Hi, it is Bill and Teddy the Chihuahua again, and as ever October meant the Shocktober Challenge: a whole month of horror watches, from new films to repeat viewings and discovering older films.
We watched 40 films across the 31 days, 8 of them 2026 releases. Here is every one of them, in the order of our Letterboxd list, with our rating and our thoughts.
You can also find the full list on Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/bill626/list/shocktober-2026/
So, without any further ado, welcome to our Shocktober…
You Should Have Left (2020)
Our rating: ★★★½ (3.5/5)
A spooky thriller.
Delivery Run (2024)
Our rating: ★★★ (3/5)
An OK attempt that is Duel and Joy Ride combined, but with a snow plough.
The Descent (2005)
Our rating: ★★★★ (4/5)
Excellent horror in caves, full of claustrophobia.
The Descent: Part 2 (2009)
Our rating: ★★★½ (3.5/5)
A likeable sequel, but nowhere near as good as the original.
Twisted (2026)
Our rating: ★★½ (2.5/5)
The first hour was pretty good, but then it all just fell apart.
Cynthia (2018)
Our rating: ★★★ (3/5)
A likeable baby horror creature feature. We really liked the twin baby creature, and the film would have been better if it had been more involved.
Suburban Gothic (2014)
Our rating: ★★½ (2.5/5)
Watchable, due in the main to its recognisable cast, but sadly it was a miss for us.
The Little Vampire (2000)
Our rating: ★★★ (3/5)
A fun, spooky family film.
Soulm8te (2026)
Our rating: ★★★½ (3.5/5)
This felt like a cross between M3GAN and Species.
Entertaining but forgettable SyFy.
Cellar Door (2024)
Our rating: ★★★½ (3.5/5)
A good thriller watch, but the murder plot was a bit too predictable to make it really memorable.
Deep Water (2026)
Our rating: ★★★½ (3.5/5)
A fun aeroplane disaster movie, with added sharks.
Highway (2002)
Our rating: ★★½ (2.5/5)
A rather bland on-the-run road movie, made watchable by the familiar faces in it.
Friday the 13th (1980)
Our rating: ★★★½ (3.5/5)
The horror classic that started a franchise.
Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981)
Our rating: ★★★½ (3.5/5)
A likeable sequel which properly introduces Jason as the killer.
13Hrs (2010)
Our rating: ★★ (2/5)
A rather dull horror about a group being killed off by something with wolf-like tendencies.
Control Freak (2025)
Our rating: ★★½ (2.5/5)
A decent idea, but overall it was quite dull, saved by a convincing lead performance.
It probably would have worked a lot better as a 45-minute X-Files or Twilight Zone episode.
Other Mommy (2026)
Our rating: ★★★ (3/5)
Almost a year ago, we read the brilliant, creepy book Incidents Around the House.
Its movie adaptation felt more like a ghost train than a film, as the story was thrown away for jump scares.
It was alright, and might have been even better if the budget had included a lighting department, as most of it happens in the dark. What a let-down.
The Haunting (1999)
Our rating: ★★ (2/5)
Overlong, incredibly dull and not spooky at all.
Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight (1995)
Our rating: ★★★ (3/5)
A likeable take, but it did feel in parts like a dragged-out extended episode.
Bordello of Blood (1996)
Our rating: ★★★ (3/5)
Like Demon Knight, it was good, but did feel like an overlong episode.
Tremors 4: The Legend Begins (2004)
Our rating: ★★★ (3/5)
An enjoyable Tremors prequel which sets the scene for the Graboids, but was it needed?
Tremors: Shrieker Island (2020)
Our rating: ★★½ (2.5/5)
We didn’t really enjoy this one. It felt cheaply made, the CGI was not as good, and it had a depressing ending.
Starve Acre (2023)
Our rating: ★★★ (3/5)
A good folk horror tale, but the book was better.
Mr. Crocket (2024)
Our rating: ★★★½ (3.5/5)
A likeable horror about a children’s presenter stealing children via his TV show.
R.L. Stine’s Pumpkinhead (2025)
Our rating: ★★★ (3/5)
A likeable, family-friendly horror about children being sacrificed to maintain a good crop.
The Hitcher II: I’ve Been Waiting (2003)
Our rating: ★★★½ (3.5/5)
A watchable but daft sequel. They never really explain whether it’s a copycat or if Rutger Hauer’s hitcher has taken on another body, but it’s still better than the remake.
Whalefall (2026)
Our rating: ★★★★★ (5/5)
Because we loved the book so much, this was probably our most anticipated film of the year, and for us it did not disappoint. In fact, we may have enjoyed it even more than the book.
Sea creatures are our film love, so there was always a chance we’d enjoy this, but wow, we loved it. Exciting, thrilling and emotional. 🐋
Underwater (2020)
Our rating: ★★★★½ (4.5/5)
Enjoyable aquatic SyFy.
Black Box (2026)
Our rating: ★★★ (3/5)
The first half, with its build-up and paranoia, was good, but it all went a bit downhill once the creature arrived.
Hold Your Breath (2024)
Our rating: ★★ (2/5)
A decent concept and a good location, but we just found the whole thing dull, and it didn’t amount to anything.
The Andromeda Strain (1971)
Our rating: ★★★ (3/5)
A good, semi-factual drama about a pandemic outbreak, but the technology dates it.
Clayface (2026)
Our rating: ★★★½ (3.5/5)
We liked that this was more like The Fly than a comic book movie, with a bit of an action film thrown in.
We think our issue was that we were blinkered by the OTT Clayface we love, voiced by Alan Tudyk in Harley Quinn.
Within (2016)
Our rating: ★★★½ (3.5/5)
A daft but likeable someone-in-the-house horror, with some genuinely creepy moments.
The Exorcism (2024)
Our rating: ★★ (2/5)
A nice idea, but given the cast, this was slow and instantly forgettable.
Outpost (2022)
Our rating: ★★★½ (3.5/5)
A woman escaping domestic violence takes on a lone assignment watching for wildfires from a tower, but flashbacks and her trauma could ruin it for her.
Alien (1979)
Our rating: ★★★★★ (5/5)
A classic, watched in tribute to Tom Skerritt.
Hokum (2026)
Our rating: ★★★★ (4/5)
An excellent, creepy murder mystery about a missing person in a hotel, with the legend of a witch inhabiting it.
Hold the Fort (2025)
Our rating: ★★★ (3/5)
A likeable B-movie horror comedy.
Salem’s Lot (2024)
Our rating: ★★★½ (3.5/5)
A good but overlong adaptation of the Stephen King book.
Clock (2023)
Our rating: ★★ (2/5)
As good as the performances were, never having been pregnant, we didn’t relate to it.
Our Shocktober Top 3
- Whalefall (2026) – ★★★★★
- Alien (1979) – ★★★★★
- Underwater (2020) – ★★★★½
Whalefall (2026) and Alien (1979) were the only two films to get the full five stars from us this month.
And the bottom of the coffin
No single film sank to the bottom on its own this year, as five shared our lowest rating of ★★: 13Hrs (2010), The Haunting (1999), Hold Your Breath (2024), The Exorcism (2024) and Clock (2023).
Shocktober 2026 in numbers
- Films watched: 40
- Average rating: 3.2/5
- Five-star films: 2
- Most common rating: ★★★½ (13 films), just ahead of ★★★ (12 films)
What about you? Did you take on a horror challenge this October, and what were your favourites?
We would love to hear from you.
You can always keep up with what we are watching by following us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/barkingmadaboutfilms/
Or you can follow us on Letterboxd to see all the movies we watch: https://letterboxd.com/Bill626/
You can also discover what we read, by following us on GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/28908876-bill-boswell