a creepy little supernatural thriller set in a packed elevator.
Oct. 9: Creep (2014). Another found-footage film, Creep's title pretty much says it all. But the bizarre stalker horror film, which stars a surprisingly scary Mark Duplass and director Patrick Brice, is remarkably stressful and full of scares, both quick and lingering.
Re-Animator
Elite Entertainment
Oct. 10: Re-Animator (1985). Back to gore, but with a lot of comedy to ease you along. Re-Animator, which is based on an H.P. Lovecraft novella, is the ideal cult classic to complete your Saturday night.
Oct. 11: Housebound (2014). Follow Re-Animator up with more horror comedy, this time New Zealand ghost story Housebound. This more recent installment of the genre is consistently delightful — with Kiwi accents, to boot.
The Monster Squad
TriStar Pictures
Oct. 12: The Monster Squad (1987). OK, so it's not exactly terrifying, but it's a blast to watch, and you might as well continue the fun you've been having with horror comedies. It's a bunch of kids fighting the classic Universal monsters — aka your childhood nightmare.
Oct. 13: We Are What We Are (2013). Both the 2010 Mexican original and this remake are worth watching, but only the latter version is streaming on Netflix. The less you read about this indie thriller, the better. Let the finale shock you.
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
Image Entertainment
Oct. 14: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920). Take a break from modern thrills with a true classic. The silent black-and-white film won't scare you the way that, say, The Omen will, but it's creepy enough to get you in the Halloween spirit.
Oct. 15: Oculus (2013). And we're back to disturbing modern horror. Oculus never really got credit for being as frightening and well crafted as it is. Even if you see where it's going, you'll still find yourself gutted by by the climax. (Cover all your mirrors before watching.)
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night
Vice Films
Oct. 16: A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014). It's not quite horror in the traditional sense, but after Oculus, you'll need a break from the the bleakness. A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night is a highly stylized feminist vampire flick. What's not to love?
Oct. 17: Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986). And now back to our regularly scheduled depravity. Henry offers an overly intimate and uncomfortably realistic look at a sadistic killer. It's a notorious '80s classic that you'll probably wish you hadn't watched. Sorry.
The House of the Devil
Dark Sky Films
Oct. 18: The House of the Devil (2009). Not an '80s film, but a definite '80s throwback. The House of the Devil is one of those atmospheric scary movies that will have you on edge for most of its runtime and then it'll send you over the edge with a truly batshit climax.
Oct. 19: Maniac (2012). The 2012 remake of Maniac, a controversial slasher in its own right, is admittedly hard to stomach. But what's worse than the gore is the second-person perspective that puts you into the killer's head. See if you can stomach it.
Pet Sematary
Paramount Pictures
Oct. 20: Pet Sematary (1989). If you've read Stephen King's novel, you know that Pet Sematary is one of his scariest works. The film does the novel justice, even if it does feel a little dated at times. There's enough distressing imagery to give you nightmares.
Oct. 21: Starry Eyes (2014). The less said about this be-careful-what-you-wish-for tale of an aspiring actor who gets in over her head, the better. There is plenty of body horror grossness here, so you may have to look away if you're especially squeamish.
Nosferatu
Kino Lorber Films
Oct. 22: Nosferatu (1929). If you made it through Starry Eyes, you deserve a break. This off-brand take on Bram Stoker's Dracula is short on jump scares, but it's a hugely influential and effective piece of horror history. Check it out.
Oct. 23: The Taking of Deborah Logan (2014). This found-footage horror film mostly fell under the radar, which is unfortunate, because it's a sharp and very well executed twist on the exorcism genre. If you dug The Visit this year, you'll love this one.
Scream
Dimension Films
Oct. 24: Scream (1996). It's hard to imagine what modern horror would look like without Scream, a slasher film that fully embraced the theories of Carol Clover and showed us how meta-horror could be smart and funny without sacrificing the scares.
Oct. 25: Let the Right One In (2008). The remake was fine, but it's hard to top the ethereal style and chills of the gorgeous Swedish original. Like A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, it's a thoroughly distinctive vampire story.
Leprechaun
Lionsgate
Oct. 26: Leprechaun (1993). With Halloween fast approaching, take a moment for something dumb and fun. That something is Leprechaun, featuring a very young Jennifer Aniston and a bloodthirsty leprechaun who's as violent as he is quippy.
Oct. 27: Contracted (2013). Before It Follows, there was Contracted, which conflates sexually transmitted disease with supernatural horror. It's a very different film — more body horror, for one — but it's worth squirming through.
Black Sunday
Kino Lorber Films
Oct. 28: Black Sunday (1960). If you've never experienced Italian gothic horror, you're in for a treat. Mario Bava's classic film about a vengeful witch still gets under your skin. It was gory enough to be banned in the United Kingdom when it was first released.
Oct. 29: Teeth (2007). A dark comedy with a decidedly feminist slant, Teeth literalizes the myth of vagina dentata. And it does so beautifully. You've seen enough violence toward women in horror: It's time for something castration-heavy to shift the balance a bit.
Hellraiser
Image Entertainment
Oct. 30: Hellraiser (1987). If you haven't seen Hellraiser, you probably associate it with Pinhead. But the nail-headed villain is more of a secondary character in the original, which is delightfully perverse and gloriously bloody.
Oct. 31: You're Next (2011). You've done it. You've reached Halloween! Now sit back and enjoy the greatest slasher flick in recent memory. It owes a debt to Scream — and all that came before it — but it's thoroughly original. And a perfect way to celebrate the holiday.
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