Spooky Season is officially here, which means it’s the perfect time to watch Halloween movies. Figuring out what to watch can be tough, though, especially when it comes to Netflix’s vast catalogue of titles. Lucky for you, we’ve put together a curated list of the best Halloween movies on Netflix right now. Some of these films are genuine Halloween movies, while others just deliver on the “Halloween vibes.” But all of them make for great viewing options when you turn the lights down, light some candles and cozy up with a warm blanket.
Check out our picks for the best Halloween movies on Netflix below.
Halloween (2018)
2018’s “Halloween” kicked off a brand new trilogy of films in the franchise from director David Gordon Green, and the first is a direct sequel to the original 1978 “Halloween” – one of the scariest films of all time. In this new movie Jamie Lee Curtis’ Laurie Strode is still suffering PTSD from being attacked by Michael Myers in the ’70s, and finds herself facing her worst fear when Michael escapes from prison on October 30. Judy Greer stars as Laurie’s daughter and Andi Matichak is Laurie’s granddaughter in a horror movie that also confronts generational trauma. A sly twist in this one: Laurie and Michael aren’t brother and sister.
The Fear Street Trilogy
In the trio of “Fear Street” movies, a group of friends confronts a series of murders and how they are historically connected to their town of Shadyside. The films take place in reverse chronological order — the first staged in 1994, the second in 1978 and the last in 1666, where everything started. Each film is rated R, and the rating makes sense with the amount of gore, blood and guts spattered throughout the trilogy. The more psychologically thrilling and emotionally scary scenes balance it out, especially because they bring about so much suspense, and veterans of fright Maya Hawke and Sadie Sink bring skills they developed for “Stranger Things” to this similarly shocking trio of movies. Themes of serial killing, murder, possession and witches drive the plot. Beware the name Sarah Fier.
Scream (2022)
The “Scream” franchise got revitalized in 2022 from “Ready or Not” filmmakers Radio Silence, and while this new film doesn’t reach the heights of Wes Craven’s first two entries in the iconic slasher franchise, it’s a sharp and enjoyable return. The story is split between returning characters played by Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox and David Arquette and new characters played by Melissa Barrera, Jack Quaid and Jenna Ortega. When Ghostface returns to Woodsboro, both groups find themselves intertwined as twist upon twist unfurls with Radio Silence paying deep homage to the original “Scream” both in style and structure.
There’s Someone Inside Your House
If you’re looking for a good old-fashioned teenaged slasher, the Netflix original “There’s Someone Inside Your House” is worth checking out. Released in 2021, the story follows a young transfer student (played by Sydney Park) at a high school with a shady past who gets nervous when fellow students with dark secrets are getting picked off (and outed) one by one. Shades of “Scream” layer this teen horror flick, which is directed with gusto by Patrick Bice, the filmmaker behind the “Creep” movies.
Nightbooks
A new release for the 2021 Spooky Season, “Nightbooks” is a solid Halloween movie for a younger crowd. Based on the novel of the same name by J.A. White, the story opens with a young boy named Alex (Winslow Fegley) who decides to run away from home, only to be lured into a magical apartment owned by a witch (Krysten Ritter). Now stuck inside, Alex is forced to write a new scary story each day, and tell that scary story to the witch each night. He struggles to be creative while also trying to figure out a way out of this trap. This one’s got a fun, spooky vibe while also not being too scary for youngsters.
Hubie Halloween
This Halloween comedy is worth it for the cast’s combined star power alone. Led by Adam Sandler, who plays main character Hubie, the story revolves around the town of Salem on Halloween night, when the festivities call for Hubie’s expertise. You can find characters played by the late Cameron Boyce, his “Jesse” costars Peyton List and Karan Brar and fellow Disney stars China Anne McClain and Bradley Steven Perry. Fellow comedians Ben Stiller, Rob Schneider, Kevin James, Tim Meadows and Kenan Thompson add layers of laughs to the film, while the ensemble also includes Paris Berelc, Julie Bowen, Jackie Sandler, June Squibb and Maya Rudolph.
Day Shift
How’s this for a concept? Jamie Foxx plays a pool cleaner in the San Fernando Valley that moonlights as a vampire slayer. When his adorable wife (Meagan Good) threatens to move away with his daughter, he makes an effort to rejoin the vampire hunters’ guild and is saddled with a dorky auditor (played by Dave Franco) to go along with his crusty mentor (Snoop Dogg). Of course, along the way, Foxx uncovers a vast vampire conspiracy that threatens the safety of everyone in the valley. Produced by “John Wick” director Chad Stahelski and written by Shane Black protégé Shay Hatten, “Day Shift” has an agreeable, mid-1980s action movie vibe. The kind of thing you’d stumble across one day on the USA Network and probably watch until the end. (The finale is even set in a mall – an abandoned mall, but a mall nonetheless.) “Day Shift” might not be for everybody, but if you’re tuned into its very specific, gore-splattered wavelength, it’s a bloody good time.
Mr. Harrigan’s Phone
Based on a novella of the same name from Stephen King’s 2020 collection “If It Bleeds,” “Mr. Harrigan’s Phone” follows Craig (Jaeden Martell, a veteran of King thanks to his role in “It”), a young man who works for an elderly business tycoon, the titular Mr. Harrigan (Donald Sutherland). When Harrigan dies, the nature of their relationship changes too. And considering this is based on a King story, you know it’s headed in an altogether horrific direction. Produced by the twin powerhouses of Jason Blum and Ryan Murphy, whose last horror collaboration was 2014’s underseen gem “The Town That Dreaded Sundown,” “Mr. Harrigan’s Phone” was written and directed by John Lee Hancock, whose last film was 2021’s nifty crime thriller “The Little Things.” It’ll be interesting to see how Hancock expands the world of the original novella, which at around 70 pages was as slender as it was spooky.
Ouija: Origin of Evil
Once upon a time, “The Haunting of Hill House” and “Doctor Sleep” filmmaker Mike Flanagan made a prequel to the “Ouija” movie that was actually kind of great. The 2016 release “Ouija: Origin of Evil” takes place in 1967 Los Angeles and follows a young widow (Elizabeth Reaser) who works with her daughters as a medium out of her suburban home. When a Ouija board is introduced to the family, the youngest daughter becomes possessed. The film is chock full of great scares but also has Flanagan’s knack for emotion built into it, resulting in something far scarier, better and more compelling than Blumhouse’s original “Ouija” movie (which you definitely do not have to have watched to enjoy this one).
