It’s officially Fall, and October is mere days away. Ahead of peak Halloween season, this week’s streaming picks celebrate autumn. The cooler weather, the turning leaves, the fall flavors, and have I mentioned the cooler weather? The perfect time to cozy up and watch more horror, and these horror movies embrace the best time of year in some form.
Here’s where you can stream them this week.
The Evil Dead – HBO Max
Nearly forty years since The Evil Dead first made its Michigan premiere (only getting a proper release two years later), now makes for a great time to revisit this classic. Not just for its anniversary, but because the cabin setting in which the carnage takes place embraces fall in a big way. It marks the introduction to plucky and unwitting hero Ash (Bruce Campbell), director Sam Raimi’s brand of splatstick horror, and the unforgettable Deadites.
The Mutilator – Arrow, Screambox, Tubi
The beach set horror doesn’t precisely scream autumn. Yet it was initially titled Fall Break, and this goofy slasher even has a theme song. The weather is chillier, too, making this beach excursion among college friends an odd choice. That’s just one of the many campy qualities that make The Mutilator so endearingly silly. This slasher is a weird whodunit type, in that it’s only the victims that don’t know the identity of the killer. But it’s the gore that brings it in this atypical fall horror slasher. The killer’s use of a fishing gaff is bloody and brilliant. The showdown between lead protagonist Ed Jr. and the killer solidifies its splatter reputation, spilled guts and all.
Pumpkinhead – AMC+, Pluto TV, Prime Video, Shudder
Pumpkinhead remains one of the most Halloween movies despite not being set at Halloween. So, we’re at least claiming it as a fall horror movie. After a tragic accident, a man seeks revenge against the teens involved by invoking a curse in the form of a demon. But the toll of vengeance will cost him his soul and others their lives. It’s a fable set against a Southern Gothic backdrop, full of witches, ghosts, and pumpkin patches. The eponymous Pumpkinhead might be the showpiece, but the swamp witch manages to terrify more than the demon.
Sleepy Hollow – Starz
Fallen leaves, gnarled trees, and a constant roll of fog leave the small town of Sleepy Hollow steeped in the autumn air. That’s where police constable Ichabod Crane (Johnny Depp) winds up on an assignment to investigate a series of beheadings. The culprit, of course, is the legendary Headless Horseman. Based on Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” Tim Burton’s Gothic tale is intertwined with Halloween and Fall. Look for new twists and updates to the iconic story, with a witchy take on the iconic headless foe.
Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon – AMC+, Shudder
Behind the Mask works as a hysterical deconstruction of the slasher formula set around an aspiring slasher icon, Leslie Vernon. Leslie gives a documentary crew exclusive and intimate access to his life, walking them through his training and detailed plans to slay a group of teens and enter the slasher pantheon. His dynamic relationship with his chosen final girl, Taylor Gentry, provides an unexpected emotional backbone, and the humor is instantly disarming. It embraces the fall season in a big way with a climactic showdown set in an apple orchard. Cozy fall slasher? Check. Best viewed with hot apple cider or a caramel apple in hand.