We love October and the autumnal vibes – it’s also a great excuse to watch some horror and thriller movies!

So here’s what we’ve been loving this month…

FILM

THE TRIP / I ONDE DAGER (NETFLIX)

Oh how we loved this movie! First seen at Fantastic Fest, we went back for a re-watch and enjoyed it even more!

Cleverly put together, plenty of violence and humour for those that enjoy that sort of thing (director Tommy Wirkola directed the classic Norwegian horror Dead Snow so let’s just say you have been warned).

Starring Noomi Rapace, who seems to be everywhere at the moment, and Aksel Hennie; the film sees the couple head to a cabin for a bit of time out. Though both have intentions of killing the other, and that is just the start of it. The less you know the better – but just be warned this is not for the faint-hearted, but it is good fun.

BREAKING SURFACE (AMAZON PRIME UK)

Breaking Surface has finally made it’s way to Amazon Prime in the UK and we implore you to watch this fast-paced thriller that sees sisters Moa Gammel and Madeleine Martin head out for a diving trip that goes horribly wrong when one of them gets stuck beneath a rock – right down at the bottom of the fjord bed and her air is beginning to run out.

The performances from the pair are excellent and director Joachim Heden does a brilliant job at keeping you on the edge of the seat, shouting at the television, and keeping your heart rate up with a pulsating soundtrack.

Another reason to watch this is the gorgeous scenery of the Lofoten Islands in Norway – one of my favourite places to visit in the country – the snowy jagged mountains and fjords will make you want to travel out there, but you just might pass on going diving!

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TV SHOWS

THE CHESTNUT MAN (NETFLIX)

The Chestnut Man finally made its way to our screens but the biggest question is – is the adaptation any good? The book is such a huge favourite of the Nordic Noir community that if the adaptation was to drop the ball on this, all hell would break loose – fortunately, that is not the case. The adaptation has been very cleverly put together to allow for those that have already read the book to enjoy and those that haven’t to have the excitement of going in blind and not ready for a twist of all twists.

The series boasts an absolutely brilliant cast with Danica Curic and Mikkel Boe Folsgaard head up the cast as the lead detectives are embroiled in solving some grisly deaths where a little chestnut man is left at the scene of the crime. The series sees the likes of Lars Rantha, Iben Dorner, and Esben Dalgaard Andersen to name a few familiar faces!

Directors Kasper Barfoed and Mikkel Serup do a great job of keeping the darkness and violence from the book but not allowing it to be too much for the viewer. Kudos to Netflix for releasing this just as autumn begins!

WHEN THE DUST SETTLES (WALTER PRESENTS)

We mentioned in our piece last month that we had just started this series and we finally finished it at the beginning of the month. This was a series we wanted to watch at a gentle pace and savour rather than binge watch, simply because it was so beautifully crafted. It truly is a magnificent piece of work and we are so delighted that Walter Present’s got their hands on this series.

If you haven’t watched it yet then you really should – we are going to be hard-pressed to pick out an all-around favourite series of the year but this one is certainly going to be near the top of the list.

After a horrifying opening that depicts an attack on a restaurant, we are thrown back to the days leading up to it where we are introduced to a number of key characters who are involved or have their lives affected by the incident.

The cast here is strong and everyone is acting out of their skins in a series that covers broad themes of identity, terrorism, racism, and victim mentality (as the series builds towards the incident we then pick up from after the events which is some genius writing).

This is powerful stuff and pretty heartbreaking at times too – but we don’t think you will see a better series this year.

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BOOKS

The Rabbit Factor and Little Siberia by Antti Tuomainen

I finally decided to get reading again and this month I discovered the delights of Finnish author Antti Tuomainen. The author has just released the excellent The Rabbit Factor and the book has already been picked up by Amazon Prime to be made into a TV Series starring Steve Carrell – they really did not hang about – so be sure to catch this before the series comes out later next year.

The book sees a mathematician lose his job in the insurance industry only to pick up the reigns of an adventure park from his now-deceased brother, but along with adventure park comes some debt, gangsters, and difficult staff. It is an absolute ride and hard to put down – Antti’s style of writing is so well done in keeping you engaged and he has a brilliant comical style at times.

Before The Rabbit Factor was the award-winning Little Siberia which follows the story of an ex-military priest getting tangled up in all sorts of violence and intrigue after a meteorite crashes into his little hometown, after offering to guard the meteorite in the local museum all hell seems to breaks lose when he prevents some thieves from trying to steal it.

Both books have been a wonderful read and come highly recommended!

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Feature by Alex Minnis