25 Entertaining Movies to Binge for Halloween & All Spooky Season

My favorite holiday and time of year is here, which means it's time to break out the Halloween decorations to be the talk of the block. And then queue up the spooky movies for cozy nights indoors.

I've got a list of 25 horror films to add to your lineup for Halloween and beyond. Horror fans don't need a special time of year to watch some good genre movies because we're watching them all year long anyway. This time of year is just even more exciting because the rest of the world is joining in with all kinds of activities to celebrate the spooky season. So, these movies really get to shine.

What all of these movie picks have in common is that classic, scared and chilling feeling induced when watching a good horror. I also wanted to give light to some lesser celebrated flicks (with the exception of one glaring one I couldn’t NOT include). Man, this was hard to narrow down to just 25.

Without further ado and in no particular order, here we go…

1. Haunt (2019)

Y'all, this movie's dark...in theme and plot. A lot of horror movies with a young-adult group are set in high school, so I appreciate that this one is set in a college town among a group of college folks. That setting alone, sets up a controlled environment for horrific acts to go down. And it does. A group of new friends, bored on Halloween, get a flyer and check out this haunted house attraction on a whim because that's what we do as adults beside hitting up spooky parties and going bar hopping. What seems like a stroll through a self-guided, horror-themed attraction turns uncomfortably real once one of their own becomes a part of the show and there doesn't seem to be a way out.

Besides the plot, I was drawn to check this film out because it's produced by Eli Roth (Hostel, Cabin Fever) and I saw a few familiar faces like Katherine Mari Stevens (from MTV's "Faking It" and Freeform's "The Bold Type"), Lauryn McClain (Tyler Perry's Daddy's Girls, McClain Sisters fame), and Andrew Caldwell ("Hannah Montana," various TV shows).

Lauryn McClain as Bailey was among my favorites of the ensemble because she was the plug for the group and a bomb character. I mean, don't we all know a Bailey? She's kinda THAT girl. I also enjoyed backwards-baseball-hat-wearing Nathan who was refreshingly down to earth and very easy on the eyes. We love a brave hero guy who takes the lead.

Fun Fact: This movie was actually filmed on Halloween night, which is very cool.

Why you'll enjoy it:

For those who love gore, this is for you. This movie put an interesting spin on the haunted house attraction premise. It wasn't a house or land haunted by spirits and ghosts. It's a solid addition to the horror slasher genre with a thrilling plot that leaves you on the edge of your seat waiting for the haunt to end. It has great acting and captures the scariness of Halloween. And the title is perfection once you watch the movie.

My rating:

🏹🏹🏹🏹 4 arrows

Where you can watch it:

Amazon Prime, The Roku Channel, AMC +, YouTube TV

2. Body Bags (1993)

I came across this one night when randomly looking for a good horror movie to watch with my family. I saw that John Carpenter (Halloween franchise, Christine) was involved, so I was hooked. Body Bags is an anthology hosted by an undead ghoulish coroner who shares three unrelated tales as he visits bodies in the morgue.

The first story titled “The Gas Station” is simple and classically scary: A young woman working the night shift as a gas station attendant with a random cluster of male customers visiting, whether to use the restroom, just be creepy or actually get gas. There are jump scares, suspense and a nice twist that has the main character fighting for her life.

The second tale titled “Hair” is like an Aesop’s Fable type of situation where the moral of the story is a warning about vanity. In this case, the main character’s obsessed with his hair loss and aging. He goes to extreme lengths to get hair plugs and grow a long, luscious mane…at a cost. This was kinda funny among the three horror stories.

The third and last tale could’ve been a whole movie. It’s titled “Eye” and follows a Minor League Baseball player who gets into a car accident and loses his eye. He undergoes surgery and receives an eye transplant unknowingly from a convicted serial killer. It ends up wreaking havoc on his marriage and his life. Poor guy.

Fun Fact: There are some familiar faces that make appearances in this film: Tom Arnold, Twiggy, Mark Hamill (Star Wars), Wes Craven (Nightmare on Elm Street, Scream), Robert Carradine (Revenge of the Nerds, “Lizzie McGuire”), Debbie Harry (Blondie band, Tales from the Darkside movie).

Why you'll enjoy it:

There's humor mixed in with spooks and great storytelling. It was a truly entertaining watch to be an early-90s-premium-cable-channel TV movie. A few well-known horror names are involved like John Carpenter, Wes Craven and Tobe Hooper (Texas Chainsaw Massacre) so you’re in for a good time. It’s always cool seeing the minds behind the movies in front of the camera in action. If you enjoy short stories and anthologies, this is worth checking out because each story is appealing in its own right. If you have a dark sense of humor, you’ll get a kick out of this. If you appreciate some horror genre easter eggs, you’ll appreciate this.

My rating:

🏹🏹🏹🏹 5 arrows

Where you can watch it:

Tubi, Pluto, Peacock, PLEX, Sling TV, Amazon Prime, AMC +, YouTube TV

3. Tales From the Hood (1995)

This anthology is one of my faves and a classic in black horror and horror in general. Iconic. The stories were super relevant back in the 90s and still are today, unfortunately. This anthology film had a strong wraparound or tie-in story between the tales, wrapping up the last story oh so very well. This film covers the horrors of police brutality, racism, domestic violence, politics, and gang violence…all of which plague the black community in a certain way. I appreciate how these social issues are captured through the stories.

The wraparound story sets up the movie with three drug-dealing gang members visiting a funeral home…of all places…to retrieve drugs. But before these young troublemakers can get “the shit” they’re seeking, funeral home owner Mr. Simms takes them on a tour of the place and tells them stories of the recently deceased. Because they’ve all got time to kill, right?

The first tale is titled “Rogue Cop Revelation” and follows a young rookie black cop who witnesses his white police officer partners attack and kill a black activist and councilman, named Martin Moorhouse (c’mon now!), during an arbitrary traffic stop. The rookie cop’s guilt haunts him and he later leads his former fellow officers involved in the horrific murder to the zombified councilman who takes revenge on the individuals involved in his murder.

The second tale is titled “Boys Do Get Bruised” and it touches on abuse and domestic violence which – I can tell you from a first-hand account – always affects the children. Throughout the story we’re trying to figure out who the “monster” is that terrorizes the main character, a young boy, who shows up to school with physical bruises and emotional ones that aren’t as obvious. I loved this tale.

The third tale is titled “KKK Comeuppance” and is about a former Ku Klux Klan member running for a political office. He moves his campaign headquarters into his ancestor’s old plantation house that has a dark history — against the protests of the community outside. Well, when dolls from a painting start coming to life to attack the politician, he ends up getting his…comeuppance. This story was a favorite tale of mine because dolls are scary...and karma is real.

The fourth and last tale titled “Hard-Core Convert” is about a gang member that undergoes an experimental rehabilitation as incentive for an early release from prison. The rehabilitation “treatment” doesn’t seem to work and the main character ends up meeting his demise through an interesting turn of events.

Fun fact: Spike Lee is a producer of this film through his production company, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks. The director of the film, Rusty Cundieff, is featured in one of the tales. This film also has appearances from David Alan Grier, Paula Jai Parker (Friday, “The Proud Family”), Joe Torry (Poetic Justice), and Corbin Bernsen (The Dentist, “Psych”).

Why you'll enjoy it:

You’ll appreciate the apparent social commentary as part of this horror journey. There’s unintentional humor from the wraparound story to break up the serious messages portrayed in the main tales. It’s a relevant anthology classic that is a key piece of black horror today. Though the special effects are hilariously terrible, Clarence Williams III’s performance makes the movie worth it.

My rating:

🏹🏹🏹🏹 4 arrows

Where you can watch it:

Peacock, Sling TV, Philo, Amazon Prime add-on, AMC +, YouTube TV

4. House of Wax (2005)

REMAKE ALERT! We’ve got another slasher flick in the mix with an ensemble cast. Not gonna lie…the star-studded cast at the time drew me to check this out back in the day: Chad Michael Murray, Robert Ri’chard, Jared Padalecki and then I was interested in seeing if Paris Hilton had some acting chops outside of her performance on “The Simple Life.” The soundtrack ain’t bad either with My Chemical Romance’s “Helena” blasting through the ending credits. Rock music just works as the soundtrack to horror for some reason. Maybe it’s the intensity that matches energy. 

House of Wax is inspired by the 1953 and 1933 films of similar titles. The remake is done well. I haven’t seen the original film or its inspiration, so I got to enjoy this 2005 remake without comparing it to the predecessors. It’s an entertaining movie with a good story and I appreciate the parallelism between the fraternal twins who are the main characters Carly (Elisha Cuthbert) and Nick (Chad Michael Murray) and the twin brothers who own the wax museum. Sibling relationships are always an interesting dynamic to explore because it impacts personality and gives a clue about the homelife foundation that helps shape the characters we follow and may root for or against. I love the reveal of the characters’ backstories and their relationships with each other. 

So, we’ve got a group of friends – I believe they’re college-age if memory serves me right – who are on their way to a football game, but it turns into a camping trip in the woods. Because ain’t no way they’re making it to the big game with jam-packed traffic on the freeway. The group is lured to a deserted town and discover the wax figurines are more than they appear.

Fun Fact: This is produced by film company Dark Castle Entertainment, originally created to remake classic horror movies. Also, it’s the first of three movies on this list produced by this film production company. 

Why you'll enjoy it: 

If you’re a fan of wax museums like I am, this one will be a treat. This is a remake done well.

My rating:

🏹🏹🏹🏹 4 arrows

Where you can watch it:

Apple TV and available for rent and/or purchase: Amazon Prime add-on, YouTube, Google Play Store, Fandango 

5. Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)

REMAKE ALERT! This movie was the talk of my friend group in middle school when it came out in theaters. Partially for the cute actor who played Kemper and mostly for how horrific the film is. We thought it was based on a true story because it said so in the film. Adult me is learning that you can’t believe everything you read, see or are told. Do your own research. Anywho, it was a great reintroduction of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre story to a new generation who wasn’t so familiar with the grindhouse movie from the 1970s. 

Backwoods roads in Texas + a group of friends + a family of inbred psychopathic killers + a chainsaw = make for a creepy and purely scary movie. It’s a classic horror setup with all the fixings and it was pretty cool to see Jessica Biel’s work outside of “7th Heaven” at the time. She made for a satisfying Final Girl with smarts, heroic efforts to "rescue a baby” and good ol’ revenge killing.

Fun Fact: Did you know this film was co-produced by explosion-in-every-movie director Michael Bay? This is a remake of the 1974 film. John Larroquette (“Night Court”) narrates the beginning and end of the film – if you ever wondered why the voice sounds familiar. While the movie isn’t based on a true story verbatim, it was loosely inspired by the crimes of serial killer Ed Gein. Scary stuff.

Why you'll enjoy it: 

The acting is great. “Based on a true story” movies will always be scary because even though they’re like 75% fiction, there's that other 25% that may be inspired by true events of various different occurrences. So you’re left wondering what parts of the movie are true and what places and people you need to avoid so that you don’t become a torture victim. 

My rating:

🏹🏹🏹🏹🏹 5 arrows

Where you can watch it:

Available for rent and/or purchase: Amazon Prime add-on, Apple TV, YouTube, Google Play Store, Fandango 

6. Vacancy (2007)

What an interesting experience this movie was. I had no idea I stumbled upon the plot of a snuff film, but now I’m even more against staying in cheap motels if I can help it because…ain’t no way. The big names, Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale, drew me to check this out and I figured it’d be good. An unhappily married couple’s car breaks down and they decide to check into a motel for the night to figure things out in the morning. But they have anything but a peaceful night to make up and fortify their relationship. All hell breaks loose after someone bangs on their door and the adjoining motel room door. This couple does not get a good night’s sleep.

Why you'll enjoy it: 

There’s Alfred Hitchock-esque intro and ending credits, setting the tone for suspense and thrill. This movie makes you realize what’s important. When you’re in a life-or-death situation with a loved one, you’ll find out real quick how much you actually love and appreciate that person. We don’t often see horrors focused on married couples, putting their relationship to the test and forcing them to face their internal issues. This is a refreshing and solid horror thriller with tension throughout. The leading characters are sharp and clever. A-list actors in a quiet commercial success is one to watch.

My rating:

🏹🏹🏹🏹🏹 5 arrows

Where you can watch it:

Pluto TV, fubo TV, Philo, and available for rent and/or purchase: Amazon Prime add-on, Apple TV, YouTube, Google Play Store, Fandango 

7. Five Nights at Freddy's (2023)

As a Chuck-E-Cheese’s kid whose anxiety ran high once the curtains opened and closed for the animatronic performance, my interest was piqued by this franchise. I was on board to see how these creepy animatronics played out in the movie safely from the comfort of my couch. What I got in addition to that was a dark backstory that I sincerely hope isn’t part of the Five Nights at Freddy’s game lore. Josh Hutcherson isn’t commercially known for horror so I was curious about how he’d do in this movie and he wasn’t bad. Matthew Lillard (Serial Mom, Scream, Thirteen Ghosts, Scooby-Doo) flows effortlessly between horror and comedic performances so I looked forward to what role he’d play.

Fun Fact: Yes, this is based on the popular computer game I’m sure plenty of us played. A sequel’s scheduled for release in December 2025. The video game creator, Scott Cawthon, co-wrote the screenplay so game-to-movie adaptation consistency is baked into this. Thank goodness.

Why you'll enjoy it: 

There’s a supernatural element to this horror movie as the animatronics are possessed by spirits in unrest. The concept is based on the survival horror game, so it’s worth checking out. It’s a Blumhouse production, so you know it’s gonna be an entertaining horror film.

My rating:

🏹🏹🏹🏹 4 arrows

Where you can watch it:

Peacock, Starz, Hulu, The Roku Channel, fubo TV, Amazon Prime, Philo, and available for rent and/or purchase: Apple TV, YouTube, Google Play Store, Fandango

8. Jeepers Creepers (2001)

NOTE: I went back and forth with myself about recommending this movie because real-life behind-the-scenes crimes of the predatory director casts a dark shadow over the project. It's difficult to completely separate the art from the artist when writers subconsciously pull from the recesses of their minds and it inadvertently creeps into the work. I want to approach the film with sensitivity.

I love a good horror with a splash of sibling bonding. All Trish and Darry wanted was to get home to visit their parents during spring break for their own reasons – so Trish could avoid her possibly abusive Political-Science major asshole of a boyfriend and Darry could have their mom do his laundry to let her know she’s still needed in his life. You know the drill; the main characters decide to take the backroads to their destination in an old beater and what begins as a normal road trip with a nice variation of the license plate tag identification game turns into a heart-pounding chase and haunt. 

Jeepers Creepers is a different kind of monster that feeds on fear and body parts. The fact there’s an old jazz song called “Jeepers Creepers” that plays at key moments in the film just ups the creep factor. From the silhouette lighting to build suspense to the pacing of the movie to build tension towards the Creeper’s reveal and choice of prey, this movie was genuinely a good scary and horrific movie. I could watch it like I haven’t seen it before all while hoping for a different ending, knowing how it ends every time. 

Why you'll enjoy it: 

The Creeper deserves to be on the list of horror movie monsters. The storytelling and acting makes for an entertaining watch that leaves you on the edge of your seat, hoping these characters get out of the situation they kinda got themselves into. It’s a scary ride every time.

My rating:

🏹🏹🏹🏹🏹 5 arrows

Where you can watch it:

AMC +, Sling TV, The Roku Channel, Philo, and available for rent and/or purchase: Amazon Prime, Apple TV, YouTube, Google Play Store, Fandango 

9. The Faculty (1998)

The Faculty mixes The Breakfast Club with science fiction and throws in horror elements to make a thrilling story about high school teens with a damn good excuse to fight their teachers, coach, and principal. And who knew illegal drugs would come in the clutch and be such a productive weapon? A group of students notice the school’s faculty is acting strangely and there’s a parasite infecting everyone, so they eventually band together to find and destroy the source. What I enjoyed about this movie in hindsight is the Scooby-gang vibe of the unlikely group of peers trying to figure out what’s happening at their school and with their teachers and classmates. 

Fun Fact: This movie’s got a star-studded cast, including Jordana Brewster (The Fast & Furious franchise) in her debut feature role, Famke Janssen, Josh Hartnett, Usher, and Elijah Wood. This film premiered in theaters on Christmas day back in 1998.

Why you'll enjoy it: 

If you like anything by Robert Rodriguez (Spy Kids, From Dusk till Dawn, Planet Terror) and Kevin Williamson (Scream, “The Vampire Diaries,” “Dawson’s Creek”), along with sci-fi horror, you’ll likely enjoy this movie.

My rating:

🏹🏹🏹🏹🏹 5 arrows

Where you can watch it:

Pluto TV, Paramount +, Hulu, fubo TV, Sling TV, The Roku Channel, Amazon Prime and available for rent and/or purchase: Apple TV, YouTube, Google Play Store, Fandango 

10. House on Haunted Hill (1999)

REMAKE ALERT! And a damn good one at that. Why? Because though it remains true to the original story and concept, it’s modernized with more character development, backstory, and the most important twist…the house is actually haunted. In the original 1959 film, the house was alleged to be haunted. So, the looming possibility of ghosts plagued the characters and fed their paranoia. In the remake, the house has a history of being an old asylum for the criminally insane where a fatal accident occurred. 

The movie starts with a terrifying roller coaster ride as part of a stellar introduction to amusement park mogul, Steven Price. Nice touch. Chris Kattan’s (“Saturday Night Live”) neurotic and witty performance adds the perfect touch of humor to the film. Taye Diggs representing as the token black person in the mix bothers me simply because of tokenism, but fortunately it pays off in the end. I wish the tension and disgust between Price and his wife, Evelyn, were explained and warranted. That always bugged me. Like why are y’all married if you genuinely loathe each other so much? Please divorce and part ways. That level of spousal abhorrence wasn’t earned in the original movie either.

Fun Fact: There’s a nod to Vincent Price (horror king) with the leading character being named Steven Price and referred to as Mr. Price. The roller coaster in the beginning of the movie is the The Incredible Hulk Coaster in Universal Studios Orlando. Very cool! Pretty sure I rode that ride. This is produced by Dark Castle Entertainment, and the second of three movies on this list produced by this film production company. 

Why you'll enjoy it: 

It’s straight up scary. An insane asylum where patients overpowered and tortured the medical staff, now used as the backdrop for a night of survival is excellent work. It has a dark atmosphere, disturbed spirits, plot twists, survival, and a badass cover of “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” by Marilyn Manson, originally made by the Eurythmics. 

My rating:

🏹🏹🏹🏹🏹 5 arrows

Where you can watch it:

Tubi and available for rent and/or purchase: Amazon Prime, Apple TV, YouTube, Google Play Store, Fandango 

11. Campfire Tales (1997)

I searched for horror movies to stream one day and stumbled upon this movie. Who doesn’t enjoy a classic storytime around a campfire in the woods among friends? Yep, this is an anthology. Yep, it starts with a classic urban legend story to get the show started. You’ve got a hook used to warn hormonal teens against giving into their urges, a warning against kids chatting online with strangers posing as kids, a motorcycle riding passerby who stays at a ghost farmhouse supernaturally transported into the past, and a RV-traveling honeymooning couple whose time is fatally ruined by strange creatures who go bump in the night. I enjoyed the first few stories because the payoffs were scarily entertaining. The wraparound story has an interesting twist as well.

Fun Fact: This film was intended to be a theatrical release, but ended up going direct to VHS. The mid-to-late 90s were blowing up with ensemble cast horror movies and might've been crowded space for mid movies to shine. 

Why you'll enjoy it: 

Classic urban legends with a class spooky setup is a familiar and feel good watch. You’ll enjoy this one as an appetizer to your horror movie marathon night. 

My rating:

🏹🏹🏹🏹 4 arrows

Where you can watch it:

Tubi, PLEX, The Roku Channel, Amazon Prime and available for rent and/or purchase: Apple TV, YouTube, Google Play Store, Fandango 

12. The Haunting (1999)

REMAKE ALERT! I remember this movie replaying all weekend on HBO back in ‘99 when my mom temporarily purchased the premium cable package to see an N’SYNC concert. I didn’t know what movie I kept catching halfway through. But I remembered everybody being concerned with an out-of-touch woman walking through a dark mansion in a flowy white nightgown, the statue of children’s faces in the headboard, a spiral staircase, beautiful Catherine Zeta-Jones, witty Owen Wilson, and the always captivating Liam Neeson on screen. And I thought “this looks hauntingly scary and I want to know the story, but I’m having a hard time following because I know I missed some key details…from the beginning. How is this unlikely group of people trapped together in a castle?” 

Needless to say, this movie left quite an impression on me as a kid. 

Fun Fact: This movie is a remake of a 1963 film and both adaptations are based on a 1959 gothic novel, The Haunting of Hill House. Yes, all of these adaptations are related to the Netflix series “The Haunting of Hill House,” which is loosely based on the 1959 novel. 

Why you'll enjoy it: 

The scenery is haunting and dark because most of the movie takes place inside a dark mansion with statues and gothic architecture. It’s a scary movie in a traditional sense with its dark atmosphere and haunted house with a dark backstory….hence the disturbed spirits. So much darkness.

My rating:

🏹🏹🏹🏹 4 arrows

Where you can watch it:

Paramount +, fuboTV, Sling TV, MGM +, Philo, The Roku Channel, Amazon Prime and available for rent and/or purchase: Apple TV, YouTube, Google Play Store, Fandango 

13. Scream (1996)

Scream is a modern classic at this point. It’s peak 90’s horror and cinema for the decade. Simply iconic. And therefore, I don’t have to say much about this one. This follows a group of high school friends in a suburban town terrorized by a “killer among friends,” as authorities try to figure out why the slashings are happening and what’s so special about Sidney Prescott? 

Fun Fact: The working title of the film was initially “Scary Movie” and we can all appreciate the title change in hindsight because we were given two great franchises as a result. Wes Craven directed this gem and Kevin Williamson penned the screenplay…this proved to be gold. 

Why you'll enjoy it: 

This movie is like a love letter to the horror genre. This movie (and filmmaking team) studied the horror classics. We love a Final Girl who’s athletic and fights back.

My rating:

🏹🏹🏹🏹🏹 5 arrows

Where you can watch it:

Hulu; Available for rent and/or purchase: Amazon Prime Video, Google Play Store, Apple TV, Fandango 

14. THIR13EN Ghosts (2001)

REMAKE ALERT! I must say, I really enjoyed this movie because…it scared me as a kid. The atmosphere and ghosts were scary. Simply put. I didn’t want to be caught trapped in a glass house of vengeful and angry spirits. A family inherits the mansion and learns it actually houses trapped spirits that can kill them. Matthew Lillard returns to horror, acting his butt off as a psychic empath that both warns the family about the house, but is also possibly part of the ploy. I’m still confused about Uncle Cyrus's initial fatality and role to this day. 

Fun Fact: This is a remake of the 1960 film, 13 Ghosts, produced and directed by William Castle. Yes, it’s also a Dark Castle Entertainment production, and the last of three movies on this list produced by this company. 

Why you'll enjoy it: 

If you like horror movies with the supernatural element of “haunted” settings, this one’s a scary good time to watch. 

My rating:

🏹🏹🏹🏹🏹 5 arrows

Where you can watch it:

Philo, Sling TV, Amazon Prime; available for rent and/or purchase: YouTube, Google Play Store, Apple TV, Fandango 

15. It Follows (2014)

It took years before I revisited this movie and gave it a proper viewing. It started off weird and a little too slow for me, but once I checked out reviews and looked into the story to understand it more I now appreciate how innovative the concept is. The movie follows a young college-aged woman who, after having sex with her trash date, is followed by a frightening entity who takes the human form of various people and tries to kill her. It follows her everywhere she goes and doesn’t stop. 

The idea is that a person must sleep with someone else to pass on the curse and delay their time of being a target, but they’re still followed forever until…death. We can dissect this film all day long and develop tons of metaphors and societal messages about its aim. But all in all, the movie is anxiety-inducing and outright haunting. The concept of never being able to escape something is terrifying. 

Fun Fact: The concept of the film was inspired by the writer and director’s dreams from his youth. Word on the street is that there’s a sequel in the making titled “They Follow.”

Why you'll enjoy it: 

The movie’s concept is innovative and you’ll be terrified of the “monsters.”

My rating:

🏹🏹🏹🏹 4 arrows

Where you can watch it:

HBO Max, YouTube; available for rent and/or purchase: Amazon Prime add-on, Hulu add-on, Sling TV add-on, Roku Channel add-on, YouTube TV add-on, Google Play Store, Apple TV, Fandango 

16. The Hills Have Eyes (2006)

REMAKE ALERT! Yep, this was part of an era of remakes – decent ones. This gruesome plot involves two families: one family emerges from under a rock and the other is roaming through the hills on a journey. What starts as an unassuming family road trip vacation becomes a trap where the members are terrorized by a mutant family that haunts passerbys. How unfortunately convenient is it that there’s no cell phone reception out in the desert to call for help?

Fun Fact: Wes Craven wrote and directed the original film released in 1977. 

Why you'll enjoy it: 

Maybe you’re a little curious about what could’ve happened to people as a result of nuclear testing sites. Maybe you’ve wondered about the worst possible case scenario that could happen while traveling in an RV through the North American western desert. Perhaps you just find cannibalistic mutants terrifying…I do.

My rating:

🏹🏹🏹🏹 4 arrows

Where you can watch it:

Available for rent and/or purchase: Amazon Prime add-on, YouTube TV add-on, Google Play Store, Apple TV, Fandango 

17. Escape Room (2019)

I’mma tell you this…I’m gonna need waaay more than just $10,000 to get involved with a high-stakes escape game that my life depends on. There are several escape-room-themed movies and while the premises are generally the same, the setting, the execution and the characters can set one apart from the pack. There are also a number of movies with similar “Escape” titles. But this is one of the more successful and commercial ones maybe due to being backed by a large studio like Columbia Pictures…and also because, I’d like to think this one has a good blend of the three features mentioned.

The setup brings six strangers together to an undiscoverable building to play escape games where each puzzle room directly correlates to a significant time in each of the players’ backstories. I was intrigued by Jay Ellis’s (HBO’s “Insecure”) character as an executive because he made for a good antagonist, being one of those gray characters you’re not sure of where they stand. There’s an overarching game test at play the characters can’t escape. They were targeted and chosen for a reason to be a part of this game.

Why you'll enjoy it: 

It’s quite a thrilling adventure with deadly stakes that puzzle solvers and mystery lovers will enjoy.

My rating:

🏹🏹🏹🏹 🏹 5 arrows

Where you can watch it:

Netflix; available for rent and/or purchase: Amazon Prime add-on, YouTube TV add-on, Google Play Store, Apple TV, Fandango 

18. Darkness Falls (2003)

This one’s a more obscure selection compared to the others because you don’t really hear about it. I was really questioning: Did this movie even exist? Did I make it up? Was this a fever dream? Regardless, I do remember this movie because it validated my fear of the dark. Darkness is a big deal in the movie because it fuels the monster that is known as “the tooth fairy” who’s coming for the townspeople's children. The story involves a misunderstanding, a local old tale, a curse and a vengeful spirit. This horror targets kids as the prey and not many of these kind of movies come to mind outside of Child’s Play. 

Why you'll enjoy it: 

If you love the classic trope of a scary story and entity that haunts a town, this one's for you. This turns a wholesome children's folklore into a nightmare.

My rating:

🏹🏹🏹🏹 4 arrows

Where you can watch it:

Available for rent and/or purchase: Amazon Prime add-on, YouTube TV add-on, Google Play Store, Apple TV, Fandango

19. No Escape (2020)

I recognized Toby Cavanaugh from Pretty Little Liars and like many of us, I was looking for movies to entertain me and distract me from the uncertainty outside we now remember as the pandemic and COVID-19 lockdown. This horror is grounded in reality and is super relatable as a vlogger (we know YouTube is the platform) and his friends travel to Moscow, Russia for an elite adventurous experience to capture for viewers. We know some folks “turn it on” for the cameras and this takes a glance at content creators who feel the need to document Every. Single. Thing. For fans who watch and follow.

For protagonist Cole Turner’s birthday and the ten-year-anniversary of his vlog channel, his friends plan an extravagant escape room activity. It’s all a game until it isn’t for Cole, who has to solve puzzles to save his friends before they succumb to their individual torture chambers. I love the realistic interactions among the friend group. There’s good chemistry among the cast, which is needed to pull this off.

Why you'll enjoy it: 

If you enjoy thrillers and games, this one’s worth checking out. There’s an interesting plot twist for this one. 

My rating:

🏹🏹🏹🏹 4 arrows

Where you can watch it:

Amazon Prime; available for rent and/or purchase: YouTube TV add-on, Google Play Store, Apple TV, Fandango

20. The Descent (2005)

This is why I don’t go caving or spelunking. Who knows what human-animal-like creatures are lurking just below earth’s surface? A group of thrill-seeking girlfriends find out when they go hiking to a cave and explore underground tunnels. Like any good horror movie, it grounds us in normal, everyday life and this one refreshingly takes a risky adventurous activity and transports us into a different world…the dangerous underside of it. Though this movie was released when I was in middle school, I’ve recently watched it for the first time as an adult and realized how good it is. Another layer to this movie comes through the relationship among two best friends where one has betrayed the other. This relationship element impacts the remaining survivors (read: who deserves to survive based on said betrayal). Keep this in mind for the sequel. Yes, there is a sequel. 

Why you'll enjoy it: 

It’s an entertaining horror movie that  features an all-female cast. So which one becomes the “Final Girl?”

My rating:

🏹🏹🏹🏹🏹 5 arrows

Where you can watch it:

Tubi, Amazon Prime, fuboTV, Sling TV, The Roku Channel, YouTube Prime; available for rent and/or purchase: Google Play Store, Apple TV, Fandango 

21. Quarantine (2008)

Remember the whole zombie craze? This movie came out during the thick of it in the early 2000s; right on time. This movie is definitely a product of the times, capitalizing on the found-footage trend as well. The plot involves a news reporter who, along with first responders who receive an emergency call, go to an apartment complex and find the tenants have been infected with some kind of virus. They think it's rabies and the authorities and the CDC shut them in so they can’t get out and no one else can get in. This is done to prevent the spread of infection -- the entire building is quarantined. So uninfected folks are trapped inside with infected future neck-biting undead beings. The anxiety of it all. Jay Hernandez survived a hostel and graced our screens in this horror thriller. Other notable faces include Columbus Short and a young Joey King. 

Fun Fact: Quarantine is a remake of the Spanish film Rec that was released just a year before.

Why you'll enjoy it: 

What’s not to love about zombies?! Prepared to become propelled back in time to the modern living dead of the 2000s and found footage appropriateness to relive the scariness.  

My rating:

🏹🏹🏹🏹🏹 5 arrows

Where you can watch it:

Peacock; available for rent and/or purchase: Amazon Prime add-on, YouTube Movies & TV, Google Play Store, Apple TV, Fandango

22. Stay Alive (2006)

I was looking for roses to keep me safe after watching this as a kid. I rented this movie from Blockbuster to watch with my brothers on a Friday night for the weekend. If you’re old enough to remember those days and got to experience Blockbuster’s popcorn bucket and snacks, cherish those nostalgic memories. Stay Alive’s concept is interesting because it ties in a curse with a video game: If you die in the game, you die in real life similarly to how you perished as your video game character. 

Typically, when you’re playing a video game and your avatar loses or “dies”, you respawn or have multiple lives and all’s good. But for this one you must stay alive because your life in the real world depends on it. In fact, you must keep playing to try and stay alive because the game’s going to continue with or without you directly behind the controller. Horror survival games are my favorite kind of video games. I love a good mystery to solve and the threat of danger…all while trying to conquer my fears. The horrific thing about this is it’s a mass produced video game that others will play and likely have a deadly fate. 

My only hangup is that the rules of gameplay or what is supposed to happen in real life as a result of gameplay are confusing and don't seem consistent throughout. We didn’t see one of the characters get a “game over” but they later died. So we’re left with questions and wondering if plot devices are at play. But if you suspend your disbelief, it’s a rather entertaining and scary movie to enjoy. “Malcolm in the Middle,” Agent Cody Banks and Big Fat Liar’s Frankie Muniz drew me to check this out. Sophia Bush of “One Tree Hill” fame at the time also stars as a pretty cool character, “October.” I love the name. 

Sidenote: Wouldn’t this have been a golden time to develop merchandise…say a “Stay Alive” video game just like in the movie and have fans play? I’m thinking built-in story and lore and franchise if this were mapped out right. I’m just saying, I would’ve bought the real-life video game.

Fun Fact: The movie and video game weaves in the real legend of Hungarian "Countess of Blood," Elizabeth Bathory. The legend goes something like this: She was a vampiress who bathed in the blood of virgins to retain her beauty and youth. These may have been wild allegations fabricated by competing royal families, but the crimes haven’t been completely disputed. Some dark, scary stuff.

Why you'll enjoy it: 

Video gameplay adds flair to this horror movie. I think this one may become a new fear for gamers as a “what if” this could happen.

My rating:

🏹🏹🏹🏹 4 arrows

Where you can watch it:

Available for rent and/or purchase: Amazon Prime add-on, YouTube Movies & TV, Google Play Store, Apple TV, Fandango

23. The Purge (2013)

Who knew this movie would kick off a whole franchise of sequels and a TV show? Universal did their big one, partnering with Blumhouse Productions to bring a dystopian horror to the masses. The sequels may be considered more successful, but I appreciate the first because it introduced us to this world.

We have Ethan Hawke as a high-performing security system salesman who comes home to his upper middle-class family, the Sandins, living in the biggest house in the gated community, and they prepare for Purge night by locking down their home under guard. Ethics come into play when his son temporarily lifts the security to let in a black guy on the run from a mob of white privileged young adults who refer to the guy as “swine” and threaten the Sandin family to release their target or they’re barging into their safe and perceivably guarded house. It presents a dilemma for the Sandins who wanted no parts of this, yet struggle to put the guy out to get tortured and killed by the belligerents.

I love the concept because of its relevancy and imagining of the country as “crime-free” due to all crime being legal for 12 hours as a way for folks to purge and unload their hate, disgust, desires, urges, punishment, vengeance, and anything else that would qualify as illegal (within the parameters of the rules). As a result of this annual government lift or nonintervention, there’s an uptick in the economy and unemployment has supposedly significantly decreased thanks to this initiative from the “New Founding Fathers.”

It makes for interesting worldbuilding to watch play out on the screen. But I would be horrified if this were our reality; not gonna lie. I feel like it’d lead to a host of other problems that’d be difficult to get a handle on in real life with real people with real and different agendas and motivations and varying levels of self-regulation. Naturally, the movie is political in nature with social commentary, touching on themes of classism, capitalism and race…just to name a few. Just goes to show how scary real life can be–or something close to it. 

Fun Fact: The film director James DeMonaco was inspired by an episode of Star Trek: The Original Series called “The Return of the Archons” where the crew visited a planet whose inhabitants partake in a night of violence. Rumor has it there’s possibly a sixth installment being planned for The Purge franchise.

Why you'll enjoy it: 

Experience the film that started a chain of eerie halloween costumes. Horror movies already have an underlying element of social commentary, so if you enjoy it on a more overt and front-facing level…this is your movie. This one sets it off for the following films and it’s just as scary as watching it for the first time.

My rating:

🏹🏹🏹🏹🏹 5 arrows

Where you can watch it:

Peacock; available for rent and/or purchase: Amazon Prime add-on, YouTube Movies & TV, Google Play Store, Apple TV, Fandango

24. Final Destination (2000)

I don’t care what everyone else says about which film is the best in the franchise. I love the first Final Destination because it’s the first! It was a moment. It introduced us to the world of death-warning premonitions for our characters and death’s system for fulfilling its plan to take out folks. Devon Sawa is top notch as Alex Browning and the cast includes Scream Queen, Ali Larter, Horror Legend, Tony Todd, along with Kerr Smith (“Dawson’s Creek”) and Seann Williams Scott (American Pie).

The film’s death plot centers around a high school senior class's plane trip to Paris, but unfortunately the class doesn’t make it to their intended destination. Alex has a premonition of the plane crashing, which causes him to freak out—understandably so—and this leads to a fight in the aisle which causes the students involved to get kicked off the plane. This is frustrating for the group who gets left behind at the airport to watch their classmates take off in the sky. Frustration quickly morphs into shock and disbelief when they witness the airplane exploding in the sky shortly after takeoff. The students and their teacher were supposed to be on that plane, so death comes for each of them throughout the movie to compensate for Alex screwing up its plan.

If you have a fear of airplanes or flying, this movie probably does nothing to diminish those feelings.

Fun Fact: This film idea by screenwriter and creator Jeffrey Reddick came from a story he read about a woman who luckily dodged a plane crash because her mother had a bad feeling about that particular flight, causing the woman to change flights. Reddick ran with the idea and created what we know as Final Destination. It’s uncanny that this film was released just a year before the impactful September 11th (known as 9/11) plane incidents in 2001 that forever changed the country.

Why you'll enjoy it: 

The concept is fresh and sets up the world of Final Destination. It’ll make you pay extra attention to coincidences around you and may give you a new lease on life and death. Are fate and destiny real? Is there a master plan at work we have no control over? These are the important questions in life. 

My rating:

🏹🏹🏹🏹🏹 5 arrows

Where you can watch it:

HBO Max, Philo, YouTube, Hulu, Sling TV, The Roku Channel, Amazon Prime; available for rent and/or purchase: YouTube Movies & TV, Google Play Store, Apple TV, Fandango

25. Deep House (2021)

We’ve got another modern horror where vlogging drives the motivations of our leading characters to capture unique experiences for views. And risk their lives while straining their relationship in the process. Deep House follows an adventurous couple who vlogs their urban explorations. They travel to France and meet a local who shows them to a lake off the beaten path where tourists don’t venture. That makes it all the more attractive to our two main characters.

The area holds a preserved haunted mansion submerged beneath an artificial lake. The couple set out with their scuba gear and plummet to enter and explore the mansion that’s home to a family of child abductors who sacrificed neighboring kids for satanic purposes. The backstory is creepy in and of itself. Turns out the mansion and its water-living inhabitants are an active group who seek to possess fresh deep divers and absorb them into their family.

This film has a great set up, is interesting and keeps you hooked with tension and suspense, but the ending is a bit of a letdown if you’re rooting for the couple. Regardless of that, it makes my list simply because it’s an awesome scary movie. 

Fun Fact: This film is a Blumhouse Productions acquisition, so you know its horror premise is promising.

Why you'll enjoy it: 

Supernatural horror is always a good time. You’ll enjoy this if you're a fan of the underwater horror subgenre. 

My rating:

🏹🏹🏹🏹 4 arrows

Where you can watch it:

Amazon Prime, MGM+, YouTube TV, fuboTV, Sling TV, The Roku Channel, Philo; available for rent and/or purchase: YouTube Movies & TV, Google Play Store, Apple TV, Fandango

Bonus:

Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island (1998)

Because I can round the list out with a worthy honorable mention if I want. 

Alright, this is one of THE BEST Scooby-Doo movies. Hands down. The soundtrack is killer too. This direct-to-video movie is truly a horror for us and the Mystery, Inc. gang where the masks don’t come off this time. The animated movie takes place in New Orleans, Louisiana on a haunted island. Considering it’s set in the deep South at a plantation, which comes with a sinister history as is, adding zombies and voodoo dolls and rituals into the mix gives Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy and Scooby-Doo a run for their money. 

Fun Fact: Apparently there’s a sequel Scooby-Doo! Return to Zombie Island. But it ain’t got nothing on the first movie, which was also the first in the series of direct-to-video Scooby-Doo movies.

Why you'll enjoy it: 

It’s dark. It’s scary. It’s clearly memorable for a generation. There’s a meta-story at play where the gang becomes bored with unveiling masked culprits. They want the real thing. This also represents maturation: the gang is growing up from their teenage mysteries and seeking fulfillment in real ghost discovery. This Scooby-Doo movie reintroduced the series to a new generation who was ready for darker mysteries.

My rating:

🏹🏹🏹🏹🏹 5 arrows

Where you can watch it:

Available for rent and/or purchase: Amazon Prime, YouTube Movies & TV, Google Play Store, Apple TV, Fandango

My Final Thoughts

As I was making this list, I noticed something about my selections. These films were released within the last 35 years or so (at the time of developing it), meaning I didn't go back before 1990 at the time of writing and publishing this list. It’s ironic because I’ve complained about horror suffering lately with a lack of great movies in the last 10 years or so. Yet, I compiled a list of modern horror films I found to be very entertaining enough to recommend. There were several movies from my childhood into my teenhood and young adulthood that left quite an impression on me and recent movies with interesting concepts or good execution I appreciated.

You'll notice a theme among my list of movie recommendations:

• I love an ensemble cast of characters or group of friends in an eerie setting because you're getting a variety of personalities and interpersonal relationships mixed in with survival. It's great for character building and I love everything having to do with relationships.

• I love anthologies because you're getting a sample of everything and the stories are succinct with a message or moral. It's focused, too the point, and time conscious. The horror experience isn't supposed to last too long anyway...for our sanity and health.

• I love thrillers because there's usually a bit of mystery tied into the chase and threat of death.

• I love a high-quality and well-made remake or retelling of a classic. Because make it relevant to me and these modern times and let's see how creative the filmmakers can get.

• I have an unforgiving appreciation for the first in a franchise or series of films and spinoffs. Maybe it’s because as the first and eldest child, I think there’s something special about being first. Maybe it’s because the filmmakers got it right the first time and try to recreate lightning in a bottle the second, third and fourth times. Or maybe it’s because the first sets the tone and lays the groundwork for everything and that should be acknowledged and never forgotten or discounted.

  
  

Have a happy spooky season! Cuddle up on the couch with candy, popcorn, hot chocolate, all the snacks and food and prepare to be entertained. Let me know what you think of this list of movies. Should I make a part two? What would your Halloween movie list include? 🎃