Sunday Scaries: October is the Best Time of the Year for Horror Films

The Sunday Scaries are upon us once again! Yes, as the weekend concludes, most of us feel an oncoming sense of anticipatory dread about the week ahead. Anxiety about work manifests itself into a feeling that’s known as the Sunday Scaries. However, we at Awards Radar are here to combat that, by taking back the name. Now, we want you think about a horror-centric piece on the site when you hear the term. So, let us continue on with another installment of the Awards Radar Sunday Scaries! This time around, we’re looking at the month of October and why it’s the best time of the year for horror films…

October is spooky season, as we all know. That extends to film, too, both on the big and small screens. In fact, I’d wager that, regardless of what’s going on in cinemas, more people are actually watching horror movies than at any other point in the year. Capping off the month with Halloween does a lot there, especially with the popular 31 Days of Horror trends (including the one Myles does on the site, like this here and here), but in my book, any reason is a good reason to pop in a fright flick.

Of course, Halloween undeniably plays into this a lot. The holiday is build around horror, and while parties are a focus, as is trick or treating, but movies are right behind. Whether it’s heading to theaters for something horror related or popping in something at home, scary movies are an absolute staple. Film has a special place in my heart every day of the year, but this one particular day is an especially bright showcase for this particular genre, even to folks who don’t usually indulge much, if at all.

Literally, there are franchises based around the holiday that ties into the month of October. The aptly named Halloween is a massive one, though cult favorite Trick r Treat is now becoming a series. You could even the Escape Room films are taking a Halloween haunted house aspect to their genre outings. When you have a holiday like Halloween, you’d be silly not to take advantage of it, and plenty of storytellers have.

There are other series, like Saw, for example, that made October a consistent stomping ground. There’s also the V/H/S movies, which are a newer staple of the month. Saw, however, even made it a part of its marketing, with the “if it’s Halloween, it must be Saw” ads. The longevity of the franchise has definitely played into it, but also the haunted house nature of the traps (kind of literally in Saw II) have certainly helped, without question.

All in all, horror rightly has this month as its playground. As you can see above, I don’t exactly have anything particularly new to say about this, but it’s worth mentioning. Especially for genre buffs, it’s a good month. So, be sure to enjoy!

Stay tuned for another Sunday Scaries installment next week!