October is a pretty big month for us horror fans because of Halloween. We have our “31 Days of Horror” marathons, our horror challenges, and many more ways to celebrate the month. It is essentially gives all of us a reason to parade our fandom in front of everyone and it’s awesome. You would think that October would be filled with tons of horror releases, and usually you would be right. Unfortunately October of 2016 only has nine horror movies seeing the light of day.* Only one of them is a major studio release. What gives, studios?

*I only included films that were seeing some form of theatrical release. Films going straight-to-DVD were not included.

October 7th

The Greasy Strangler

Do you have a taste for the distasteful? Then The Greasy Strangler (review) may be for you! The film follows a father and son who compete for the love of the same woman while an oily serial killer stalks the streets. I’m hard-pressed to recommend the film unless you’re under the influence of alcohol and surrounded by a bunch of like-minded folk, but it does have its funny moments.

Phantasm: Remastered

Don Coscarelli’s classic supernatural horror film gets the 4K treatment with Phantasm: Remastered. If you’re too young to have caught it on the big screen in 1979, now’s your chance!

Phantasm: Ravager

The fifth and final installment of the much-beloved Phantasm franchise (to everyone except me, apparently) finally sees a release this month. After some positive festival buzz, fans are more excited than ever. Will Reggie Bannister be able to defeat the Tall Man and rescue his old pal Mike? You’ll find out soon enough!

Under the Shadow

It would be a disservice to call Under the Shadow the Iranian Babadook, and that’s mostly because it’s a much better film (read my review). Set in 1988 Tehran, Babak Anvari’s supernatural spook-fest follows a mother and daughter during the Iran-Iraq War as they are haunted by a djinn that they believe was brought to them by an unexploded missile.

October 11th

Shin Godzilla

The 31st Godzilla film (and 29th Toho production) reboots the franchise once again, reimagining Godzilla’s origins as he emerges in modern Japan for the first time. Reviews have been mostly positive so far, so be sure to check this one out next week.

October 14th

Jack Goes Home

Thomas Dekker’s directorial debut features a star-studded cast (Rory Culkin, Britt Robertson, Lin Shaye, Daveigh Chase, Natasha Lyonne and Nicki Reed are all in the film). In the film, Jack (Culkin) returns to his hometown to help nurse his mother (Shaye) back to health after his father dies in a car crash. I wasn’t crazy about the film, but it is nice to see Dekker move behind the camera. It also features a powerfully unhinged performance from Shaye, which is reason enough to see the Jack Goes Home.

October 21st

Ouija: Origin of Evil

When it was announced that Universal Pictures would be making a sequel to one of 2014’s worst films, audiences were understandably skeptical. Then it was announced that Oculus and Absentia director Mike Flanagan would be directing and co-writing the film, interest was piqued. If anyone can improve upon the original, it’s Flanagan (though the bar isn’t exactly set very high). The film is set 50 years prior to the original and follows a young girl who gets possessed by a malevolent spirit after she finds a Ouija board.

Tyler Perry’s Boo! A Madea Halloween

As dumb as it is, Boo! A Madea Halloween does contain horror elements. Plus, you’ve got to give the film some credit for those two undeniably hilarious posters. The film sees Madea (Perry) looking after her great-niece (Diamond White) while fending off killers, poltergeists and zombies.

October 28th

The Windmill

The only horror film to be released on Halloween weekend isn’t even getting a wide release here in the states (it actually hits VOD services three days before it’s limited theatrical release). It’s pretty depressing. On the bright side, it’s apparently pretty good. The film tells the story of a group of tourists whose bus breaks down near a windmill where a Devil-worshipping miller supposedly ground human bones instead of grains.

Which horror movie are you most looking forward to this month? Let us know in the comments below!