A Screamin’ Streamin’ Halloween 2023

Here is what to watch during Halloween 2023. This year, I’m mixing up my list to include a few categories for each of ten popular streaming services. Categories include:

• New For You
  • A new, must-watch film this Halloween.
• You May Have Missed
  • A new(ish) movie that’s not quite a modern classic but should be high on your watchlist this October.
• Fix Your Blind Spot
  • A film that may have slipped through the cracks OR it’s one you’ve seen but forgotten how good it is.
• Modern Classics
  • These are the films that will be remembered from this generation.
• Nostalgic Classics
  • These are the films remembered from the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s.
• Foundational Classics
  • These films have terrified audiences for more than a half-century.
• What Did I Just Watch?
  • A recent film that pushes the boundaries of cinema to scare you.

My list starts with the best streamer for Halloween — it ends with the worst of the ten. Here we go.

Kanopy is a Halloween dream. It’s free if you connect your library account. You can watch ten movies or shows a month. Kanopy has a deep catalog of horror — probably all you need this year.

• New For You 
  • Censor — A horror film sends a film censor down a dark path of discovery about her childhood. Stay for the demented and wonderfully executed ending.
  • Infinity Pool — A disturbing sci-fi thriller about the cost of second chances.
• You May Have Missed
  • The Wind — Something sinister stalks a woman isolated on the American frontier. This one came out in 2019 but may have been too much for some people during Covid.
• Fix Your Blind Spot
  • A Dark Song — A film that dodged streaming for years; it’s about an occult ritual that gets out of hand. The atmosphere, scares, and imagery will linger.
• Modern Classics
  • Audition, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, The Babadook, Infinity Pool, Let the Right One In, Midsommar, Pearl, Possessor, Relic, Tucker & Dale vs Evil, X
• Nostalgic Classics
  • Creepshow, The Exorcist 3, The Gate, Night of the Comet, Phantasm, Ringu, Shutter (2004), When a Stranger Calls (1975)
• Foundational Classics
  • Angst, Black Christmas (1975), Black Sabbath, Black Sunday, The Cabinet Office of Dr. Caligari, The Cat and the Canary (1927), Dario Argento collection, Haxan, House on Haunted Hill, Les Vampires, Night of the Living Dead, Nosferatu, The Phantom of the Opera, White Zombie,
• What Did I Just Watch?
  • The Outwaters — A Mojave Desert video shoot turns into a bloody nightmare — and it’s all caught on camera. This one gets weird.

Shudder is the preeminent horror streaming service filled with modern classics – including one of the scariest movies of the last 20 years, Terrified – and one of the best endings in Kill List. It also includes live shows you won’t find anywhere else, like The Last Drive-in with Joe Bob Briggs and limited series like 101 Scariest Movie Moments. Also, the latest in the terrifying low-budget series Horror House LLC debuts October 30.

• New For You 
  • Influencer – A brilliant thriller that takes you on a few twists and turns through the challenges of fame. It gets violent, but the tension is what really cuts you.
• You May Have Missed
  • The Vigil — One night. A dead body. A house where something is lurking. Can a man questioning his faith do his duty and guard it through the night? This one will reach out and grab you. Get ready to be scared.
• Fix Your Blind Spot
  • Demons — A fun, gory Italian classic from 1985 in which demons take over a blocked-off movie theater. Pandemonium ensues. Blood and ooze spews. Does it all make sense? No. Is it entertaining? Hell yes!
• Modern Classics
  • A Dark Song, The Autopsy of Jane Doe, The Babadook, The Dark and the Wicked, Darling, Deadstream, Hell House series, Host, Huesera: The Bone Witch, Kill List, Lake Mungo, Mandy, One Cut of the Dead, Relic, Satan’s Slaves, Scare Me, Speak No Evil, Terrified, Tigers Are Not Afraid
• Nostalgic Classics
  •  Evil Dead 2, The Exorcist III, The Gate, Halloween series, Hellraiser, Lucio Fulci collection, Prom Night, Ringu
• Foundational Classics
  • Carnival of Souls, Dario Argento collection, Dawn of the Dead, Night of the Living Dead, Nosferatu (1922), Possession (1983), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
• What Did I Just Watch?
  • Skinamarink — A creepypasta stretched over two hours about two young children trapped in their house after their parents disappear. The presentation is unlike anything you’ve ever seen – and there’s a reason for that. It’s hard to watch.

Hulu doesn’t have the deepest catalog and features virtually no classics – nostalgic or foundational. The streaming service does have one of the best modern classic lineups available and will debut several new movies this month. I haven’t seen Slotherhouse yet – about a killer sloth, but you bet I’ll check it out come October 15.

• New For You 
  • No One Will Save You — You’ll hear few words. You may scream.  No One Will Save You is an exciting home-invasion thriller with a sci-fi twist that had Guillermo del Toro Tweeting that it’s “smart with great moments,” and “fun, fun, FUN.” Small script. Big scares.
• You May Have Missed
  • Underwater – Kirsten Stewart is trapped on a collapsing underwater drilling station. What’s making it collapse? It’s a flawed but fun against-the-clock thriller that turns into a creature feature.
• Fix Your Blind Spot
  • Autopsy of Jane Doe — Father and son coroners go elbows deep in a supernatural mystery. Over one long, scary night, they have to determine how a woman died. This one will give you goosebumps.
• Modern Classics
  • After Midnight, The Babadook, Barbarian, The Boogeyman (Oct 5), Censor, Cobweb (Oct 20), Crimes of the Future, Doctor Sleep, Evil Dead (2013), Infinity Pool, Prey, Skinamarink, Titane, Tucker & Dale vs Evil, The Vigil, Werewolves Within
• Nostalgic Classics
  • Alien, The Craft, Day of the Dead, Se7en
• Foundational Classics
  • none
• What Did I Just Watch?
  • Possessor — A brilliant mind-melt of a movie about an assassin who uses a brain-implant device to take over people’s bodies.

Max has a fantastic collection of new and old horror. You’ll find multiple full series, including Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street, Scream, Final Destination, and an extensive Stephen King catalog.

• New For You 
  • Barbarian — What happens when you book the worst Airbnb possible? What happens when you look in the basement? What happens when it sells again? Barbarian is brutal, weird, and surprisingly funny.
• You May Have Missed
  • Doctor Sleep – Mike Flanagan, who directs all of those fantastic horror series on Netflix, pulls off a miracle with Doctor Sleep. He nails the sequel to The Shining, using imagery and atmosphere from the Stanley Kubrick classic and combining it with extended lore from Stephen King’s universe.
• Fix Your Blind Spot
  • Onibaba — A hole. A mask. Both hide horrors unseen. Onibaba is an unflinching look at how a lonely woman and a jealous mother-in-law fight to survive after the son dies while at war in medieval Japan.
• Modern Classics
  • Cabin in the Woods, The Conjuring, The Descent, Evil Dead Rise, Hereditary, Insidious, It series, The Lodge, Trick ‘r Treat
• Nostalgic Classics
  • The Exorcist III, Final Destination series, The Fly (1986), Friday the 13th series, It (1990), Nightmare on Elm Street series, Poltergeist (1982), Scanners (and other Kronenberg films), Scream series, The Shining, Signs, Silence of the Lambs, Stephen King Collection, Young Frankenstein
• Foundational Classics
  • Cat People, The Exorcist, The Haunting (1963), Haxan, Kwaidan, Night of the Living Dead, Vampyr
• What Did I Just Watch?
  • Malignant — James Wan, director of Saw and The Conjuring, goes wild with Malignant. I won’t spoil this one for you, but it takes a turn you won’t see coming, and the main protagonist sure as hell doesn’t see coming.

Prime brings a little something of everything. The streaming service recently added several classics, including Dracula and the Invisible Man. It also features a few modern classics you may not have seen – or want to revisit. If you want to experience the scariest movie of the year, renting Talk to Me will cost you $5.99. Don’t Google it. Just see it.

• New For You 
  • Renfield – A bonkers horror-comedy splatterfest with Nic Cage as Dracula. Renfield makes its Prime debut on October 10.
• You May Have Missed
  • Candyman (2021) – A scary, violent film that expands the mythology of the 1992 classic while exploring how trauma is handed down from generation to generation.
• Fix YourBlind Spot
  • REC — One of the scariest films ever made – and probably the best found-footage film ever made. REC continually builds dread until its heart-stopping climax. If you’ve seen Quarantine, you should still see the original.
• Modern Classics
  • Absentia, The Black Phone, Candyman (2021), Drag Me to Hell, Harpoon, Hell House LLC, High Tension, Let the Right One In, M3gan, Nope, Pyewacket, Smile, Suspiria (2018), Tucker & Dale vs Evil, The Wailing, We Are Still Here
• Nostalgic Classics
  • The Burning, The Fog, The Gate, Jacob’s Ladder, Phantasm, Pulse (2005)
• Foundational Classics
  • Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, Carnival of Souls, Dracula, House on Haunted Hill, The Invisible Man, The Mummy, Night of the Living Dead, Son of Dracula, The Vampire Bat, The Wolf Man
• What Did I Just Watch?
  • The Taking of Deborah Logan – This movie continually prods and pokes you with scares. It all builds until the moment you say out loud, “What did I just see?”

Netflix does not have a deep horror library. It does have four fantastic, scary Mike Flanagan limited series and the fun Fear Street trilogy. That and a few of the top modern classics are reason enough to fire up Netflix streaming this Halloween.

• New For You 
  • Fall of the House of Usher (Oct 12) – As of publication, I have not seen this series. Does that matter? No. Mike Flanagan’s horror card is stamped with classics – including former Netflix series The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor, and Midnight Mass. This one is a haunted take on the Edgar Allen Poe classic. I know where I’ll be on October 12th.
• You May Have Missed
  • Veronica – A teenager in Madrid plays with an Ouija board. Things start to go wrong. Despite being somewhat predictable, director Paco Plaza, known for his classic REC, will scare you.
• Fix Your Blind Spot
  • Ouija: Origin of Evil — A sequel/prequel that’s better than the original – and it’s not even close. Origin of Evil is a tight little package of scares expertly wrapped by Director Mike Flanagan. Lulu Wilson is brilliant as the young girl whose possession rattles an already fractured family.
• Modern Classics
  • Annihilation, The Conjuring, The Conjuring 2, Crimson Peak, Gerald’s Game, Get Out, His House, Insidious, It Follows (Oct 15), The Strangers (2008), Under the Shadow, The Ritual, Us
• Nostalgic Classics
  • Evil Dead, Jaws series, Hellraiser, The Sentinel
• Foundational Classics
  • none
• What Did I Just Watch?
  • Creep (2014) – A videographer takes a job shooting for a man whose antics grow weirder by the hour. It’s a slow burn, but it definitely burns.

Peacock has a solid blend of eras, but especially foundational films. You can stream some of cinema’s best – from Bride of Frankenstein to John Carpenter’s The Thing. Don’t sleep on the modern classics, or sleep at all after watching a few of them.

• New For You 
  • Bliss – A punk rock fever dream about an artist whose vampiric bloodlust fuels her creativity. Get ready to get weird this Halloween.
• You May Have Missed
  • The Void – You’ve likely seen the box cover while strolling through your apps but never stopped. If you don’t mind getting a little messy, The Void is worth your time. It’s about a cult descending on a hospital to open a gateway to another dimension. It’s not perfect, but it’s tense, creepy, and has creative costumes and effects.
• Fix Your Blind Spot
  • Dead Silence and Slither – Two movies you may have overlooked that are precursors to blockbuster series – and both are wild, scary, and fun. Dead Silence (James Wan) will spook you with its haunted doll witchyness, like The Conjuring. Slither (James Gunn) is a horror comedy about a creature taking over a small town – you’ll notice elements of Gunn’s signature style that made Guardians of the Galaxy a sci-fi comedy classic.
• Modern Classics
  • Dawn of the Dead (2004), Get Out, The Golem, The House of the Devil, The Innkeepers, The Invisible Man (2020), Let the Right One In, The Mist, Renfield, Shaun of the Dead, Slither, Thirst, Train to Busan, Tucker & Dale vs Evil, Us, The Void, The Wailing, We Are Still Here, Zombieland
• Nostalgic Classics
  • Candyman (1992), The Exorcist III, The Faculty, The Frighteners, Halloween 3: Season of the Witch, People Under the Stairs, Prince of Darkness, Prom Night, Puppet Master series, The Thing (1981)
• Foundational Classics
  • The Birds, Black Christmas (1975), Bride of Frankenstein, The Changeling (1980), Frankenstein, Night of the Living Dead, Nosferatu the Vampyre (1977), Psycho (1960), Rabid (1977), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
• What Did I Just Watch?
  • Braid – A stunning film that’s unique and somewhat disorienting. It’s about two wanted women who try to target a rich friend who lives in a fantasy world within her mansion. Don’t be afraid to get a little weird. See it.

Tubi is soooo close to a Halloween wonderland for movies. BUT – the streaming service has nothing new and no option for a commercial-free experience. I can live without new movies. Commercials? No thanks. That said, if you don’t want to spend money on a new app and don’t mind ads destroying the rhythm, pacing, momentum, tension, and mood of a film, then go nuts with Tubi. This list will help you sort through the hundreds of disingenuous titles like Paranormal Entity to find films worth watching.

• New For You 
  • none
• You May Have Missed
  • They Look Like People – This is a fantastic little thriller about a man who believes everyone around him is turning into evil beings. Are they? You’ll have to find out. He has to decide if he’ll tell his only friend.
• Fix Your Blind Spot
  • Lady in White – Lady in White is a Halloween classic that most people aren’t aware of. A boy gets locked into a closet at school, sees a ghost, and uncovers a mystery that may get him killed. It’s an atmospheric and nostalgic journey that builds to a tense ending.
• Modern Classics
  • A Dark Song, Audition, The Autopsy of Jane Doe, The Babadook, Baskin, Dead Silence, Goodnight Mommy (2014), Hell House LLC, High Tension, House of the Devil, Housebound, The Innkeepers, Let the Right One In, Martyrs, Oculus, Pyewacket, Saw series, The Taking of Deborah Logan, Terrifier, They Look Like People, Train to Busan, The Wailing, The Wind
• Nostalgic Classics
  • Arachnophobia, Burnt Offerings (1977), The Changeling (1980), Evil Dead 2, Exorcist 3, The Fog (1980), The Frighteners, The Gate, Ginger Snaps, Hellraiser, In the Mouth of Madness, Lady in White, Prom Night, Return of the Living Dead, Ringu, Slumber Party Massacre
• Foundational Classics
  • Black Christmas (1975), an extensive Italian and Giallo section
• What Did I Just Watch?
  • Possum is a claustrophobic story about a puppeteer with a dark past. When he’s forced to return to his childhood home, one of his puppets terrorizes him. It sounds pretty normal, right? Go ahead, give it a go.You’ll find yourself saying, “What did I just watch?”

Criterion Channel is a curated service that is selective about its offerings. Often, you’ll find commentary, interviews, and other extras accompanying the movie. Criterion does not offer many new movies, but its foundational horror collection runs deep.

• New For You 
  • La Llarona – A war criminal, trapped in his estate by thousands of protesters, is haunted by one of his victims. Don’t confuse this with “The Curse of La Llarona.” This one, directed by Jayro Bustamante, is worth your time.
• You May Have Missed
  • The Lure – They’re mermaids. They’ve vampires. They’re Polish. And they dance. This one goes a little off the rails at times, though if you’re looking for something different, look no further.
• Fix Your Blind Spot
  • Night of the Living Dead – Some of you may not have seen this movie or seen it in years. There’s a reason it’s a classic. Night of the Living Dead is unsettling, scary, gory, and delivers a 12-gauge of social commentary. For a film from the ‘60s, it remains surprisingly relevant in tone and style. Because of a copyright issue, you can find Night of the Living Dead on just about any streaming service.
• Modern Classics
  • La Llarona
• Nostalgic Classics
  • Battle Royal, The Exorcist III, Ginger Snaps, In the Mouth of Madness, Scanners, The Slumber Party Massacre
• Foundational Classics
  • Arsenic and Old Lace, The Black Cat, Carnival of Souls, Cronos, Doctor X, Eyes Without a Face, Fiend Without a Face, Freaks, Haxan, Island of Lost Souls, Kuroneko, Night of the Living Dead, Onibaba, The Old Dark House, The Raven, Sisters (1973), Suspiria (1977), Vampyre
• What Did I Just Watch?
  • Hausu (House) – A bizarre collection of media haunts a girl and her friends while visiting her aunt’s estate. Criterion describes it as a psychedelic ghost story. It’s absurd but still spooky. There’s nothing else like it out there.

Paramount+ won’t wow you with its selection. There are a few solid Halloween selections to tap into, though most films are also on other services.

• New For You 
  • X and Pearl – Director Ti West surprised fans when he revealed the popular film X was the first in a trilogy. X blends elements of Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Shining, and other horror films to show us what happens when a guerilla film team shoots a porno on the wrong property. Pearl follows that up with a prequel showing us how the horror began. We’re still waiting on the third film, though these two are standalone films with their individual vibes and styles.
• You May Have Missed
  • Overlord – A discovery on the eve of D-Day turns this war film into a Nazi zombie sci-fi shooter. You won’t extract any deep meanings, but you will stay locked in because the action never slows.
• Fix Your Blind Spot
  • The Host – You know that guy who won Best Director for Parasite. Five years earlier, he made a film about a giant river creature that terrorizes a popular waterfront in South Korea. It’s a smart and funny creature feature.
• Modern Classics
  • A Quiet Place series, Crawl, The Grudge (2004), It Follows, Men, Overlord, The Ring, Scream (2022), Scream 6, Smile, Train to Busan
• Nostalgic Classics
  • The Blair Witch Project (1999), Event Horizon, Jacob’s Ladder, Phantasm
• Foundational Classics
  • Suspiria (1977)
• What Did I Just Watch?
  • Teeth – A girl once sworn to chastity discovers she has teeth…down there. And the camera leaves little to the imagination. The movie doesn’t land the ending – and it doesn’t nail the narrative it was going for – but you’ve likely never seen a movie like this before.