13 Best Horror Films To Stream This Halloween – And Where To Watch Them

If there were ever a time to cram in as many horror movies as you can, this would be it.

As Halloween is fast approaching, now seems like an opportune moment to revisit some of your old horror favourites – or, indeed, finally get round to crossing some of the movies you never quite got round to watching in the past off your list.

With that in mind, we’ve rounded up 13 (wooOOOOOoooh, spooky!) of the most popular horror movies available to stream right now, as well as where you can actually catch them this Halloween.

Oh, and we’ve also thrown in their trailers, just in case you wanted to prepare yourself for just how scared you’re going to be before diving in…

As unsettling a watch today as it was when it was first released almost six decades ago, Night Of The Living Dead is still revered by both horror fans and film lovers in general, with its impact still being felt in the genre today.

The original Night Of The Living Dead was an indie film that took on a new life upon its release in the late 1960s, centring around a group of young people in the middle of a zombie apocalypse, set upon by cannibalistic undead “ghouls”.

Stream it on: Tubi, Plex and Amazon Prime Video

And speaking of horrors from the mid-20th century that still more than hold their own today, Rosemary’s Baby remains one of the genre’s greatest ever offerings not because of gruesome gore or well-timed jump-scares, but because of how deeply and unsettlingly weird it is.

Horror is famously a hard sell when it comes to awards season, but the greatness of Rosemary’s Baby meant it bucked this trend, with Ruth Gordon picking up Best Supporting Actress for her performance (and its disgraced director Roman Polanski also landing a nomination in the Best Adapted Screenplay category).

Stream it on: Paramount+ and Amazon Prime Video

If nothing else, 1973’s game-changing offering The Exorcist is proof that, while CGI and computer trickery certainly have their place, nothing compares to a well-executed practical effect on the big screen.

While some horror movies have aged like milk or become camp favourites because of their janky special effects, The Exorcist is still terrifying audiences after five decades because of its nightmarish visuals – as well as a revered performance from Linda Blair, of course.

Stream it on: Now, HBO Max and Amazon Prime Video

What is it about Carrie that makes it one of the greatest horrors of all time?

For starters, it’s weird from the word go, only descending into stranger and stranger places as the story unfolds. There’s also a gold-star performance from its lead Sissy Spacek, who landed a rare horror Oscar nomination for her work in the film (as did her on-screen mum Piper Laurie for her disturbing and sinister performance as Carrie’s religious devotee mother Margaret White).

Where Carrie really succeeds, though, is turning the idea of a “monster” movie on its head, giving us just enough sympathy for the title character to really root for her as things take a turn in the final act. To quote Chicago… “they had it coming”.

Stream it on: Amazon Prime Video and Mubi

The very first (and fittingly-titled) Halloween movie introduced the world not just to serial killer Michael Myers, who would go on to become an icon of the slasher genre, but also to future Oscar winner Jamie Lee Curtis, as this marked her first on-screen appearance.

After a string of sequels, Halloween was rebooted in 2018, with Jamie Lee returning to the role of Laurie Strode in the revival (which, incidentally, is available to watch on Netflix now if that’s more your thing).

Stream it on: BBC iPlayer and Amazon Prime Video

The great mystery of The Shining is that, despite being widely revered today as one of the best films ever made (let alone the best horrors), it was widely panned by critics when it was first released, and considered something of a flop at the box office.

Fortunately, history looks on this classic film more favourably, and while Jack Nicholson’s seminal performance as Jack Torrance is often singled out for praise, for us the late Shelley Duvall is the true MVP of the piece.

Stream it on: Now, HBO Max and Amazon Prime Video

More purist horror fans might find the genre’s best work being reserved for spooky season a little reductive, but even those who hold that opinion would have to concede that the mischievous and twisted world of Scream makes it a real perfect Halloween watch.

There’s so much to love about Scream – from its star-studded cast and its imaginative kills to the surprising humour littered throughout the movie. And if you’re a big fan of horror in general, there are also Easter eggs scattered throughout to keep you hooked, too.

Stream it on: Amazon Prime Video or Paramount+

Arguably the pinnacle of the “found footage” horror sub-genre, The Blair Witch Project became a cultural phenomenon upon its release in the late 90s, first premiering at the Sundance Film Festival and later garnering a loyal following through word of mouth.

Its impact is still being felt on cinema even today, with the likes of Paranormal Activity, Cloverfield, X and Skinamarink all owing a debt to Blair Witch, which was filmed in just eight days, only to be met with universal critical acclaim.

Stream it on: Netflix or Amazon Prime Video

Body horror found what just might have been its most mainstream audience ever in the mid-2000s, when the first Saw movie became a box office hit, going on to spawn as many as nine sequels, all of which are streaming now.

Whether you hate the “torture porn” aspect of the franchise, find yourself watching its gruesome sequences through your fingers or can’t take your eyes off the screen whenever Saw is on, the series has become hugely popular over the years, with its villain Jigsaw becoming one of the most iconic of the modern horror era.

Stream it on: Now, HBO Max, Amazon Prime or Tubi

Jennifer Kent’s exploration of grief, mental health struggles and the seldom-mentioned darker sides of parenting is often hailed as one of the earlier films to see in the “elevated horror” wave in the 2010s.

Effective as it might be as an artier “psychological horror” than some of the other films on this list, The Babadook is also absolutely terrifying in the truer sense of the world, with straight-forward scares slotted in alongside its more thought-provoking moments.

Stream it on: Tubi, ITVX, Amazon Prime Video, Now or HBO Max

Even the aforementioned horror-sceptics at the Oscars couldn’t deny the greatness of Jordan Peele’s Get Out, which explored racism – particularly from liberal-presenting white people – through the horror movie lens.

Jordan deservedly won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Get Out, while performances from the always-dependable Catherine Keener and Allison Williams also among its stand-outs.

The real star of the star, though, has to be its lead Daniel Kaluuya, whose nuanced performance throughout the film helped bring Chris’ story to life on screen.

Stream it on: Disney+, BBC iPlayer or Amazon Prime Video

Bill Skarsgård’s performance as Pennywise the Dancing Clown in this new take on Stephen King’s It is undeniably one of the most iconic horror performances of the last decade – as unsettling and sinister as it is unhinged and ridiculous.

Outside of the central sewer-dweller, the horror adaptation features some incredible performances from its Losers’ Club, who go through a coming-of-age story with a difference as they’re forced to confront unspeakable evil and their personal biggest fears along the way.

As much as it works as a stand-alone watch, the sequel It Part Two is also available to stream on the same platforms afterwards, with the prequel series Welcome To Derry winning rave reviews last year, too.

Stream it on: Netflix and Amazon Prime Video

The Substance was undeniably the most-hyped horror of 2024, with the film serving as a comeback vehicle for Demi Moore, who found herself within arm’s reach of an Oscar at the beginning of last year.

While sadly it wasn’t to be, The Substance is an absolute triumph of a movie, both as a visceral commentary on our society’s endless quest for youth, and a gory bloodbath that’s somehow hard to watch, yet impossible to look away from.

Stream it on: Paramount+, Amazon Prime or BBC iPlayer