Joseph Kahn
A scene from the film ‘Twofer’
Jenny Waldo
Houston has produced dozens of great indie horror features and shorts over the last decade, and the proliferation of streaming services has made them more available than ever. Show your support for the hometown maniacs, monsters, and murder enthusiasts by checking out the Bayou City terror this month. Most of them are even free, thanks to Tubi.
‘Twofer’
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Jenny Waldo produces the most beautiful atrocities in Houston indie cinema, and her latest short film, “Twofer,” is no exception. A couple of serial killers meet on a deserted road to compare corpses, only for an ideological argument to break out. There’s more blood in this short than in a Red Cross field hospital, as well as a surprising amount of justice. Available on YouTube on Oct. 31.
‘Dead of Knight’
A classic slasher with an inventive premise, “Dead of Knight” follows a resurrected disgraced Knight Templar (Wayne Stevens) as he hacks his way through modern (then-2010) Houston. His quest is to regain his lost virtues through murder while stalking a pure maiden (Jerin Forgie) as his final prize. The whole thing is slightly goofy, and director Joe Grusaffi admitted he made it only after finding out Stevens had access to a very impressive set of medieval armor, but it’s a fun romp for a Halloween party watch. Available on Tubi
‘Spirit Camp’
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The crown jewel of Houston indie horror from the 2000s/2010s is Kerry Beyer’s “Spirit Camp.” Beyer set out to make an old-school 1980s slasher film and did so perfectly, pitting a cast of young women at a cheerleading retreat against a stab-tastic stalker in the woods. One area where the film innovates from its inspirations is how it turns the contentious cheer squad into a team that fights back against the threat instead of just making them axe bait as so many “Friday the 13th” clones did in the Reagan years. Available on Amazon.
‘The Good Friend’
This horror feature was almost lost media until writer/director Marcus Sabom and producer/literally everything elser Rebecca Torrellas suddenly resurrected, finished, and released the movie last year. Filmed between 2011 and 2013, it’s an eerily prescient story about a woman who vents about her jerk of a boyfriend on social media and then finds herself at the center of a bloodstorm as a killer executes everyone she’s complained about. While the film is admittedly a little dated, it’s frightening how much Sabom and Torrellas predicted the violent world of doxxing and harassment that is now the chief bogeyperson of the online world. Available on Tubi.
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‘Sweatshop’
One area where Houston horror lags behind is in the creation of memorable movie monsters, the kind you could make an action figure out of. The closest thing the city has to a Freddy or Jason is The Beast from Stacy Davidson’s “Sweatshop,” played with hulking intensity by Jeremy Sumrall (a brilliant Houston horror director in his own right whose work is, sadly, not available right now). The movie is splatter at its reddest, with The Beast tearing through a group of would-be club moguls as they invade an abandoned industrial warehouse to plan a rave. It’s a famously divisive movie and not for the squeamish, making it a selection for only the most deranged movie aficionado. Available on Amazon.
‘Ick’
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Probably the most Hollywood film on the list, “Ick” stars Brandon Routh and Mena Suvari in this sci-fi horror creature feature. A mysterious plant substance known as the ick has invaded a small town unnoticed, suddenly growing a very aggressive new form that hunts for victims in the dark. Filmed all around the Greater Houston area by Jersey Village native Joseph Khan, it’s a throwback to the classic Cold War monster mashes like “The Blob.” While just a might heavy-handed on the social commentary, it makes up for it scares. Available on Tubi.
‘KILD TV’
Director: William Collins
Long before “Late Night With the Devil” or even “Daughters of Evil” (which is also a horror short with Houston ties!), there was “KILD TV.” The crew of a late-night horror showcase gets ready for another shift when the phones are cut, the building locked, and a real killer starts picking them off one by one. The crew tries to broadcast out their predicament but, surprise, a lot of it looks just like their regular programming. KILD TV makes the best of its TV studio setting as well as putting together a fairly clever mystery about the killer’s identity. It’s also nice to see a Houston-made horror feature that is firmly about adult lives rather than young people dying at parties. Available on Tubi.
‘The Outing’ (aka ‘The Lamp’)
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Imagine “Night at the Museum” set in Houston and featuring a lot more telekinetic dismemberment. That’s “The Outing.” An evil djinn released from a lamp in the Houston Museum of Natural Science basement works out his aggression on a group of young people partying in the halls after the museum closes. The film became something of a cult find for VHS collectors and is now widely available, so viewers can watch museum exhibits come to life and wreak havoc from the comfort of their living rooms. It’s the only horror film that uses such a recognizable Houston location as its setting, making it a must-watch for locals who want to combine horror with hometown pride. Available on Shudder.