Spiders rank high among the iconic symbols of Halloween thanks to endless seasonal décor and their superstitious association with witches. Still, the eight-legged arachnids are frequently considered the scariest thanks to the prevalent fear of them. Spiders tend to elicit a reaction.
Most people go out of their way to avoid the eight-legged creatures, whether due to full-blown arachnophobia or just a mild unease. This week’s streaming picks capture the primal terror that spiders evoke; if you’re not arachnophobic now, these five movies might instill a new fear.
Here’s where you can stream them this week.
For more Stay Home, Watch Horror picks, click here.
Arachnophobia – Tubi
The pinnacle of arachnophobia-based horror revolves around an arachnophobe protagonist forced to confront his fears in the worst possible way when the small town he’s just moved his family to is invaded by a new species of spider. A species that happens to be extremely aggressive and venomous. There’s no shortage of horrifying moments as the spider offspring quietly sneak into homes and attack oblivious humans doing innocuous things like putting on shoes or turning off lamps. But the showdown in the wine cellar is a spine-tingling, suspenseful battle for the ages.
The Believers – freevee, Roku Channel
After his wife dies in a freak accident in Minneapolis, Cal Jamison (Martin Sheen) moves him and his son Chris to New York City, where he attains a job as a police psychologist for the New York City Police Department. Finally, Cal feels that his family is safe, but unbeknownst to him, a series of brutal and inexplicable murders are about to begin sweeping through the town, putting his son in danger. For a movie that’s centered around a psychiatrist trying to keep his son safe from a Brujería practicing cult with a penchant for brutal child sacrifices, no one would expect the intense spider body horror that comes out of nowhere.
The Mist – Peacock
Frank Darabont’s bleak 2007 horror film traps survivors inside a supermarket when a mysterious fog rolls through town, unleashing deadly creatures with it. Faced with unknowable horrors lurking in the mist, some supermarket inhabitants turn to religious fanaticism. Some are driven insane. Many of them die in grotesque ways. Above all, The Mist offers a grim feeling of hopelessness that’ll leave you needing something uplifting to watch afterward. And yet, it’s the monstrous depiction of spiders and their harrowing method of feeding that offers the most terror here.
Most Beautiful Island – freevee, Kanopy
Most Beautiful Island isn’t a spider horror movie, but it will induce a healthy fear of spiders all the same. Ana Asensio wrote, directed, and starred in this dramatic horror-thriller about an undocumented woman struggling to survive in New York City. It’s the film’s third act that induces arachnid chills with a prolonged sequence that sees multiple characters subjected to arachnid terror as spectators watch. It’s such a simple concept, stretched out for maximum tension as you watch spiders skitter across naked flesh.
The Beyond – AMC+, Fandor, Kanopy, Peacock, Redbox, Plex, SCREAMBOX, Shudder
One of Lucio Fulci’s most beloved horror films and the second entry in his unofficial “Gates of Hell” trilogy, The Beyond is also the director’s most influential. Set in Louisiana, a young woman inherits a hotel and discovers it was built over one of the gates to Hell. Bleak, surreal, and dreamlike in its storytelling, The Beyond toes the line between beauty and horror. With Lucio Fulci at the helm, that means whatever does happen, it’s going to hurt a lot. Case in point? A vicious spider attack for one poor soul frozen in place and helpless against his arachnid threat.
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