Once again, the spooky season is upon us. While Halloween might not be celebrated as widely here in Nigeria as in other countries, that does not mean we cannot get into the spirit of things with a scary movie marathon or a bingeworthy horror series.
In this list, we’ve put together some movies and TV shows to check out this Halloween. You’ll find supernatural scares, zombie horror, and tense survival stories to keep you entertained.
IT
This 2017 remake of the 1990 miniseries was one of the scariest movies of the year, according to Rotten Tomatoes. It follows a group of seven friends, nicknamed the Losers Club, who live in the small town of Derry, Maine. After a little boy named Georgie goes missing one rainy morning, his older brother Bill and his friends set out to uncover what really happened to him. Their search leads them to confront a terrifying, shape-shifting clown named Pennywise.
Pennywise is an unnerving mix of menace and playfulness. Even when he isn’t onscreen, you find yourself holding your breath, waiting for him to jump out and startle both the characters and you, the viewer.
It is a movie that’ll leave you terrified. And if you have a fear of clowns? You’ll be even more scared out of your mind.
From
The series opens with a man walking through a quiet town, ringing a bell. He’s the sheriff, warning everyone to head inside before sundown. It doesn’t take long to see why. Every night, human-looking monsters emerge from the woods, lurking around and waiting for someone to be caught outside. Or foolish enough to let them in.
The townspeople are trapped in a place that doesn’t seem to exist on any map. Once you stumble into it, there’s no way out. It’s up to the sheriff to keep them safe, but the monsters aren’t the only thing they have to fear.
Despite the horror of their situation, they find ways to cope and make the most of their strange new reality. From is chilling not just because of its monsters, but because of the helplessness of being stuck in a place from which there seems to be no escape.
Them
This anthology series currently has two seasons. The first is about a Black family who move into an all-white neighborhood, only to face both supernatural and human horrors. Things start off well enough, but the story quickly unravels into a hellish nightmare fueled by grief, racism, fear, frustration, and past trauma.
The second season shifts to 1990s Los Angeles, following two characters: a female detective investigating a gruesome murder that soon takes an otherworldly turn, and an unsettling man who comes across as creepy to nearly everyone he meets.
Them is perfect if you like your horror with a side of social commentary. Both seasons are strong, and the best part? You can watch either one as a standalone.
Weapons
One night at exactly 2:17 AM, all but one of the children in a schoolteacher’s classroom walk out of their homes and vanish into the night. It leaves the townspeople stumped, and more than a few of them turn an accusing eye on classroom teacher Justine Gandy, who sets out to uncover what happened to her students.
Something sinister is at play, and as Justine comes close to finding out the truth, she becomes less safe, both from the townspeople who suspect her and the forces that want to stop her from digging too deep.
Part of Weapons’ horror lies in the mystery surrounding the children’s disappearance and the dread of what might have happened to them.
The Long Walk
The Long Walk tells a story of a dystopian America where an annual walking event takes place. During it, one boy from each state is brought to compete for a shot at winning the huge cash prize. They are to walk until there’s only one of them left. They cannot stop or slow down for any reason. Not to use the bathroom, or eat, or sleep. Amid it all, they try to find hope, friendship, and camaraderie as they keep going for as long as possible.
The nature of the boys’ deaths is horrific as they are executed with a shot to the head for breaking the rules. That is, if they don’t drop dead from exhaustion before then. The Long Walk might not be horror in the traditional sense, but it is a horrific story that will leave you deeply unsettled.
Sinners
One of the most talked-about movies of the year, Sinners is a vampire story like you’ve never seen before. Set in the 1920s American Deep South, it follows identical twin brothers Stack and Smoke who return home to start a business. During the opening night of their sawmill-turned-juke joint, what’s meant to be a night of celebration turns into a bloodbath when an ancient evil, the vampire Remmick, descends on their town.
Sinners might be a horror film, but it has its moments of humor. Up until the second act, the tone is surprisingly light. It’s entertaining, with a great soundtrack and terrific performances all around. If you like vampires, you’ll enjoy Sinners, and there are plenty of them to go around.
28 Years Later
This sequel to 28 Days Later takes place 28 years after the initial outbreak of the Rage virus. Britain is still overrun with the infected, while the uninfected have built a life for themselves on an island, only venturing out to the mainland to hunt and gather supplies. The mainland is crawling with the infected. A young boy named Spike makes his first trip out there with his father, and they barely escape with their lives.
Watching the characters narrowly outrun the infected will leave your heart racing. The movie is filled with moments like these, so be prepared to stay on the edge of your seat from start to finish.
Juju Stories
Juju Stories is a three-part anthology film by CJ Obasi, Abba Makama, and Michael Omonua that dives into the eerie and mystical corners of Nigerian folklore. Each story explores encounters with supernatural forces. In Love Potion, a woman uses a love potion in a desperate attempt to hold onto a lover. Yam tells a familiar story in which a boy picks money from the ground with terrible consequences. Suffer the Witch tells the story of a strange university student who is believed to be a witch.
Speaking of Nigerian horror, if you’re in the mood for more, check out our recommendations for Nigerian horror movies to binge watch.
