It is Spooky Season, the most wonderful time of the year! I love horror movies as much as I love music and fitness, so October presents the perfect excuse to write about this other passion. Below I've compiled 10 movies that involve fitness in some significant way, many of them sourced from a post I made on Reddit asking for suggestions. I haven't seen many of these, but I'm going to make it my goal to watch as many of them as I can by the end of the month. I'll probably post a recap at the end of October with thoughts on any of these I manage to watch this month, along with any other horror films that make the viewing list. 

The Substance: We might as well start with the most suggested movie on my Reddit post: The Substance is explicitly about the fitness industry, as well as body image, ageism, exploitation of the female body, and much more. It's also audacious and explosively gross. Given that The Substance garnered a few deserved Oscar nominations, it's by no means an obscure movie, but it's absolutely worth your time if you haven't seen it. The climax of this film in particular is delightfully disgusting and transgressive. 

Killer Workout: I'm not going to lie, this trailer was a chore to sit through, so I can't imagine that the complete movie isn't as well. But a lot of folks online have recommended this one, so perhaps its more fun than it looks. 

Body Melt: Body Melt is another low-budget affair, but this one looks like a lot more fun. An Australian movie packed with Aussie soap stars that centers on experimental supplements that make people mutate, Body Melt seems to have a strong Troma vibe. I'm excited to watch this one. 

My Best Friend's Exorcism: This one is much more fun and light that scary, but My Best Friend's Exorcism features a truly unique side character in its professional bodybuilder/preacher/exorcist. It's based on a novel by Grady Hendix, and the exercise/wellness element is more prevalent in the book. Still, it's a fun if forgettable watch. 

Bloody Tennis: Boy, some of these titles are pretty on the nose, huh? Bloody Tennis looks a lot less silly than the name suggests, and it appears to be focusing heavily on the competitive and obsessive aspects of sports. But, you know, with a lot of leeches and blood as well. 

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Final Destination 5: Final Destination 5 isn't the only entry in the long-running series that uses some kind of physical activity for some of its Rube Goldberg-esque death set pieces, but it's one of the better entries in the series (following a franchise low in part 4). It also uses gymnastics as the basis of one of its big deaths, so bonus points for that! Final Destination 3 also has a death set in a weight room, but its sequence of events is a little muddy. 

Death Spa: Death Spa is probably the ultimate 1980s "fitness craze but evil!" movie. It's not great. 

Obstacle Corpse: Finally, Obstacle Corpse is another very low-budget affair, but it looks like a good time, and it's the only movie I'm aware of that tackles the obstacle course run phenomenon. I've done a couple of them and I thought they were a great time. No one was trying to kill me, though. 

If there are any other fitness horror movies I should add to my list, let me know in the comments!