From Audition to The Substance with plenty of Mia Goth in between, team Wonderland helps get you in the spooky mood with our best horror film recs this Halloween.

Ella, Senior Print Editor – The Woman In Black 

When I first saw The Woman in Black (directed by Herbert Wise, 1989) I wasn’t supposed to be scared. I was in English class. Film day felt like an excuse for a nap. A way to avoid my teacher’s sticky coffee breath (mixed with Benson & Hedges, three every time the bell rang — yep, now you can smell it). How wrong I was. If you like big plots, buckets of blood, and knife-clad murderers forcefully ejecting your microwaved popcorn in the air, this isn’t your bag. The terror here is eerily quiet. Disarmingly simple. Excruciatingly patient. Cinematically atmospheric, with a terrifying sea mist ever-rolling in. It’s all in the stillness. Dressed in a pitch black lace Victorian dress with a high collar (actually very Simone Rocha, come to think of it), The Woman in Black is always waiting, watching, breathing. It’s the blueprint for what a horror film should be, something that pitches a tent in your psyche. Watch at your own peril. Ten years later, she’s still watching me.

Ben, Features Editor – Audition 

I went through a spell at uni when I became a little too obsessed with extreme horror. I watched them all – Cannibal Holocaust, A Serbian Film, everything Lars Von Trier. Shout out to the New French Extremity movement of the 00s with grizzly, soul-destroying gems like Martyrs and Inside – certainly not for the faint of heart. But for me, Takashi Miike’s Audition is the opus of boundary-pushing cinema. It’s a genre mish-mash J-horror cult classic that leaves a beautifully sour taste in your mouth (dog bowl, if you know you know). What begins as an irreverent romantic comedy about a man who holds auditions for a perfect wife descends into an all-out body horror trip that’ll make you squirm, sickly and sensationally entertained. 

Sofia, Senior Online Editor – The Twlight Saga 

What’s scarier than vampires and werewolves fighting to the death? I don’t know! There isn’t one Halloween I spend not thinking about that honeymoon in Brazil and what could’ve happened to poor Bella Swan at the hands of the ghastly Edward Cullen. Shivers down my spine.

& The Corpse Bride (she gets two picks because she misunderstood the assignment)

I’m a certified soft girl, which means autumn’s gloom becomes synonymous with rom-com goodness – not Halloween-leaning film choices. But an assignment’s an assignment, and we start off with one of Tim Burton’s best: 2005’s The Corpse Bride. The stop-motion animated gothic fantasy is a classic for a reason: stunning Victorian-inspired visuals, Burton’s signature quirk, and just a sprinkle of creepiness (if you don’t think too deeply). But at its core, it’s a love story for the ages. And to that, I’m signing up.

Juliette, Social Media Editor –  Scream 

To those who didn’t clock my Halloween costume reference, please read: Directed by Wes Craven and written by Kevin Williamson, Scream follows the story of Sidney Prescott, played by Neve Campbell, a teenager whose life in Woodsboro gets terrorised by a ghost face killer. And dare I say, this film is the epitome of the slasher flick sub-genre. From its opening scene that quite literally guts America’s sweetheart Drew Barrymore (said Halloween costume reference), to a twisted ending that shakes up the usual “whodunit” pipeline, without forgetting its self-aware, critical commentary on the horror genre itself, Scream is an undeniable cult classic. So much so that it went on to inspire a parody franchise, Scary Movie, as well as going on to become its own franchise, with six further instalments — although I’d argue the only successful reboot was the fourth film. So, what’s your favourite scary movie?

Ollie, Style & Watches Editor, Maxxxine 

If you’re looking to leave flat-out terrified, Maxxxine isn’t the scariest film out there. But with a healthy serving of gore, a consistent psychological tension, and a solid plot twist at the end to keep things interesting, the last in Ti West’s X trilogy ticked all the boxes for me (someone who is admittedly very jumpy). Bonus points for the 1980s Hollywood vibes.

Aswan, Assistant Editor – Smile 2

Directed by Finn Parker (2024), Smile 2 is a supernatural psychological thriller that *seriously* messed me up – and that is meant wholeheartedly. I’ve not really watched anything with Naomi Scott in it since her Lemonade Mouth days, but the actor was definitely back with a bang, and this time as the lead, playing the role of an international superstar. All is never as it seems, but not often is it as concerning as it was in Scott’s performance as Skye Riley. It bordered on feeling like if Hannah Montana were trapped in a House of Terror, but nonetheless, it does a great job (as horror often does) of implicitly capturing the idea and concept of surveillance in the modern age – that perhaps that is the most sinister horror we’re living through. Admittedly, I watched the second film without the context of (or watching) the first one, but flashbacks throughout helped to reign that in. Aside from its core messaging, the gore was so gruesome that I can still hear the bone crunches when I step on the autumnal leaves. It’s jumpscare galore and intensely thrilling…I will question every smile from now on.

Joe, Social & Editorial Writer – The Substance

I’m historically someone who absolutely despises horror films and have always labelled people who do as “psychos” (because I’m a scared wuss) yet something about The Substance appealed to me. After building up the courage to go watch it, I learned two things. One, it felt like the most gut-wrenching two hours and twenty minutes of my life and, two, I still don’t like horror. But if a film left such a mark on me that I was visibly shaken by the prosthetics, psychological distress and the overall social commentary on beauty standards, it must mean that it did what it was intended to do with flying colours. The set design and cinematography will always stay with me – trauma or not.

Moira, Social & Editorial Writer – Pearl

Please, I’m a star! I’m honestly too weak for horror films, but if the costumes are good? I’ll sit through the screams for the wardrobe alone. A prequel to X, Pearl stars the incomparable Mia Goth as a farm girl with Hollywood dreams and a dangerously fragile grip on reality (so relatable). She meets a man who invites her to an audition promising her fame and fortune, and, shocker, things don’t go as planned. So she does what any of us would do after being ghosted by success: puts on a fabulous red dress, grabs a pitchfork, and absolutely kills her screen-test. Literally. The jumpscares are great, but the real thrill is watching Mia Goth serve looks while having multiple breakdowns.

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