Do you feel it? That sudden chill in the air. The crunch of leaves underfoot. A slender breeze, like cold fingers, dancing at the back of your neck. It can only mean one thing. That’s right, it’s Spooky Season! And as the nights draw in and temperatures drop, there’s no better way to get in the ‘spirit’ of things than dimming the lights, getting your comfiest blanket ready to hide behind, and sticking on a darn good horror movie. To quote from the classic Halloween (what else?), “Everyone is entitled to one good scare”. This year, we’d like to help out by giving you 31!
Every day for the month of October, we’ll be adding a new movie to this countdown, and telling you where you can watch it. Rather than giving you titles you’ve likely seen before (you won’t see Freddy, Jason or Jigsaw lurking on this list), we’ll be focusing on hidden gems – under-seen or under-appreciated movies that we feel deserve more attention. We aim to cover all bases: from Folk Horror to Found Footage, Supernatural to Sci-Fi, Werewolves to Witchcraft. And if you like what you see and want more, we’ll be recommending what to watch next!
So get ready for all things creepy, kooky, mysterious and spooky. Maybe even altogether ooky! It’s time for Film Ireland’s 31 Days of Halloween. Dare you watch them alone?
1st October – Red Rooms
What better way to ease into a month of frights than with a virtually bloodless serial killer entry that still provides enough chills to keep you hooked and spooked? French-Canadian thriller Red Rooms follows Kelly-Anne, a successful fashion model attending the trial of alleged serial killer Ludovic Chevalier. Accused of kidnapping, torturing and murdering three girls, Chevalier’s gruesome acts are streamed live from a “red room” on the dark web.
Writer-director Pascal Plante opts to avoid the explicit gore typical of the genre. The courtroom scenes are hauntingly shot, emphasising sound over visuals, enhancing the discomfort without graphic imagery, while Juliette Gariépy delivers a chilling performance as Kelly-Anne, keeping audiences guessing about her motives for attending the trial to the bitter, shocking end.
Red Rooms offers a profound commentary on our fascination with violence, challenging us to reconsider our own obsessions with true crime. Not sold? You can read the full review by Conor Bryce here.
Red Rooms is available to view on streaming services now, including IFI@Home.
If you liked Red Rooms, check out: Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (2019), The Snowtown Murders (2011), Frailty (2001).
