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Halloween is almost here and if you're anything like us then you're probably already thinking about the horror movies you're going to be streaming on the big day. But here's a question for you: why wait? There are hundreds of wonderful horror movies out there, so why not start early? That's why, to celebrate spooky season, we've decided to make a new regular feature, pulling out some of the best horror movies on streaming.
Each week we'll present you with a list of seven superb films that are available on a range of the best streaming services, from Netflix to Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, and more. These are the scariest, most dramatic, and exciting fear flicks you can find right now.
The Shining
Available: US
Director(s): Stanley Kubrick
Where to watch: HBO Max
Stanley Kubrick's adaptation of the classic Stephen King novel may take a few liberties with the source material (King himself is famously not a fan), but that shouldn't put you off what remains one of the most frightening films ever made. Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall excel as Jack and Wendy Torrance, a couple who take on the position of caretakers at the remote – and extremely haunted – Overlook Hotel. Snowed in and facing a fearsome case of writers' block, Jack starts to lose his grip on reality. Meanwhile, young Danny Torrance (Danny Lloyd) starts to experience visions of the many dark forces lurking in the hotel.
Kubrick brings his typically meticulous eye to the interior of the Overlook, making its faded luxury look positively infernal. The film's tremendous atmosphere is aided by a striking score from Wendy Carlos and Rachel Elkind. The Shining is not just a great horror film – it's one of the best movies ever made.
Find out where The Shining sits in our list of the best Stephen King movies.
Barbarian
Available: US/UK
Director(s): Zach Cregger
Where to watch: Netflix
Before this year's Weapons became a word-of-mouth horror sensation, director Zach Cregger impressed with this twisty, unpredictable thriller. Barbarian opens with an uncomfortably believable premise: Tess (Georgina Campbell) arrives at an Airbnb rental in Detroit, the night before an important meeting, only to find it occupied by a stranger. This is Keith (Bill Skarsgård, who brings with him the horror baggage of having played Pennywise the Dancing Clown in It.) The two grudgingly agree to share the house for the night, which feels like a recipe for disaster. Where the film goes next, however, is entirely unexpected.
Anyone who enjoyed Weapons will know that Cregger is a master of shifting moods – something that is also on display here. Barbarian has moments of fist-gnawing tension, but also some genuinely funny comedy. It arguably bites off a little bit more than it can chew at times, its ambitious story skirting incoherence, but there's no denying its originality.
There are a lot of films to choose from in our guide to the best Netflix movies.
Saint Maud
Available: US/UK
Director(s): Rose Glass
Where to watch: US (Prime Video), UK (with StudioCanal Presents subscription)
This claustrophobic thriller is one of the most striking directorial debuts of the last few years. Morfydd Clark stars as Katie, a young nurse who, following a tragedy, converts to Catholicism. Now working as a private palliative care nurse to terminally ill former-dancer Amanda (Jennifer Ehle), she sets out to save her hedonist patient's soul – by any means necessary.
Clark is sensational here – if you only know her as Galadriel in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power then you may be shocked at just how terrifying she is here, coming off at times like a more devout take on Taxi Driver's Travis Bickle. Katie/Maud has a very personal relationship with God and Rose Glass's film keeps you guessing just how real the supernatural elements are until its horrifying final scene.
We called the film "one of the boldest horror debuts in years" in our Saint Maud review.
A Quiet Place: Day One
Available: US/UK
Director(s): Michael Sarnoski
Where to watch: Paramount Plus
The third film in the A Quiet Place franchise is also a terrific standalone movie. Sure, it steps back in time to tell the story of the first days of the "Death Angel" invasion, but you can watch this without having seen it the other movies. Lupita Nyong'o is superb as Sam, a terminally ill woman who suddenly finds herself in a world full of monsters that kill anything that makes a noise. She quickly connects with Eric (Joseph Quinn), a British student who is also caught up in the chaos.
There's no shortage of tense moments in A Quiet Place: Day One, but where the film really excels is its characterization. We know from the start that Sam is dying, but in meeting Eric, she finds something to live for. Affecting performances and a strong script make this the best movie in the franchise so far.
Our A Quiet Place: Day One review called the movie "a gripping spin-off."
It and It Chapter 2
Available: US
Director(s): Andy Muschietti
Where to watch: HBO Max
With new prequel series It: Welcome to Derry hitting HBO Max on October 26 now is the ideal time to revisit this epic two-film adaptation of Stephen King's door-stopping classic. Set in small town America, 1988, It focusses on a gang of kids who are shaken by the disappearance of young Georgie Denbrough. As the self-described "Losers Club" investigate they realise that a terrifying supernatural force is haunting Derry, one that appears in the creepy form of Pennywise the Clown, memorably played by Bill Skarsgård.
With a story that spans 27 years – and which follows its characters from their teenage years to adulthood – this is an epic tale. While the first film is undoubtedly the superior instalment, It: Part 2 is still a solid movie and one that brings the saga to a satisfying conclusion. Catch up with Pennywise now before you head back to Derry for the TV show.
This list of the best HBO Max movies is packed with classics.
Prey
Available: US/UK
Director(s): Dan Trachtenberg
Where to watch: Hulu
We can thank director Dan Trachtenberg for singlehandedly reviving the Predator franchise with this fantastic survival horror which strips things back to the bare essentials. Naru (a terrific Amber Midthunder) is a young Comanche warrior whose tribe comes under attack from the extraterrestrial big game hunter. She has to call on her wits – and what basic weapons she has access to – in order to save her people.
After a series of wildly inferior sequels to the classic 1987 original, Prey proved there was still life in the franchise yet. Prey has since been followed up by two further films, also by Trachtenberg. Predator: Killer of Killers was an entertaining animated anthology telling the story of various other humans who cross paths with the alien hunter, while the upcoming Predator: Badlands will give us a first: a story where the Predator is the protagonist. We can't wait.
There's plenty more horror to be found in our list of the best Hulu movies.
The Blair Witch Project
Available: US/UK
Director(s): Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez
Where to watch: HBO Max
This infamous found footage thriller scared audiences silly when it was released in 1999. Three film students set off into the woods around Burkittsville, Maryland to make a documentary about the local myth of the Blair Witch – and were never seen again. This is a compilation of the footage they left behind...
Of course The Blair Witch Project wasn't real at all – though directors Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez captured a genuine sense of terror in their exhausted actors, who camped out at night in the woods while members of the film's production team tried their best to spook them. A masterclass in slow burn tension, the result is a film that, all these years later, still feels unnervingly like it might just have happened for real.
Our guide to the best Apple TV movies features some of the best shows on TV right now.
Looking for something else to watch? Check out our list of the best shows on Disney Plus.
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