Horror movie recommendations to help you get your scare on this Halloween

How do you like to be scared?

Is body horror your thing, or are scary movies that feel almost plausible what get you? Do you like elements of sci-fi, or fantasy features? Do you prefer slow-burn psychological thrillers, or slasher jump scares?

Whatever your fancy, this year's slate of horror releases has definitely got you covered. Today on Commotion, horror fans Amil Niazi, Mel Woods and Matt Hart join guest host Rad Simonpillai to talk about what's scaring them this week, from the box-office topping Smile 2, to Quebec indie film Red Rooms and more.

We've included some highlights below, edited for length and clarity. For the full discussion, listen and follow Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud on your favourite podcast player.

Smile 2

Rad: So Smile 2, we're following a pop star played by Naomi Scott. Her character is already haunted by a traumatic past and the pressures of fame. But then she witnesses this gruesome death, and becomes cursed by horrible visions. Mel, I didn't expect the Smile franchise to lean Black Swan, but here we are. What did you think of the movie?

Mel: I kind of loved this because I love a fake pop star movie. I love the idea of a horror film that takes a trope or conceit like that, and just goes all in off the deep end. Naomi Scott plays this pop girl named Skye Riley, which is the most pop girly name you can think of. Apparently Tate McRae was involved in writing some of the songs that are in this movie, and you can feel it; like, they're genuine pop songs. 

Like Amil said, it's silly. At certain points you have to laugh, but it's also, you know, goopy-sloopy-jump scare-y — it kind of has everything that you want out of a horror movie. I personally am not a big jump scare person, and I got very startled at certain points (mostly from my partner getting startled and then startling me by grabbing me, which is the best experience you could have at a horror movie). 

As we left, my partner compared it to The Substance in some ways, because you get some weird stuff happening, too, in this movie that is kind of unexpected. Like, if you think it's going to be a very straightforward, scary thing happens, there's resolution — towards the end you get some weird stuff, and I love it.

V/H/S

Rad: Matt, you wanted to talk about the V/H/S franchise. By the way, this is a franchise that is streaming; it's not on VHS. It's been around for a while. It's almost like a found footage festival in a movie. Can you talk to me a little bit about what it is about the V/H/S franchise that you really love?

Matt: V/H/S is a really punk rock version of an anthology of films — a whole bunch of short little films, right? It's cinematic tapas…. So it's in its seventh year now. I saw the original one at the Bloor cinema, sold out to 700 people. The first one was amazing. They keep getting better, and it's become a Halloween tradition now. They're coming out every year in October. This one is their first stab at the horror-sci fi genre, and it is super fun. They're all really fun.

Rad: Yeah, and they are also introducing you to some of the most talented new filmmakers. I mean the first movie, I remember it came out in 2012, and that's how we got Radio Silence [Productions], who made the last Scream movies.

Matt: Exactly. And a great, low-commitment way to check out new directors — a 20 minute film. You know? 

Red Rooms

Rad:  Amil, you watched Red Rooms on Crave this week. This is a film by Quebec filmmaker Pascal Plante. This movie is making a bit of a splash in the U.S., which is really embarrassing because it barely got a theatrical release in English Canada, so a lot of us are just catching up to this now. Red Rooms follows a Montreal model who is in court every day to watch an accused serial killer's case unfold. She's obsessed, and we're never really sure why. Amil, how did you feel about her perspective, and how that's used to tell this story?

Amil: It's a very effective film. It's almost haunting, the way they use this character who goes to the courtroom every day to watch this gruesome, horrific trial unfold. You're wondering the whole time, why is she there? What's her draw to it? It goes off in a few different ideas there, but she starts to dress herself up as one of the victims. That device is played to such chilling effect. 

The film is a very slow build. I like things that seem like they could really happen in real life, that's where I get my biggest scares from as well. The way this movie plays with your idea of what is going to come next is very precise, very strategic, and by the time you get to the penultimate scene where she shows up in court dressed like one of the main victims, you're just like, what is happening in this movie? It's all because of the way they choose to tell this story about this horrifying villain through the eyes of this observer. It is really, really interesting and very clever. A very surprising horror film out this year.

You can listen to the full discussion from today's show on CBC Listen or on our podcast, Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud, available wherever you get your podcasts.

Panel produced by Jane van Koeverden.