5 Lesser-Known Horror Movies for Halloween

With the Shocktober season upon us once more, it can be a bit overwhelming trying to find a new horror favourite among the many offerings available – we’ve got over 100 titles to choose from! To make things a little easier, I thought I’d highlight 5 forgotten, under the radar and under-appreciated horror films new this month on Hollywood Suite.

Let’s Scare Jessica To Death (1971)

Inspired by classic horror novels like The Haunting of Hill House and The Turning of The Screw, this independent horror film tells the story of a woman haunted by visions and monsters that the audience is never sure they can trust. If you like the dreamy horror of the Italian masters or a creeping feeling of dread, you’ll love to dive into this unusual film.

Oct 31 at 10:40pm ET on HS70
Available on demand in October

Strait-Jacket (1964)

Director William Castle decided to forgo his usual gimmicks for this psycho thriller since he was convinced his gimmick was his star: Joan Crawford. Unfairly written off as Hitchcock-lite, this film sees Crawford as a woman recently released for her crimes struggling to integrate back into society, while murder seems to follow her around. It offers plenty of chances for the grand dame to chew the scenery and Castle to have a little fun with his camera.

Oct 27 at 9:00pm ET on HS70
Available on demand in October

The Funhouse (1981)

Tobe Hooper does for seedy carnivals what he did for Texas BBQ with this unique, twisted take on Frankenstein that’s part slasher and part monster movie. What makes the movie stand out is Hooper’s interest in capturing the feel of a carnival in the late 70s, and the danger and allure it would have for teenagers looking for a good time.

Oct 22 at 1:25am ET on HS80
Available on demand in October

The People Under the Stairs (1991)

Writer/director Wes Craven arguably made his most political horror film with this sharp satire that sees a couple of Black robbers trapped in the twisted torture chamber house of their neighbourhood’s white slumlords. Wes Craven cast Everett McGill and Wendy Robie as his very thinly veiled Reagan-surrogate villains after enjoying their twisted performances that balanced humour and strangeness on Twin Peaks.

Oct 31 at 10:35pm ET on HS90
Available on demand in October

Piranha 3D (2010)

Many of the best horror remakes take a B-movie story and take it to the next level with effects and big names and Piranha 3D is a perfect example. This version takes the best of the 70s original’s humour and adds wild effects directed by French gore-meister Alexandre Aja, actors like Elizabeth Shue, Christopher Lloyd and Ving Rhames, while remaining one of the biggest films to skewer the ‘Girls Gone Wild’ exploitation trend of the early 00s.

Oct 29 at 11:50pm ET on HS00
Available on demand in October