It's that time of the year again, and although the world beforehand appeared to be one gigantic horror fest following the inauguration of the 45th President, we now have seasonal traditions to accompany the horror. And if you're still interested in horrors outside of the real world, I have five horror films for you to watch this fall.
1. "Would you Rather"
Eight people attend a dinner hosted by a wealthy man in hopes of saving their loved ones and themselves with his financial assistance. This thriller, released in 2013, filled with a night of horrors follows the group as they desperately choose a whirlwind of deadly tasks to achieve in order to make millions of dollars. By the end of the night, money is the least of their worries as they find out only one of them may leave the house alive.
This film provokes suspense, fear, and an unbelievable ability to make it's audience grit their teeth and cringe through every horrifying task and plot twist. Watching "Would you Rather" by yourself is insane enough, but watching with others intensifies the experience as everyone vocalizes their shock as the film goes on. I rate this film a 4/5 stars.
2. "Hush"
This captivating thriller, released in 2016, follows a deaf woman's fight for her life when she comes face to face with a masked murderer. She must heighten all of her senses to outsmart the killer and keep him from entering her home. But to keep him from coming in, she might have to go out.
Every minute of this film is built with suspense. The audience repeatedly questions the outcome of the film every time the main character flees her comfort zone in an act of survival. Watching this movie with a small group of friends might be more comforting than watching in your house... by yourself... with the lights off... and the wind (but maybe not the wind) scratching at your door. Either way, at least YOU will be able to hear what's going on. I rate this film as 4/5 stars.
3. "Creep"
"Creep", released in 2014, is arguably one of the best found footage films following The Blair Witch Project. The main character, Aaron, works as a freelance camera man who answers an ad to assist with a film project for a soon-to-be father with cancer. The project takes him to a massive cabin close to the middle of nowhere. As Aaron's filming continues, including jump scares galore, the events that take place get increasingly more eerie as the audience finds that the intended purpose of Aaron's filming may have been a cover up for something much darker and terrifying. I rate this film a 5/5 stars for it's ability to balance comedy and horror so well.
4. "The Den"
Everyone is aware of the creepy individuals found on online chat sites, but "The Den" takes online video chatting to a whole new level. Elizabeth, the main character, plans to utilize video chatting for a successful idea at her job. In order to test her plan, she must be present on the site for several hours for a week. But after witnessing a murder on the site, a lot more than her work life is going to be affected as she potentially becomes one of the next murder victims on the chat site.
This fresh idea introduced to the horror genre, in 2013, keeps the found footage idea intriguing and suspenseful. The filmmaker's ability to mix video chat footage and footage from Elizabeth's everyday life holds the audience's attention. I rate this film a 3/5 stars.
5. "The Good Neighbor"
"The Good Neighbor", released in 2016, is another found footage film that follows two invasive and egotistical teens who set up hidden cameras, microphones, and other equipment in an elderly man's home. This is done in an attempt to control doors, lights, and temperature to make "old man Grainey" feel as though he is haunted. Throughout their prank, they begin to realize that something far more concerning is happening behind Grainey's closed doors and they work together to expose the mystery.
This thriller keeps it's audience entertained and unable to predict the end of the film. The script's refusal to sympathize with it's main character's unjustifiable actions allows the audience to continuously predict the ending of the film. I rate this film a 5/5 stars.
