Geno McGahee’s Scary Tales: Dark Walker is nothing if not ambitious. Following the cult response to Scary Tales: Dead Zone, McGahee goes all-in on his sequel, blending horror, action, conspiracy, and outright absurdity into a film that feels like an entire midnight movie festival crammed into a single feature. Whether that works for you will depend on your tolerance for low-budget mayhem and your appreciation of indie horror that throws subtlety out the window in favor of sheer spectacle.

Phil Claydon’s Helloween wastes no time tipping its mask. It opens in 1996 with a cold-blooded murder that plays like a direct homage to Carpenter’s Halloween. From the jump, you know exactly what the film is aiming for.

Gay, straight, or somewhere in between, when a film is this wild the labels hardly matter. Right from the jump, The Restoration at Grayson Manor hooks you. With its baroque visuals and decadent melodrama, it carries a strange Phantom of the Paradise vibe, all crumbling grandeur, sex, and sinister spectacle.

Chris Marrs Piliero opens his debut feature Appofeniacs with a definition, but he spends the rest of the film showing us exactly what it means. Equal parts horror, satire, and jet-black comedy, this anthology-style thriller hooks you from the opening scene and never lets go. Piliero, an award-winning music video director turned filmmaker, proves he has a sharp eye for lighting and framing.

Rod Blackhurst’s Dolly is the kind of horror movie that sneaks into your bones and makes you feel unsafe even in broad daylight. Filmed on Super 16mm, it’s a gritty, grain-soaked nightmare that feels unearthed from some cursed VHS bin, yet it pulses with fresh, feral energy. A love letter to Texas Chainsaw Massacre and the new French Extremity, Dolly doesn’t just borrow from its influences; it weaponizes them.