Best Horror of October 2026: ‘Other Mommy’ Goes for the Heart, ‘Carrie’ Returns, Josh Hartnett Hunts for Sea Monsters and More

Welcome to Horror Explorer, a curated column showcasing the month’s best movies, series, books and everything else spooky worth checking out. I’m William Earl, the executive digital director of Variety and the publication’s resident horror enthusiast. Please drop me a line at wearl@variety.com if there’s something I should check out for next month’s missive. 

• Marquee Madness

  Other Mommy (In theaters Oct. 9 via Universal Pictures) — Jessica Chastain returns to horror, playing both a family matriarch and a supernatural beast that takes her form. Jay Duplass and Arabella Olivia Clark play the husband and daughter in peril in Rob Savage’s film.

  Whalefall (In theaters Oct. 16 via 20th Century Studios) — Austin Abrams plays a scuba diver who gets swallowed up by a whale and must escape before his oxygen runs out. The trailer alone is a nail-biter, and director Brian Duffield’s last film, the nearly dialogue-free alien invasion movie “No One Will Save You,” was fantastic, so “Whalefall” should be a wildly claustrophobic ride.

  Clayface (In theaters Oct. 23 via Warner Bros. Pictures) — Mike Flanagan wrote the story and co-wrote the script for this Batman villain standalone story. The trailer promises a frightening and squeamish body horror tale. “Speak No Evil” director James Watkins helms this ambitious DC Universe film.

• Off the Beaten Path

  Beware Boiúna (In theaters Oct. 2 via Lionsgate Films) — Director Mike P. Nelson, who delivered strong horror reboots in recent years with 2021’s “Wrong Turn” and 2025’s “Silent Night, Deadly Night,” returns with a giant killer snake story. Kiana Madeira, Jessica Rothe and Logan Marshall-Green star in an adventure that works to develop well-rounded humans before the titular snake bares its fangs.

  V/H/S/Mixtape (Debuts on Shudder on Oct. 9) — The ninth installment in the long-running Shudder anthology series has a music-driven focus, with contributions from Ernest Dickerson, Flying Lotus, RZA, David Moreau and Renee Zhan. The initial press release for the project promised “outrageous splatter and groundbreaking practical effects,” which sounds perfect for a Halloween treat.

  Crawlers (In theaters Oct. 16 via RoadsideFlix and Saban Films) — Deadly spiders get loose in an apartment building in Angel Gómez Hernández’s creature feature. Jayson Rothwell scripted the film, which stars Matilda Lutz, Gregg Sulkin, William Miller and Melina Matthews.

  The Cycle (Debuts of Shudder on Oct. 23) — Deborah Ann Woll and Jeffrey Donovan star in this dark film with a great hook: A woman has to untangle her father’s dark past after his body is found at a crime scene 36 years after he went missing. Director and co-writer Jordan Downey’s twisty feature is filled with plenty of dread, tension and practical FX.

  Stiletto (In theaters Oct. 30 via The Horror Section) — Eli Roth’s latest project as a producer is this film where a serial killer is targeting exotic dancers. With a script from director Samuel Gonzalez Jr. and star Gigi Gustin, who based elements on her own experience as an exotic dancer, expect plenty of blood, kinks and NSFW fun.

  Christmas at the Kringles (In theaters Oct. 30 via Briarcliff Entertainment) — Ron Livingston, Rachel Bilson, Rob Riggle, Arden Myrin, Donald Faison and Thomas Lennon lead this stacked cast of funny people in the seasonal horror comedy. When a normal family starts getting close with a household that celebrates Christmas all year long, things take a turn for the surprising and bloody.

• Killer Series

  Carrie (Debuting on Oct. 7 on Amazon Prime Video) — Mike Flanagan’s newest series is a reimagining of the Stephen King classic, which is a modern telling of a telekinetic girl who is mercilessly bullied by her peers and overbearing mother. Summer H. Howell stars in the title role, with Flanagan regulars like Samantha Sloyan, Matthew Lillard, Kate Siegel and Rahul Kohli rounding out the cast.

  Below (Debuting on Oct. 8 on Netflix) — Josh Hartnett plays a fisherman in a Newfoundland town who must battle a sea creature. Mackenzie Davis, Charlie Heaton and Natasha Henstridge also star in the series, and early footage looks stylish and spooky.

  Crystal Lake (Debuting on Oct. 15 on Peacock) — This “Friday the 13th” prequel series is a deep dive into the psyche of slasher icon Jason Voorhees’ mother, Pamela. The production comes from A24, stars Linda Cardellini and was created by “It: Welcome to Derry” co-showrunner Brad Caleb Kane — a tremendous amount of talent that could elevate the show.

• Bloodcurdling Books

  “Public Access Afterworld” by Jane Schoenbrun (Available Oct. 27 via Hogarth) — The “I Saw the TV Glow” and “Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma” filmmaker releases their debut novel, which involves a group of people through the decades whose lives are changed by an unexplainable TV network called Public Access Afterworld. A web of conspiracy and horror follows.

• Frightening Festivals

  FilmQuest (Taking place from Oct. 22-31 in Provo, Utah; buy tickets here) — The joyous genre film festival is filled with creatives eager to celebrate wild movies and network with like-minded fans. World premieres include Johnny Coffeen’s “The Avalanche,” Josh Logan’s “The Relic: Dragon,” Jacob Schwarz “Whiskey Throttle” and Christian Everhard’s “The Crawling.”