The holiday may have passed, but Halloween movies are still available, and who doesn’t love a good scare here and there?
1: “Scream” (1996)
Many are familiar with the infamous Ghostface and the “Scream” franchise, but there is no “Scream” film like the first one. Between the star-studded cast, trivia-worthy moments and plot twists, “Scream” is a must-watch.
Scream takes place in Woodsboro, California, where a masked killer is slashing high school students. The thriller builds suspense as the characters race to figure out who is behind the mask before he can kill them.
The film is just short of two hours and can be streamed on Hulu and Prime Video with a Paramount+ subscription.
2: “Freddy vs. Jason” (2003)
Two of the most well-known cult classic supernatural killers go head-to-head in this film.
Freddy Krueger needs the teenagers of Elmwood to remember him in order to appear in their dreams, so he awakens Jason to hunt them and plant a seed of fear Krueger can grow from. After Krueger gains his strength back, he realizes Jason is still killing with no plans to stop, stealing Krueger’s victims from him, so he must stop him.
This one is worth watching every Halloween season — and every Friday the 13th. The movie isn’t particularly scary, but it is suspenseful and keeps viewers on the edge of their seats wondering who will win and how many people will get in their way before that happens.
It blends the 1980s films, “A Nightmare on Elm Street” and “Friday the 13th, beautifully, sticking true to the characters’ design, the scenery of Elm Street and Camp Crystal Lake, and the deadlines of both characters.
This film is about 90 minutes long and can be rented on Prime Video.
3: “The Exorcism of Emily Rose” (2005)
“The Exorcism of Emily Rose” movie follows a lawyer who becomes the lead defense in a neglectful homicide case involving a priest who performed an exorcism on a 19-year-old college student, Emily Rose. The movie includes flashbacks to Rose’s possession, fraught with well-placed jump scares and disturbing visuals.
The court scenes present science that reasonably explains Rose’s symptoms, but the film does a good job incorporating the demons into the court case and the lawyer’s personal life to prove that demons exist outside the bounds of science, a terrifying thought for audience members.
This movie is two hours long and can be rented on Prime Video.
4: “IT” (2017)
A remake of the 1990 classic “IT,” the 2017 film focuses on seven young kids in Derry, Maine, who must battle a shape-shifting evil being who primarily takes the form of Pennywise the Dancing Clown.
If a clown wasn’t scary enough, the evil also takes the shape of a creepy woman with a skewed face and shark-like teeth, a rotting leper and a charred, headless body — in addition to many others.
Between jump scares, terrifying visuals and suspenseful moments, “IT” is sure to frighten audience members.
It’s a longer movie at two hours and 15 minutes, but the pacing is good and keeps audience members engaged. It can be streamed on HBO Max.
5: “Halloween” (1978)
Another cult classic, “Halloween” features Michael Myers, a knife-wielding madman who stalks Haddonfield, Illinois and targets Laurie Strode on Halloween night. Halloween mirrors the idea of the “boogeyman,” making Myers a masked individual who leaves a wake of bodies in the night.
Much of the terror is based on the suspense of Myers stalking Strode and killing anyone who gets in his way. The suspense reaches a boiling point when Myers reaches Strode and she fights for her life.
The soundtrack is also eerie, working to keep viewers unnerved even during lax scenes.
“Halloween” is only 90 minutes long and can be streamed on Prime Video with an additional AMC+ subscription.
6: “A Nightmare on Elm Street” (1984)
A widely recognized cult classic, “A Nightmare on Elm Street” follows Freddy Krueger as he haunts the dreams of teenagers in a small town. Although he appears in dreams, Krueger’s razor-sharp blades are real, and his victims perish brutally while asleep.
“A Nightmare on Elm Street” will spike heart rates and make your bed seem a little less safe.
Another 90 minute film, “A Nightmare on Elm Street” can be rented on Prime Video.
7: “Black Phone” (2021)
“Black Phone” is about a young boy, Finney, who is kidnapped by a sadistic serial killer, the Grabber, and begins to receive calls from the previous murder victims who try to help him escape.
This movie is terrifying and deeply unsettling. There are many jump scares and every scene with the Grabber leaves audience members with a knot in their stomach. He wears a large mask with horns and a Joker-like smile — he’s terrifying just to look at.
This movie is approximately an hour and 45 minutes long. It’s available for streaming on Peacock and Hulu.
8: “The Conjuring 2” (2016)
The second installment in the “Conjuring” universe, “The Conjuring 2” follows Ed and Lorraine Warren as they investigate the demonic possession of a young girl in north London.
Anticipation is built throughout the film as the demon torments the girls’ family by slamming doors, randomly playing with the kids’ toys and taking on different forms — including the terrifying 8-foot-tall Crooked Man and Valak, a demonic nun.
This movie is two hours and 15 minutes long and can be streamed on HBO Max.
9: “Saw III” (2006)
The “Saw” franchise is often written off as simple gore, but it’s really a psychological thriller with complex plots. “Saw III” follows two plots: a kidnapped doctor who must save John Kramer’s (Jigsaw) life or die, and a father who finds himself in a Jigsaw trap focused on his ability to forgive after his son was killed by a drunk driver years prior.
The characters are forced to make life-or-death decisions, leaving the audience in suspense until the plots unite at the end in true “Saw” fashion. For those who have seen the first two films, it includes Jigsaw’s apprentice — Amanda — Detective Matthews and Detective Kerry. However, viewers don’t have to watch the first two films to make sense of “Saw III”.
The movie is approximately an hour and 45 minutes long and can be streamed on Hulu.
10: “The Shining” (1980)
Another classic, “The Shining,” follows the mental demise of Jack Torrance while isolated in an empty hotel with his family during the off-season.
The hotel is haunted by ghosts who terrorize his wife and son while transforming Torrance into a homicidal maniac. The ghosts in the hotel are unnervingly human in appearance, including the famous twins and the constant threat of “redrum.”
Jack Nicholson, the actor for Torrance, puts on a classically terrifying performance fraught with madness and rage.
This film is on the longer side coming in at just under two and a half hours and can be streamed on HBO Max.
11: “Heretic” (2024)
“Heretic” is a psychological horror film centered around religion including its history and different beliefs. The movie is about two Mormon missionaries who become trapped in the home of a religious fanatic, Mr. Reed, who is dead set on proving his own religion.
Mr. Reed goes on ominous rants about religion that send shivers dow audiences’ spines. The ending of “Heretic” is slightly underwhelming but brings enough suspense to do fright right.
“Heretic” is just under two hours long and can be streamed on HBO Max.
12: “Children of the Corn” (1984)
This thriller follows a young couple who become stranded in a small town while driving across the Midwest. As they explore the town, they realize it’s been overtaken by children who have killed all of the adults.
Kids in horror movies tend to be creepy, but in “Children of the Corn,” the kids are truly evil. They hunt the couple so they can present them as a sacrifice for the deity they worship, “He Who Walks Behind The Rows.” The movie is more creepy and eerie than scary, but it is still worth a watch.
This film is about an hour and a half long and can only be streamed on Tubi.
13: “The Cabin in the Woods” (2011)
“The Cabin in the Woods” is a well-executed horror-comedy that satirizes typical scary movies. In the film, a group of college students vacation to a remote cabin and find themselves caught in the middle of an ancient ritual. At the same time, a group of technicians watch the college students every move and manipulate events.
The movie perfectly balances horror and suspense with humor, making it nearly impossible to guess what may happen next. It’s a good watch for those who aren’t huge on scary movies.
The movie is about an hour and a half and can be streamed on Peacock and Hulu.
Banner from the movie Scream. Picture from Netflix.