This is it… the final week of October is here. That means it’s time to squeeze every last drop of Halloween spirit out of this week. So, we’re doubling this week’s streaming picks; and all of them are centered around the best holiday of the year!
These ten Halloween-themed horror movies run the gamut from requisite holiday favs to deep cuts, each using Halloween in some way to bring the chills, thrills, and, occasionally, laughs.
As always, here’s where you can stream them this week….
Oh and Happy Halloween!
The Changeling – AMC+, Arrow, Midnight Pulp, Plex, Shudder, Tubi
George C. Scott stars in this seminal haunted classic as a music professor attempting to start fresh after his wife and child’s death. He relocates to Seattle and moves into a historic Victorian mansion with plans to work on his music, but he experiences strange phenomena right away. The more the paranormal activity increases, the more he’s drawn into a decades-long mystery involving a child. The Changeling is a quiet chiller grounded by a fantastic lead performance and an intriguing murder mystery. Mostly, though, it’s full of dread and creepy moments – no other horror movie will make you afraid of bouncing balls quite like this one.
The Child – Arrow, Tubi
If you’re in the mood for obscure Halloween fare, Tubi has you covered. The Child follows a recently hired nanny who arrives at her employer’s rural home to find that their eleven-year-old daughter harbors a few very nasty secrets. It’s another entry in the creepy, killer child category of horror but stands out for its bizarre leaps and eerie atmosphere. One memorable jack-o-lantern scare stands out, setting the perfect mood for the Halloween season.
Dark Night of the Scarecrow – Roku Channel
Don’t let the simplicity of this made-for-TV movie fool you; Dark Night of the Scarecrow is compelling storytelling. Set in a small Southern town over the Halloween season, a mentally challenged man is wrongfully murdered for a crime he didn’t commit. When his murderers evade justice, a mysterious scarecrow systematically takes them out one by one. Halloween décor, scarecrows, farmland, and a fantastic performance by horror stalwart Larry Drake makes for one perfect Halloween season movie.
Flatliners – Hulu
Five medical students experiment with near-death experiences; each taking turns flatling for the possibility of knowledge and medical insight into death. The more they dabble, the more their past sins catch up to them, threatening grave physical harm. This star-studded supernatural thriller sees its ambitious characters too preoccupied with their work to embrace Halloween, but Death won’t let them forget. Ghosts of the past get so much stronger on Halloween night.
Hell Fest – Netflix
Gregory Plotkin’s Halloween slasher unleashes a masked killer that uses a Halloween theme park as his slaying grounds, blending in with the scare actors while committing murder. The terrorized group of friends cannot seek help, either; the patrons think the terror is all part of the event. Hell Fest uses a requisite holiday pastime- the haunt- as the center stage for this slasher that seeks to retool the definition of “Final Girl.” The inventive set pieces add to the fun. But if it’s not scary enough for you, Haunt takes itself far more seriously and is available on Shudder.
I Am Not a Serial Killer – AMC+
John Wayne Cleaver (Max Records) adheres to a strict therapy regimen and rules to ward off his sociopathic, homicidal impulses. His darker nature makes him deeply curious when a string of murders ensues in his small midwestern town, each leaving behind traces of black goo. This adaptation of Dan Wells’ novel offers a unique blend of supernatural mystery and a sweet yet strange coming-of-age tale. While it doesn’t wholly embrace Halloween, the holiday does factor into the film’s events. Christopher Lloyd also stars.
Idle Hands – Pluto TV
If you’re in the mood for something that doesn’t take itself seriously at all and goes full-throttle on the Halloween fun, this is it. Devon Sawa stars as Anton Tobias, a high school slacker whose hand becomes possessed and homicidal. That proves problematic when it comes to wooing the girl of his dreams, though his undead friends have his back. Idle Hands offers plenty of splatstick, irreverent charm set around Halloween. Including one prominent third act set at the Halloween high school dance. It even includes several music-based cameos.
Night of the Demons – AMC+, Pluto TV, Shudder
Angela Franklin (Amelia Kinkade) and her best bud Suzanne (Linnea Quigley) decide to throw their Halloween party at Hull House, an abandoned mortuary with a dark past. Sure enough, an evil presence awakens after a séance, and their group is trapped inside Hull House while demonic spirits prey on them one by one. Night of the Demons offers a spooky, fun title sequence, cool demon FX, a memorable villainess, and a wide embrace of horror iconography- right down to a bookended trick-or-treating tale. It’s a holiday cult classic.
Trick’ r Treat – HBO Max
It’s near impossible to exclude Trick’ r Treat from any Halloween horror watchlist; it’s the perfect genre interpretation of the holiday in every way. Writer/Director Michael Dougherty seamlessly interweaves five tales of terror, all set on Halloween night, each representing a different rule or facet of the holiday. And then there’s Sam, the physical embodiment of Samhain, who’s crossed over from celluloid into reality to become a proper Halloween mascot, merch and all.
WNUF Halloween Special – Shudder
This clever retro-styled horror-comedy presents itself as an off-air recording of WNUF’s Halloween special that aired on October 31, 1987. Television reporter Frank Stewart (Paul Fahrenkopf) investigates the haunted Webber House on-air throughout the news broadcast. It begins benign enough, but the further Frank gets into his broadcast, the creepier the house becomes. Keeping with the recorded-off-TV format, WNUF Halloween Special is loaded with faux commercial breaks and infomercials that evoke Halloween nostalgia.