Welcome to #spookyseason!! All month long your favorite podcast network will be celebrating all things Halloween by releasing extra spooky episodes of their shows! As well as an all horror movie edition of Staff Picks! Again I’ve asked all the hosts to recommend a movie and below is what they have to offer!

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Jason Soto (Host Whatever with Jason Soto, Co-Host Between The Scares, Top 5 A Thru Z, CineGamer, & Navigating The Multiverse):

Behind The Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006)

Set in a world where Jason, Freddy, Michael, etc… co-exist together, Behind The Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon is a mockumentary where a film crew follows a up and coming movie slasher killer as he prepares for “his big night”, which includes stalking his victim, doing cardio, and setting up the final scene. If you’re a fan of slasher films, you should check this out as it gives a tongue-in-cheek look at slasher movies.

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Lisa Leaheey (Co-host Between The Scares & The SibList):

Brainscan (1994)

Start with Edward Furlong as a kid who’s got an enviable 90s techie setup in his room (including a computerized servant I still want in my house), who comes across the ultimate horror video game.   Fold in The Trickster (T. Ryder Smith) who calls to mind the worst possible imitations of Freddy Krueger and Dee Snyder. Mix those ingredients with some heavy metal music and a pinch of God-awful acting, and you’ve got a mindfreak that is completely craptastic.  This is one of the most underappreciated camp classics.

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Bill “SzanyMan” Szany (Co-host Top Five A Thru Z):

The Amityville Horror (1979)

It’s among the greatest of the horror genre in my opinion and even among the greatest of the Haunted House and Possession movies sub genres. Why? Well, because it scared the ever living crap out of me when I first saw it, and furthermore it’s arguably a true story.

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Pete Rangel, Jr (Co-host Top Five A Thru Z):

Candyman (2021)

“Say his name!!!” which is definitely the perfect catchphrase for the new reboot to Candyman and it’s as everyone says too definitely a sequel. The best and darkest of the sequels gives the franchise a needed jolt. Wonderfully acted, definitely creepy, and a must see.

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Rob Branch (Co-host CineGamer):

From Beyond (1986)

From Beyond was directed by Stuart Gordon and starred Jeffrey Combs, Barbara Crampton, and Ted Sorel.  This insane movie was loosely based off of a H. P. Lovecraft movie with the same name.  In a nutshell a pair of scientists try to give themselves God-like powers and end up giving themselves the ability to perceive creatures from another dimension.  Turns out one of them screws up and transforms him into a grotesque shape-shifting monster.

So I can’t really remember much about this movie, because I was a SIX when I watched it.  All I can remember is that it starred Jeffrey Combs (one of my all time favorite B-List horror movie actors) and there was a lot of close-up shots and scenes where grotesque, nasty, fleshy stuff make squishy nasty noises.  For example one scene I remember is where a man (I think the leading actor) was being eaten alive by like the ass end of a gigantic slug but he was saved by his friends.  As they were pulling him out of ol’ slug butt, all the hair on his upper torse was dissolved.  Leaving him bald all over.  GO SLUG BUTT!  I’m not going to lie, I’m not sure that scene was even in the movie, but it seems appropriate for the movie.  Overall this isn’t a movie a 6-year-old should watch alone.

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Nick Jobe (Co-host Navigating The Multiverse):

Us (2019)

Jordan Peele’s follow-up to Get Out, while not as tightly put together as said film, is still a highly creepy and entertaining film. The film follows the Wilson family, led by Adelaide (Lupita Nyong’o) and Gabe (Winston Duke), who go on vacation just as a doppelganger apocalypse starts. The layers of the story peel back a little at a time to show who these doppelgangers are and why they are showing up now, as well as how there is an even stronger connection to the Wilson family that they think. 

This movie creeped me out so much that it stayed with me for quite some time–at least a week–after watching it, and it still stays in my mind as a go-to when somebody asks if I’ve seen any good modern scary movies. While Get Out is a better crafted film, I feel Us is scarier and more unsettling. And the twist near the end, while not completely unguessable, is still so good that the mythology of the world set up here adds a historical level of intrigue and Peele’s signature social commentary. Us is definitely a film to keep you up at night, especially if you watch it before bed.