Sure, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Scream, The Exorcist, and The Conjuring are all legendary horror films that earned hundreds of millions at the box office, spawned franchises, and have been immortalized by pop culture. But there are tons of fantastic horror movies out there that didn’t have big budgets and major studios behind them. Some were made by indie filmmakers who simply knew they had a good story to tell and wanted to tell it.

This October, in addition to rewatching all the classics, be sure to check out some great indie horror movies that are guaranteed to scare and excite. From the worst STI you’ve ever had to Bigfoot (yes, Bigfoot) running loose in the woods, here are five indie horror movies you need to check out this October.

We also have guides to the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best movies on Amazon Prime Video, the best movies on Max, and the best movies on Disney+.

Exists (2014)

Eduardo Sanchez, the director of The Blair Witch Project, returned in 2014 with another found-footage horror movie, Exists. The film centers around a group of friends vacationing at a remote cabin in the woods. But they soon find themselves being stalked by Bigfoot. The premise sounds a bit stupid, but somehow Sanchez managed to create a genuinely scary and effective Sasquatch movie.

When you think about it, Bigfoot is the perfect slasher villain. Big, strong, and elusive like a wild animal, but able to think and plot like a human. We have tons of ghost movies and the MonsterVerse has made King Kong cool again, so why not try a Bigfoot movie?

Watch Exists on Freevee.

Hatchet (2006)

The goal of Hatchet was to revive the classic ’70s and ’80s slasher flick. The movie’s tagline leaned into this by proclaiming the film to be a return to “Old school American horror.” In the film, Victor Crowley was a deformed young boy who was bullied by everyone. One night, kids from his school set his rural cabin on fire with Victor trapped inside. Desperate to save his son, Victor’s father tried to smash through the door with a hatchet… but ended up sending it straight through Victor’s skull.

The origin story was heavily inspired by Friday the 13th, and now in the present day, a full-grown, monstrous, never-dying Victor has risen from the dead, hellbent on killing anyone who comes near his cabin on the bayou (again, very much inspired by Jason Voorhees). Thanks to some great humor, tons of throwbacks to classic slasher films, and lots of genuinely scary scenes, Hatchet is both an homage to the slasher genre while also being a solid entry.

Watch Hatchet on Plex.

Terrifier 2 (2022)

Art the Clown is horror’s newest it boy. Originally he appeared in the 2013 anthology film All Hallow’s Eve before getting his own film Terrifier in 2016. But it was 2022’s Terrifier 2 that really introduced Art to a wider audience – and luckily for viewers, you don’t really need to watch the previous movies to enjoy it, though it is fun to see his origins.

In Terrifer 2, Art encounters his greatest enemy yet, Final Girl Sienna Shaw (Lauren LaVera). Like all proper slasher flicks, Art kills everyone around him, building the suspense before his final battle. But what really separates the Terrifier movies from other more mainstream horror films is the totally gory, gruesome, and wild kill scenes. Somehow, the film’s kills are so bombastic that it adds a perverse and sadistic dose of humor.

Watch Terrifier 2 on Freevee.

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

Behind the Mask is a super unique and fun slasher movie that centers around a reporter and her crew filming segments about notorious serial killer Leslie Vernon. But they’re not just talking about the infamous killer … they’re actually following him around, getting a first-hand account of his life. Immediately, the premise disarms you. You can’t tell if the film is a comedy or a proper horror movie.

But the third act changes everything and proves that Leslie had a plan of his own the entire time. No spoilers here, just know you’re in for a great surprise and one hell of a good time. It also stars two horror legends, Robert Englund (aka Freddy Krueger) and Zelda Rubinstein from Poltergeist.

Watch Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon on Shudder and AMC+ .

Contracted (2013)

Before It Follows was released, Contracted was the original sexually transmitted horror movie. In the film, a young woman named Samantha is raped at a party, and it turns out the man who raped her is a necrophiliac who recently had sex with a diseased corpse.

Soon, Samantha’s body starts to fall apart and her actions become erratic and violent. Eventually, she deteriorates away into a bloodthirsty zombie. Just like It Follows, the combination of sex and horror makes Contracted terrifying. But its added dose of body horror makes it a truly squirm-worthy movie that’s disgusting, vile, and will absolutely haunt your dreams.

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Watch Contracted on AMC+.

Motorola is not a new player in the foldable smartphone segment. It was one of the first mobile brands to offer innovative foldable smartphones. The company’s Razr (review) line of clamshell series with a vertically foldable display are among the most popular products in the segment. Now, the Lenovo-owned brand seems to be planning to take the foldable device segment to a different level. According to a report by 91mobiles, Motorola has filed an innovative hinge patent for its foldable phones.

Motorola has filed an ingenious hinge patent for its next-gen foldable devices

The source has unearthed a patent for a Motorola device with a unique hinge in the database of the US Patent Application Publication. The patent is dubbed “Autonomous form factor control of a foldable mobile device”. This means that this device can automatically adjust its hinge by tracking the user’s movements and shifts. This will allow for a better viewing angle no matter the position of the user.

Notably, the report mentions this device works like Apple’s Center Stage functionality in Mac webcams. Apple’s tech is capable of tracking a user to keep them in the frame, no matter their position. Essentially, in the patent, Motorola describes the innovative hinge to automatically adjust to control the form factor.

The unique hinge uses a shape-shifting alloy pioneered by NASA

Furthermore, the patent suggests that the unique Motorola hinge utilizes special materials, which is capable of changing shape. The hinge has Shape Memory Alloys created by NASA, which was originally intended for a spacecraft. Notably, tech pioneers like Apple and Honor have already patented foldable devices that use this special alloy.

In Motorola’s case, the alloy of the hinge can change shape when heat is applied. This allows the device to automatically adjust its hinge to offer a better viewing angle to the user. Notably, the device also utilizes small motors, which “aid in the up and down motion of the hinge’s position”. The patent describes “The phone tracks the user’s movements and shifts to offer a better viewing angle”.

It also requires a powerful processor capable of tracking a user’s movement and shifting the hinge accordingly

Also, this unique foldable device requires its processor to be smart and have enough processing power to analyze the folded/unfolded state of the hinge. In addition, the processor can also track the user’s position/movements. Without having said that, the device tracks the user using various cameras.

That said, think of a foldable smartphone/tablet that you put on a table and it shifts its hinge to offer a better viewing angle whenever you move around the area. It’s worth mentioning that tech companies file patents for future technologies all the time. That doesn’t mean they all finally make it to the commercial products. However, it would be interesting to see Motorola applying this unique hinge in one of its future foldable products.

We’ve been waiting and waiting, and Nintendo finally did the right thing and announced an entirely new piece of hardware. Alas, it’s not a new console but a very Nintendo-looking smart alarm clock. The Alarmo has motion sensors that let you snooze it based on your movement. (There is a physical snooze button too.)

You’ll also be able to check how much you move around while you sleep, and the clock has sleeping sounds and music to drift off to.

You can set the clock’s background with scenes inspired by the likes of Super Mario Odyssey, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Splatoon 3, Pikmin 4 and, er, Ring Fit Adventure. The company says it plans to add more games as updates in the future. And when it’s time to wake you up, Alarmo will use music and sounds from those games.

For now, the curio is only available if you’re a Nintendo Switch Online member in the US and Canada. Other regions will have to wait, although as I finished writing today’s TMA, Nintendo’s UK site had the clock available to buy. You can order the $100 Alarmo online now, and Nintendo says it will be available at retail early next year.

— Mat Smith

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