10 horror movies to watch this fall
Jordan Peele modern classics like "Get Out" and "Us" have hit streamers just in time for spooky season.
From foundational staples like “Night of the Living Dead” to new classics like “Nope,” theGrio has 10 Black horror movies you should watch this fall.
“Get Out”
Could we begin our list with anything else? Jordan Peele’s history-making debut is officially available to stream this fall, six years after it took the industry by storm. Revisit Daniel Kaluuya’s Chris, who visits his white girlfriend’s family and uncovers some horrifying truths, in a film that holds up a mirror to many universal experiences and truths Black people have shared in a “post-racial” America.
Credited with revitalizing the horror genre, the success of “Get Out” brought it all the way to the Oscars, where Peele took home the award for best original screenplay.
“Get Out” is available to stream now on Netflix.
“Us”
Peele’s second foray into the horror genre was another home run for the creator. The Lupita Nyong’o-led film earned rave reviews at the time of its release, telling a chilling story of a family that gets terrorized by doppelgängers of themselves. With each actor (Nyong’o, Winston Duke, Shahadi Wright Joseph, and Evan Alex) essentially tackling two roles, the film is filled with terrifying imagery, and like “Get Out,” is considered a modern classic of the horror genre.
“Us” is available to stream now on Netflix.
“The Blackening”
In for spooky thrills mixed with genuine laughs? Look no further than this year’s hit, “The Blackening.” A genuine slasher with hilarious twists, the new film rides the sweet spot of self-aware horror we’ve come to love from franchises like “Scream,” but this time with an all-Black cast.
This film, which was a box office success after premiering on Juneteenth weekend 2023, uses horror tropes to its advantage and subverts them at every turn, taking the audience on a zany, twisty and genuinely thrilling ride.
“The Blackening” is available to stream now on Starz.
“Talk to Me”
Our newest offering is “Talk to Me,” A24’s latest horror film scaring audiences in theaters. Led by Sophie Wilde, this movie, which has earned a 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, follows a group who discover how to conjure spirits by using an embalmed hand.
The group becomes “hooked” on the thrill of the hand — that is until one friend takes things too far, unleashing “terrifying supernatural forces.”
“Talk to Me” is in select theaters now and is available to rent.
“Night of the Living Dead”
A true horror classic, “Night of the Living Dead” is available to stream on multiple platforms, making for a perfect movie night for long fans of the genre or newcomers wishing for a horror education! Groundbreaking for its time, the 1968 film stars Black actor Duane Jones, who is joined by a group of people fending off a zombie attack.
This film’s significance — in both the horror canon and American film canon, in general — cannot be overstated, and it was even added to the U.S. film registry in 1999 among other films deemed “historically, culturally or aesthetically important.”
“Night of the Living Dead” is available to stream on Prime Video and Peacock.
“Ma”
Less terrifying and more camp, Octavia Spencer’s 2019 offering “Ma” has developed a cult following. In it, Spencer plays Sue Ann “Ma” Ellington, a lonely middle-aged woman who integrates herself into the lives of a teenage friend group in her town, ultimately harassing and terrorizing them.
The role marked a departure from the characters we’ve come to expect Spencer to play, most of which are all-knowing supporting roles in period pieces. She told Entertainment Weekly at the time of the film’s release: “There are archetypes people only want to see me as, so I had to change that for myself [and] the next young woman of color to be able to play every type of role.”
“Ma” is available to stream now on Netflix.
“Bodies Bodies Bodies”
Another modern slasher on our list is last year’s A24 film, “Bodies Bodies Bodies.” Led by “Hunger Games” and “The Hate U Give” star Amandla Stenberg, this film, like many slashers before it, successfully weaves scathing social commentary with genuine thrills, following a privileged friend group as they throw a “hurricane party” in a mansion.
After deciding to play a game (named Bodies Bodies Bodies, of course), things take a turn as the stakes get terrifyingly real. Also starring “Industry” actress Myha’la Herrold, this movie is not only a successful horror thriller but a tense whodunit that keeps you guessing until the very end.
“Bodies Bodies Bodies” is available to stream on Paramount+ now.
“Candyman”
Don’t say his name! “Candyman” hit theaters in 1992, forever changing anyone’s association with the name. Based on Clive Barker’s short story, “The Forbidden,” it centers on the legend of The Candyman, who appears and kills people who say his name three times in a mirror.
The titular character, played by Tony Todd, appeared in two sequels as well: “Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh” and “Candyman 3: Day of the Dead.”
“Candyman” is available to stream now on AMC+.
“Candyman” (2021)
We’re not done with “Candyman” just yet! The film got the “requel” treatment in 2021 with a film from Nia DaCosta and a script by the filmmaker, Jordan Peele and Win Rosenfeld. Starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Teyonah Parris, this one brings the “Candyman” story to the current decade, with the titular ghost once again terrorizing those who dare utter his name multiple times.
And have no fear: Tony Todd reprises his role once again in the 2021 film, as does Vanessa Estelle Williams, playing her role from the 1992 film, Anne-Marie McCoy.
“Candyman” is available to stream now on Prime Video.
“Nope”
Our list ends just as it started — with Jordan Peele. The filmmaker’s latest offering, “Nope,” has his signature horror flair, only this time, with elements of sci-fi. The creator’s biggest project yet reunites Peele with his “Get Out” star Kaluuya, who gets to play opposite Keke Palmer in one of her juiciest roles yet.
Tackling themes of filmmaking, destiny and our deeply human fascination with spectacle, “Nope” was yet another box office success for Peele, as he once again crafted a story with Black characters at its center.
Peele told theGrio’s Cortney Wills when discussing the film, “I’m so fortunate to be in a position where I can write a story that – it’s not supposed to exist. And that’s always what I’m trying to do, is write something that they’re not supposed to, that they wouldn’t have let someone do.”
“Nope” is available to stream on Prime Video.
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