31 Days of Horror: The Houses October Built is an underrated Halloween watch

When it comes to Halloween, there are, of course, the fan favorite movies, like Trick 'r Treat, anything in the Halloween franchise, Night of the Demons, and the Terrifier movies, some of which are set on the holiday. Most likely, many of our readers have already seen those movies, but there's a found footage film from 2014 that's worth adding to the Halloween playlist. It's called The Houses October Built, and it follows a group of friends who drive to five different haunt locations. They're eventually terrorized and stalked by disturbed individuals. Considering the premise and the haunted attraction set designs, it's a perfect watch for the big day.

Directed by Bobby Roe, The Houses October Built stars Brandy Schaefer, Zack Andrews, Roe, Mikey Roe, and Jeff Larson. Each actor goes by their first name in the film, and the cameras stay with them as they traverse one state to the next, mostly in the South, to record different haunts and search for the elusive "Blue Skeleton," the haunt of haunts! Along the way, we see footage of them walking through the live attractions and interview various scare actors. This is one of the reasons The Houses October Built is such a fitting Halloween watch. In a way, it celebrates haunt culture, while exploring why people like to be scared and why these places are such a draw and now a major industry.

The movie takes a much darker turn once the friends are followed and harassed by what seems to be haunt actors. It all starts when a creepy clown stands in front of their RV after the first location, pissed off that they kept filming. As the friend group continues traveling, they encounter one frightening individual after another. There's an especially hair-raising moment in which one of the stalkers boards the RV and films them while they're sleeping, using their own video equipment. All of this builds to a horrifying ending in which the five friends succumb to the attacks and games that these individuals play.

What's also interesting about The Houses October Built is that there's no real clear moral line here. The friends certainly don't deserve the attacks that they eventually face, but at the same time, they refer to some of the haunt actors as bumpkins and hicks more than once. A few of the friends act superior, and they're also told on multiple occasions not to film within the haunts. Additionally, none of the friends, other than maybe Brandy, are all that likeable. The men come across as annoying and sometimes macho. This is a movie that lacks a true hero or good guys and gals. It's fairly morally ambiguous in that regard.

If you're looking for a movie to close out spooky season, and one that you haven't seen before, then give The Houses October Built a watch. The scare actors and setting make it the perfect movie to check out today while giving out candy, attending a party, or just curling up under a blanket to have a movie marathon.

To read all of our 31 Days of Horror picks, click here.

Happy Halloween from all of us at The Horror Lounge!