One Night in October (2017) | Not the worst thing lurking in my #Shocktober playlist, but definitely not the one I'd recommend cancelling Halloween plans to watch. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 3.8/10. I’ve been tucking away Halloween-related flicks in a playlist to check out during #Shocktober, and One Night in October was one of those titles I’d somehow never seen or even heard of. Sometimes these forgotten little horror movies turn out to be hidden gems. Other times, you spend 104 minutes wondering if you should have just watched Halloween for the 47th time. Guess which category we’re leaning toward here?

The description promises a suburban town full of residents being tormented by murderous characters, both real and supernatural, as their stories intertwine into one terrifying night. Sounds promising enough, right? We begin with some nice, perfectly ordinary autumn scenery before an ominous title card reminds us that we picked a horror movie, not a travel video. Then comes upbeat music and people putting up Halloween decorations. Ah, the joys of suburban life, where nothing says seasonal fun quite like unknowingly preparing your house for a bloodbath.

One of our new homeowners is Michelle (Jessica Morgan), who meets Hewitt (Dustin Rieffer) while explaining that she's new to the neighborhood. We then head to a cornfield, where four other unfortunate souls discover that their truck has broken down. A couple head off to find a neighbor and borrow a phone, leaving the other two behind. Naturally, someone wearing a mask is watching them. Because apparently, roadside assistance isn't the only service operating after dark.

The mask, however, isn't their biggest problem. That would be the enormous axe. Unfortunately, some of the kills happen offscreen, which is a pet peeve of mine when murder is supposed to be one of the main attractions. This isn't a Sherlock Holmes mystery where we're piecing together clues. It's a low-budget slasher! If you're going to bring out the axe, at least let us see what it does.

Meanwhile, Emma (Rachel Netherton) hasn't seen her boyfriend Dominic (Nathan O. Miller) in a while, thanks to her being away at school. Their conversation hints at mental health struggles and some unexplained reason they can't be together. I'm guessing these are our three storylines destined to collide, although the film takes its time getting there.

Michelle and Hewitt also find themselves knocked out and tied up by masked intruders who seem more interested in stealing things than immediately murdering everyone. The movie repeatedly plays the “he or she isn't who you think they are” card, but when you keep pulling the same trick, the surprises start losing their bite. I'm being vague since there is more than stab, bleed, repeat, and I don't want to spoil the little surprise it does have.

The acting is about what you'd expect for the budget, and the horror never gets that intense. Still, the practical effects deliver some blood and gore, even if the camera seems more squeamish than the audience. Credit to writer-director Christopher M. Carter for weaving the anthology concept into an interconnected narrative rather than simply presenting three separate stories. It's a modest attempt to break away from the usual slasher formula, and I appreciate the effort.

Unfortunately, the pacing could use a serious trim, and 104 minutes feels excessive for what amounts to a fairly modest horror outing. One Night in October isn't a complete waste of an evening, but neither is it essential Halloween viewing. You could certainly do worse, though you could also do considerably better. Keep it on the playlist if you're clearing the horror backlog, but don't cancel your Halloween party for it.

One Night in October (2017)

https://jackmeat.com/one-night-in-october-2017/

Insidious: Out of the Further (2026) | Being able to visit the land of the dead is creepy enough, but bringing the locals home with you? World’s worst playdate. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 5.9/10. There are few things more unsettling than a creepy old house, a mysterious dead realm, and a mother who can’t get five minutes of peace. Raising a child is hard enough without discovering you can bring home unwanted guests from the afterlife. Forget bad parenting, Gemma may have just invented the world’s worst playdate in Insidious: Out of the Further

We open on a rainy day in Pittsburgh, 1999, with a young girl arriving at the house of Ingrid and Gemma. The mailbox confirms she’s in the right place, and a woman passed out face-down on the table barely registers as a problem. The girl calmly puts the phone back on the hook and gets on with the laundry. Ah, childhood! Nothing says a stable home environment quite like doing the washing while Mum’s temporarily checked out of reality. When Ingrid (Laura Gordon) eventually returns to the land of the living, she doesn’t exactly inspire confidence in the household’s mental health.

Twenty years later, Gemma (Amelia Eve) is raising her daughter Maya (Island Austin) in the same house. The mailbox now lists both their names, and apparently the family business is still going strong. Gemma discovers she can enter The Further, that purgatorial playground of lost souls, but her particular talent comes with an unfortunate upgrade. She can bring its inhabitants back with her. Because simply visiting the land of the dead apparently wasn’t enough of a headache.

Director Jacob Chase delivers some creepy visuals, a handful of freaky dreams that bleed into reality, and the usual jump-scare shenanigans without going completely overboard. The dental scene involving an old man is uncomfortable enough before the bizarre stuff kicks in, while the pillow fort sequence is another welcome highlight. Building blanket forts was never this bloody terrifying. Thankfully, the movie also avoids one of horror’s most irritating clichés - everyone dismissing the protagonist as a lunatic while she desperately tries to explain the obvious. Gemma’s cop boyfriend gets some firsthand experience instead. Imagine dating someone and discovering her supernatural baggage comes with actual baggage.

It’s also great to see Lin Shaye back, even if she’s hanging around The Further. She brings some welcome class to proceedings, because nothing says prestige quite like a horror veteran showing up in a dimension where common sense goes to die.

Unfortunately, the novelty wears thin. Gemma bops in and out of The Further so frequently that it starts feeling less like a terrifying purgatory and more like popping over to borrow a cup of sugar. There are a couple of decent ideas here, but the surrounding formula feels painfully familiar. The first thirty minutes are strong, and the story has enough going for it to keep things watchable, but the franchise needs a genuinely fresh hook if it wants to do anything more than rearrange the furniture in the afterlife.

Insidious: Out Of The Further (2026)

Insidious: Out of the Further is a decent horror-thriller that leans more heavily on the thriller side. It doesn’t match the original trilogy, but it does edge out The Last Key and The Red Door. Not exactly a trip to paradise, but at least you won’t need to call a priest to get through it.

https://jackmeat.com/insidious-out-of-the-further-2026/

Livestream from Hell (2026) | An hour of annoying streamers, a lame killer, a couple of laughs, and a $5 million budget. Somebody investigate this crime. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 2.9/10. Livestream from Hell sounds like a promising combination of horror, comedy, and celebrity egos getting violently humbled in front of millions of viewers. Throw in Kevin Hart, Druski, and Kai Cenat, and there should be enough obnoxious personalities to keep the entertainment flowing. Unfortunately, the movie seems to have mistaken being loud, annoying, and occasionally covered in blood for actually being entertaining. At least it gets one thing right: watching these people get murdered eventually becomes something to look forward to.

The movie opens with random home surveillance footage accompanied by ominous text informing us that the FBI compiled the recordings on May 18, 2025, and that they have now been declassified for an investigation. All of this appears over a watercolor painting of Kevin Hart, which is certainly one way to establish the tone. From there, we meet Hart and his buddies discussing their plans to conquer the streaming world before everyone gathers at his Mulholland residence for what promises to be a record-breaking livestream.

It doesn't take long for the egos to start competing for oxygen. Everyone seems determined to remind us how important, famous, and hilarious they are, despite the movie providing precious little evidence of the latter. Thankfully, this is a horror movie, because I spent the better part of an hour wishing somebody would finally rip their throats out. Unfortunately, the killer apparently had other commitments and took his sweet time getting around to it.

When the violence finally arrives, there are a few moments worth a chuckle. The kill scene involving the girls is genuinely amusing, and I can only assume Kevin Hart has secretly dreamed of playing a final girl his entire career. His acting here is roughly on par with a bargain-bin slasher, which might have worked if the movie had been deliberately embracing its B-movie credentials. Instead, it seems to believe we're watching something considerably more clever than we are.

There's also an attempt at social commentary about struggling actors losing work while internet streamers steal their audiences. It's a potentially interesting idea, but the execution is about as subtle as a chainsaw through a conference table. Then there's the supposed investigation. What exactly are the cops investigating when they arrive to catch the killer red-handed, with footage of the murders practically gift-wrapped for them? Perhaps the FBI watercolor department needed something to do.

Honestly, the whole production feels like the result of a particularly enthusiastic puff-puff-pass session. The outtakes during the credits continue the same humor, which is probably the movie's most honest admission that the jokes work better when nobody is pretending this is a real film.

Then I checked IMDb and discovered the estimated $5 million budget. Five million dollars! Did they build the entire house from scratch? Hire Kevin Hart's accountant to handle the special effects? I'm genuinely baffled.

I've finished plenty of Kevin Hart movies without being particularly impressed, but Livestream from Hell is one of the few I've actively disliked. I came looking for comedy and horror. I got a couple of laughs, an hour of irritating nonsense, and a murder mystery that requires no detective work whatsoever.

Livestream from Hell (2026)

https://jackmeat.com/livestream-from-hell-2026/

Accursed (2026) | Accursed isn't the worst #Shocktober movie I've seen, but between the predictable plot and cardboard characters, that 3.4 feels pretty generous. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 3.4/10. I saw Danny Trejo in the cast, and being a fan of the man, I figured I’d give Accursed a shot. Of course, being a Danny Trejo fan also means knowing the man has appeared in some absolute shoddy shit over the years. Surely, this couldn’t be another one of those occasions. Well, let’s just say my expectations weren’t exactly rewarded.

We open with a home video from 2002 featuring a nun giving birth while another nun handles the nursing duties and a priest looks on in prayer. Things take a lovely turn when the first nun snatches the baby from its screaming mother and sacrifices it. Happy birthday, kid! The credits roll with some additional ritual footage, just in case anyone was still under the impression they’d accidentally put on a wholesome religious drama.

Fast-forward to the present, where Emma (Vivien Soraya) is being collected by her friends for a weekend getaway to celebrate her 21st birthday. There’s some nice scenery as the gang drives towards their destination, although someone is following them. Ooooh, mysterious! I’m sure that bit of pointless drama will become important later. Surely a movie wouldn’t waste our time with something that goes absolutely nowhere.

The group eventually arrives at some property that Daddy apparently arranged for them, although exactly what the place is or why they’re there isn’t particularly clear. At least he left Emma a birthday cake. Priorities, people. There’s also a slow-motion bikini reveal under a T-shirt that would have made considerably more sense if we hadn’t literally seen her wearing the bikini seconds earlier. Nice work, directors. Brains clearly wasn't on the budget.

From there, we get the usual collection of suspicious behavior, questionable decisions, cult shenanigans and characters who apparently believe hearing is an optional feature. Fortunately, the film does deliver some practical blood effects, which is always appreciated. Unfortunately, blood splatter alone does not a good horror movie make. LOL.

It's the combination of the characters, their relationships, the setting, and the plot that makes Accursed look like a mundane and uninspired attempt that is closer to hitting the word count for a script than an actual film. Nevertheless, it includes everything one could expect - the cursed secret, the dark prophecy, and the midnight ritual.

Then Danny Trejo turns up for a brief appearance during the climax, and a twist arrives hoping to salvage the whole sorry affair. Neither can save a movie that has done virtually nothing to earn either its dramatic finale or its revelations.

Thankfully, Accursed is only 78 minutes long. The sequel tease is actually a little creative, which is more than I can say for most of what preceded it. Still, creative or not, I won't be volunteering for another round.

Accursed (2026)

https://jackmeat.com/accursed-2026/

Onslaught (2026) | Three genetically engineered killing machines, one pissed-off sniper, and a whole lot of government stupidity. My kind of #Shocktober evening. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 6.1/10. When a rogue squad of genetically engineered super soldiers breaks loose in the desert, a badass Army sniper must unleash hell to protect her young daughter. Sounds simple enough. And thankfully, Onslaught mostly understands that sometimes simple is exactly what you want.

We begin with gunfire in the middle of nowhere before getting a look at Celeste (Adria Arjona) blasting jack-o'-lanterns into smithereens with a shotgun. It's 7:04 a.m., minus about 11 hours and counting down. And this woman doesn't just have a boomstick. She has a damn arsenal. Along with some PTSD, naturally. Flashbacks give us a brief idea why.

Then we hit the credits, backed by some suitably industrial music from Matthew Pusti, before cutting to some weird foot-licking German dude named Hans hopping onto a helicopter. We're getting exact times now - 7:52 a.m. and meeting more characters. I like the dismal, grainy look Adam Wingard has given the film. He has already shown a keen eye behind the lens with You're Next and a couple of Godzilla flicks, among others.

I assume we're briefly meeting all these people living in this makeshift trailer park for a reason. This countdown must be leading to some serious shit, and surely the weird dude has to be the ringleader. Hans Kimler (Dan Stevens), by the way. 9:51 a.m. Time for some surgery. 11:52 and more copter hopping, along with a warning. This is a real-world exercise, and injuries should be expected. Hopefully you were paying attention during the credits, because that's where you get a clue about what the hell is going on.

We meet the three test subjects: Crybaby, Cockroach, and Butcher (Alex Pereira for the UFC fans), because genetically engineered super-soldier nicknames were running low. They feel no pain, can control their heart rates, and won't stop killing until shutdown or mission complete. Basically, human heat-seeking missiles with anger-management issues.

3:38 p.m. Time for the experiment. The government contact, Baylor (Michael Biehn), naturally wants results. They have glowing eyes. I can't wait. And, unsurprisingly, that doesn't go particularly well for the military or scientists.

By 6:45 p.m., it's about time things stop going well for everyone else too. I'm digging the music, the video-game-like camera shots during the carnage, and, most importantly, the plentiful blood. The military calls in professional cleaner Cyrus (Drew Starkey) to clean up after the warehouse experiment, and from here Onslaught settles into what it does best. People getting violently murdered in increasingly unpleasant ways.

Sometimes I'm perfectly happy with three dudes who are going to kill anyone they see until somebody manages to kill them. There's something refreshing about that simplicity. The confined-space action works, Arjona holds her own nicely, and there's plenty of blood and a few wonderfully nasty severed body parts.

And you can blame the government. Of course you can.

My only real drawback? For a movie that clearly wants to lean into the mayhem and brutality, I wanted more of it. When you've created genetically engineered killing machines with glowing eyes and zero regard for human life, don't be shy about letting the bastards loose.

Still, Onslaught delivers a solid action/horror romp with enough blood and bullets to make the countdown worthwhile.

Onslaught (2026)

https://jackmeat.com/onslaught-2026/

Infirmary (2026) | Apparently the footage left investigators baffled, but I was more baffled by how they made an abandoned psych hospital this damn boring. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 3.3/10. Not only do we get the Shudder logo, which the poster already clued us in on, but we also get a stern warning: “March 23rd, 2023, authorities responded to an unknown disturbance call at the Wilshire Infirmary. Officers found two dead and are looking for persons of interest.” Apparently, a guard vanished on his first night at an old psych hospital, and his bodycam footage contains “unexplainable incidents” that continue to baffle investigators.

Oh good. Found footage. Bodycam footage. Yay, my favorite. NOT.

We start with rookie guard Edward (Paul Syre Lee) getting hazed by his superior, Lester (Mark Anthony Williams). Edward is given his bodycam and sent off to work, knowing that Ms. Downey (Danielle Kennedy) will be staying late to do some paperwork. Considering the cast list only has four people (3 we see), I may as well give everyone their credit before the ghosts inevitably start eating into the remaining payroll.

For the first half hour, we get the usual first-person shots. Doors creaking, empty hallways, Edward getting terrified by the slightest sound, and lots of walking around an abandoned mental hospital while the movie desperately tries to convince us something is about to happen. To be fair, the place is creepy. It is basically empty, looks suitably miserable, and has exactly the sort of atmosphere you'd expect from a building where absolutely nobody should be working the night shift.

While Edward and Lester are trying to locate an intruder, we also get the story about a scary hallway that Lester claims scared his dog to death. Apparently even the dog had the good sense to nope the fuck out of there. Edward starts wondering if the place might be haunted. I am actually impressed these two manage to stay together for as long as they do.

Until they split up, that is. I laughed a bit. I should've known better.

You would think after all the hazing and ridicule from Lester, Edward might try to prove himself by making sensible decisions. Nope. Knowing full well there are cameras everywhere, including the one strapped to his chest, he starts crawling around on the ground like he is storming Normandy. Why? Who knows. Maybe Edward has watched too many war movies. Maybe he simply forgot he was a security guard and not Rambo.

And that is only one example of his silliness.

Once the movie finally gets going, it settles into the usual found-footage greatest hits. Lots of running, plenty of static and artifacts, unexplained lights going off, camera glitches, and the obligatory “HOLY SHIT WHAT WAS THAT?” moments. Apparently this is the sort of footage that has investigators completely baffled. I'm not sure why. I was mostly baffled by how long it was taking to get anywhere.

The movie is insanely boring for much of its runtime and eventually delivers a mediocre payoff. Even worse, it wastes what should have been its biggest asset: the location. The abandoned hospital looks fantastic, and cinematographer Donald Nam does a good job framing it. The creepy old infirmary is easily the highlight.

Yes, I loathe this style of filmmaking, but there are good examples of how found footage can be used effectively. Infirmary just isn't one of them. It takes a fantastic creepy location, straps a camera to someone's chest, throws in some static, and somehow manages to make an abandoned psych hospital boring.

That might be the most baffling incident of all.

Infirmary (2026)

https://jackmeat.com/infirmary-2026/

Pay to Die (2026) | Pay to Die spends more time mocking crowdfunding and B-movie filmmaking than actually fitting into #Shocktober. At least a few jokes work. #jackmeatsflix

My quick rating - 4.0/10. Pay to Die starts with some obnoxiously upbeat music playing over the credits, which is our first warning that subtlety has left the building. We quickly cut to a starlet in a bikini and some, um, guy (trying very hard not to be judgmental here) shooting a commercial for some lube. It is a pretty simple setup for a joke, and whether you find it funny or not will probably tell you a lot about what you're in for.

Charles (Jeff Richards) is the guy who screws things up, then promptly breaks the fourth wall to explain how he always gets kicked around in this messed-up world. Naturally, he decides he needs a change. We're only a few characters in at this point, and I can already report that the acting is…well, horrendous.

Back at his mom's house, Charles decides he is going to make a slasher movie based on his own nightmares. So he and his friends launch a crowdfunding campaign, because the easiest way to make your horror-movie dreams come true is to beg strangers on the internet for money. Things don't go quite as smoothly as planned.

They bring in Jess (Lauren Francesca) to help pimp the project, which is also a convenient excuse for her to hang around in a bikini. Considering she also wrote and directed the movie, I'm sure that is definitely part of the joke here. Absolutely no ulterior motives whatsoever. She does have a nice body, but don't worry, she is fully aware.

I also spotted Teddy, played by and one of the directors, Shawn C. Phillips, whom I recognized from my recent abomination of a movie marathon thanks to Amityville Karen. They manage to lure in Harrison (Robert Miano), who apparently enjoys these B-budget productions, because I had just seen him in Sunset Strip Killers.

And that is really where Pay to Die finds its groove. The movie takes some pretty serious jabs at the crowdfunding process, the actors, the filmmakers, and basically everyone involved in trying to get a low-budget horror movie made. There are plenty of cameos, including some recognizable names, and the whole thing is essentially one long roast of the filmmaking process.

When the killer finally starts knocking people off, at least the kills are practical. One death involving acid is actually pretty damn ambitious and looked surprisingly good considering the budget. Most of the movie, though, is much more interested in making fun of the crowdfunding crew than delivering genuine horror.

The humor is juvenile, and plenty of it doesn't work. Some of it does. When the first body is discovered and the cops arrive, Officer Don is played by the late Robert Carradine, who gets to play a fanboy cop, which is pretty damn funny.

Oh, hey, Bai Ling! After The Crow, I have always adored her, so seeing her pop up was a nice surprise.

Ultimately, Pay to Die is much more a comedy about making a crowdfunded horror flick than a horror/comedy itself. The premise is fun, the filmmakers clearly know exactly what they're mocking, and the best joke may be that they completely embrace the crowdfunding nonsense while simultaneously taking part in it.

The special thanks section of the credits is also ridiculously long. LOL.

Pay to Die (2026)

A fun idea with some genuinely funny moments, even if the juvenile humor doesn't always land. And considering the movie is basically about the whole “pay to be in a flick” problem, maybe Pay to Die is the most honest crowdfunding horror movie ever made.

Side note: I really hate when the trailer picture is identical to the movie poster.

https://jackmeat.com/pay-to-die-2026/