Fall may have officially begun on September 22nd but it is just now coming into its stride. I've assembled a watchlist for you to enjoy throughout this month with a focus on what you have direct access to without waiting!
Everything listed here can be found on Kanopy which you can check out with nothing more than your library card number and pin (quick reminder that your pin is usually the last four of the phone number you have on file with us).
Out of all of Stephen King's books-to-movie pipeline, Sometimes They Come Back screams Halloween more than any other story. The King tropes are in full effect:
a main character who returns to his hometown (check)
where he is confronted with childhood trauma (check)
with a supernatural twist (check)
They are all present, but its Tim Matheson’s performance as an educator who is confronted with seeing his childhood bullies (who are responsible for the death of his big brother) return unchanged by time (and like…still alive??) This feels like an overlooked movie out of King’s canon that you should visit.
Ti West has had a string of commercial successes with his feature films X, Pearl and Maxxxine but there's something just special about Pearl. Where X was an instant classic and perfect group movie night watch; Pearl is just an entirely different beast. Mia Goth carries this movie with her portrayal of a sad, eerie character in an isolated town with a strict mother and invalid father.
Her screaming “I’m married!!” will live in my head rent free for decades.
Train to Busan is a South Korean action horror film that is far cooler and slicker than you would ever anticipate. Our main characters attempt to survive a zombie apocalypse on a high-speed train. It works on so many levels and is a must see for any zombie fan.
This was a polarizing movie when it initially dropped in 2022. You were either impressed and wouldn't shut up about it, or you were 'meh' about this horror flick. I was firmly in camp one. Talk To Me took guts to allow the level of danger for kids (which will immediately turn some viewers away) and for creating a main character that would turn some viewers off as purely unlikeable and selfish.
Ti West's 2011 film didn't make him a household name, but it left a strong enough impression that my friend forced me to watch The Innkeepers as soon as he realized the gap in my haunted house education. Two employees who fancy themselves ghost hunters attempt to document the supernatural activity of a once popular hotel. You've heard of this premise before, but let West take you for a ride before he really broke out in the mainstream.
Okay, this one is kind of cheating. Parasyte is an anime with a slightly dated art style that will absolutely crush your soul with its premise and execution. Parasyte is a science fiction horror series about a high school senior who ends up in a symbiotic relationship with a parasite that takes over his arm and the two must fight other parasites to survive. Its got heart, humor and science in equal measures.
Head on over to Kanopy for more options as they have a fantastic collection of movies broken down by types of thrills this month.
