Halloween movies: These films are sure to get you in the spooky spirit

Halloween has always been my favorite time of year.

The leaves changing color, all of the pumpkin-shaped candy you can eat, and of course, it’s that time of year when you’ll find horror movies both on the big screen and at home flipping through the channels.

One thing that has always bothered me about these lists – best Halloween movies, best movies to watch to get you into the Halloween spirit, you name it – is that they always tend to be biased towards the classics.

That isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I enjoy Wes Craven’s original “Scream” and a good return to the familiarity of “Hocus Pocus” as much as the next person, but the horror genre has evolved over the years and with it, so have the range of the films.

For this list, I tried to conjure up movies that might be a little less likely to turn up on those lists you see everywhere. Best of all, all of these movies can be streamed on at least one platform.

Happy Halloween.

1. Smile (2022)

Despite its name, this 2022 movie written and directed by Parker Finn will give you anything but a smile. A psychological horror, “Smile” stars Sosie Bacon as therapist Rose Cotter. She witnesses the unnatural suicide of her patient, Laura (Caitlin Stasey), who claims she’s seeing something that “looks like people, but it’s not a person.” As the title of the film suggests, before her suicide, Laura appears eerily calm and stands before Cotter with a smile on her face. After being ordered to take a week off from work, Cotter begins to undergo increasingly disturbing and frightening experiences that lead those around her to believe she’s going crazy. The truth is something far more sinister. Also starring Kyle Gallner, Jessie T. Usher, and Robin Weigert.

Stream it on Paramount Plus, Google Play Movies, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, Apple TV, Vudu, On Demand, or the Microsoft Store.

2. Happy Death Day (2017)

The theatrical poster for this movie says it all: “Get Up. Live Your Day. Get Killed. Again.” “Happy Death Day” is a dark comedy that follows the life of college student Theresa “Tree” Gelbman (Jessica Rothe). After waking up from a drunken night of partying, Tree – and the audience – will quickly realize that everything is not as it should be. In fact, Tree is murdered very early on in the film – and continues to be murdered over. And over. And over again. Tree must discover the identity of her killer to stop the cycle. Israel Broussard also stars.

Stream it on Hulu, YouTube, Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Vudu, or Google Play.

3. Get Out (2017)

From the mind of Jordan Peele, “Get Out” is a psychological horror that follows a young Black man, Chris Washington (Daniel Kaluuya), on a weekend trip with his white girlfriend Rose Armitage (Allison Williams) to visit her very-white family. As fate would have it, the couple’s weekend visit just happens to coincide with a family reunion with, you guessed it, an all-white cast, save for the family’s maid and gardener. This psychological horror is sprinkled with racial commentary: In one scene, a white police officer demands to see Chris’ ID, even as Rose insists “that doesn’t make sense”. In another, Rose’s father (played by Bradley Whitford) tries to “bond” with Chris by declaring that he would have voted for Obama a third term. The early-on dialogue exchanges make the twist that solidifies this as a horror film all the more poignant. Also starring Betty Gabriel, Marcus Henderson, Catherine Keener, and Stephen Root.

Stream it on Netflix, Peacock, Amazon Prime, YouTube, Apple TV, Vudu, or Google Play.

4. Midsommar (2019)

If you’re already missing the warm days of summer, then the backdrop for Ari Aster’s 2019 horror film – a midsummer festival in Sweden – might satisfy that itch. It’s not long, however, before the festival proves it’s not exactly a vacation. Dani (Florence Pugh) joins her boyfriend Christian (Jack Reynor) and his friends to rural Sweden, and the group soon finds themselves in the clutches of a cult. The dangers in this movie are subtle at first, interwoven between bright scenery and stark white clothing, and build as the film continues on. Some scenes are bone-chilling, others bloody, and some are downright disturbing. Also starring William Jackson Harper, Will Poulter, and Vilhelm Blomgren.

Stream it on Amazon Prime, Google Play, or Vudu.

5. Ready or Not (2019)

Back to the realm of dark comedy, “Ready or Not” opens on a bride preparing for her wedding day. Grace (Samara Weaving) is shown playfully bantering in a room with her husband-to-be, Alex (Mark O’Brien), just minutes before the ceremony. It’s all smiles and laughs, even as Grace is told “it’s not too late to flee,” and the wedding goes off without a hitch. It’s only after the wedding that Alex informs his new bride that in order to officially become a member of the family, she must play a game. The rules are simple: she must draw a card that can have the name of any game on it – “I got Old Maid,” one character remarks. When Grace draws the Hide and Seek card, the family game night turns deadly. Also starring Adam Brody, Henry Czerny, Melanie Scrofano, Andie MacDowell, and Nicky Guadagni.

Stream it on Amazon Prime, AMC On Demand, Apple TV, Vudu, or the Microsoft Store.

6. Hush (2016)

Home invasion thrillers have been done before, but the way director Mike Flanagan presents it in “Hush” makes the genre seem fresh. The film’s lead is Maddie Young (Kate Siegel), who is deaf and mute. This isn’t a quiet film, like you might think by the premise: the opening scene shows Maddie preparing a meal and we hear eggs cracking; we hear the food as it sizzles in the frying pan. Later on, when the killer enters – a man in a mask, played by John Gallagher Jr. – we hear him tapping on the glass. We hear screams for help from outside that Maddie cannot hear. Maddie is continuously taunted and hunted throughout the night by a stranger, but she fights back just as hard. Being deaf and mute does not make her helpless, but experiencing the world as she does will leave you on the edge of your seat. Also starring Michael Trucco and Samantha Sloyan.

Stream it on Netflix, Amazon Prime, or Spectrum on Demand.

7. Talk To Me (2023)

Possession films can be either really good or really bad, and “Talk To Me” does it right. At the center of the film is a mysterious embalmed hand that allows those that hold it to “connect with the other side”. The process is easy: while holding the hand, say “talk to me” in order to communicate with a spirit. Saying “I let you in” allows a spirit to possess the holder. Seventeen-year-old Mia (Sophie Wilde), struggling with the anniversary of her mother’s death, finds herself hooked on the experience of possession. Soon enough, her friends are in on it, too. A group of teenagers in way over their heads with evil spirits – you may think it sounds like a cliche, but “Talk To Me” isn’t afraid to take risks and get bloody. There’s a reason that a sequel is currently in development.

Stream it on YouTube, AppleTV, Amazon Prime, Vudu, or Google Play.

8. Saw X (2023)

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, “Saw X” director Kevin Greutert admitted there was “regret” in killing off John Kramer (Tobin Bell) so soon. In this film, it’s clear to see why. Bell returns to his role as Kramer – the infamous Jigsaw – as if he never left, and “Saw X” is brought back to the franchise’s early glory days with Bell at the helm. When a search to pursue a last-ditch treatment for his aggressive brain cancer comes up short, Kramer proves why he’s not a man to be meddled with. Yes, that means traps. Yes, that means all of the blood and gore that the “Saw” franchise is known for. But this film has something more. Only one question is left: Do you want to play a game? Shawnee Smith also stars.

Stream it on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, YouTube, Vudu, or Google Play.

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