The day is finally here, it's Halloween 2024, and that means that my horror movie countdown has come to an end. Over the past few weeks, I've relied on the best streaming services to tick off best horror movies off my watchlist for each day of October, and now I've narrowed them all down to the top 13 horror movies that stood out to me the most.
After watching slasher movies, psychological horrors, sci-fi horrors, and supernatural horrors, I've accumulated movies across each subgenre which I recommend streaming for Halloween 2024. These are perfect for if you haven't got any Halloween plans and are staying at home, or to have on in the background while you travel back and forth to the front door to hand out candy to trick or treaters.
Ready or Not (2019)
Director: Tyler Gillett & Matt Bettinelli-Olpin
Running time: 95 minutes
Where to stream: Hulu (US); Disney Plus (UK and AU)
Ready or Not is one of those horror movies that combines comedy with slasher elements, and is a great comedy horror movie to watch this Halloween to balance the scary with the funny. While it packs suspense and bloody scenes that I've come to love in a slasher, the gore doesn't aim to be realistic making it a suitable watch if you're not one for graphic body horror.
This is the movie that affirmed Samara Weaving as a contemporary scream queen for me, joining the likes of icons Jamie Lee Curtis, Neve Campbell, and Mia Goth. Since ticking Ready or Not off my watchlist, Radio Silence productions announced that a sequel is on the way with Weaving returning - sign me up.
Scream (1996)
Director: Wes Craven
Running time: 111 minutes
Where to stream: Max (US), Paramount Plus (UK), Binge (AU)
Like I said in my slasher movie roundup in week one, Scream is the slasher to end all slashers - defining the age of self-referential horrors. It packs everything I want in a slasher; iconic cast, a whodunnit storyline, and character deaths that will be remembered forever (my personal favorites being Tatum's garage door situation, and Stu's death by television).
Scream 2 (1997)
Director: Wes Craven
Running time: 120 minutes
Where to stream: Max (US), Paramount Plus (UK), Binge (AU)
Sequels are tricky, but in the case of Scream 2 I can let it slide. Just how the first insert of the franchise referred to classic horrors to create and build its narrative, Scream 2 looks at the role of sequel movies in horror, commenting on its tropes in another self-referential plotline. The death sequences in Scream 2 don't hold back and are just as memorable as the first movie - take the opening scene in the movie theatre and Sarah Michelle Gellar's balcony moment as prime examples.
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Director: Wes Craven
Running time: 96 minutes
Where to stream: Max (US)
If you couldn't tell, Wes Craven had a big presence in my first week of counting down to Halloween, and his '80s classic slasher A Nightmare on Elm Street laid the groundwork for every slasher movie that followed. Not only is it one of the best slashers but it's also one of the best high school movies, and those two combined make it a staple for a Halloween movie night.
Not only is A Nightmare on Elm Street perfect for a spooky movie night, but its antagonist Freddy Krueger is a classic Halloween costume that has been interpreted for the last 40 years – proving the movie's longevity.
The Sixth Sense (1999)
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Running time: 107 minutes
Where to stream: Max (US), Disney Plus (UK & AUS)
When I see any movie with M. Night Shyamalan's name attached to it I'm reluctant to press play - I wasn't the biggest fan of Old (2021) and when I watched Signs (2002) for sci-fi horror week, I was left wanting more. But I can say with confidence that The Sixth Sense was one of my favorite movies to watch during my Halloween countdown.
If you like a spine-chilling thriller with a child main character and a mind-boggling plot twist at the end, I convince you to watch this psychological horror this Halloween if you haven't seen it already.
Creep (2014)
Director: Patrick Brice
Running time: 82 minutes
Where to stream: Netflix (US, UK, AUS)
I've said it before and I'll say it again, found footage horror never fails to freak me out. I remember watching The Blair Witch Project (1999) and clenching up at any given moment, and it was exactly the same with Creep. Although this type of horror will get me every time, I sit through them anyway because I have a guilty pleasure for the thrill and adrenaline of now knowing what is going to come next.
Creep is frightening yet fun to watch on Halloween night for you who are looking for a proper scare, and if it turns out you like it just as much as I do, its sequel is also available on Netflix.
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Director: Johnathan Demme
Running time: 119 minutes
Where to stream: Prime Video (US and UK)
One of the many re-watch movies I included in my Halloween countdown, and one that I will never get bored of revisiting. And while it's purpose isn't to scare and terrify, it's one of the best movies for writing, characterization, and acting performances that keep you on edge throughout and guessing what will come next.
Storyline aside, I find nothing more captivated than a powerful heroine and Jodie Foster's gives a performance that makes me jump out of my seat and cheer when all the movie's pieces fall into place.
It's What's Inside (2024)
Director: Greg Jardin
Running time: 103 minutes
Where to stream: Netflix (US, UK, AUS)
Who would've thought, a Netflix Original movie that I actually like! Similar to the Gen-Z angle of Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022) but also emulating a whodunnit story like the '80s classic Clue (1985), It's What's Inside was by far one of my most-enjoyed movies out of all the ones I watched in the build up to Halloween.
Like I mentioned in my previous roundup, this movie balances horror with comedy but unlike Ready or Not (2019) it's doesn't aim to be a comedy and instead the funny sides of the movie are very natural in execution.
The Fly (1986)
Director: David Cronenberg
Running time: 96 minutes
Where to stream: Hulu (US), Disney Plus (UK and AU)
I wouldn't say that sci-fi is a genre for me, unless it's very campy and unrealistic like The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975). Not that The Fly is as camp as Rocky Horror, but watching the metamorphosis of Jeff Goldblum's character grow more intense and graphic with those '80s prosthetics was so ridiculously unserious, I loved it. It's not wrong to say that The Fly is all about the physical transformation, but for me, the movie's point of view is all about Goldblum's obsession with his craft which leads to the downfall of his sanity.
No One Will Save You (2023)
Director: Brian Duffield
Running time: 93 minutes
Where to stream: Hulu (US), Disney Plus (UK and AU)
My favorite movie from sci-fi horror week was by far No One Will Save You, purely because I wasn't expecting it to be entirely devised of stage directions and only five words of dialogue. Kaitlyn Dever had a difficult job upholding the energy of her character without any dialogue giving her an insight to who she was supposed to be playing. It shows that as an actress, she's skilled with reading between the lines and can convey a character with facial expressions and by reacting to her surroundings. It's one of those movies that requires undivided attention, but once you reach the climax you'll want to rewind and watch it all over again.
Ring (1998)
Director: Hideo Nakata
Running time: 96 minutes
Where to stream: Tubi, AMC Plus, Shudder (US); Freevee, Shudder (UK)
I've always been familiar with this horror because of the 2002 English-language remake and, of course, Scary Movie 3 (2003). So when I saw that the Japanese original on Freevee through Prime Video, I jumped at the chance to watch it. I'd watched Pulse (2001) a few months back so that was my introduction to Japanese horror movies, and I enjoyed what I saw - therefore I had no doubt that Ring would succeed. It's a great example of an urban myth horror set in the late '90s digital age, packing unsettling jump-scare inserts that are more spin-chilling than shocking.
Carrie (1976)
Director: Brian De Palma
Running time: 98 minutes
Where to stream: AMC Plus (US), Prime Video (UK), Stan (AU)
My favorite movie from supernatural horror week was definitely Stephen King's first book-to-movie adaptation, proving that when it comes to the horror genre, he's unmatched. While Carrie is a simple 98-minute horror set in a high school, it has a much deeper meaning beneath all the carnage that erupts during the movie's climax. Its messages of abuse, religion, and misogyny have propelled the movie into the level of iconography its known for today, and it's become such a beloved favorite among fans to the extent where it's been near impossible for its remakes to match.
Dracula (1958)
Director: Terence Fisher
Running time: 82 minutes
Where to stream: Prime Video (UK)
An early example of horror that exudes campiness - but in the best way possible. Bringing the famous Dracula character to the big screen, Fisher's gothic horror is adopts a traditional interpretation of vampires (garlic, wooden stakes, you name it) and I wouldn't have had it any other way. It's the oldest horror movie out of all the ones I watched this month, and though it's not at all scary, you can still see how it employs suspense techniques that are still used by horror movies makers today.
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