For genre fans, the advent of October means an excuse to binge-watch the classics, re-watch your favourites and discover scary new releases while the time is right and the atmosphere screams (literally) horror. Horror movie aficionados will agree, however, that 2014 hasn’t been a particularly strong year for genre movies. That’s not to say we’ve been short on the quantity of new releases, or course, but the quality has, in general, left much to be desired. Among the inoffensive but uninspiring horror offerings of 2014, we’ve had; the typical and unforgettable sequels like Cabin Fever 3, cash cow prequels like Annabelle, misguided reboots like Leprechaun: Origins and the obligatory (if mildly entertaining) horror comedies like Zombeavers. So far, so blah.

At least, that’s what the box office reports would have us believe…

We at WhatCulture.com, however, are here to enlighten you on the hidden gems beneath the slew of exceedingly mainstream horror releases. Were you lucky enough to do the festival circuit this year? Or perhaps a few genre fans out there have kept an eye on those straight-to-streaming releases that were just too much for general distribution in 2014. If you fall into either of those categories, you might be familiar with a few of the following most seat-grippingly, stomach-churningly terrifying of 2014’s best horror movies.

Otherwise, get your popcorn and a comforting cushion at the ready: These ten best horror movies of the year will ensure your 2014 Halloween season is something to remember for all the right very wrong reasons.