Autumn Traditions Gone Wrong: 10 Horror Movies With Your Favorite Fall Pastimes

Summer has officially come to an end, and autumn-themed activities are underway. It’s exhausting trying to keep up with them, so here’s a list of 10 films that feature fall rites of passage with disastrous consequences. That way, you won’t feel guilty turning down yet another pumpkin spice latte with your somewhat insufferable best friend.

10.) The Conjuring (2013)

As the leaves change color, a farmhouse in Rhode Island sounds like the perfect weekend getaway. It’s just unfortunate that this mansion will kill you. Two paranormal investigators and their children learn this in James Wan’s thriller when they experience evil entities lurking within their four walls. Moreover, the previous homeowners left behind something bad — a witch named Bathsheba. Most unsettling, the film is based on a true story, making your suffocating studio apartment feel like a refuge compared to this idyllic monstrosity.

9.) The Menu (2022)

Indulging in a savory farm-to-table meal is great this time of year. The food presented in Mark Mylod’s work is more boat-to-table since super wealthy people go to a remote island to experience decadent cuisine. Furthermore, the film provides memorable scenes, such as guests being served tiny dollops of sauces without bread, since bread is classified as peasant food. Furthermore, the next time your bougie friend insists on taking you to some overpriced restaurant, make them watch this first. They’ll be happy to stay home.

8.) Pearl (2022)

Fall decorations are fun to ogle at, such as a cute scarecrow propped up on your neighbor’s lawn. In this masterpiece, part of Ti West’s X series, Pearl (Mia Goth) also encounters a scarecrow but engages in controversial behavior with it. Also, the film provides a two-for in terms of fall activities, as she executes a variation on the tradition of feeding ducks in water by feeding a goose on a pitchfork to a rapacious alligator. You certainly won’t seek out adorable scarecrows or peckish waterfowl after watching this absurdly delightful movie.

7.) Saw (2004)

With cooler weather, going on a bike ride gives you a chance to explore beautiful trails, and your cycling-enthusiast friend an opportunity to show off how in shape they are. Okay, James Wan’s Saw doesn’t actually showcase bicycles, but the villain Jigsaw does ride on a tricycle. Once your bicycling-loving friend views this classic that spawned a never-ending franchise, they will no longer be able to hear the creaking of wheels the same way again, saving your legs hours of needless pedaling.

6.) Ginger Snaps (2000)

Fall is all about tasty treats infused with spices like ginger snaps. Sure, this film has nothing to do with Pepperidge Farm indulgences, but it’s going to make you feel better about declining baked goods altogether. John Fawcett’s cult classic features two sisters, Ginger and Brigitte, who are pariahs at their suburban school. Once Ginger is attacked by a wild beast, she snaps, and Brigitte comes to the aid of her sister. So, when your buddy insists on baking fall desserts with you, hunt out this VHS tape for her. She won’t enlist your help unless she wants you to turn into a feral creature.

5.) One Hour Photo (2002)

Photographs of your family in a pumpkin patch are all the rage, but they can also inspire quite a bit of rage. Once you plaster an unnaturally large grin on your face while sporting matching plaid attire for hours in freezing temperatures, you may feel that you’ve lost your identity. Getting these saccharinely sweet photos developed is also risky business, which you’ll learn through Mark Romanek’s thriller. The late Robin Williams deftly portrays a technician at a photo chain development store who becomes obsessed with his frequent customers. So, when your mother-in-law insists on staging a fall-themed photoshoot, tell her a couple of snaps on your iPhone will make do; there’s no need to entice a stalker.

4.) The Witch (2015)

Your well-meaning but irritating best friend has been spending too much time on Instagram and wants to go to a colonial reenactment site to learn how to churn butter for her followers. But not all of us have time to go to Salem, so this film serves as an escape — if you consider an escape watching starving colonial people isolated in the woods. Once your friend sees Robert Eggers’ stupendous feature, she will no longer have aspirations of posing in a bonnet and making bread from scratch unless she wants to be murdered by a woodland witch.

3.) The Wicker Man (1973)

Last week, the autumn equinox kicked off, and Robin Hardy’s iconic film features one, so we couldn’t leave it off the list. The story involves a community that has a harvest festival with sacrifices pertaining to the cyclical nature of life and death. Sure, your friend’s idea for heading to a festival encompassed sipping hot apple cider and not undergoing a fertility ritual, but you can still provide this as evidence as to why she may want to rethink Saturday’s plan.

2.) Resolution (2012)

Renting a cabin in the woods is a welcome reprieve. However, leaving your pregnant wife at home in lieu of detoxing your best friend from drugs is not. Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead’s hidden gem crosses genres via drama, horror, and the supernatural realm. The plot revolves around a man who receives a video clip of his friend experiencing mania in his remote destination in the woods, so he goes to him and forces him to detox for a week. The film has a lot of raw, emotional moments that work seamlessly as the mystery grows more and more unnerving. After seeing this film, you’re going to be happy staying planted on your couch, and your pregnant wife will thank you.

1.) The Coffee Table (2022)

Getting a hot beverage is revitalizing, whether it’s hot apple cider or an infamous pumpkin spice latte, and putting them on a coffee table really ties together the autumnal aesthetic. It’s just bad when that table unleashes a chain of horrifying events that destroys your family. Inside Caye Casas’ tale, a couple argues over this staple of living room furniture, which results in gory horror and absurd comedy. Stephen King describes it as: “horrible and also horribly funny. Think the Coen Brothers’ darkest dream.” We couldn’t have said it better ourselves, and you’ll undoubtedly save money by sticking with your lawn furniture after experiencing this underrated delight.