Because Halloween is the time of year when horror appeals to all ages and backgrounds, this week’s streaming picks are dedicated to gateway Halloween horror movies.
These movies capture the Halloween spirit and target the budding monster kid. More importantly, they make a great introduction to the genre thanks to the light scares and genre stalwarts behind them, from Sam Raimi to Guillermo del Toro and beyond.
Here’s where you can stream these five gateway Halloween horror movies this week.
For more Stay Home, Watch Horror picks, click here.
Don’t Look Under the Bed – Disney+
High school student Frances Bacon McCausland (Erin Chambers) gets blamed for a series of pranks plaguing her small town. Frances suspects the culprit is new kid Larry Houdini (Ty Hodges), but it quickly becomes apparent that only she can see him. It turns out that Larry is an imaginary friend and Frances’ only ally in her fight against the real villain- a terrifying boogeyman that has it out for her. This Disney original movie offers a sweet message at its core, in true Disney style, but it’s not afraid to unleash boogeyman terror. The dolls in Frances’s room move on their own, in creepy haunted house fashion, and then there’s the matter of Larry becoming a boogeyman with sharp teeth. That perfect tonal blend of funny and scary will give young viewers an adrenaline rush.
Ernest Scared Stupid – Hoopla, Roku Channel
The night before Halloween, Ernest P. Worrell (Jim Varney) accidentally releases an ugly troll that turns children into wooden dolls. It’s up to Ernest and his middle school friends to stop the troll and save the town. It’s the first movie in the Ernest series, making it a feature-length Ernest Halloween special. No prior knowledge of the film series is needed so that you can skip straight to the best of the bunch. It’s a charming Halloween comedy made even better by its fantastic creature effects from the Chiodo Brothers, who repurpose some of their Killer Klowns from Outer Space designs here. Perhaps a double feature is in order?
Nightbooks – Netflix
Alex (Come Play’s Winslow Fegley) adores scary things. So much so that his birthday party looks more like a Halloween party, complete with costumes, décor, and candy. But when no one shows up, prompting a concerned but hushed conversation between his parents, Alex runs away. Alex doesn’t get very far; he passes by an apartment with an open door and the TV playing The Lost Boys. It’s a trap. Alex gets stuck inside the magical apartment and forced to tell an evil witch (Krysten Ritter) a scary story every night if he hopes to live. Alex must team up with another prisoner, Yasmin (Lidya Jewett), to find a way to escape. It’s a whimsical horror-fantasy movie produced by Sam Raimi, aimed at the horror-loving monster kid. It may not technically be set on Halloween, but it embraces the spirit all the same.
ParaNorman – Roku Channel
In a small New England town, young Norman suffers ostracization and bullying for being different. He sees and speaks with ghosts, though no one believes him. Thanks to the town’s centuries-old curse, it’s up to Norman to take on ghosts, zombies, and grown-ups to save the day. This gorgeous stop-motion animated feature boasts a stacked voice cast, an immersive spooky atmosphere, and a smart script, making it an annual must-watch for Halloween. It’s also clear that writer/co-director Chris Butler is a horror fan, too, not just revealed in dialogue and visuals but in the snippets of Halloween’s score that are used within the film.
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark – Netflix
On Halloween 1968, Stella (Zoe Margaret Colletti) and her two friends meet drifter Ramon (Michael Garza) while fleeing from bullies. They invite Ramon to explore a local haunted house, where Stella discovers a mysterious book containing horror stories that seem to write themselves in real time. Director André Øvredal brings the nightmarish illustrations by Stephen Gammell and stories by Alvin Schwartz to life. Harold the scarecrow, the Pale Lady, the Big Toe corpse (Javier Botet), and the Jangly Man (Troy James) terrorize Mill Valley’s teens in this recent Halloween treat. It’s the perfect October movie full of chills for the older kid or kid at heart.
The post Five Gateway Halloween Horror Movies to Stream This Week appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.