Have you chosen your Halloween costume? Scared yourself silly with spooky stories? Turned off all the lights to watch a scary movie? If you need any help with the latter this October, M-Net Movies 2 channel 106 is this month’s Home of Halloween, so let us help you along with a list of frightening films.
Cocaine Bear
The premise behind this horror comedy is so crazy it can only be true. Directed by Elizabeth Banks, it’s loosely inspired by real events. It follows an American black bear’s roaring drug-addled rampage through a Georgia forest after he ingests several kilos of lost cocaine, putting a whole new spin on the idea of a “creature feature”.
Jaws
This movie has a terrible legacy in that it maligned sharks so badly, it made Peter Benchley and Steven Spielberg regret the book and the movie respectively. However, if you can go in fully aware that sharks are beautiful, essential creatures (and in most cases, harmless), then you can enjoy what makes the rest of this movie a suspenseful classic. From its iconic soundtrack to the constant yet unseen threat of its central beastie, Jaws will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Last Night in Soho
You need at least one ghostly encounter for Halloween and this time-travelling psychological thriller from Edgar Wright is a perfect choice. It stars the incredible Anya Taylor-Joy who launched her career with the modern horror hit, The Witch. The stunning cast is rounded out by Thomasin McKenzie, Matt Smith, and Terrence Stamp. In typical Wright style, the film comes with a perfectly-considered passion for the soundtrack, and with McKenzie’s character moving to London to follow her dreams of becoming a fashion designer, the costumes are just another thing to love about this film.
The Legend of La Llorona
Speaking of ghosts, the haunting legend of la llorona (Spanish for "the weeping woman") has been brought to the screen several times and will send chills up and down your spine. Based on a Mexican legend, la llorona is a woman who haunts bodies of water lamenting the loss of her children … in some iterations, she’s the one who killed them. There are also versions in which she kidnaps living children. The latter forms the basis for this 2022 tale, which also throws in a road trip and a drug cartel for good measure.
Scream and Scream VI
Scream, the 1996 version, introduced the whole “kids buying the farm” trope to a new generation, while simultaneously bringing the genre back to life. In its wake came the likes of I Know What You Did Last Summer, Urban Legend, and sequels to Scream. In 2022, Hollywood did what Hollywood does by rebooting Scream … except they didn’t … The fifth instalment (also called Scream) is a reboot, remake, and sequel all rolled into one, featuring old favourites alongside new faces. The franchise had been limping along with the third and particularly fourth instalments, but this fresh, updated take on horror and technology breathed new life into the franchise while still delivering what it did best with its tongue-in-cheek tone. Good news? The sequel (ie the sixth instalment in the franchise) is your final Sunday night movie this October. Watch the trailer below.
Smile
Sosie Bacon is no stranger to the world of horror having featured in two seasons of the Scream series. In Smile, she plays a therapist whose world is upended when a patient brutally dies in front of her. This movie has massive creep levels, thanks to those disturbing grins, and is packed with jump scares, so keep a firm hold on your popcorn.
World War Z
What’s a horror fest without zombies? Based on the book by Max Brooks, the film strays pretty far from its source material, but at its core is also about a globe-trotting virus that wreaks havoc on humanity by turning people into zombies. The movie is an entertaining and frightening two hours led by Brad Pitt in peak save-the-world mode as a UN investigator searching for a cure. Keep an eye out for South African actor Fana Mokoena as Pitt’s old boss.
Tune into M-Net Movies 2 channel 106, the Home of Halloween, or stream the chills and thrills on DStv Stream or catch up here. Join the conversation on Facebook, X, Instagram, and TikTok, using #HomeOfHalloween.