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6 horror movies to stream this Halloween

These movies are streaming on Netflix, Amazon Prime and HBO Max.


UPDATED OCTOBER 1, 2021 5:49 PM EDT

October is a month of many things, but primarily it’s the start of Halloween. While your mileage might vary when it comes to pumpkins, candies and costumes, if you’ve clicked on this article then you likely enjoy watching a horror movie or two, especially when the weather and the mood is right.

Horror movies are a lot of times decried and packaged as “genre,” a label that’s not treated with the same respect that dramas are treated. But horror movies are incredibly dramatic and inspiring, featuring demanding and complex performances, that elevate their stories. You just have to find the right one to watch, which is where this list comes in. Here are 6 horror movies to stream this Halloween:

© A24

Midsommar

Directed by Ari Aster, who also directed “Hereditary” — another great horror movie — “Midsommar” follows Dani (Florence Pugh, right before she was cast in the Marvel Cinematic Universe) in the wake of a traumatic event. Lost and looking for some meaning and escape, she tags along to her boyfriend and his friend bro trip to Sweden, where they’ll be attending the Midsommar festival. Suffice to say, the festival is no Coachella, even if there are a lot of flower crowns.

One of the great reasons why “Midsommar” is so fun is due to the fact that it’s so bright and beautiful, something rare in horror. The film is bathed in bright lights, making it even scarier, lingering long after it’s over. You can stream it on Amazon Prime.

© A24

Saint Maud

“Saint Maud” is a new film, released in 2019 and streaming on Hulu, making it a great option for people who want to get seriously spooked and also watch a movie that has a lot of promising talent, from its debut director Rose Glass, to its lead, Morfydd Clark, who’ll be soon starring in the new “Lord of The Rings” TV adaptation. “Saint Maud” follows Maud, a hospice nurse who just recently experienced a very powerful spiritual awakening. Very is a key word. The plot kicks into high gear when Maud grows obsessed with saving the soul of her new patient, a former dancer suffering from cancer. It’s a spooky movie, concerned with faith and religion, with an incredibly fresh point of view.

© Netflix

Gerald\'s Game

“Gerald’s Game” is a Stephen King novel, one that develops over the course of a couple of days, with the protagonist Jessie, tied to a bed. It’s an internal story, very novelistic, where the plot occurs in flashbacks and thoughts, so it’s impressive that director Mike Flanagan managed to make it into something as intriguing and thought provoking as the film turned out to be.

“Gerald’s Game” follows Jessie (Carla Gugino) and Gerald (Bruce Greenwood), who, on a trip to spice up their marriage, head to an isolated cabin in the woods to spend some time together. Gerald has the idea to cuff Jessie to a bed before having sex, only to have a heart attack and die, right on top of her. It only gets crazier from there. “Gerald’s Game” is streaming on Netflix.

© Picturehouse

The Guest

Dan Stevens left “Downton Abbey” and quickly grew into an incredibly compelling actor, choosing weird roles that pair well with his skill set and allure. “The Guest” is one of these projects. Directed by horror auteur Adam Wingard, the film follows David, a U.S. soldier who visits the Peterson family claiming to have gone on tour with their dead son. After a few days have passed, Anna, the older daughter of the family, begins to notice the strangeness of David and the fact that there’s been several mysterious deaths reported around town. “The Guest” is streaming on Netflix.

© New Line Cinema

The Evil Dead

“The Evil Dead” 1 and 2 are streaming on HBOMax, making them a great option if you’re looking for a series of movies that greatly contributed to the art of filmmaking and that also won’t put you to sleep.

Directed by Sam Rami, “The Evil Dead” stars Bruce Campbell in the most iconic role of his career, as Ash, an average teen who spends a weekend in a secluded cabin with his friends. Things quickly take a turn for the worse when the group discovers a book hidden in the basement and read some pages that awaken demons lurking in the woods, starting a string of possessions that rival “The Exorcist” in terms of unholiness and terror. “The Evil Dead” is a story filled with cliches, yet it’s made with so much care and detail that you can’t help but love it and be impressed by it 30 years after it’s release.

© The Orchard

Creep

“Creep” directed by Patrick Brice, is a found footage horror film, the kind that are very spooky because they look so real and you fee like this might happen to you if you’re not careful.

Starring Mark Duplass as the titular creep — who also had a hand in writing the script — the film follows a videographer who accepts a sketchy assignment to film an eccentric guy named Josef, who claims to have cancer and wants to document a day in his life for his unborn son. As the day progresses, we start to notice some of Josef’s strange behavior, quickly transforming the film into something that is profoundly disturbing but that also knows how to have a lot of fun. You can stream it on Netflix.