By Cayman Compass contributor Jarett Theberge

Given that it’s the start of October, you may need to ease your way into any horror movie marathons as Halloween approaches. Before you go off the deep end with classics of the genre or brutally terrifying indie hits, consider get warmed up with some psychological thrillers like this month’s “Verity.”

“Verity” follows the story of a ghostwriter named Lowen (Dakota Johnson) tasked with finishing a book series after the famed original author Verity Crawford (Anne Hathaway) is left unable to do. But upon Lowen’s research, she finds that too many details appear to be autobiographical and that she may have uncovered a devastating crime. “Verity” opens at Camana Bay Cinema on 2 Oct.

Despite his rightfully received praise as an action star for the last 30 years, it’s easy to forget that Tom Cruise’s range as an actor is as bona fide as any performer in cinema, and dark comedy “Digger” is no exception. In the titular role, Cruise plays the world’s most powerful man who’s responsible for a disaster that threatens the lives of billions. Now, he has to develop a crackpot plan to save the planet, but perhaps more importantly to him, his reputation. Directed by one of the sharpest eyes in film, Alejandro G. Iñárritu brings a star-studded cast and commentary ripe for the moment. See “Digger” from 2 Oct.

I trust you’re warmed up to horror films by this point in the month because “Other Mommy” creeps into theaters 9 Oct. An 8-year-old girl suffers living under a roof with her bickering parents when a dark entity resembling her mother (Jessica Chastain) appears from her closet and threatens the family in ways they couldn’t image. In an interview with “Entertainment Weekly,” director and veteran horror filmmaker Rob Savage was quoted saying that the film features “like 50” jump scares in its 93-minute runtime. If nominative determinism is anything to go by, my bets are on the over for the number jump scares coming from a guy named Savage.

If you’re one of the many scuba divers in Cayman, this next flick is either one you may be able to glean some inspiration from or will scare you more than any horror film you’ve ever seen. In “Whalefall”, a scuba diver searches for his father remains until he is swallowed by a sperm whale with only an hour worth of oxygen left in his tank. Think “127 Hours” meets the story of Jonah in this film that stars Austin Abrams and also features Josh Brolin and Elisabeth Shue. Given the shots of tight quarters from the trailer, maybe bring your own oxygen tank to the theater, but check with its policy on that first. “Whalefall” opens on 16 Oct.

For the first time in over 30 years, a direct adaption of Jane Austen’s classic novel “Sense and Sensibility” comes to theaters. When the passing of the wealthy Mr. Dashwood leaves the surviving Dashwood ladies in financial ruin, they must move to a small cottage as sisters Elinor (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and Marianne (Esme Creed-Miles) set out on a search for true love that tests their respective personalities. See “Sense and Sensibility” from 30 Oct.

Jarett Theberge is a US-based freelance entertainment journalist.