October Horror Challenge - Onslaught (2026)

    

Synopsis

When three super-soldiers attack her trailer park, a discharged military sniper must protect her daughter and survive the night.

Review

Director Adam Wingard does it again. Onslaught is a tense and stylish action horror. It also has a delightful sense of weirdness. Wingard channels his best John Carpenter here. There are definite Assault on Precinct 13 vibes and even some of the music feels like it belongs in a Carpenter flick.  

The opening montage sets up the movie well, playing various war related news clips and mentioned Operation Paperclip. Dan Stevens plays a third generation (assumed) Nazi scientist, Dr. Kammler, connected to Paperclip. He's not in the movie long, but as usual Stevens gives an unforgettable performance. Adria Arjorna is badass and I really hope she returns in a sequel. She's a soldier that returned home damaged. She's a struggling parent, but very fierce. She's definitely the kind of protagonist you want to root for. Blake Kennedy, the actress that played her young daughter did an outstanding job as well. The trailer park has some great characters two. The two standouts are Josiah (played by Reginald VelJohnson) a Vietnam vet, and Kovacs, a police office played by Eric Wareheim (of Tim and Eric fame).Oh yeah, I also can't forget about Cyrus, played by Drew Starkey. He's a government cleaner and his scenes add to the odd visuals because the character is under the effects of drugs.

The action in this one is spectacular. The killers are brutal and remind me of a combination of the super-soldiers from Universal Soldier with a healthy dose of Michael Myers or Jason Voorhees. There's definitely some Terminator vibes too, which is fitting because Micheal Biehn has small role. This movie has some kink which I wasn't expecting (though I'm not complaining about). Dr. Kammler is submissive to his wife and we are introduced to Cyrus while he's enjoying some bondage. Rather than feeling out of place, this just kind of added to the odd vibes of the flick.

This movie rocks and though it wasn't expressly mentioned in the movie I can see the connections to The Guest. I'd love to see a sequel in which the survivors team team up with David to take on new super-soldiers. 

In Your Game

Operation Paperclip Super-Soldier (Humanoid)

Armor Class: 16
Hit Dice: 10+40 HP (89)
Move: 12

Actions: 3
Attack: Machete (1d6+1) or Semi-Auto Rifle (2d6+2)

Special: Str 20, Toughness +5,fearless,  +2 to all saves, immune to drugs/poisons, dark vision, feign death
Bonuses: +8 to attacks, +12 to kicks and punches, +4 to melee damage +10 to Athletics: Basic, Combat Training +3, +4 to Demolitions, Fighting: Brawling, +6 to Pilot: Basic,+7 to Spot and Listen, +8 to Stealth

Alignment: Evil

Morale: 10

Madness: 10 (12)
Terror: 13

HDE: 8

October Horror Movie Challenge 2026

Viewed: 11
First Time Views: 10

Pretentious and misogynistic 

October Horror Challenge - Wizard of Gore (2007)

   

Synopsis

Montag the Magnificent is a shocking magician who seemingly kills audience members on stage. The trick is that the beautiful ladies survive. That is until the wind up dead days later with wounds resembling their on stage death...

Review

I grabbed this one on DVD a few months ago because I'd never seen it and heard it was a remake that held up. The fact I've always had a thing for alt chicks and the cover advertised the Suicide Girls, didn't hurt. As a millennial that's always been into alt-chicks, I'm quite familiar with them and used to be a big fan. Honestly the SG are probably the best part of this movie. There are a lot of hot naked goth girls. Unfortunately all the scenes with them involve sleaze and misogyny (though given the title and lineage of the film, that shouldn't be shocking). The flick references The Serpent and the Rainbow and shares some elements with that Wes Craven flick. Now on to the cast. 

Kip Pardue is our modern noir lead. He's a trust fund kid and pretentious as Hell. His performance is fine, I suppose. It's not memorable and you could probably replace him with any reasonably attractive pretentious white guy and the film would be the same. Bijou Philips plays his love interest, Maggie. She does the best with what she has and I appreciate that she calls out the films main issue, it's misogyny. Crispin Glover plays Montag and isn't on screen as much as you'd expect. His character is greasy and misogynistic and chews up scenery in the right way. Brad Dourif plays Dr. Chong which is problematic. While he definitely plays to Asian mystic stereotypes, the character is an American veteran with a shady past, rather than Dourif in straight up yellow face. The character is definitely memorable. Jeffrey Combs plays the Geek. Won't say too much about the character, but he's also quite memorable.

Despite everything wrong with it, I didn't hate this one and don't regret snagging a copy for my collection. There are some interesting visuals and I dig the noir vibes. Plus there are hot naked goth girls. Not that I recommend it, but if you want to watch it's on Tubi.

Your Game

Honestly not really sure how to add elements of this one to your game. You could definitely do some interesting stuff with tetrodotoxin, especially if you want something fantastic but are playing in a non-magical setting. Also, I think the social scene of the flick would fit right at home in a World of Darkness or dark urban fantasy game.

October Horror Movie Challenge 2026

Viewed: 10
First Time Views: 9

October Horror Challenge - The Guest (2014)

Synopsis

While grieving the loss of their son, the Peterson family are visited by one of his former squad mates, David. As David grows closer to the family, the family discovers he might not be what he seems.

Review

Going to start by saying while I added this to my October list because I saw it listed as an action-horror flick, it's more of an action-thriller set during Halloween. 

Dan Steven is outstanding in this movie. His portrayal as David is charming to the point of being disarming, but he also has an unmistakable aura of danger. I really can't speak highly enough. Maika Monroe and Brendan Meyer are great protagonists. Their interactions with David really drive the movie. The late, great Lance Reddick also has a smaller, but still important role in the film. This one is sleek and sexy. 

There are only a few action scenes, but they are spectacular. The mystery surrounding David's background will draw you in. There is a fun throwback vibe to this that reminds me of some of John Carpenter's action flicks.

I didn't see any obvious connections between this film and You're Next. After doing some research the connection is that the family in You're Next made their money from the organization tied to David's past.

Your Game

David Collins (Humanoid)

Armor Class: 14
Hit Dice: 8+24 HP (66)
Move: 12
Actions: 3
Attack: Knife (1d6) or Semi-Auto Pistol (2d6)

Special: Toughness +5, +1 to all saves, immune to drugs/poisons
Bonuses: +6 to attacks, +9 to kicks and punches, +10 to Athletics: Basic, Combat Training +3, +4 to Demolitions, Fighting: Brawling,  +5 to Intimidation, +5 to Persuasion, +6 to Pilot: Basic,+5 to Stealth,  +4 to Street Smart

Alignment: Neutral

Morale: 10

Madness: 0 (14)
Terror: -

HDE: 6

Items: burner phone, cash, knife, semi-auto pistol

October Horror Movie Challenge 2026

Viewed: 9
First Time Views: 8

October Horror Challenge - You’re Next (2011)

Synopsis

Erin and her boyfriend, Crispian, attend a dinner with his family when they find themselves under siege by a group of killers in animal masks.

Review

This one has been on my list for a bit, but I'm just now getting ready to watch it. You're Next is an entertaining and tense dysfunctional family drama meets home invasion meets slasher. Other than Erin, an Australian student, the characters are a group of arrogant rich assholes. The kills are pretty brutal. My favorite kill involves a garotte and my second involves a blender. This makes most of the deaths quite satisfying. There are multiple twists and I'll admit one caught me off guard. The film does a good job of explaining why the final girl, Erin, is as badass as she is.

If you're interested in watching this, it's currently on Tubi. The director has recently revealed the film is connected to his movie The Guest and Onslaught.

Your Game

Erin

Race:  Human

Class/Level: Final Girl 3

Alignment: Good

STR: 12 (+0)
INT: 14 (+1)
WIS: 13 (+1)
DEX: 16 (+2)
CON: 13 (+1)
CHA: 14 (+1)
SUR: 17

Courage: 14

Critical: 11
Death: 13

Magic: 9
Mental: 11
Poison: 10

AC: 13 (Dex, Class)

HP: 20

Toughness: +2

Initiative: +2

Move: 12

Attack Bonus

+1 to hit with punch and kicks

+3 to hit range

Damage

Unarmed 1

Axe d6+1

Skills:

Athletics: Basic 2 (+2)

Combat Training 1

Fighting: Brawling 1

First Aid 2 (+3)

Investigation 1 (+2)

Knowledge: General 1 (+2)

Stealth 3 (+5)

Wilderness Survival 3 (+4)

Traits:

Advantage on first SUR reroll of each day

Can use improvised weapons with no penalty

+2 to spot and listen

+1 to Intimidation

Toughness +1

Advantage on Madness checks

All allies within 60' may add or subtract 1 from any SUR reroll 

Gear: axe

October Horror Movie Challenge 2026

Viewed: 8
First Time Views: 7

Witch - Wrath & Wickedness Kickstarter

I wanted to give a quick shoutout to my friends at Bloat Games and let y'all know they have a new zine on Kickstarter. Witch - Wrath & Wickedness is a new monster zine featuring vile witches of various levels you can use in your 5e/5.5 D&D games. The project was written by Josh Palmer and if it's anything like Josh's previous 5e monster zines, it's going to be a great tool for any game.

October Horror Challenge - Resident Evil (2026)

    

Synopsis

Medical courier, Bryan, finds himself trapped in a nightmare while attempting to make a delivery to Raccoon City.

 

Review

I love Resident Evil. I've been playing the games since the late 90's. Resident Evil 2 was the first Playstation game I bought. I loved the first Paul W.S. Anderson flick and liked the sequels well enough. I also enjoyed the Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City. I think Zach Cregger's new Resident Evil is better than any of the previous film. The cool thing about the movie, is even if you don't know anything about Resident Evil, you can enjoy this one. There are nods to the games, like Heavy Field shot gun shells or a small safe room with a type writer, but if you miss them you are fine.

Austin Abrams stars as Bryan, a medical courier who signs up for the wrong delivery. In my opinion, he's one of the most realistic horror protagonist I've seen in a while. He's just a dude. He say's "what the fuck" a lot. He tries to do good. He sucks at using guns. I just found him relatable. The monsters are horrifying. Many are new but fit into RE lore nicely. If you are a fan of the series, I assume most of the new creatures have some variation of the G virus.

Cregger has become one of my favorite horror directors. Barbarian and Weapons were both phenomenal. Comedic writers making great horror is one of my new favorite things.

Your Game

I'm going to stat one of the movie's horrific new creatures for SURVIVE THIS!! Zombies!.

The Amalgam (Undead)

Armor Class: 14
Hit Dice: 6 + 6 HP
Move: 15
Actions: 3
Attack: Bite (d8+ infection), Claw (d8 + infection), 

Special: Assimilate, undead (they can Run and are intelligent), toughness +3, zombie
Bonuses: +7 to melee attacks, +2 to melee damage, +8 to initiative, +10 to Athletics

Alignment: Neutral

Morale: 10

Madness: -
Terror: 16

HDE: 6

Assimilate: If the amalgam kills an opponent they can take a turn to assimilate the body. They immediately heal 1d6 hit points and their hit dice permanently increase by 1 + 1 HP.

Infection: If their bite or claws deal damage, the target must make a Poison Save, or they become infected. If infected, they are at -12 to all attacks & skill rolls, lose 1/2 their Move (rounded up), and lose 1 HP an hour until magically or psychically healed or until they make another another Poison Save attempt. They may try another Poison Save every 3 hours. If they die while infected, they will become a zombie.

Undead: Undead are immune to mind-affecting effects, Poisons, stuns, being sickened, Diseases & Critical Hits.

Zombie: They will continue to try to eat the living until they are reduced to 0 HP and their brain is destroyed. If the brain remains intact, they will fight no matter how negative their HP gets. They can be incapacitated by destroying their legs or body.

October Horror Movie Challenge 2026

Viewed: 7
First Time Views: 6

October Horror Challenge - Whistle (2026)

   

Synopsis

A group of students find themselves stalked by death when they hear a cursed Aztec death whistle.

Review

I watched this because of the Gunship video for their cover of Time After Time. This movie shares some similar plot elements as the Final Destination series, so there's nothing totally original here. To be honest, I don't even care for those flicks. However, due to the likable cast of misfits I really liked Whistle. In particular Daphne Keen (X-23), Sophie Nélisse, and Sky Yang have great interactions and make care about them. Yang's Rel was my favorite. Nick Frost has a small role as a teacher. The effects in this won't aren't great, but there are some gnarly kills. Honestly I don't have too much to say about this one. It's an average teen scream. 

Your Game

There is a predatory youth pastor in this flick and I think that's an archetype that works well in most SURVIVE THIS!! settings.

Predatory Youth Pastor (Humanoid)

Armor Class: 13
Hit Dice: 3 
Move: 12
Actions: 1
Attack: Knife (1d6-1)

Special: Advantage on Persuasion rolls against Christians and authority figures

Bonuses: +2 to melee attacks, +2 to Knowledge: Religion (Christianity), +2 to Persuasion, +3 to Stealth, Street Smart +4

Alignment: Neutral or Evil

Morale: 4

Madness: 0 (7)
Terror: -

HDE: 1

Items: Bible, switchblade, dimebag, bottle of pain pills, $100

October Horror Movie Challenge 2026

Viewed: 6
First Time Views: 5

Marvelous Body Horror

I miss Marvel comic corner box art. That might be why these body horror pieces by  Frederik Hornung hit like they do.

October Horror Challenge - Ice Cream Man (1995)

  
Synopsis

When one of their friends goes missing a trio of kids try to rescue him from the clutches of the local ice cream man.

Review

I had planned on watching Eli Roth's Ice Cream Man, before I learned about Roth's use of AI and lies about it. This is why I decided to check out the unrelated Ice Cream Man from 1995. This one has a cult following and I can see why. Is it a good movie? Nope. Is it a bizarre and goofy horror movie? Hell yeah. There's a lot about this movie that doesn't make sense. How do folks not notice body parts in their ice cream? How has the mental hospital Gregory, the titular ice cream man, operated the way it has without oversight. Just forget those questions and enjoy the show. The film is definitely 90's straight to video style and the music reminds me of something you'd here in one of Charles Band's Full Moon flicks. Clint Howard's portrayal as the titular ice cream man is inspired. He has a tragic background and there are times that you do feel for him, but ultimately he's an insane killer.

If you want to watch some horror trash mixed with absurd dark humor, check this one out. Its currently streaming for free on Tubi and a few other apps.  

Your Game

Your game needs a killer ice cream man.

Gregory Tudor the Ice Cream Prince (Humanoid)

Armor Class: 13
Hit Dice: 1 (12)
Move: 12
Actions: 1
Attack: Knife (1d6-1) or improvised weapons (1d4)

Special: Disadvantage on mental saves
Bonuses: +2 to melee attacks, +3 to Stealth

Alignment: Evil

Morale: 5

Madness: 9 (10)
Terror: 14

HDE: 1

Items: ice cream truck, knife, pint of Butter Brickle

October Horror Movie Challenge 2026

Viewed: 5
First Time Views: 4