31 Nights of Halloween: Sala Saturday

All Hallows' Eve is here... and with it, some masks are going on while others are coming off!

31 Nights of Halloween: Halloween Party

The Big Night is almost here... and the parties are in full swing. But do you know who your guests or fellow partiers REALLY are?

Halloween Party (2024)

Starring: Destiny McKinney, Paul Bahatia, and William Carpenter

Director: Alex Magana

Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

31 Nights of Halloween: Sitter Wanted

Some jobs are too good to be true. Tonight's terror tidbit might be about one of those...

Sitter Wanted (2026)

Starring: Taylor White, Brenna Castor, and Julie Kate Moylan

Director: Adam Raynes

Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

31 Nights of Halloween: The Sheet

There's a mysterious sheet-draped figure in the TV room... so it's gotta be a ghost, right? Well...

The Sheet (2020)

Starring: Summer Schantz and Evan Sparks

Director: Alex Bale

Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

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31 Nights of Halloween: Sala Saturday

Summoning the Halloween Spirit, as we enter the final week before the Big Night

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31 Nights of Halloween: The Suitcase

 

Tonight's offering is equal parts scary and weird. I won't say much more, because I feel like it should be experienced cold.

The Suitcase (2023)

Starring: Darya Yaseri and Shailin Rahimi 

Director: Sana Norouzbeigi

Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

31 Nights of Halloween: "How Do I Look?"

We've all been there guys, amirite? Waiting on the date to get ready, even though we were on time...

How Do I Look (2024)

Starring: Elizabeth Watson and Tyler Stone

Director: Alex Magana

Rating: Six of Ten Stars

31 Nights of Halloween: Don't Look Back

A young man decides to walk home instead of waiting for the train. It's a choice he comes to regret in this Japanese terror morsel!

Don't Look Back (2023)

Starring: Masatoshi Ikeda and Kayo Hikita

Director: Mitsumoto  Yuasa

Rating: Six of Ten Stars

31 Nights of Halloween: Tunnel

Today's selection is another well-made film that keeps building though-out--until it completely loses its way in, literally, the final second; I can't even suggest you stop watching a few seconds earlier, because then the film has no ending, period. It's a shame all the filmmakers could come up with was an attempt at a jump scare to close out an otherwise well-made film.

Still, there's enough here to make it worthwhile viewing for the Halloween season.

Tunnel (2021)

Starring: Spence Fappiano and Sean Louis Kelly

Director: Sean Louis Kelly

Rating: Six of Ten Stars

31 Nights of Halloween: The Box

I could be misremembering, but I think we've had an "unboxing" video as part of these annual film-fests for the past three years. If so, then this makes it a tradition!

The Box (2026)
Starring: Matthew Swift
Director: Alex Bale
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

31 Nights of Halloween: Sala Saturdays

 Among Richard Sala's best works is the graphic novel Mad Night, which was originally serialized under the title The Glass Scorpion. I don't think that either title really does the work justice. The heroine of the peice is Judy Drood who is Nancy Drew gone to dark and foul-mouthed.

31 Nights of Halloween: What Hides in the Dark

In tonight's film, a young woman's home is haunted by a poltergeist... or is it? (This film is dripping with spookiness and mystery from beginning to end... is IS the Halloween Spirit!)

What Hides in the Dark (2022)

Starring: Kellie Rose Demmel

Directed By: Alex Williams

Rating: Nine of Ten Stars

31 Nights: Smiling Woman Backrooms

With this visit to the Maganaverse, we return to the great Smiling Woman series with a crossover. (It's not the best Smiling Woman film, nor even close to Magana's best, but the creepy garage setting becomes even creepier when the iconic yellow dress is amidst yellow walls.)

Smiling Woman Backrooms (2026)

Starring: Sofia Ayerdi

Director: Alex Magana

Rating: Six of Ten Stars

31 Nights of Halloween: The Closet

This is a really strong film until the last few moments; it really would benefit from being a few seconds shorter. The featured actors--even the two young child actors--do fabulous jobs, and I wish I could give them credit, but only the director gets listed on this one. (The credits also list AI tools... maybe those weren't real actors? If so, I am very impressed with how far AI has come.)

The Closet (2026)

Starring: Anonymous Actors

Director: Jiya Kapur

Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

31 Nights of Halloween: The Surveyor

Some land just isn't suitable to be built on. Or so is the message *I* get from this film. It's moody and creepy from beginning to end, but, I confess to not fully "getting it." Maybe someone out there smarter than I am can enlighten me?

The Surveyor (2026)

Starring: Chloe Breen, Michael Pare, Simon Martin, and Jacob Sidom

Director: Ryan Robert Minford

Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

31 Nights of Halloween: Within the Walls

Spooky from beginning to end... today's nugget will definitely stir the Halloween Spirit within you!

Within the Walls (2022)

Starring: Danny Fleet, Stevie Vermeil, and Noah Greenleaf

Director: Jonathan Burnett

Rating: Nine of Ten Stars

31 Nights of Halloween: The Sister

Last week, we featured a chiller where the plot and horror revolved around A.I.-generated material; this continues the grand tradition of horror films using the latest tech trends as delivery vehicles for terror.

Tonight's film, however, takes thing one step further: The special effects and creature effects were all generated using A.I.... and I think the filmmakers did a fine job. (It helps that the story is well-paced and creepy.)

The Sister (2026)

Starring: Georgia Gattuso

Director: Luigi Parisi

Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

31 Nights of Halloween: Backrooms

Deserted parking garages, late at night, can be supremely creepy... especially if you're an inhabitant of the Maganaverse!

Backrooms (2026)

Starring: Sarah Short

Director: Alex Magana

Rating: Nine of Ten Stars

This is another of Magana's films that have a very simple setting, a tiny cast, and twists that you won't see coming. It's also spine-chilling!

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31 Nights of Halloween: Seek

Let tonight's film serve as a cautionary tale: When on a road trip, be very careful as to where you make pit stops during the 31 Nights of Halloween!

Seek (2020)

Starring: Allisyn Snyder, Clare Grant, and Steve Agee

Director: Aaron Morgan

Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

31 Nights of Halloween: Pizza Delivery

Tonight's terror morsel was brought to us by a husband-and-wife team, who, bored one night, decided to make a horror film. It turned out better than many more thoroughly organized, planned shoots. 

Pizza Delivery (2026)

Starring: Taylor Skeens

Director: Taylor Skeens

Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

(And "Pizza Delivery" gets extra points for having the main character watching a Betty Boop cartoon at the beginning. Betty's a favorite over at the Shades of Gray blog and many of her early cartoons have a horror edge to them.  You can watch and read reviews of some of them here!)