Top Movies to Watch for Your Halloween Movie Night

Netflix offers an overwhelming selection of films in their horror section, from some of the best flicks to some downright laughable Halloween favorites; Netflix has something for every viewer.  If you’re a fan of creature features, bloody slashers, part of the zombie craze or enjoy spooky legends of vampires and werewolves then this list has got you covered. Remember to turn off the lights and pass the popcorn because thing are about to get frightening. 

The Evil Dead (1981)

By now I’m sure most of you have heard of The Evil Dead franchise, if you haven’t shame on you. If you’ve even seen the recent remake and loved it then I’m here to tell you it only gets better-it’s everything you’ve been promised. Frenetic, cartoonish, and gory in a way you’ve never seen before. People morph and melt into disgusting puddles of mush; inhuman, gross, and indescribable. It’s downright disturbing and I guarantee you’ll be content with the fact that you won’t be able to look away.  It’s been raved about to the point at which there’s not much left to say besides “watch it.”

The Cabin in the Woods (2011)

One part Evil Dead, a drop of Scream, and a hint of Goosebumps all thrown together with every other horror cliché and blended, Cabin in the Woods reinvents the horror genre while not actually doing anything new. I don’t want you thinking it’s some rip off. The film draws inspiration from the greats while adding its own distinct flavor. It’s so rare these days for horror films to be this atmospheric, this funny or this smart. If you like laughs paired up with thrills then this is movie is without a doubt a must see. 

Troll Hunter (2010)

Troll Hunter combines the best of the ‘found-footage’ genre with the best of the creature genre while avoiding the likely lulls and drawbacks of both. At times hilarious and genuinely exciting other times suspenseful and thrilling, this is well worth a few watches. If you enjoyed the Blair Witch Project but was genuinely dissipointed to never see the witch then I can safely say that this will not be another dissipointment. 

Funny Games (1998)

I recommend queuing up this one if psychological horrors are more your speed then. Funny Games raises the bar on psychological tension and fear, while making it look all so easy. The film opens with a view of a well-off family (complete with endearing small boy and his dog) driving down a picturesque road to their summer home on a lake. Each family member sports a face of sublime content as they listen to their opera CDs. Not too long after unpacking, the family encounters two outwardly clean-cut, polite young men; regrettably, the wife unlocks the door to let them in, and that’s when the “games” begin. 

Night Watch (2004)

The first chapter of the trilogy based on the sci-fi novels by Sergei Lukyanenko plays upon the tension between light and dark, pitting the superhuman Night Watch patrollers (known as the “Others”) against the shadowed forces of the night. Spoilers! It has pre Edward Cullen vampires. If you enjoy it so much Netflix recently added its sequel Day Watch. 

Dead Snow (2009)

Everything you could expect from a movie that’s about Nazi Zombies, Dead Snow delivers. The kills are outrageously sickening and wickedly funny and the tone moves back and forth between frightening and comedic, delivering well thought out cathartic relief only to twist into the build-up of terror. Sometimes it gets a bit ridiculous, but hey isn’t that half the reason we watch it anyways?