It’s October—the ideal month to indulge in the darker side of cinema. And right now we’re enjoying a a bit of a horror film renaissance from surprise summer blockbusters like Backrooms to a newly restored version of Ken Russell’s The Devils, currently playing in theaters.
You could simply curl up on your couch and put on the hottest new thing (Obsession), but if you really want the fear factor, consider a movie night selection tailored to your own personal fears and hangups. Perhaps you always throw up a silent prayer before your airplane takes off. Maybe spiders have you screaming bloody murder. Do you have a slight panic attack when the elevator doors close? We’ve got just the film to turn your slight fright into a full-blown phobia.
If you suffer from Acrophobia, a fear of heights… Fall (2022)
Watch On: Tubi
One of the strengths of horror is its ability to take an extremely simple setup, and turn it into an agonizing feature-length dread-fest. Fall—technically billed as a thriller, but relentlessly harrowing—does just that. Two girls find themselves at the top of a 2,000-foot TV tower with little climbing gear, no ladder, and no phone signal to call for help. White knuckle your way through this one as they sway in the wind, grow more exhausted by the minute, and slip just out of reach.
If you suffer from Aerophobia, a fear of flying… Final Destination (2000)
Watch On: HBO Max
There are plenty of Final Destination moments etched into the memory of Millennials (driving behind a truck, anyone?), but Alex scrambling to get off the plane before it explodes is definitely one of the more indelible moments. Director James Wong gave credence to everyone us who has ever had a feeling something wasn’t quite right as they prepared to take flight in a pressurized metal canister 35,000 feet in the air.
If you suffer from Arachnophobia, a fear of spiders… Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019)
Watch On: Peacock
In this Guillermo del Toro-produced and -penned flick from director André Øvredal, everyone’s favorite (or least favorite) series of children’s books gets a frightening film adaptation. Even if you aren’t particularly afraid of spiders, there is a gag-inducing sequence with an arachnid-filled pimple that will have all viewers averting their eyes. Bonus points: newly anointed scream king Austin Abrams also pops in for a tango with a dangerous scarecrow.
If you suffer from Achluophobia, a fear of the dark… The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Watch On: Prime Video, Peacock, Tubi, or Kanopy
Once you’ve seen it, you won’t forget it. The brilliant conclusion to Jonathan Demme’s iconic film features nothing more than Jodie Foster at her best and a pair of night-vision goggles. Her frightened panting and rapid gun swinging will have you shouting at the screen: “Behind you! Please! Turn around!”
If you suffer from Claustrophobia, a fear of enclosed spaces… The Descent (2005)
Watch On: AMC+ or Tubi
Sometimes, in horror, dumb people get what they deserve. In this British flick, a group of intrepid cavers crawl down, get stuck, and realize they’re trapped with… they’re not quite sure what. The film is equal parts goofy and scary, and viewers can comfort themselves afterwards that they are standing on terra firma and not in the dark subterranean.
If you suffer from Trypanophobia, a fear of needles… Saw II (2005)
Watch On: Rent with Apple TV or Prime Video
Jigsaw is back and he’s torturing addicts. In the second installment of film’s most deranged recovery program, heroin addict Amanda is tossed into a pit of used, dirty syringes to search for a key. For Jigsaw, this is meant to teach his young abductees about the value of a life well-lived. There is awful crunching sounds, there is stabbing, there is plenty of screaming, there is… a lesson learned?
If you suffer from Phasmophobia, a fear of ghosts… His House (2020)
Watch On: Netflix
In this impressive debut from director Remi Weekes, a refugee couple from South Sudan land in Britain and are ready to make a new life for themselves. Unfortunately, the house they’ve been provided comes with its own horrors. It’s not just the infestations and disrepair of government housing, or the repeated macro-aggressions of the state workers, but a deeper, festering evil that unfolds with precision.
If you suffer from Hemophobia, fear of blood… Evil Dead (2013)
Watch On: Netflix, HBO Max, Prime Video, or Tubi
Tens of thousands of gallons of blood were used in the making of 2013’s Evil Dead, in which a group of friends unwittingly conjure up a demon while out in the woods, and blood literally rains down upon them. If you don’t like the thought of desperately trying to get your car key into the ignition while wiping blood out of your eyes, ears, and mouth… you’d be better off watching a tamer film like Carrie.
If you suffer from Hydrophobia, a fear of water… Underwater (2020)
Watch On: Prime Video or YouTube TV
Kristen Stewart, Vincent Cassel, and T.J. Miller are researchers who travel down to the bottom of the ocean and drill a deep hole. What could go wrong? A lot, as the gang’s bunker—filled out by Jessica Henwick, John Gallagher Jr., and Mamoudou Athie—promptly implodes and forces the crew out into the infested, unknown waters on a long ocean floor walk to safety. “We don’t know what’s out there,” is the key refrain.
If you suffer from mysophobia, a fear of germs… Antiviral (2012)
Watch On: AMC+, or rent with Apple TV or Prime Video
From the mind of Brandon Cronenberg, the son of David Cronenberg, the master of body horror, comes an icky look at the trappings of celebrity obsession. Caleb Landry Jones, of later Get Out fame, stars as an employee of Lucas Clinic. The company sources live viruses from celebrities and then injects these pathogens into fans who want to feel “closer” to their idols. It’s a good alternative for those scared of needles, and a tough watch for those afraid of sores and boils.
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