If you like your horror movies then Halloween is the best time to buy the biggest jumbo packet of chocolates you can find and binge-watch a whole lot of classic, scary horror flicks.
To get started, take a look here at our selection of 10 of the best horror movies streaming right now:
Halloween is the longest-running horror movie franchise of all time.Â
It started back in 1978 with the original film, simply titled Halloween, and the latest instalment of the franchise Halloween Kills was released in cinemas just last week.
On Halloween night in 1963, six-year-old Michael Myers brutally murdered his 17-year-old sister, Judith. He was sentenced and locked away for 15 years. But on Halloween 1978, during a prison transfer, Michael escapes. He returns to his hometown determined to track down his other sister Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) so he can kill her too.
They’re locked in this “he wants to kill her/she wants him to just die already” tug of war for the next four decades, with many a sequel and remake.
If you haven’t watched any of the Halloweens, then try watching Halloween H20 first. In this 2002 movie, Laurie is a middle-aged mum to son John (Josh Hartnett) when Michael once again escapes and comes after her. It’s got all the elements of its predecessors but with added… 90s teen heartthrob.
Halloween H20: 20 Years Later is streaming now on Stan…
Freaky premiered on the big screen in November 2020 when many viewers were still hesitant to see films in theatres.
So it’s a pity if you haven’t seen this one yet because it’s a horror flick with a sense of humour. Freaky puts a bloody spin on the classic Freaky Friday premise, as a serial killer (Vince Vaughn) and a teenage girl (Kathryn Newton) switch bodies. What follows is an equal mix of scares and laughs.
The director’s previous two horror movies, Happy Death Day and Happy Death Day 2U, are also worth watching but they’re not streaming anywhere right now.
Freaky is streaming now on Binge…
Few horror movies are as iconic as Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining.
The movie The Shining does deviate a fair bit from Stephen King’s classic novel, but it still carves out its own equally terrifying identity. When a father (Jack Nicholson) takes his wife and young child to a secluded hotel, he’s gradually driven mad by the evil spirits who reside there. Nicholson’s unhinged performance is perfect and the movie’s haunting imagery will leave a lasting impact.
A sequel, titled Doctor Sleep was released in 2019, nearly 40 years after the original movie. It’s not streaming right now but if you come across it, it’s worth watching if you’re in the mood for a spooky double feature.
The Shining is now streaming on Netflix…
Wolf Creek and Wolf Creek 2 – the home-grown Aussie horror franchise.
Wolf Creek probably didn’t do great things for Australian tourism but they are horror movies at their best – with John Jarratt playing the spooky local who ends up being a serial killer.
The first movie follows the story of British tourists Liz Hunter (Cassandra Magrath) and Kristy Earl (Kestie Morassi) and their Australian friend Ben Simmons (Nathan Phillips), who are travelling across Australia from Broome to Cairns.
After taking in the view at Wolf Creek National Park, they return to their car to find it won’t start. Luckily, a nice local man named Mick Taylor (Jarratt) offers to tow their car back to his property and fix it. The only problem is he’s a bit of a serial killer – as we said.
The second movie features Mick chasing Ryan Corr around the desert. Binge on!
Wolf Creek and Wolf Creek 2 are streaming now on Stan…
There’s Scream 1, 2 and 3 and this franchise literally defined the golden era of 90s slasher flicks.
It was self-aware, at times corny, and packed full of plot twists. Set in the small, fictional town of Woodsboro, the first movie focuses on the story of Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell).
A year prior, Sidney’s mum Maureen was brutally murdered by her lover, Cotton Weary. With Cotton behind bars, Sidney’s life is just getting back to normal when a masked killer the locals have named ‘Ghost Face’ starts picking off high schoolers.
The second movie is set at Sidney’s college, and in the third movie, Sidney is living a reclusive life, cut off from the world, to protect herself from the never-ending… Ghost Faces.
The next instalment of the Scream franchise is due to hit cinemas in January 2022, so you’re keen you’ll need to re-watch the originals before then.
Scream 1, 2 and 3 are streaming on Stan now…
Mandy is one of the most underrated horror flicks ever made. The film takes place in the 1980s and stars Nicolas Cage as a man named Red. When a hippie cult kidnaps Red’s wife Mandy (played by Andrea Riseborough), he seeks revenge while learning about the group’s twisted pseudo-religious psychedelic practices.
Composer Jóhann Jóhannsson’s score is amazing and the cinematography keeps you transfixed. This is one to binge…
Mandy is streaming now on Disney+…
Starring our own Chris Hemsworth or Thor, The Cabin in the Woods is more than just your typical horror flick.
Directed by Drew Goddard, this is a clever satire on typical horror movie tropes and clichés. The film starts off with a standard premise, similar to The Evil Dead, as five friends encounter a deadly threat in a secluded cabin. But as the story develops, the movie playfully turns this common plot on its head. Funny and thrilling, this is a slasher with some genuine smarts and laughs on top of a healthy helping of scares.
The Cabin in the Woods is streaming now on Netflix…
Hereditary is a movie starring our own Toni Collette and this is definitely a scary movie.
After her estranged mother dies, Annie (Toni Collette) begins to notice some peculiar activity around her house. After another shocking tragedy, Annie begins to spiral out of control. She has to ask herself, is there a supernatural force attempting to manipulate her family, or is it all in her head?
Hereditary is streaming now on Binge…
Nearly four decades after its release, The Exorcist is still one of the scariest movies ever made.
William Friedkin’s masterful horror is still considered by many as one of the scariest films of all time. Winner of two Oscars and four Golden Globes in 1973.
When teenager Regan (Linda Blair) is possessed by a mysterious entity, her mother (Ellen Burstyn) seeks the help of two priests (Max von Sydow, and Jason Miller) to save her daughter. Some say Regan is one of the most terrifying movie villains ever as she plays the innocent 12-year-old girl possessed by a demonic force so well.
The Exorcist is streaming now on Netflix…
Carrie is a classic horror movie dating back to 1976.
Brian De Palma’s adaptation of Stephen King’s novel is an unbearably disturbing portrait of youthful alienation and fury, with one of the genre’s most unforgettable fire-and-brimstone endings.
This is one of the best horror movies around because we all knew that misunderstood girl at high school but we weren’t quite aware what lengths she’d go to.
Carrie is streaming now on Netflix…
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