Horror films can be tough to sift through. Because this genre is (sadly) not as exposed to major awards in the same way that others are, viewers looking for a good scare are often left aimlessly searching the Internet or browsing streaming services. It’s a recipe for frustration. One can easily fall into trying one film after another before giving up and moving on to something else, like a vampire abandoning their quarry.

Since we’re coming up on October, my favorite month of the year and the one best-suited for exploring this under-appreciated genre, I thought I’d provide a list of such films that bite better than the rest of their brood. My focus will be on fairly recent films, with a preference for those that go off the well-bloodied path. I can wholeheartedly recommend each of these, and promise there’s a good chance you’ll get a good scare if you try them. They’re in no particular order. Join me through October as I present ten films sure to raise your pulse and have you nervous to step around the corner. Let’s get started.

#1: Oculus

Launching this blog series is 2013’s Oculus. At first glance, this looks like another lame gimmick horror flick like those the film industry excretes every year in fall. Happily, Director Mike Flanagan (co-writing with Jeff Howard) was determined to produce something decidedly non-dumb, and succeeded. The execution is helped along thanks to a solid cast led by Karen Gillan (previously of Doctor Who fame). Every moment of this film exudes passion, right down to Gillan’s measured performance as a driven daughter out to finally destroy an antique mirror that’s wreaked havoc not just on her family, but many others.

That the main evil entity in the film is an inanimate object is a boon and not a demerit. Because there’s no crazed killer or fanged horror running about, Oculus is going to either live or die by how well it can evoke a sense of creeping dread. It does this by slowly planting confusion in its protagonists, and thus the audience. It’s a film that immerses us in its mythos and then drags us through the shards left after its characters’ carefully-laid plans are shattered.

I’m being vague as to the details of the actual plot, and that’s going to be common in this series, but especially so in the case of this film. Oculus is the kind of movie that one can’t share many details about without spoiling the slow-burn way it reveals its many secrets and plot twists (twists which, by the way, never feel ham-fisted). Oculus isn’t perfect, but it’s damned well made, and the care that went into it is obvious in every frame. It’s a great way to welcome the spookiest month of the year, and so it’s the first title in this list.

Stay tuned. The next film we’ll take a look at features an easy target. Or does it?