Are you wondering what movies to watch to get ready for Halloween? Do you like mild scary movies or horrifying scary movies? Do you want to stay away from gory movies? Are you ready to embrace all things scary and curl up under your blankets? Lucky for you, I have curated a list of movies to watch this Halloween season with all the information you need. Each movie has a rating of how scary it is as well as how gory/hard to watch it is. Take your pick for the best movie to watch this Halloween.
Wanting to watch a not-so-scary-scary movie?
Spree
Available to watch on Hulu.
Scariness: 2/5, Gore: 4/5
This 2020 thriller comedy stars Stranger Things’s Joe Keery as well as the Scream franchise’s David Arquette. Spree is a social commentary on internet culture and fame/what one does to be famous. It is uniquely filmed. Most of the story takes place in, Keery’s character, Kurt’s car, and is filmed on dashboard cameras and phones. Keery also took this character to the next level by creating real TikTok and other social media accounts for his character, Kurt Kunkle, to promote the film. It is a truly unique story with an absurd humor to it as well.
The Black Phone
Available to watch on Peacock.
Scariness: 2/5, Gore: 2/5
Ethan Hawke stars in this recent film as the terrifying “Grabber” known for snatching children from the street and holding them captive in his basement. Hawke’s character soon meets his match after kidnapping Finney, played by Mason Thames. Finney discovers a phone in the basement which allows him to contact previous victims of “The Grabber”.
Fear Street Trilogy
Available to watch on Netflilx.
Scariness: 2/5, Gore: 5/5
This trilogy was released on Netflix in 2021 and was based on the series of books written by R.L. Stine. The series follows Deena and Sam as they try to find the truth about the ancient evil that has plagued their town for 300 years. Each film is set in a different time period of the town and slowly reveals the story to the viewer. There is some pretty extreme gore in the first film as well as throughout, but the shocking twists throughout the series will keep you on your toes.
Interested in Mixed genres?
Coraline
Available to rent on most streaming services.
Scariness: 1/5, Gore: 0/5
This animated thriller movie from 2009 is about a family that moves into an old house. Coraline, voiced by Dakota Fanning, explores the house and discovers a portal to another world in which there are replicas of everyone with buttons for eyes. Coraline is posed with the question of staying with the other mother or her real family.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Available to watch on Hulu or Amazon Prime.
Scariness: 1/5, Gore: 0/5
This 1975, cult classic, comedic, horror musical, starring Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, and Barry Bostwick tells the bizarre story of a newly-engaged couple whose car brakes down in a storm. The couple happens upon the mysterious residence of Dr. Frank-n-Furter and the mad scientist’s extravagant guests. They soon fall into a confusing world of music and mayhem.
American Psycho
Available to watch on HBO Max.
Scariness: 1/5, Gore: 4/5
This film stars Christian Bale as the wealthy NYC banking executive, Patrick Bateman, who attempts to hide his alternative psychopathic ego from co-workers and friends. The story focuses on the intricacies of his mind in a darkly humorous way. This film also takes a look at the dangerous world of consumerism, American identity, and upper-class lifestyle in America during the 80s.
Want to watch something you’ve never heard of?
Interview with the Vampire
Available to watch on TubiTv or rent.
Scariness: 2/5, Gore 3/5
This 1994 horror film stars Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise as bloodsucking vampires. Pitt’s character, Louis, chronicles the story of his life to an interviewer with many betrayals, twists, and loves. Louis deals with the guilt of being a vampire while Cruise’s character, Lestat, teaches him the lavish lifestyle. The pair forms a unique bond which attempts to survive the test of time.
The Village
Available to rent on most streaming services.
Scariness: 3/5, Gore: 2/5
M. Night Shyamalan’s The Village tells the horrifying story of a small, desolate town in Pennsylvania in which the residents are forced to live by strict rules to keep dangerous monsters at bay. The town begins having strange occurrences and the fate of a couple in love is on the shoulders of Ivy who must go out and find the man she loves.
Veronica
Available to watch on Netflix.
Scariness: 5/5, Gore: 4/5
This 2017, Spanish horror takes place in 1991 and follows the story of a teenage girl who attempts to communicate with her dad beyond the grave with a oujia board, but mistakenly awakes an evil supernatural force. She is tormented with nightmares which soon become a reality where no one is safe.
Looking for something new?
X
Available to watch on Showtime.
Scariness: 2/5, Gore: 5/5
This recent film, followed by a prequel film titled Pearl, chronicles the story of a group of young adults set out to make an X-rated film in the late 1970s. The group stays at an unusual elderly couple’s guest house and when caught in the act, they must fight for their lives.
Fresh
Available to watch on Hulu.
Scariness: 2/5, Gore: 3/5
Fresh, starring Daisy Edgar-Jones and Sebastian Stan, follows the story of Noa (Edgar-Jones) as she meets Steve (Stan) at a local grocery store and decides to take a chance and go out with him. As Noa grows closer to him, she soon realizes that he is not what he seems and finds out that he has been hiding some unusual appetites.
Nope
Available to rent on most streaming services.
Scariness: 3/5, Gore: 3/5
Jordan Peele’s most recent film, Nope, is an absurdly gorgeous film about the residents of a lonely farm in California who witness a chilling supernatural event. Siblings, OJ (Daniel Kaluuya) and Emerald (Keke Palmer) attempt to catch this occurrence on camera and solve their money problems.
Ready to be terrified?
The Conjuring
Available to watch on HBO Max and AMC+.
Scariness: 4/5, Gore: 1/5
This film follows the paranormal investigators, Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine (Vera Farmiga) Warren as they work to help a newly moved in family, horrified by the darkly supernatural presence in their home. If you can’t get enough of the Warrens, make sure to check out the many other horror films in this franchise, such as The Conjuring 2, The Nun, and Annabelle.
Vivarium
Available to watch on Amazon Prime.
Scariness: 5/5, Gore: 2/5
Vivarium, starring Imogen Poots and Jesse Eisenberg, is a terrifying take on the American dream. When a young couple decides to buy their first home, they soon find themselves trapped in a bizarre labyrinth of identical houses with no one around for miles.
Mother!
Available to watch on Showtime.
Scariness: 4/5, Gore: 5/5
This uniquely horrifying film stars Jennifer Lawrence as a soon-to-be mother living in a reclusive home with her husband. Soon uninvited guests begin arriving and disrupting their tranquil existence. Mother (Lawrence) attempts to find a sense of inner peace as her husband’s actions begin making less and less sense.
TW for intense gore/child abuse.
Hereditary
Available to watch on Showtime.
Scariness: 5/5, Gore: 5/5
Midsommar’s director, Ari Aster, directs this 2018 horror movie which follows a grieving family who encounters tragic and disturbing occurrences. The mother, Annie, played by Toni Collette, turns to spiritual connections in her sadness as a way to reconnect with her recently deceased loved one. The son, Peter, played by Alex Wolff, is haunted by guilt and images of the accident and must learn how to go back to his normal life.