Get into the spirit of the season with these recent and classic films, all featuring contributions from SVA alumni or faculty
It’s late October and “spooky season” is in full swing. With the weather turning and Halloween on the horizon, the time is right to watch scary movies—horror films, ghost stories or creepy tales with a supernatural or sinister bent. As October 31 is right around the corner, here’s a list of current and classic spine-chilling cinema to check out, with each title featuring contributions from alumni or faculty of the School of Visual Arts.
Halloween (2018), Halloween Kills (2021) and Halloween Ends (2022)
The new Halloween trilogy comes to an end with Halloween Ends, concluding the story for Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) and the iconic villain, Michael Myers. Horror fan turned journalist turned producer Ryan Turek (BFA 1998 Film and Video) oversaw production on all three films, which also feature cinematography by Michael Simmonds (BFA 2000 Film and Video). And Warren Drummond (BFA 1984 Media Arts) crafted storyboards for the series. Available now on Peacock.
Werewolf By Night (2022)
Michael Giacchino (BFA 1990 Film and Video) is known as one of the world’s most in-demand and acclaimed composers for film, regularly contributing to Pixar, Disney and Lucasfilm productions; his many awards include an Oscar, an Emmy and several Grammys. This fall, the alumnus returned to his filmmaking roots with his directorial debut, the horror-based Marvel Universe “special presentation” Werewolf By Night, starring Gael Garcia Bernal and Laura Donnelly. Available to watch now on Disney+.
Barbarian (2022)
The left-field horror surprise of the year, Barbarian, a terrifying Airbnb-style home invasion thriller starring Georgina Campbell, Bill Skarsgård and Justin Long, was written and directed by alumnus Zach Cregger (BFA 2004 Computer Art). Available on Tuesday, October 25, on various digital platforms.
X (2022) and Pearl (2022)
SVA’s best-known horror practitioner, writer-director Ti West (BFA 2003 Film and Video), pulled off the rare feat of releasing two films in one calendar year in 2022, with last winter’s 1970s-based “sleaze-ploitation” movie, X, and this fall’s prequel, the 1910s-era Pearl, both starring Mia Goth and produced by longtime collaborator Peter Phok (BFA 2003 Film and Video). Phok and West’s earlier indie horrors, like House of the Devil (2009) and The Innkeepers (2011), are also available to stream online. Pearl is currently in theaters and will be available on Blu-ray and DVD starting on Tuesday, November 8. X is available on most digital platforms.
Resurrection (2022)
More psychological horror than a traditional scarefest, Resurrection, from Andrew Semans (BFA 2001 Film and Video) stars Rebecca Hall and Tim Roth and centers on a sadistic, gaslighting ex-lover who reenters the life of a woman who thought she had escaped him 20 years earlier. Resurrection is available on most digital platforms.
The Exorcist (1973) and The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
If you want some classic horror, we’ve got that, too. Three-time Academy Award-winning faculty member Christopher Newman won his first Oscar for the sound on William Friedkin’s pathbreaking demonic-possession film, The Exorcist. Newman was also nominated for his work on the late Jonathan Demme’s chilling serial-killer film, The Silence of the Lambs. Both films are available on most digital platforms.
Wednesday (2022)
Finally, though more on the comedic side, comedian Fred Armisen (1987 Film and Video) is playing Uncle Fester in Tim Burton’s upcoming The Addams Family TV spin-off, Wednesday Addams, set to debut on Netflix in November.
Keep an eye peeled for more Halloween-centric features involving work from the SVA community.