Costumes are in stores. Pinterest is littered with countless Halloween makeup looks. And candy corn is appearing in bowls everywhere. Yup, Halloween is coming. You might be considering working on perfecting your skull makeup. Before you even get into that, you can get into the Halloween spirit with a movie.
There are lots of great Halloween movies streaming on Netflix, Hulu, HBO Go and Amazon Prime. In fact, you could watch a different Halloween movie starting now and still have a bunch left over by the time October 31 comes.
17 Spook-tacular Halloween Movies Streaming Now:
Interview with the Vampire (Streaming on Netflix)
Young Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise as vampires? Yes, please. Long before Robert Pattinson was Edward Cullen in Twilight, we had the two former men in 1994’s Interview with the Vampire.
The film isn’t your typical girl-meets-vampire love story. Louis (Brad) is an 18th-century-lord-turned-vampire. He was convinced by vampire Lestat (Tom) to become a vampire after he was depressed about loss. The two have a complicated relationship which is made worse because of the involvement of a young girl named Claudia ( Kirsten Dunst).
Ghostbusters (Streaming on Amazon Prime)
Who you gonna call? Ghostbusters! If you don’t want something too scary, start streaming the OG Ghostbusters. The 1984 film is a cult classic that is just as entertaining on the 100th watch as it is on the first. The idea of a team of university scientists (Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Harold Ramis) deciding to cater to the paranormal needs of the city to make some extra cash might initially seem ridiculous, but once you see what’s going on the streets, you will be following along.
The Sixth Sense (Streaming on Netflix)
You know the famous line from 1999’s The Sixth Sense. You might even know how the movie ends because you’ve watched it on numerous occasions. Taking those things into consideration, you will likely get a kick spook out of watching the scary movie again. After all, it’s directed by king of scary M. Night Shyamalan and young Haley Joel Osment gives an incredible performance as a poor boy, Cole Sear, who is haunted by ghosts. It’s partly a psychological thriller and it will have you as intrigued as Dr. Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis) is.
Let Me In (Streaming on Netflix)
Want something different than the usual Halloween slasher movie? Stream Let Me In. The 2010 film is described as a romantic horror film. (For real.) It’s a remake of the popular 2008 Swedish film Let the Right One In. The newer version stars Chloë Grace Moretz as Abby and Kodi Smit-McPhee as Owen. Both have their niche set of problems, and as outcasts, they form a bond. But there are ~events~ that make people question what’s really going on. Dun dun dun.
Scream 2 (Streaming on Netflix)
It has been spoofed so many times, but the Scream franchise remains a classic that will still make the hairs on your arms stand up. You can stream the sequel, 1997’s Scream 2 right now. If by some chance you haven’t seen the first one, it’s not totally necessary. There will be some spoilers that will be revealed (we won’t give anything away here) but you’ll understand what’s going on. Basically, there’s a killer called Ghostface who is back and he’s coming for people including Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell). You might know how things will go down, but you will still be entertained.
The Lost Boys (Streaming on Netflix)
The Lost Boys doesn’t seem like the typical Halloween movie title, but the 1987 movie does have vampires. It all begins when teenage boys Sam (Corey Haim) and Michael (Jason Patric) move to a small town with their mom. They meet some new friends including David (Kiefer Sutherland), who is part of a group of vampires. (Just go with it.) It doesn’t go in the direction you might expect the typical vampire movie to go in. What’s more, the 1980s vampires are glorious.
The Nightmare Before Christmas (Streaming on Amazon Prime)
The Nightmare Before Christmas just might be the Halloween movie to beat all Halloween movies. And some consider the 1993 stop-motion film to be Tim Burton at his best. The story looks at Jack Skellington (Danny Elfman/Chris Sarandon) aka the Pumpkin King of Halloweentown. Unfortunately, he has become disillusioned by Halloween and scary tricks. Then he happens to discover Christmastown and comes up with a plan. Watch it now then watch it again closer to Christmas again.
Raw (Streaming on Netflix)
Warning: You do not want to watch Raw within a few hours of eating. Actually, you don’t want to watch the movie if you have a weak stomach, period. If you think that sounds like a challenge you’re up for, you can watch the bloody 2016 French-Belgian drama this Halloween season. Vegetarian Justine (Garance Marillier) is a freshman at veterinary school and goes through a lot in her first week, including eating raw meat for the first time as part of a hazing ritual. Let’s just say that was a bit of a mistake for all parties involved. It seems once you have the taste for it, it’s almost insatiable.
Scooby-Doo (Streaming on Netflix)
Looking to lighten things up and take a break from all the blood, guts, and gore? Scooby-Doo will do that. You could watch the classic cartoon but we’re talking about the 2002 movie. Watch it and know that you’ll be able to get a good sleep without any nightmares. The movie has got some A-listers including Freddie Prinze Jr. as Fred, Sarah Michelle Geller as Daphne and Neil Fanning as the voice of the title character. The full gang is back to hop into the Mystery Van to solve another case. Expect some great cameos.
The Conjuring (Streaming on Netflix)
The Conjuring is one of those supernatural films that will keep you awake at night. It was released in 2013 and can be streamed now. It takes us back to the 1970s where “demonologists” (yup) Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine (Vera Farmiga) go the Perron family’s farmhouse to try to figure out what is going on. We’re not really spoiling anything when we tell you that it’s not good.
Children of the Corn (Streaming on Hulu and Netflix)
Children of the Corn is a throwback horror film from 1984 that shows you don’t need CGI to scare the pants off of people. If you find one kid in a horror film creepy, the movie has countless kids. Burt (Peter Horton) is driving across the Midwest with his girlfriend Vicky (Linda Hamilton) because he’s relocating for a new job. Trouble starts when they discover the body of a murdered boy on the road. Then they find a town with nothing but kids nestled among the corn.
Coraline (Streaming on Netflix)
It wouldn’t be Halloween without a couple Tim Burton movies. Many go for Beetlejuice and the aforementioned The Nightmare Before Christmas, but 2009’s Coraline is a worthy film. It’s a classic gothic stop-motion film about a girl obviously named Coraline (Dakota Fanning). She discovers a trap door which leads to a parallel world. That sounds well and good but it turns out to have some problems. If you’re looking for Halloween and style inspo, it’s your film.
Cult of Chucky (Streaming on Netflix)
There are a lot of Chucky films to choose from. For your streaming pleasure, Cult of Chucky is streaming. The 2017 slasher movie features an animated Chucky who is just as creepy as all the other versions. Unsurprisingly, he’s back to terrorize kids. This time, he also has as few vendettas to settle. You might know the drill by now, but it doesn’t make the movie any less scary.
The Babadook (Streaming on Netflix)
A monster in the house is a common theme in many a scary film, but 2017’s cult The Babadook movie managed to reinvent it thanks to the story of a widow (Essie Davis) grappling with the death of her husband. On top of that, she has to try and help her six-year-old son Samuel (Noah Wiseman), who is becoming more troubled by the so-called monsters in the house. The movie gained a critical reception and proved Australia knows its horror films.
The Ritual (Streaming on Netflix)
Going on a hike in the remote Scandinavian wilderness after the tragic death of a friend? What could go wrong? Pretty much everything, if we want to believe The Ritual. Instead of crazed killers or vampires, the 2017 film incorporates the setting with demonic Norse legends. You might not be as familiar with them, but you will get to know them. And they will freak you out.
Creep (Streaming on Netflix)
Creep is one of those movies that will get under your skin because it’s just so, well, creepy thanks to the film direction and the plot. It begins with Aaron (Patrick Kack-Brice) answering an ad to film a guy for a day to create a video for his unborn child. And things just get weirder from there. FYI: The OG is currently streaming but there’s also a sequel, 2017’s Creep 2.
Practical Magic (Streaming on HBO Go)
No Halloween movie list would be complete without a couple of witches. In 1998’s Practical Magic, we have Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman as Sally and Gillian, respectively. They are born into a *magical* family but weren’t all that interested in their herstory. That’s until something changes their minds. It’s Halloween-y, but not a scream-fest.