Top 50 Best Movies and TV Shows For Halloween
Top 50 Best Movies and TV Shows For Halloween. Photo KnowInsiders |
Halloween isn't a day. It's a season. And there's no better way to keep the thrills, chills and scares coming than to set up a Halloween movie marathon that lasts the whole month. There are so many good Halloween shows and movies available.
Check out our list below!
1.Hocus Pocus (1993)
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For many, the spooky season doesn’t truly begin until they’ve viewed this classic Halloween movie starring Kathy Najimy, Bette Midler, and Sarah Jessica Parker. The three play the Sanderson sisters, a trio of comically villainous witches who are accidentally resurrected on Halloween night.
Available to stream on Disney+
2.The Haunting of Hill House (2018)
Not technically a movie, The Haunting of Hill House is a series for when you want to feel scared out of your brains for multiple days in a row. There are two seasons available — The Haunting of Hill House and The Haunting of Bly Manor — and each tells the story of a different haunted house.
Available to stream on Netflix
3.The Craft (1996)
Catch this ’90s favorite on HBO Max or as part of Freeform’s 31 Nights of Halloween programming. The movie about a group of teen witches dealing with love, mean girls, and magical powers is always a good time.
Available to stream on HBO Max
4.The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
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The Nightmare Before Christmas is a staple of the holiday season whether you’re on the side that believes it’s a Halloween movie, a Christmas one, or both.
First premiering in 1993, The Nightmare Before Christmas charmed audiences with the story of Jack Skeleton’s quest to bring Christmas to Halloween Town. The Pumpkin King loves a good scare and fright but when he comes upon Christmas Town, the wonder of their holiday prompts him to want to make a version of his own.
Jack’s attempt, however, goes horribly wrong when what’s meant as a gesture of goodwill to “Sandy Claws” becomes an opportunity for Oogie Boogie to ruin his fun.
With the natural order of things thrown out of whack, Jack will have to hurry to rectify his actions and stop Oogie Boogie before it’s too late. Christmas is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year, but it’s set to be the most nightmarish if Santa Claus isn’t put back in charge and quick! Where to stream The Nightmare Before Christmas
Though Netflix has its own roster of Halloween originals and classics available to stream, The Nightmare Before Christmas isn’t one of them.
The Tim Burton produced film, which is based on a poem he wrote while working as an animator for Disney, was developed by Walt Disney Studios. As such, with the company in possession of its own streaming platform, projects by the House of Mouse are available to stream on Disney+.
In order to stream The Nightmare Before Christmas this holiday season you’ll need a Disney+ subscription. Stay tuned to Netflix Life for more news and coverage on what’s available to watch on the streamer this holiday season!
5.Light as a Feather (2019)
Who among us didn’t play a little Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board when we were younger? The Hulu original finds the lead character, McKenna, haunted by a curse attached to the game she started playing on Halloween night. Naturally, there are deadly consequences.
Available to stream on Hulu
READ MORE: Top 5 horror movies for Halloween in Netflix
6.Edward Scissorhands (1990)
Edward Scissorhands is what happens when a goth fairy tale meets a beauty trend. Bonus: There are few Halloween couples costumes better than Edward (Johnny Depp) and Kim (Winona Ryder).
Available to rent on Amazon Prime Video
7.Into the Dark (2018)
Each episode in this anthology series is inspired by a different holiday or seasonal activity. Example: In the episode “Uncanny Annie,” it is Halloween night and a group of college students gets trapped in a board game that feeds on their secrets and fears. Still low-key scared from that one.
Available to stream on Hulu
8.The Addams Family (1991)
If you found yourself wishing you were part of the eccentric Addams family upon first viewing this 1991 movie, you are not alone. They may embrace all things creepy, but they share a strong bond and are endlessly charming. Catch it as part of Freeform's 31 Nights of Halloween, or rent it on your own schedule.
Available to rent on Amazon Prime Video
9.Addams Family Values (1993)
Speaking of our favorite spooky family, why not make it a double feature with Addams Family Values? There are few things as fun as Wednesday (Christina Ricci) at summer camp. It’s rare to love a sequel as much as the original, but this is definitely an exception.
Available to stream on Paramount Plus
10.Little Monsters (2019)
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Watch Lupita Nyong’o as a schoolteacher fighting to save her class when a zombie apocalypse breaks out in this Hulu original film. If she’s got skills like her Us character, everything will probably be all right.
Available to stream on Hulu
11.Wrong Turn
Premiered: January 26, 2021; watch on Hulu
Starring: Charlotte Vega, Adain Bradley, Emma Dumont, Dylan McTee, Daisy Head, Bill Sage and Matthew Modine
The scary story: This movie rebooted the Wrong Turn film franchise and focuses on a group of hikers who take a—you guessed it—wrong turn while hiking the Appalachian Trail and find themselves under attack by the mountain community who lives there.
12.Things Heard and Seen
Premiered: April 29, 2021; watch on Netflix
Starring: Amanda Seyfried and James Norton
The scary story: An art restorer (Seyfried) and her husband (Norton) and daughter move into a new house and begin to suspect that their neighbors are keeping some dark and twisty secrets.
13.A Quiet Place Part II
Premiered: May 28, 2021; watch on Amazon
Starring: Emily Blunt, Cillian Murphy, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe, Djimon Hounsou, and John Krasinski
The scary story: The Abbott family continues their fight against the noise-sensitive aliens, and are forced to venture into the unknown beyond the safety of their farm.
14. The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It
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Premiered: June 4, 2021; watch on Amazon
Starring: Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Ruairi O'Connor, Sarah Catherine Hook, and Julian Hilliard
The scary story: The third film in the Conjuring franchise focuses on a murder suspect who becomes the first person to claim demonic possession as their defense in court.
15.Nosferatu (1922)
If you’re not a film nerd, there’s a chance you haven’t seen this 1922 vampire classic. But you should. The silent film is an unofficial adaptation of Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula, and a must-see.
Available to rent on Amazon Prime Video
16.Hotel Transylvania (2012)
Monsters need vacations too, which is the premise behind this sweet animated feature starring the voices of Adam Sandler as Count Dracula and Selena Gomez as his daughter, Mavis. It’s a family-friendly film everyone can enjoy this Halloween.
Available to stream on Hulu
17.Ghostbusters (1984)
Who you gonna call? The O.G. Ghostbusters (Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson, and Dan Aykroyd) and their proton packs if you want to handle the spooky infestation of a city, of course. If you have cable, it's a part of Freeform's 31 Nights of Halloween lineup.
Available to rent on Amazon Prime Video
18.Bloodthirsty
Premiered: April 23, 2021; watch on Amazon
Starring: Lauren Beatty, Greg Bryk, Michael Ironside, Katharine King So,
The scary story: For hardcore horror fans, this one's for you. An aspiring musician heads to the secluded home of a producer to get her music career off the ground. Ground for terror, right? But it actually seems that our rising star is the one with a taste for... blood.
19.The Forever Purge
Premiered: July 2, 2021; watch in theaters now or on Amazon
Starring: Ana de la Reguera, Josh Lucas, Tenoch Huerta, Leven Rambin, Will Patton, and Cassidy Freeman
The scary story: Following the abolition of the Purge in the last movie in the franchise, a couple finds themselves stranded in Texas and terrorized by a group of strangers determined to keep the Purge going.
20.Zombieland (2009)
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Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Woody Harrelson, and Bill Murray, Zombieland is a hilarious take on the classic zombie movie. Eisenberg plays a geeky student who joins forces with other survivors to search for a zombie-free zone.
Available to rent on Amazon Prime Video
21.Castle Rock (2018)
Halloween + Stephen King = a perfectly terrifying combination. So check out Castle Rock, the Hulu series that is based on a mix of King’s novels and stories.
Available to stream on Hulu
22.Escape Room 2
Premiered: July 16, 2021; available to rent September 20
Starring: Taylor Russell, Logan Miller, Isabelle Fuhrman, Thomas Cocquerel, Holland Roden, Carlito Olivero, and Indya Moore
The scary story: One of those fun-but-difficult escape rooms that you can do with friends? That, but with seriously deadly consequences if the puzzles aren't solved in time.
23.Don't Breathe 2
Premiered: August 13, 2021; watch in theaters now or on Amazon
Starring: Stephen Lang
The scary story: The Blind Man is back and now he's adopted an orphaned girl. Together, they're living in peace in his cabin—until a group of criminals abduct the girl, forcing him to leave his cabin and venture out to find her.
24.Candyman
Premiered: August 27, 2021; available to rent on September 17
Starring: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Teyonah Parris, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, and Colman Domingo
The scary story: A ghost story about a supernatural killer with a hook for a hand haunts the housing projects of Chicago's Cabrini Green neighborhood. According to legend, the killer can be summoned by anyone who repeats his name five times into a mirror. This movie is a sequel to 1992's Candyman and Jordan Peele cowrote the screenplay.
25.Scream (1996)
When Scream was released in 1996, it totally redefined a new era of self-aware scary movies. Decades later, the film is still just as utterly watchable.
Available to stream on HBO Max
26.Scream 2 (1997)
...and so is its sequel, which reunited Sidney (Neve Campbell), Gail (Courteney Cox), and Dewey (David Arquette) on a college campus to take on a new serial killer.
Available to stream on Pluto TV
27.Superhost
Release date: September 2, 2021
Cast: Sara Canning, Osric Chau, Gracie Gillam
Writer: Brandon Christensen
Director: Brandon Christensen (Z)
Why it's good: A pair of YouTubers who rate rental homes stumbles across a "superhost" who may or may not be a very unhinged young woman (non-spoiler: she is.) This timely social media thriller benefits from a clever screenplay, a fantastically manic performance from Gracie Gillam, a few unexpected shocks, and an amusing cameo from genre icon Barbara Crampton.
Where to watch it: Shudder
28. Lucky
Release date: March 4, 2021
Cast: Brea Grant, Dhruv Uday Singh, Leith Burke
Writer: Brea Grant
Director: Natasha Kermani (Imitation Girl)
Why it's good: "A young woman finds herself being stalked by an unknown assailant" is how a lot of horror movies open, but this one has a lot more to it than just another series of gory dispatches. It's actually a very clever and progressively more compelling time loop story that focuses on the cyclical nature of violence and how difficult it is to escape from terrifying memories. (It's also fun, too.)
Where to watch it: Shudder
29. Old
Release date: July 23, 2021
Cast: Gael García Bernal, Vicky Krieps, Rufus Sewell
Writer: M. Night Shyamalan
Director: M. Night Shyamalan (Unbreakable)
Why it's good: An isolated tropical island seems to possess some dark supernatural forces: not only is there no escape, but the location seems to speed up the aging process in very shocking and disturbing ways. Doesn't rank among M. Night's finest, but has enough interesting ideas, compelling characters, and disturbing moments to keep genre fans happy.
Where to watch it: Theaters and VOD
30. My Heart Can't Beat Unless You Tell It To
Release date: June 25, 2021
Cast: Patrick Fugit, Ingrid Sophie Schram, Owen Campbell
Writer: Jonathan Cuartas
Director: Jonathan Cuartas
Why it's good: A low-key character piece about vampirism, chronic ailments, and the importance of loyalty amongst loved ones, this movie isn't exactly the perfect horror movie for a "fun" Friday night but it's definitely worth a look if you enjoy gloomy dramas that use the horror genre in subtle, humanistic ways.
Where to watch it: VOD
31.Scream 3 (2000)
The Scream movies have always been super meta, but none more so than the third installment in the franchise, in which the characters meet the actors playing them in a movie adaptation of the events of the first film.
Available to stream on Pluto TV
32.Stranger Things (2016)
If for some reason you’ve missed the Stranger Things wave, October is the perfect month for a binge of the popular supernatural series set in the 1980s. The Halloween episodes will especially get you in the spooky season spirit.
Available to stream on Netflix
33.Lovecraft Country (2020)
The main characters in Lovecraft Country battle monsters both all too real and fantastical in this new HBO series. Racist police officers, wizards, and blood-thirsty monsters are some of the terrifying people and creatures they face—and that’s just in the first few episodes.
Available to stream on HBO Max
34.American Horror Story: Coven (2014)
Every iteration of Ryan Murphy’s FX anthology series American Horror Story is good for a scare. But if we had to pick a favorite, we’d suggest watching the witch-centric third season, Coven.
Available to stream on Amazon Prime Video
35.Halloween (1978)
The music. The mask. The Michael Meyers of it all. There’s a reason this is considered one of the best Halloween movies of all time, and it’s not just because of its on-theme title.
Available to rent on Amazon Prime Video
36.The Boy Behind the Door
Release date: July 29, 2021
Cast: Lonnie Chavis, Ezra Dewey, Kristin Bauer van Straten
Writers: David Charbonier and Justin Powell
Directors: David Charbonier and Justin Powell (The Djinn)
Why it's good: Two young boys are abducted by a mysterious couple. One escapes and does all he can to rescue his still-captured pal. Of course there's a little more to it than that, but the beauty of this intense indie is in its palpable, sustained sense of suspense, and a great lead performance by Lonnie Chavis.
Where to watch it: Shudder
37. Blood Red Sky
Release date: July 23, 2021
Cast: Peri Baumeister, Carl Anton Koch, Dominic Purcell
Writer: Stefan Holtz, Peter Thorwarth
Director: Peter Thorwarth
Why it's good: This rock-solid action-horror hybrid from Germany puts hijackers and passengers on a plane along with a seriously pissed-off mama vampire. It runs perhaps a bit too long for its own good, but the movie benefits from nice pacing and several kinetic set pieces.
Where to watch it: Netflix
38. The Columnist
Release date: May 7, 2021
Cast: Katja Herbers, Genio de Groot, Rein Hofman
Writer: Daan Windhorst
Director: Ivo van Aart
Why it's good: A frustrated newspaper columnist decides to lash out at her online oppressors in all sorts of brutally violent ways. This pitch-black horror comedy is equal parts timely social commentary and sly slasher flick, and it showcases a fantastic lead performance by Herbers, who stars in the former CBS and now Paramount+ horror series Evil (and should be familiar if you've watched Westworld or the very underrated atomic-bomb drama Manhattan). Don't be surprised if this one gets an "Americanized" remake eventually.
39. Fear Street Part 1: 1994
Release date: July 2, 2021
Cast: Maya Hawke, Charlene Amoia, David W. Thompson
Writer: Leigh Janiak & Phil Graziadei
Director:Leigh Janiak (Honeymoon)
Why it's good: Clearly inspired by the nostalgic horror trend that brought us Stranger Things and a two-part It adaptation, this colorful throwback (which is based on the series of R. L. Stine books) focuses on a group of (actual!) teenagers who are forced to contend with a bunch of horrible monsters that have been resurrected by a witch. Best of all, if you like this one it kicks off a nearly instant trilogy of movies, each of which is hitting Netflix in July.
40.The Perfection (2018)
This movie, starring Allison Williams and Logan Browning, takes some real big unexpected turns along the way. We won’t spoil the ending, but brace yourself for some gore.
Available to stream on Netflix
41. Psycho Goreman
Critics Consensus: Over the top and enthusiastically strange, PG: Psycho Goreman delivers all the cheesy midnight-movie goodness promised by its title.
Starring: Nita-Josee Hanna, Owen Myre, Adam Brooks, Alexis Hancey
Directed By: Steven Kostanski
42.Poltergeist (1982)
Carol Ann saying “They’re heeeeeeeeere” can still send chills up any spine, even all these years later. See also: clown toys and unfinished swimming pools in this classic ghost story.
Available to rent Amazon Prime Video
43.Bird Box (2018)
If you somehow missed the viral sensation that was Bird Box, Halloween is the perfect time to get in on what everyone on the internet was talking about for a hot minute in 2018.
Available to stream on Netflix
44.Superdeep
Release date: June 17, 2021
Cast: Milena Radulovic, Sergey Ivanyuk, Nikolay Kovbas
Writer: Arseny Syuhin
Director: Arseny Syuhin
Why it's good: I'm a huge sucker for subterranean horror stories, and while this Russian export isn't quite as novel as last year's Sputnik, there's certainly a lot here to appreciate. Loosely based on an actual event (more like an actual location), it's about a group of scientists who travel (super) deep underground, only to discover something biologically horrible.
Where to watch it: Shudder
45. Till Death
Release date: July 2, 2021
Cast: Megan Fox, Eoin Macken, Callan Mulvey
Writer: Jason Carvey
Director: S.K. Dale
Why it's good: On paper, it sounds just like any other home invasion or cat-and-mouse thriller—an unhappy wife is targeted by her husband's enemies. But thanks to a tight script, several solid moments of suspense, and a very strong lead performance from Megan Fox, this tense movie turns out to be an unexpected winner.
Where to watch it: VOD
46. Censor
Release date: June 11, 2021
Cast: Niamh Algar, Michael Smiley, Nicholas Burns
Writer: Prano Bailey-Bond, Anthony Fletcher
Director: Prano Bailey-Bond
Why it's good: A clever and quietly unsettling thriller about a British film censor in the 1980s who thinks she sees her long-missing sister in a sleazy homemade horror flick. What begins as a novel sort of mystery story gradually evolves into a freaky piece of psychological horror. Would probably make for a cool double feature with 2012's Berberian Sound Studio.
Where to watch it: Theaters and VOD
47. Jakob's Wife
Release date: April 16
Cast: Barbara Crampton, Larry Fessenden, Bonnie Aarons
Writer: Travis Stevens, Kathy Charles, Mark Steensland
Director: Travis Stevens (Girl on the Third Floor)
Why it's good: Comedy and horror can be a risky balance sometimes, but when you've got a pair of lead actors who know how to handle the two, the result can be pretty great. Such is the case here as two genre veterans play a religious couple who run into a serious vampire problem, and must also contend with some unexpected marital friction at the same time.
Where to watch it: VOD
48.Child’s Play (1988)
You might think a murderous doll is more silly than scary, but that means you probably haven’t met Chucky.
Available to rent on Amazon Prime Video
49.Annabelle (2014)
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Speaking of murderous dolls, Annabelle takes this trope NEXT LEVEL. This film, which is a spin-off from the popular Conjuring movies, is absolutely bone-chilling.
Available to stream on Amazon Prime Video
50.Unsolved Mysteries (2020)
Real life can be a hell of a lot scarier than any made-up monsters. Proof: Unsolved Mysteries. While we love the original ’90s series, the Netflix reboot digs even deeper into these true stories of missing people, alien encounters, and other unexplainable moments.
Available to stream on Netflix
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