10 Great Spooky Movies to Stream (and goodbye 👋)
Happy Monday! How is that for clickbait? I’m going to go on an indefinite hiatus while I relax, recharge, recuperate and find some new inspiration. But don’t worry, I will be back.
In the meantime, you can check out every movie I’ve ever recommended right here and for more recent review you can check out my website or Rotten Tomatoes page.
To help get you through the Halloween season, here are ten great spooky szn movies ranked in order of scariness.
See you soon!
Karl
Spooky not scary
Death Becomes Her (1992) —Robert Zemeckis’ (Back to the Future, Forrest Gump) cult classic is the perfect black comedy horror that is never actually scary, but has moments of hilarious campy special effects driven “gore” that makes it a Halloween favorite. Streaming on HBO Max.
Hocus Pocus (1993) — I can’t talk about Halloween movies without talking about *the* iconic Disney movie that largely shaped my childhood. More than many movies, Hocus Pocus captures the spirit of Halloween and made me wish my town took it as seriously. Streaming on Disney+.
Some scares, but more atmosphere
The Silence of the Lambs (1991) — Take an episode of Law & Order: SVU and make it depraved. The Silence of the Lambs doesn’t get cited enough for the pure nightmare-infused terror that it achieves while giving us an impressive study of character. Streaming on Netflix.
Black Christmas (1974) — Whenever I’m asked what my favorite movie of all time is, Bob Casey’s watershed slasher is often the answer. Its balancing of highly progressive themes with a genuinly frightening tale of home invasion is engrossing and serves as the template for a perfect slasher. Streaming on Shudder.
Alien (1979) — Another favorite of mine, Ridley Scott’s original Alien film is a masterclass in the slow-burn horror. He’s so patient with letting the story unfold before introducing the horror. And even then, the scares are slow, deliberate and earned. Streaming on HBO Max.
It’s getting real
Us (2019) — While Get Out erred more on the side of horror-comedy, Us brings Jordan Peele full-tilt as her tells the story of America through an innovative home invasion plot. It loses steam as it goes, but it never loses its mean. Streaming on HBO Max.
The Invisible Man (2020) — Leigh Whannel brings a fresh new take on the classic Universal Monsters movie by using new and staple elements of horror to create a feeling of unease while delivering some incredible jolts of terror. Streaming on HBO Max.
Ringu (1998) — Like most J-horrors, Ringu and its also great American remake The Ring uses discomfort and unfamiliarity to cause anxiety rather than jolts of sudden scares. However, it’s well-thought out imagery of horror sticks with you. I never looked at a TV the same way again. Streaming on Shudder.
The scariest movies I’ve ever seen
Hereditary (2018) — Equal parts a slow-burn atmospheric horror about family grief and devilishlhy disturbing haunted house movie, Hereditary is without qualification the scariest movie I watched in a theater. And somehow, it’s become a comfort to me when fall rolls around. Streaming on Prime Video.
Hell House, LLC (2015) — The scariest bad movie I’ve ever seen. Hell House, LLC stretches its found footage premise to its absolute limits, but the scares it orchestrates haunted me for nights after I watched it. Its use of smart editing and cinematography makes its scares come hard and fast. Streaming on Prime Video and Shudder.