#–A–B–C–D–E–F–G–H–I–J-K–L–M–N-O–P-Q-R–S–T–U-V–W–X-Y-Z

A

A Nightmare on Elm Street series
Released: 1984-present
Synopsis: Following a similar premise to the Halloween and Friday the 13th franchises, Elm Street centres around Freddy Krueger (most famously portrayed by Robert Englund) killing teens in their dreams (or rather, nightmares). Through various incarnations, from the very meta New Nightmare to taking on Friday the 13th‘s Jason in Freddy vs. Jason and a full remake in 2010, the franchise has its ups and downs, but for the most part, Freddy is an enduring horrifying antagonist.
Verdict: This franchise, in spite of its weaknesses, has more elements of fun and frights in Freddy Krueger than his Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees cohorts. It’s also always fun to go back an revisit a super young Johnny Depp in his film debut (that cropped top has gone down in infamous history).

All Hallows’ Eve series
Released: 2013-2024
Synopsis: A series of anthology films featuring all manner of terror, horrors and gore.
Verdict: The first film isn’t particularly strong and acts as more of a setup for Art the Clown and the Terrifier series (2/5), whereas the second film features more episodes that are shorter but focus more on the psychological impact than shock and gore (3/5). (There are two more entries in the series but they are proving harder to find on streaming.)
Read the Tiny Tapes All Hallows’ Eve 1 & 2 reviews.

American Psycho
Released: 2000
Director: Mary Harron, based on the novel by Bret Easton Ellis
Synopsis: Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) leads a double life as an investment banker in New York City by day and a serial killer by night, until his apparent psychosis seems to catch up with him.
Verdict: A violent and disturbing film with plenty of dark comedy that will entertain, shock and disgust. Featuring excellent performances, particularly from Bale, and a lot of themes to mull over, this is one that you will need to be in the right frame of mind to watch, but watch you absolutely should. 4/5

B

Bambi: The Reckoning
Released: 2025
Director: Dan Allen
Synopsis: A mutated version of the eponymous deer seeks revenge after his mate is killed and his fawn goes missing.
Verdict: It’s not the worst premise for a horror film based on a well-known children’s character, and it’s not badly made either. The performances are also pretty average, but there’s too much going on in an attempt to add some unecessary depth to the characters. 2.5/5
Read the Tiny Tapes Bambi: The Reckoning review.

Brainscan
Released: 1994
Director: John Flynn
Synopsis: Teenage horror fan Michael (Edward Furlong) is growing disillusioned with the gruesome games he plays and stories he reads, until one night he hears of a new game, ‘Brainscan’, that claims to offer a whole new interactive horror experience. Michael soon comes to find that the game is a lot more realistic than he bargained for.
Verdict: An interesting concept that questions the early boundaries of interactive gameplay, but it fails to really make an impact. Furlong’s performance is pretty weak, often outshined by his costars, and the whole thing is entirely predictable. The occasional spattering of gore keeps the film afloat, but don’t expect to be particularly entertained. 2/5

C

Cannibal Holocaust
Released: 1980
Director: Ruggero Deodato
Synopsis: When a documentary film crew goes missing in the Amazon rainforest, an expedition crew set out to find them, discovering only the film recordings they left behind, recordings that portray horrific acts that had taken place.
Verdict: This film has been extremely controversial since its making, historically banned in many countries and still banned in some. It’s horrifyingly graphic, depicts real animal abuse and is absolutely not for the faint of heart (tough enough for even just regular human beings with a conscience). It was a long debate as to whether to watch and include this film in Terror Tapes, but like it or not, it is an important chapter in the history of horror films, albeit a dark, bleak one that tries to make a commentary on exploitation while being exploitative itself. Be warned.

Child’s Play series
Released: 1988-present
Synopsis: Beginning with 88’s Child Play, we are introduced to the infamous Chucky, a doll that became possessed by the spirit of murderer Charles Lee Ray (Brad Dourif, who also voices Chucky) before he succumbed to fatal injuries. Through the many following films, Chucky/Charles is continually resurrected to reign more terror upon people (much in the same vein as Halloween‘s Michael Myers). 2019 saw a remake/reboot with Mark Hamill stepping into Dourif’s shoes.
Verdict: Coming soon

Cinderella’s Curse
Released: 2024
Director: Louisa Warren
Synopsis: When Cinderella (Kelly Rian Sanson) is humiliated one too many times by her abusive stepmother and stepsisters, her corpse-like fairy godmother grants her wish for revenge.
Verdict: It’s a fine idea to warp the classic fairy tale and it does try hard to do something different, but it ultimately becomes cliche and isn’t helped at all by weak performances and flat characters. Comes across more like a gory Christmas panto or television soap rather than a purposefully dramatic horror film. 2/5
Read the Tiny Tapes Cinderella’s Curse review.

Cinderella’s Revenge
Released: 2024
Director: Andy Edwards
Synopsis: Cinderella (Lauren Staerck) chooses revenge upon her stepmother and stepsisters over her happily ever after.
Verdict: This one is actually has some decently humorous moments, and the performances are fine and the characters aren’t bad, but the story is quite flat, as is the horror aspect, but you get what you’re given when it’s a low budget horror like this. 2.5/5
Read the Tiny Tapes Cinderella’s Revenge review.

Clown in a Cornfield
Released: 2025
Director: Eli Craig
Synopsis: Teenager Quinn (Katie Douglas) moves to a new town with her father after the death of her mother. While there, she meets Cole (Carson MacCormac) and his group of friends. The more she hangs out with them, the more she learns about the town and its history, a history that soon catches up to all of them.
Verdict: This film has some genuinely funny moments of dialogue, a fairly solid structure and a little depth to it, though it is very predictable, but on the whole, it’s a fairly fun and decent horror, with great chemistry between Douglas and MacCormac. 3/5
Read the Tiny Tapes Clown in a Cornfield review.

Companion
Released: 2025
Director: Drew Hancock
Synopsis: On a weekend getaway with her boyfriend Josh (Quaid) and their friends, Iris (Thatcher) finds herself in a precarious situation that is further exacerbated after she learns a few truths from Josh, who may not be the doting boyfriend she believes him to be.
Verdict: Companion is not really anything new, particularly in its isolated setting and psychological themes, but if you’re looking for something that’s just a little bit more than your average murder caper, you may take some enjoyment from it. 3/5
Read the Tiny Tapes Companion review.

The Crow
Released: 1994
Director: Alex Proyas, based on the graphic novel
Synopsis: In a violent and crime-heavy Detroit, rock musician Eric Draven (Brandon Lee) and his girlfriend are brutally attacked and murdered by a gang of thugs. One year later, Eric returns from the dead to exact revenge on their murderers.
Verdict: A disturbingly dark yet extremely satisfying story, The Crow features amazing performances, an excellent soundtrack and an atmosphere thick with vengeance. Sadly this was to be Lee’s final film, due to his death caused by an accident on set, and it is as revered now as it was then, in part for the legacy Lee left in his final work. 4/5

The Crow
Released: 2024
Director: Rupert Sanders
Synopsis: Eric Draven (Bill Skarsgård) meets Shelly (FKA Twigs) in a rehab centre. They escape together, but are murdered by the immortal Vincent Roeg (Danny Huston) who is pursuing Shelly. Eric returns from the grave to get his revenge on Roeg.
Verdict: Eric’s motivations and lack of devastation in comparison to the ’94 film leave much to be desired in this adaptation, leaving it flatter, weaker, and less dark than it ought to be. 2/5
Read the Tiny Tapes The Crow (2024) review.

D

Dangerous Animals
Released: 2025
Director: Sean Byrne
Synopsis: Zeph (Hassie Harrison), an American drifting and surfing around Aus, is kidnapped by boat captain/shark enthusiast Tucker (Jai Courtney), and she has to find a way to escape before she becomes shark food.
Verdict: Courtney puts in a decent performance (dare I say that something about it is reminiscent of Jack Nicholson in The Shining), and the main duo are a solid (if a little cliche) pairing. It’s the performances that make this film somewhat good, as the story itself is lacking. 3/5
Read the Tiny Tapes Dangerous Animals review.

The Dark Half
Released: 1993
Director: George A. Romero, based on the book by Stephen King
Synopsis: When author Thad Beaumont (Timothy Hutton) decides to ritualistically ‘kill off’ his pen name, George Stark, murders are committed that are eerily similar to those that Hutton/Stark wrote in his novels. It quickly comes to light that Stark may be a more real persona than Beaumont realised.
Verdict: Coming soon

Deadstream
Released: 2022
Directors: Joseph Winter, Vanessa Winter
Synopsis: An online streamer goes on a live in a supposedly haunted house in order to repair his reputation after a previous disasterous stunt.
Verdict: A found footage satire that pokes fun at streamers and the horror genre, sometimes to its detriment, other times in an entertaining fashion. Don’t expect much, if any, genuine frights, but expect a few laughs. 3/5

The Devil’s Candy
Released: 2017
Director: Sean Byrne
Synopsis: A family are stalked by a murderer after moving into a new house, a murderer who claims to be killing children for the devil.
Verdict: As much about fatherhood as it is about feeding childrens’ souls to the devil, this thematic horror has some stark imagery and intense scenes. Pruitt Taylor Vince is an unsettling antagonist while Ethan Embry holds the whole thing together as an artist with a touch of madness. 3.5/5

E

Everyone is Going to Die (AKA: The Visitors)
Released: 2024
Director: Craig Tuohy
Synopsis: A divorced entrepreneur invites his daughter to his home in order to reconnect with her, but they are disrupted by two anti-patriarchy female intruders.
Verdict: With clunky dialogue and flat performances, this film attempts to ‘shock’ but really just tries to distract from a poor story. 2/5
Read the Tiny Tapes Everyone is Going to Die review.

F

Friday the 13th series
Released: 1980-present
Synopsis: Following in the footsteps of Michael Myers and the Halloween franchise, Friday 13th follows killer Jason Voorhees as he is resurrected multiple times to continually return to haunt Camp Crystal Lake, where he apparently drowned as a boy and where his mother initially began killing teenagers. The franchise follows through to a crossover with A Nightmare on Elm Street‘s Freddy Krueger and an eventual reboot in 2009.
Verdict: Coming soon

Final Destination series
Released: 2000-present
Synopsis: A cult classic franchise that mainly follows groups of teens with at least one of them experiencing premonitions of fatal accidents. When they start avoiding these accidents, they are stalked by a deathly presence that won’t let them get away so easily.
Verdict: Not the strongest or most consistent series, but it’s a fairly fun binge with a few drinks and snacks (in my experience!), and I wouldn’t be mad if it was to continue, particularly if they could make one that is at least on the same level as 2000’s Final Destination. Y’know, for sadistic fun.
Check out DOTT’s Film Club – Final Destination and full Final Destination Bloodlines review.

G

Gates of Hell trilogy
Released: 1980-1981
Director: Lucio Fulci
Synopsis: In City of the Living Dead, the suicide of a priest opens a gate to hell, and a group of people work to close it before All Saint’s Day; in The Beyond, a woman inherits a hotel that houses another hell gate; and in The House by the Cemetery, a family move into a house that is also home to an apparently immortal serial killer.
Verdict: These films don’t exactly boast strong storylines (they’re pretty basic really), but they are rather a vehicle for some pretty spectacular visual effects and make up. The body horror and gore is at times extreme so these films are not for the faint of heart, but absolutely worth your time to see how amazing the practical effects were before computer graphics.

Goldilocks and the Three Bears: Death & Porridge
Released: 2024
Director: Craig Rees
Synopsis: A group of friends stumble upon an abandoned house only to find it is far from abandoned.
Verdict: Terrible acting, rubbish premise, dubbing that is worse than an Italian giallo, annoying characters, and boring AF on the whole. 1/5

H

Halloween franchise
Released: 1978-present
Synopsis: In 1978 we were introduced to one of cinema’s most prolific and horrifying serial killers: Michael Myers. Much of his escapades revolve around the stalking of the only survivor of his first rampage, Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), though the franchise swings around Michael and Laurie’s battles as well as his origins and potential explanations for his apparent resurrections.
Verdict: Halloween has endured for just about forty-five years at the time of writing, and so it must be doing something right. The entire franchise begins quite averagely, and then the quality is very up and down as it continues. On the whole it’s not the strongest horror franchise, but worth a binge if you’re down for some classic frights featuring a simple yet classic score.
Check out DOTT’s Film Club – Halloween and the full Halloween (2018) review.

Hansel & Gretel
Released: 2013
Director: Anthony C. Ferrante
Synopsis: Two teenage siblings are captured by a recluse and taken to her house where nothing but misery and horror awaits them.
Verdict: This is a more interesting and fun modern interpretation of the Grimm fairytale, and even features Dee Wallace (Elliot’s mum in E.T.) as the antagonist. The performances aren’t too bad, though it’s another one of those horrors that has actors who clearly aren’t teenagers playing ten years younger than they are, so you’ll have to work double time on suspending your disbelief. 3/5
Read the Tiny Tapes Hansel & Gretel review.

Heart Eyes
Released: 2025
Director: Josh Ruben
Synopsis: ‘The Heart Eyes Killer’, or HEK, is a serial killer that has been killing couples in various cities in the US for a few years, but he finally meets his match with non-couple Ally (Olivia Holt) and Jay (Mason Gooding) in Seattle.
Verdict: Featuring tongue-in-cheek humour, a rom-com subplot and a twist that’s a little dumb, but by the time it comes around, you really wouldn’t expect anything less. 3/5
Read the Tiny Tapes Heart Eyes review.

Hell House LLC series
Released: 2015-2025
Synopsis: Follows the haunting of a house turned into an attraction named Hell House LLC, formerly a hotel named Abaddon, then delves further back to the origins of the hauntings at the Carmichael Manor.
Verdict: This series started off average but then slowly descended into abysmal. All films are done in the found footage style, and for most of them that’s the best thing going for them, until the final film, Lineage, where they scrapped the found footage and shot a traditional film, leaving the series with nothing left to give. 2/5
Read the Tiny Tapes Hell House LLC: Lineage review.

Holland
Released: 2025
Director: Mimi Cave
Synopsis: A teacher with a husband and son soon finds herself questioning her husband’s fidelity, leading her down a sordid path of death and deceit.
Verdict: The relationships between the characters are written well, however the performances felt lacking, particularly from Kidman. Perhaps if the characters and performances were tighter, the thriller and mystery aspects may have stood a better chance. 2.5/5
Read the Tiny Tapes Holland review.

Hook
Released: 2025
Director: Andrea M. Catinella
Synopsis: James Hook (Stephen Staley) seeks revenge on Peter (Keith Eyles) and Wendy (Charlotte Jackson Coleman) via their daughter Lily (Kelly Rian Sanson).
Verdict: Another interpretation of Peter Pan with Peter and Wendy all grown up, with a teenage daughter who is so very clearly far from being a teenager. With flat performances, crummy dialogue and a completely unscary Hook, this is not one you’ll be sad to miss. 1.5/5

Hostel trilogy
Released: 2005-2011
Synopsis: Over the course of three films, unwitting tourists find themselves in hostels that are a front for a criminal organisation that kidnaps, tortures and murders people as entertainment for wealthy patrons.
Verdict: Coming soon

Humpty Dumpty trilogy
Released: 2021-2023
Synopsis: A cursed Humpty Dumpty doll brings nothing but blood and terror to multiple people.
Verdict: The plot of The Curse of Humpty Dumpty is alright but not well executed and is quite monotonous until the last act (2.5/5), everything about The Cult of Humpty Dumpty is just bad, including Humpty Dumpty himself hardly worthy of being a titular character (1/5), and to round out the trilogy, we have more poor performances, a weak story and barely any need for Humpty Dumpty in The Madness of Humpty Dumpty (1.5/5)
Read the Tiny Tapes Humpty Dumpty trilogy review.

Hush
Released: 2016
Director: Mike Flanagan
Synopsis: Maddie (Kate Siegel), a deaf and mute writer, has retreated to a house in the woods to focus on her latest novel. In near-total isolation, she spends a night under attack from a killer who terrorises her before trying to enter her house.
Verdict: Usually these breaking-and-entering slasher films follow a similar formula, rarely straying from the path and thus becoming overly predictable and, frankly, boring. Fortunately, Hush differs not only in the situation of the protagonist, but in the way Flanagan has utilised sound and cinematography to make the film visually and audibly engaging and thrilling. Siegel is fantastic as Maddie, and truthfully, you can’t generally go wrong with a Flanagan-Siegel (a real-life married couple) collaboration. 4/5

I

I Heart Willie
Released: 2024
Director: Alejandro G. Alegre
Synopsis: A story that warps the origin of Mickey Mouse that is less rainbows and butterflies and more blood and gore.
Verdict: This is one film that seems to have an interesting premise on paper but is not executed well. The characters are mostly very annoying, the plot very monotonous and the visual effects very poorly done. At least the performances weren’t the worse to be seen in a movie of this type. 2/5

I Know What You Did Last Summer franchise
Released: 1997-present
Synopsis: In the initial film, four teenagers are stalked by a fisherman with a hook who, apparently, knows what they did last summer. The film is followed by three more that follow a similar premise of a fisherman stalking and murdering teens.
Verdict: The ’97 film is considered something of a cult classic in teen horror/slasher films, particularly considering its elite 90s casting. Is it the best horror film ever? No. Is it entertaining and fun, even becoming kind of tongue-in-cheek as the decades roll by? Absolutely. The follow-up films did not and have not fared nearly as well, and so the first film is perhaps the only one worth your time.
Read the Tiny Tapes I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025) review.

J

Jack and Jill trilogy
Released: 2021 – 2023
Synopsis: Jack and his sister Jill hunt and slaughter people in this retelling of the children’s nursery rhyme and its subsequent stories.
Verdict: If the first film in this series is anything to go by, this trilogy will not be worth your time. With awful performances from most of the actors, far too much dialogue and pointless drama rendering it boring and an utter snoozefest, and nary a Jack nor Jill to be seen, it’s a bizarre adaptation of a children’s rhyme. If you go ahead and watch the rest of the trilogy, good luck to you, we will not be doing so. 1.5/5

M

Mary Had a Little Lamb
Released: 2023
Director: Jason Arber
Synopsis: Mary (Christine Ann Nyland) is up to more sinister things with her ‘lamb’ than the children’s rhyme would suggest.
Verdict: With a mix of characters and dodgy accents making it difficult to place the setting, this film comes across as confusing and incoherent. However the performances aren’t too bad, and there’s a genuinely horrendous and sad story from the antagonists side. 2.5/5

The Mean One
Released: 2022
Director: Steven LaMorte
Synopsis: Cindy (Krystle Martin) returns to the site of her childhood trauma and is stalked by a serial killer known as The Mean One (David Howard Thornton).
Verdict: This twist on Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas is, frankly, terrible. There’s nothing much redeemable about it, but if you enjoy these low-budget twists, you might get some enjoyment out of it. It gets an extra .5 on the score due to the commitment of the cast to their questionable roles. 1.5/5

The Monkey
Released: 2025
Director: Osgood Perkins
Synopsis: Twins Hal and Bill (James) lead very different lives but both remain firmly connected by a strange toy monkey that causes multiple deaths around them.
Verdict: Features good characterisations and a strong plot along with James’s good performance as both twins, creating distinct personalities for each twin, and the mystery side of the film being almost more interesting than its horror side. 4/5
Read the Tiny Tapes The Monkey review.

Mouse of Horrors
Released: 2025
Director: Brendan Petrizzo
Synopsis: A mutant mouse collects body parts to create something horrific.
Verdict: One thing this film does right is not pretending to be something more than it is, which is just a braindead slasher. There’s kind of an interesting MO behind the killings, more interesting than the main characters at least, though the terrible CGI is quite off putting at times. You can also expect to see another familiar Disney face in this one. 2.5/5

The Mouse Trap
Released: 2024
Director: Jamie Bailey
Synopsis: A killer dressed as Mickey Mouse threatens a young woman and her friends at an amusement arcade.
Verdict: In yet another Mickey-themed slasher, we have too much dialogue and silliness between the characters to be able to take anything remotely seriously, and not nearly enough murder and danger. Also features a very cringe intro. 2/5

O

Opera
Released: 1987
Director: Dario Argento
Synopsis: A young opera singer is stalked by a killer who forces her to watch as he kills.
Verdict: Perhaps one of Argento’s best films, Opera is a bastardised Phantom of the Opera, and with a heck of a lot more blood. The way the killer forces the girl to watch by sticking needles in front of her eyes feels quite original, and although it has a sexual tone to it, whether intentional or not, the story, performances and sets work well along with the slasher nature of the film. 4/5

P

Phenomena (US: Creepers)
Released: 1985
Director: Dario Argento
Synopsis: Jennifer (Jennifer Connelly), the daughter of a famous actor, arrives at a boarding school in Switzerland, where her sleep walking issue returns. As a result, she finds she is able to communicate with insects, and she uses her abilities to track down a serial killer.
Verdict: If you want that B-movie horror style that also at least attempts to have some credibility, you can’t go wrong with an Argento flick, and you may be especially satisfied with Phenomena. The story is pretty unique, the VFX fairly sturdy (for the time), and the performances, while typically hammy, are fun and engrossing, especially from a super young Connelly. 4/5

Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare*
Released: 2025
Director: Scott Chambers
Synopsis: Wendy (Megan Placito) has to rescue her brother Michael (Peter DeSouza-Feighoney) from an evil and deranged Peter Pan (Martin Portlock).
Verdict: With well-known characters being twisted beyond recognition, it has supernatural elements that likely arise from Peter having a mental illness, and Wendy becomes the heroine of the piece as a regular young woman. The horror is fairly shocking, the psychological aspects are intriguing, and the performances are quite immersive. 3.5/5
Read the Tiny Tapes Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare review.

Piglet
Released: 2025
Director: Andrea M. Catinella
Synopsis: On a camping trip with her friends for her birthday, a young woman fights off a man in a pig mask.
Verdict: Some semi-good gore and gruesome effects, but let down by more awful CGI and terrible sound mixing (even the poor sod who had to do the subtitles for this film couldn’t catch every word). Also features some sexploitation, with gratuitous sex scenes, nudity and threats of rape. Unecessary. 1.5/5

Popeye the Slayer Man
Released: 2025
Director: Robert Michael Ryan
Synopsis: A group of friends decide to explore an old spinach cannery after hearing the legend of the ‘Sailor Man’.
Verdict: The use of Popeye as the antagonist is just a gimmick to get people to watch – otherwise, it’s just another below-average slasher with stereotypical characters and a predictable plot. 2/5
Read the Tiny Tapes Popeye the Slayer Man review.

Psycho
Released: 1960
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Synopsis: When Marion (Janet Leigh), an embezzeler, lays low at a motel, she encounters the strange owner, Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins). Marion’s partner and sister grow worried when they don’t hear from her, and so they hire an investigator to trace her.
Verdict: They don’t come much more classic in the horror genre than Hitchcock’s Psycho, and it’s certainly an enduring classic for a reason. With it’s careful build-up, well-sculpted characters and multi-layered story (and not to mention its legendary score), it’s an absolute must for any horror fans, particularly those studying the genre. 4/5

The Purge series
Released: 2013-present
Synopsis: In a dystopian future, the U.S is relatively crime-free, aside from the annual ‘Purge’, one night a year in which all anyone can partake in any crimes or violence and do so free of consequences. The series begins focused on one particular family, the patriarch of which is a designer of home security systems, and continues through the next few decades, seeing some people protesting the Purge, and eventually swings back to the inception of the controversial event.
Verdict: Apparently based on an old Star Trek episode, the premise is incredibly interesting, not least because the chances of it becoming reality are not all that slim. The ethics of the Purge are consistently challenged, yet the protests always seem to be overruled, which is terrifying in itself. Not all the films are equally strong, but worth watching to see what such a terrifying future could be like.

R

The Rental
Released: 2020
Director: Dave Franco
Synopsis: Charlie (Dan Stevens) rents a house for a weekend with his wife Michelle (Alison Brie), his brother Josh (Jeremy Allen White) and Josh’s girlfriend and Charlie’s work partner Mina (Sheila Vand). When Mina discovers a hidden camera all hell starts to break lose, as relationships (and bones) are broken and some of them try to cover up things they’ve done.
Verdict: The premise isn’t exactly original, but some of the twists and turns make up for that a little. It tries to keep the antagonist’s side of the story fairly mysterious, but it ends up leaving us desiring more information about their motives and relation to anyone else in the movie. 3/5
Read the Tiny Tapes The Rental review.

S

Saw series
Released: 2004-present
Synopsis: Similarly to other franchises featuring a main antagonist, Saw follows the “games”, i.e. torture, that serial killer John Kramer, aka Jigsaw, subjects his victims to in order to punish them/offer them redemption for actions that do not align with his personal morals. John comes and goes depending on his health, and he has apprentices that take up the Jigsaw mantel in his absence.
Verdict: As far as the gore and shocks go, Saw does them to the extreme, and so the series is not to be taken lightly. The story quality in each film varies, but the through-line of Jigsaw is always a terrifying, looming presence. The first film starts it all off very strongly, and the way the series blends horror and mystery keeps viewers on the edge of their seats.

Scream franchise
Released: 1996-present
Synopsis: Once again, we have another franchise that has a serial killer at its lead. This time, we have the infamous Ghostface murdering teenagers, and specifically stalking Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) as the films go on. Later on, in a reboot, other teenagers that have connections to the original killer behind Ghostface are stalked and murdered by another pretender to the Ghostface mask.
Verdict: Amongst the horror franchises, this one ranks pretty high. Ghostface is an easy and popular Halloween costume, and it’s no surprise considering the unfeeling character’s reputation. The franchise has received quite a lot of praise (though admittedly not quite for all the films), and even the reboots have fared well commercially and critically. A series worthy of your viewing time, for sure.
Read the Tiny Tapes Scream (2022) review.

Screamboat
Released: 2025
Director: Steven LaMorte
Synopsis: The passengers and crew of a Staten Island ferry are hunted by a mutant rodent.
Verdict: This production doesn’t take itself too seriously at all, and it’s actually quite funny while being simultaneously gory and shocking, so there’s good entertainment to derive from it so long as you don’t take it too seriously either. 3/5
Read the Tiny Tapes Screamboat review.

Seance
Released: 2021
Director: Simon Barrett
Synopsis: A new girl arrives at an all-girls school after the death of a student, and she joins a group of other students in a seance to contact the dead girl.
Verdict: Just your typical vengeful teens messing around until shit gets vi-o-lent. An easy watch but with a fairly predictable story and a rather wooden performance from Suki Waterhouse. 2.5/5

Suspiria
Released: 1977
Director: Dario Argento
Synopsis: Suzy (Jessica Harper), an American ballerina, transfers to a ballet academy in Germany. After a series of murders, she comes to find that there is a lot more to this school, and its students and teachers, than she realised.
Verdict: An enduring classic, Argento’s bloody witchy horror has a great lead performance from Harper and involves some very interesting characters and events. It twists and turns and keeps audiences on their toes, and the incredible set design and fantastic soundtrack all go a long way to create something tense and immersive. 4/5

Suspiria
Released: 2018
Director: Luca Guadagnino
Synopsis: Susie (Dakota Johnson), an American ballerina, transfers to a ballet academy in Germany. After the disappearance of a student, she is convinced the school is run by a coven of witches.
Verdict: Coming soon

T

Terrifier trilogy
Released: 2016-2024
Director: Damien Leone
Synopsis: Much in the same style as Michael Myers, though far more sadistic in nature, Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton) stalks and murders people, mainly women, and is almost impossible to kill. His main nemesis, Sienna, tries to thwart him, but often to no avail.
Verdict: The best thing about this series is its homages to 70s/80s horror, with its Final Girl(s), style of gore, an apparently mute antagonist, and even its opening titles. It certainly works as a conduit for visual effects, though it leaves a lot to be desired plot-wise. Then again, a strong plot is not really why we watch slasher movies, is it? You better have a strong stomach for this trilogy, though.
Read the Terrifier 3 Tiny Tapes review.

Three Blind Mice
Released: 2023
Director: Pierre B
Synopsis: A family head to a cabin in the woods where they are set upon by the Three Blind Mice.
Verdict: Like many of these warped childhood films, there is a weird mix of accents that makes the setting and relationsips between the characters rather confusing. The story tries and fails to give the characters ‘depth’ by adding issues such as addiction, but it doesn’t really work. There is some fun to be had with the gruesome gore and grostesque creatures, but that’s about all it has going for it. 1.5/5

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise
Released: 1974-present
Synopsis: Perhaps the one that kicked off the horror sub-genre that we have come to know as slashers, this franchise revolves around Leatherface, a cannibalistic murderer who, along with his twisted family, slaughter people for their own amusement and appetite.
Verdict: The franchise has struggled to make the same waves as its inaugural film, with multiple films and a reboot along the way, some of which have done ok, most of which have fallen extremely flat. The Tobe Hooper-directed original (5/5) was a shocker for its time and still manages to shock audiences today, rightfully claiming its cult classic status. Its descendants cannot claim the same, but the series shows no signs of letting up, with more installments on the way.

U

Until Dawn
Released: 2025
Synopsis: Based on the video game, Until Dawn follows a group of friends who head to the area where the sister of one of the friends went missing, but they soon find themselves caught in a time loop, and if they don’t find a way out of it, they could become part of the many missing people.
Verdict: You might enjoy the twists and turns that come with this film, and although the characters and their initial motive for finding themselves in this predicament aren’t all that original, the plot makes an admirable attempt of keeping things fresh. 3/5
Read the Tiny Tapes Until Dawn review.

V/H/S series
Released: 2012-present
Synopsis: A horror anthology franchise that delves into multiple sub-genres of horror, from abuse to murders, vampires to aliens, hauntings to stalkings, and beyond. Each film features multiple shorts that are linked via a framing episode that usually consists of the discovery of some bizarre VHS tapes that affect peoples’ behaviour, or interwoven with an episodic story.
Verdict: The series is a wobbly one. The first three entries are a bizarre mix of creepy tales that come across like a teenage boy’s weird wet dreams, while the latter five, considered more of a reboot, finally feature female writers and directors and stories that are able move the series away from the weak gratuity of the first three, providing more well-rounded story-telling while retaining much of the scares and gore that the series is known for, taking things much further.
Read the Tiny Tapes V/H/S Halloween review.

W

Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey trilogy
Released: 2023-2026
Director: Rhys Frake-Waterfield
Synopsis: In part one, after Christopher Robin (Nikolai Leon) leaves for college, Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, Owl and Rabbit feel abandoned and are ultimately left to fend for themselves, resulting in them committing some heinous acts. In the second installment, Pooh goes on a revenge rampage through Christopher’s town.
Verdict: The first film hits all the right markers of a standard horror movie, but ultimately it just isn’t a good movie. At no point can it be taken seriously. (2/5). The second installment is significantly better, with a stronger plot, stronger performances and a tighter horror overall. (3/5) A third film is due in 2026.
Read the Tiny Tapes Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey and Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 reviews.

X

X trilogy
Released: 2022-2024
Director: Ti West
Synopsis: In X, wannabe actress Maxine Minx (Mia Goth) gets involved with the production of an adult film being shot at a farmhouse owned by an odd old couple. In Pearl, the titular character is desperate to be a star, and will do anything to become so. In MaXXXine, Maxine continues her quest for stardom while avoiding the Night Stalker, a serial killer that murdering women across California..
Verdict: A strong trilogy with each film standing firm alone while complimenting its counterparts. Goth’s performances are fantastic, the plot of each film works well alongside the shocks and the gore, and there’s a lot to think about regarding fame, sexploitation, mental health and the rise of home video. 4/5
Read the Tiny Tapes X, Pearl and MaXXXine reviews.