When you’re sitting around Thursday waiting for trick-or-treaters, maybe you’d like to watch an excellent psychological thriller.

A few years ago, I got introduced to the 2011 film The Perfect Host, starring David Hyde Pierce.  Yep, Niles from Frasier.  Now if you’re hesitant to commit to this movie for Halloween, does it help to know there is a little blood?

The problem is that I have to be careful how much I say about it so as not to spoil it for you.

Pierce plays an impeccably perfect chap who lives on his own.  We see him preparing for a dinner party at his house and everything is perfectly arranged and perfectly timed.  It looks like it’ll be the perfect dinner.  But when a fugitive shows up and worms his way into the house by pretending to be a friend of his sister, you can feel that things aren’t going to go well.  Exactly how they don’t go well is the fun part.  I hope I’m not saying too much to say that Pierce is good at playing a character who’s a little … off.

Unless you’re married to the idea of a slasher movie, I’d say this is a great movie to watch on Halloween.  Isn’t it more fun to be shocked than simply grossed out?  Of course, I’m n0t taking anything away from Jordan Peele’s Get Out or Us.  Those are the new gold standard.

But maybe you want to take a break from gold?  OK, The Perfect Host did only get about 50% on Rotten Tomatoes, but what do those people know?  They’re the ones who are scary if you ask me!