While some days may have felt months long this year, 2020 is still flying by. Summer has come and gone. The winter holidays are right around the corner. But before we get there, fall has arrived in full force. And that means that the Halloween season is upon us.
While Halloween will be much different this year, the state of the world can’t stop you from having a scary movie marathon. Whether it’s via a virtual group watch, a socially distant backyard gathering with your friends and family, or (if you’re brave enough) all by yourself, you can get into the Halloween spirit with your favorite frightening films.
A quick scan through your favorite movie app will reveal hundreds of horror options ready to stream. So how do you choose which creature features to include in your bloodcurdling binge fest? We’ve previously shared some recommendations in another Halloween post, but countless scary flicks have come out since then. To create a new list, we scoured six streaming platforms to present you with some of the best digital choices out there. So power up your 4K TV, plug in your Blu-ray player or media streaming device, or get your projector in focus, because you’re almost ready for your own personal fright night.
Sinister: A true crime writer moves into a new house and finds a box of home movies that are connected to a series of grisly murders and the supernatural forces that cause them. (Netflix) 
Psycho (1960): Considered by many to be one of the greatest movies of all time, “The Master of Suspense” Alfred Hitchcock changed the horror game when he introduced the world to Norman Bates and his mother. (Peacock) 
The Cabin in the Woods: From the twisted minds of Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon, “Cabin in the Woods” is an incredibly meta slasher movie that follows a group of college students on a weekend retreat. (Amazon Prime) 
Tragedy Girls: True crime fans turned amateur crime reporters Sadie and McKayla turn to murder in order to get the latest scoops on their town’s local serial killer and build a bigger social media following. (Hulu) 
Us: A landmark movie for star Luptia Nyong’o and writer/director Jordan Peele, “Us” follows a family as they’re terrorized by their doppelgangers. (HBO Max) 
Hocus Pocus: The Sanderson Sisters are inadvertently brought back from the dead after 300 years, and are up to their old tricks in Salem, Massachusetts on All Hallow’s Eve. (Disney+) 
Monster Squad: A cult classic horror-comedy that pits the legendary Universal Monsters against a group of preteen movie buffs that try to stop them from taking over the world. (Amazon Prime) 
Birdbox: Based on the 2014 novel of the same name, “Birdbox” stars Sandra Bullock as a mother that works to protect her children from malevolent entities that drive people to insanity when they look at them. (Netflix) 
Alien: Lauded as one of the most influential sci-fi films of all time, Ridley Scott’s “Alien” takes a page from the Hitchcokian horror handbook as the crew of a spaceship encounters an alien that is loose on their ship. (HBO Max) 
Little Monsters (2019): Mixing the unlikely pairing of horror and rom-com, this unique film features a washed-up musician, a children’s television personality, and a kindergarten teacher as they protect a group of students from zombies. (Hulu) 
Midsommar: In his follow up to 2018’s “Hereditary”, modern horror master Ari Aster brings us along as a group of friends travel to Sweden for a festival that occurs once every 90 years. (Amazon Prime) 
The Blair Witch Project: A pioneer in the found-footage horror genre, “The Blair Witch Project” presents the “recovered footage” from a documentary by three student filmmakers as they investigate a local legend of the Black Hills in Maryland. (Peacock) 
The VVitch: Deeply unsettling and extremely visceral, “The Witch” (aka “The VVitch: A New England Folktale”) follows a Puritan family in New England who encounter the forces of evil. (Netflix)
In the gallery above, you’ll find a wide variety of horror (or horror adjacent) films from Netflix, Amazon Prime, HBO Max, Disney+, Hulu, and Peacock. From seminal pieces of cinema to cult classics to new favorites, there are options for everyone on our list. There are even a few spooky selections that you can enjoy with the kids in lieu of trick-or-treating.
And don’t fret if you’re looking to take advantage of your 4K Ultra HD tech. Many of these Halloween films are available with ultra high definition options. And some Sony TVs take it one step further, with an exclusive Netflix Mode to enhance your viewing experience. This mode is specifically calibrated to the app, presenting the movie with a picture quality that is as close to the filmmaker’s vision and intent as possible. And if you have a Sony TV but no Netflix account, the streamer has made “Birdbox” available for free without a subscription so that non-subscribers can join in on the fun too.
What do you think about our picks for a Halloween movie night? Will you be adding some to your watchlist? And what are some of your favorites that are streaming now that we missed? Let us know in the comments!
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