With Halloween lurking around the corner, celebrate the spooky season with a chilling line-up of upcoming horror movies of October 2024.
While the iconic Halloween movies remain a classic franchise where Michael Myers ensures maximum fright for the horror holidays, this October we have a new crop of chilling films hitting the theatres and your favourite streaming platforms. From the new feature film adaptation of Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot to the upcoming sequel of 2022’s spooky hit Smile, the most anticipated horror movies of the season will force you to sleep with the lights on.
So far, 2024 has faired decently in the department of scare-fest. While the Russell Crowe starrer The Exorcism, which was released in June, did not live up to the hype, the horror movie Abigail, which hit the theatres in April performed well at the box office.
Additionally, Bollywood horror comedies like Stree 2 and Munjya revved up the sinister threats onscreen and turned out to be standout hits, raising the stakes for what’s to come next from the Indian film industry. However, Bollywood has very little to offer this Halloween.
Nevertheless, there is a densely packed slate of horror movies releasing in the West this season. So, grab your blanket, dim the lights, and prepare to scream your way through the best horror movies of Halloween 2024.
Upcoming horror movies of October 2024 to keep an eye out for a Halloween screamfest
1. Salem’s Lot – 3 October
Directed by: Gary Dauberman
Cast: Lewis Pullman, Alfre Woodard, Makenzie Leigh, Bill Camp, Spencer Treat Clark, Pilou Asbæk, John Benjamin Hickey
Synopsis: All hell breaks loose when author Ben Mears (Pullman) returns to his childhood home of Jerusalem’s Lot in search of inspiration for his next book, only to discover his hometown is being infested by a bloodthirsty vampire. Mears is the first to recognise the sinister threat, and he collaborates with a local teenager, Mike Ryerson (Clark), who has also witnessed the unsettling occurrences.
About the movie: This production is based on a novel of Stephen King. The novel, 1975’s Salem’s Lot, has been previously adapted into a three-hour miniseries in 1979. There was another film called A Return to Salem’s Lot directed by Larry Cohen released in 1987. As per the latest trailer, the narrative of the new iteration will adhere closely to the original storyline.
2. The Platform 2 – 4 October
Directed by: Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia
Cast: Milena Smit, Hovik Keuchkerian, Natalia Tena, Óscar Jaenada, Alexandra Masangkay
Synopsis: In a highly unusual vertical prison, a stone dumbwaiter transports food from the uppermost floors to those below. Inmates on the higher tiers consume the food, leaving scant provisions for those beneath them, fostering a survival-of-the-fittest environment, where those on lower levels face starvation, despair, or even cannibalism.
About the movie: The Platform 2 serves as a sequel to the acclaimed Spanish Netflix film The Platform. The film poignantly addresses themes of social inequality and survival, resonating deeply with global audiences. While the first movie was recognised as one of the most distinctive prison films of its era, The Platform 2 is poised to be remembered as one of the most harrowing horror movies of 2024.
3. Monster Summer – 4 October
Directed by: David Henrie
Cast: Mel Gibson, Mason Thames, Abby James Witherspoon, Julian Lerner
Synopsis: A group of children become determined to unravel the mystery behind the killer causing chaos in their town during the summer months. Noah (Thames) and his companions join forces with a retired police detective (Gibson) to embark on a thrilling quest to rescue their island.
About the movie: Interestingly, the plot bears a resemblance to the widely acclaimed Netflix series – Stranger Things. The film’s trailer hints at similar thematic elements and evokes a sense of nostalgia for the 1980s. With the fifth season of Stranger Things set to premiere in 2025, viewers have ample opportunity to enjoy this horror film.
4. Terrifier 3 – 11 October
Directed by: Damien Leone
Cast: David Howard Thornton, Lauren LaVera, Elliot Fullam
Synopsis: Following their harrowing experience at Art the Clown’s Halloween massacre, Sienna Shaw (LaVera) and her younger brother Jonathan Shaw (Fullam) face the daunting task of reconstructing their lives. With the festive season drawing near, they embrace the spirit of Christmas Eve and try moving past the traumas they have endured. Just as they begin to feel a sense of security, Art resurfaces, intent on transforming their holiday joy into a fresh nightmare with his sinister grin.
About the movie: One of October 2024’s most highly anticipated new horror films, Terrifier 3 is the third instalment in Damien Leone’s intensely violent horror franchise with David Howard Thornton reprising the role of Art The Clown. Leone returns to helm the project as Samantha Scaffidi reprises her role as Victoria Heyes, taking on a more significant part in this instalment. The 2022 supernatural slasher-horror Terrifier 2 reportedly caused many moviegoers to faint and the third film promises to be even more terrifying than the previous film.
5. Smile 2 – 18 October
Directed by: Parker Finn
Cast: Kyle Gallner, Naomi Scott, Lukas Gage, Rosemarie DeWitt, Dylan Gelula, Peter Jacobson, Miles Gutierrez-Riley
Synopsis: Ahead of her global tour, renowned pop artist Skye Riley (Scott) begins to encounter a series of inexplicable occurrences. The sinister entity first comes for her friend Lewis (Gage), who dies a tragic death and is out to pursue her next. Skye must confront her troubled past to reclaim control over her life.
About the movie: The Paramount film is a sequel to the 2022 hit Smile. Director Parker Finn’s previous horror film was based on his short film Laura Hasn’t Slept (2020) and went on to generate USD 217 million in worldwide box office revenue, paving the way for Smile 2. Upping the ante since the last release, Smile 2 concerns a pop star who is the next target of the otherworldly ghoul, leaving her to balance her tremendous fame with the encroaching evil entity.
6. Rippy – 18 October
Directed by: Ryan Coonan
Cast: Michael Biehn, Aaron Pederson, Tess Haubrich, Angie Milliken
Synopsis: A young police officer faces an extreme challenge when a zombie kangaroo starts killing the locals in her town. She teams up with her eccentric Vietnam veteran uncle to restore peace.
About the movie: Rippy, one of the most chilling upcoming horror movies of October 2024, is coming out as a limited release around Halloween. This means it will only be shown in select movie theatres across major markets.
7. Little Bites – 18 October
Directed by: Spider One
Cast: Jon Sklaroff, Krsy Fox, Elizabeth Phoenix Caro, Bonnie Aarons, Chas Bono
Synopsis: Mindy (Fox) must protect her daughter from a horrifying flesh-eating monster, Agyar (Sklaroff), by striking a heinous deal. As long as the evil spirit keeps feasting on her flesh, he will leave her child alone. The situation inside Mindy’s house derails when the monster is not pleased and the deal starts taking a toll on her body.
About the movie: Little Bites is inspired by an extremely personal experience of director-singer Michael David Cummings, better known as Spider One. In an interview with Collider, he shared, “Little Bites began with an unflinching look at my own experience as a parent. An experience that has been and continues to be a complex mess of love, pain, success and failure. Where the best of intentions are constantly countered by the dark forces of self-doubt and the external judgement of others. Where the efforts to protect a child can at times seem pointless in such a cruel, confusing world.”
One also mentioned that Agyar represents every parent’s fear of failing their kids. The film will have its world premiere at Fantastic Fest before it arrives in theatres on 4 October.
8. Time Cut – 30 October
Directed by: Hannah Macpherson
Cast: Madison Bailey, Antonia Gentry, Michael Shanks, Griffin Gluck, Rachael Crawford, Jordan Pettle, Megan Best, Samuel Braun, Sydney Sabiston, Kataem O’Connor
Release date:
Synopsis: Lucy Field (Bailey), a talented high school science student, stumbles upon a time machine, embarking on a journey to the past. Her mission: is to prevent the tragic murder of her older sister, Summer (Gentry). Will she navigate the challenges coming her way and reveal the identity of the murderer or bid farewell to her existence?
About the movie: In Hannah Macpherson’s latest time travel teen slasher, Time Cut, a journey back to the early 2000s transcends mere nostalgia, becoming a desperate fight for survival. Co-written by Michael Kennedy, Time Cut encapsulates the essence of the early 2000s with a thrilling twist.
(Header and feature Image: Courtesy Instagram/Netflix/Paramount Scares/IMDb/Little Bites)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
'Little Bites', 'Smile 2' and 'Terrifier 3' are some horror movies slated to release in October 2024.
'Salem’s Lot', based on the bloodthirsty vampires infesting the town of Jerusalem’s Lot in Maine, is a killer horror movie releasing in October 2024.
'The Deliverance', released in August 2024, is based on a true story about an Indiana family who experience strange demonic occurrences in their home, leading them to believe it's a portal to hell.
Several movies, like 'The Exorcist' (1973), 'It Follows' (2015), 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' (1984), and 'Late Night with the Devil' (2023) are considered among the best horror movies.
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Kratagya Rathore could possibly be your passport into the world of style, grooming, skincare, and mindful living. Fashion is as imperative to him as his daily 10,000 steps count. He is a raconteur, almost living his life in a musical; A social firefly who is also fluent in silence. A journalism grad, Kratagya has previously worked for Times Internet and The Times of India.
