The Best Spooky Movies and TV Shows to Binge Watch This Halloween
Halloween is this weekend, and with the pandemic getting in the way of our annual celebrations, what better way to spend it than getting cosy indoors and watching lots of movies. With some spooky themed snacks prepared for a night of binge-watching scary series and fright night classics, this Halloween can be just as enjoyable as all those before.
Read below our recommendation for the best horror movies, family favourites, psychological thrillers and grippy tv series to watch this Halloween, for all the family to enjoy.
Traditional Horror Movies
Scream
The 90’s slasher movie, featuring Friends’ star Courtney Cox and David Arquette, truly is a Halloween classic. If you haven’t seen it already, Scream follows the lives of a group of high-school students being stalked by a masked knife maniac committing multiple murders throughout the movie. But who is safe from the bloody-handed killer, and who is behind the iconic scream mask?
If the first movie wasn’t enough to get your adrenaline rushing, there are 4 Scream movies in total, with a fifth one currently in the making.
Available to stream on Amazon Prime.
IT
The 2017 film adaptation of the Stephen King classic novel, IT, is arguably one of the most terrifying horror movies of the bunch.
The film tells the story of seven children in Derry, Maine, who are terrorised by the eponymous shape-shifting clown Pennywise, who torments children to face their worst nightmares before feeding on them.
Watch on Amazon Prime or purchase on the Sky Store.
The Conjuring 2
It seems odd to watch the second movie in a series without watching the first, however, the Conjuring 2 (2016) is one of the most realistically eerie horror movies of the past decade.
Set in 1970s Enfield, London, the film is based on the real-life Enfield Hauntings, where such supernatural activities took place that famous paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren paid a visit. The film is the second in the conjuring universe, which features a number of real life-based horrors including Annabelle and The Nun; all linked to cases Ed and Lorraine investigated.
Available to stream on Now.TV, Sky Movies and Amazon Prime.
For the Family
The Witches
One of the most anticipated movies of this year, The Witches is a great family favourite to enjoy this Halloween. The 2020 remake of the Roald Dahl classic, features Anne Hathway as The Grand High Witch who leads a group of witches traumatising children around the world.
The movie is rated PG, and contains comedic elements, but parents of small children are advised that it does contain scary parts too.
Available to purchase on Sky Store and to hire on iTunes, Google Play and Amazon Prime.
Edward Scissorhands
An iconic Tim Burton film, featuring Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder in the lead roles, Edward Scissorhands is a fantasy romance story with a dark side.
The film follows Edward, a synthetic man with scissor hands, who is taken in by Peg, a kindly lady, after the passing of his inventor. Things take a turn for the worse when he is blamed for a crime he did not commit.
Available to watch now on Disney+.
Shaun of The Dead
A comedy favourite, Shaun of The Dead is a zombie movie, perfect for families with older children to enjoy.
The plot follows Shaun (played by Simon Pegg), a London salesman whose life has no direction. However, his uneventful life takes a sudden turn when he has to singlehandedly deal with an entire community of zombies after an apocalypse takes over.
Watch on Amazon Prime and Sky Cinema.
Psychological Thrillers
Get Out
Get Out is a 2017 thought-provoking horror film starring British actor Daniel Kaluuya in the lead role.
The plot follows Chris, who decides to visit his girlfriend’s parents during a weekend getaway. Although they seem normal at first, he is not prepared to experience the horrors ahead.
Watch on Amazon Prime or Sky Cinema.
Us
From Jordan Peele, the same director as Get Out, Us is a psychological horror film bringing another meaning to the term doppelganger.
While on vacation in Santa Cruz, the Wilson family is attacked by a family of four. They realise that the people attacking them look very much like them. But why do these people look so alike?
Watch on Amazon Prime or Sky Cinema.
Orphan
Released in 2009, Orphan is a psychological thriller which follows the story of a family who adopts a nine-year-old girl after losing their baby. However, they soon find out that she has a troubled and mysterious past and she is not at all who she pretends to be.
Expect creepy scenes and a crazy plot twist from this film.
Available to watch on Netflix.
Gripping TV Shows
The Haunting of Bly Manor
If you haven’t heard of the Haunting of Bly manner over this past month, then you’ve definitely been living under a rock. The Netflix TV series, is a supernatural horror which tells of a young Au Pair hired by a man to look after his niece and nephew at the family country house; Bly Manor.
After arriving at the Bly estate, she begins to see apparitions that proceed to haunt the premises.
Available to watch on Netflix.
The Fall
Whilst The Fall doesn’t traditionally fall in the horror genre, it’s definitely disturbing and will leave you on the edge of your seat.
Set in Northern Ireland, the series stars Gillian Anderson as Detective Gibson investigating the murders of family man turned serial killer Paul Spector, played by Jamie Dornan. The series reveals Spectors psychology and step by step plans in his serial killing spree. But will he be caught?
All three series are available to watch now on Netflix.
Stranger Things
The last series may have come out over a year ago now, but Stranger Things is the perfect easy watching show to put on at Halloween.
The science-fiction horror set in the 1980s follows a group of friends and the investigation into the disappearance of their friend amid supernatural events occurring around the town, including the appearance of a girl with psychokinetic abilities.
The full three series are available to watch on Netflix.
Have a Happy Halloween!
- Featured images taken from promotional advertisements.
