The Houses October Built

• Horror
• Thriller

This found footage horror film distinguishes itself from typical slasher fare by turning the haunted attraction experience *inward*, focusing on the unsettling anticipation and gradual psychological erosion of a group seeking extreme Halloween thrills. What begins as a darkly humorous road trip to discover authentic, underground haunts transforms into a chillingly realistic descent into terror as the line between performer and predator blurs, and the group realizes they've become the hunted. The film forgoes jump scares in favor of a creeping dread fuelled by the unsettling commitment of the 'haunters' and a mounting sense of helplessness, expertly capturing the vulnerability of willingly entering spaces designed to exploit primal fears. The mockumentary style intensifies the realism, implicating the audience in the characters’ increasingly desperate situation, creating a uniquely disturbing and prolonged atmosphere of escalating dread.