It's spooky season, and it’s only right to prepare appropriately. You are probably ready to carve your pumpkins and wear the scariest or most creative costume imaginable. Well, we are here for all that and more. Here are thirteen of the best Halloween movies (ranked) to get you in the spirit.
Notable Cast: Kaya Scodelario, Tom Hopper, Hannah John-Kamen
Release Year: 2021
Ratings: 65% on Rotten Tomatoes, 5.2 on IMDB
Where to Watch: Prime Video, Netflix, Starz, Apple TV
If you are familiar with the horror genre, you will also be familiar with the Resident Evil series. But if you aren't, Resident Evil is a horror film series derived from a Japanese video game. The first film in the series was released far back in 2002. Since then, five movies have been released in the resident evil series. However, the good thing about Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City is that it is a standalone movie. You don't need the previous movies to understand the plot here.
The movie is set in 1998 and follows a group trying to survive a zombie outbreak in a small dying town called Raccoon City. It is a reboot of the Resident Evil series directed by esteemed director Johannes Roberts.
Notable Cast: Elisabeth Moss, Aldis Hodge, Oliver Jackson-Cohen
Release Year: 2020
Ratings: 88% on Rotten Tomatoes, 7.1 on IMDB
Where to Watch: Prime Video, Apple TV, Vudu, Netflix
The Invisible Man follows a crazed tech entrepreneur who staged suicide to become ‘invisible’ and terrorize his ex-girlfriend, Cecilia. Things get spooky when Cecilia gets a sense that he just might be alive, but the police do not believe her. As the stalking continues, Cecilia decides to take matters into her own hands to prove that someone is hunting her down. The movie was adapted from H.G Wells’ globally acclaimed novel with the same title. Since its 2020 release, the Invisible Man has grossed over $144 million at the box office.
Notable Cast: Neve Campbell, Emma Roberts, Jenna Ortega
Ratings: 79% on Rotten Tomatoes, 7.4 on IMDB
Where to Watch: Prime Video
Like Resident Evil, the Scream film series presents five horror movies in a sequenced order. The perfect dose of spooky for this Halloween season. The first movie in the Scream series was released in 1996. We have since had Scream 2, Scream 3, Scream 4, and the most recent (released just this year) Scream. The general plot follows the life of Sidney Prescott (played by Neve Campbell) as she navigates a string of murders from Ghostface murderers. The latest movie from the Scream franchise has grossed $173 million this year.
Release Year: 2018
Notable Cast: Joey King, Jaz Sinclair, Javier Botet
Where to Watch: Hulu, Netflix, Disney+
Slender Man is truly another level of spooky because there are elements of actual life events in it. The movie is inspired by Slender Man, an internet character created by Eric Knudsen. There was also a 2014 attempted murder heavily influenced by the Slender Man character.
However, the movie is based on the life of three friends: Wren, Hallie, and Chloe, who try to contact a supernatural creator called Slender Man. Their attempts ultimately lead to many scary visions, insanity, and even death. The movie grossed $51.7 million at the box office.
Release Year: 2022
Notable Cast: Isabelle Fuhrman, Julia Stiles, Matthew Finlan
Ratings: 77% on Rotten Tomatoes, 5.9 on IMDB
Where to Watch: Prime Video, Paramount Plus, Vudu
This movie follows the life of Esther, a young woman who escapes to America from a psychiatric facility in Estonia. Esther has a medical condition that gives her the appearance of a ten-year-old girl. She then murders an art therapist and poses as the lost child of a wealthy American couple. Several mysteries subsequently follow. The movie is a prequel to the 2009 film 'Orphan' (you can stream Orphan on Netflix).
Release Year: 2021
Notable Cast: Maya Hawke, Sadie Sink, Olivia Scott
Ratings: 62% on Rotten Tomatoes, 6.2 on IMDB
Where to Watch: Netflix
The Fear Street Trilogy is a horror movie series featuring three movies: Fear Street Part One (1994), Fear Street Part Two (1978), and Fear Street Part Three (1666). The movies follow the lives of a group of friends who take on an ancient supernatural force responsible for numerous murders in their town. These movies are particularly spooky because they have virtually all the elements of scary movies: witchcraft, supernatural possession, and serial killing.
Release Year: 2022
Notable Cast: James Jude Courtney, Jamie Lee Curtis, Andi Matichak, Dylan Arnold
Ratings: 58% on Rotten Tomatoes, 5.1 on IMDB
If you’re a fan of other movies in the Halloween film franchise, you'll love this one. Halloween Ends is the latest release of the thirteen movies in the Halloween movie series that started way back in 1978. The movie details the life of Laurie Strode (played by Jamie Lee Curtis) as she navigates life after her encounter with a deadly serial killer. However, because Halloween Ends is one of the movies in the franchise, its plot references story development from previous movies.
Halloween Kills (2021) is your best bet if you haven’t seen any of the Halloween series movies and do not want to watch everything.
Release Year: 2022
Notable Cast: Mia Goth, Jenna Ortega, Kid Cudi
Ratings: 75% on Rotten Tomatoes, 6.6 on IMDB
Where to Watch: Prime Video, Apple TV
X is a horror movie that follows the life of a group of actors as they try to make an X-rated movie in a small Texas town. However, things get sinister when a killer threatens the actors. So far, the movie has grossed more than quadruple its budget at the box office.
Release Year: 2021
Notable Cast: Ethan Hawke, Brady Hepner
Ratings: 88% on Rotten Tomatoes, 7.0 on IMDB
Where to Watch: Peacock
This movie tells the story of a thirteen-year-old boy named Finney Shaw, who is abducted and kept in a serial killer's basement. The movie introduces a spooky and supernatural element when a disconnected 'black' phone serves as Finney's point of contact with the killer's previous victims. The dead victims are determined to help Finney defeat the killer and get out alive. The movie grossed $161 million worldwide.
Release Year: 2021
Notable Cast: Sarah Catherine,
Ratings: 83% on Rotten Tomatoes, 6.3 on IMDB
Where to Watch: HBO Max
The Conjuring III is the latest release in The Conjuring movie series. It follows the lives of two exorcists who witness the demonic possession of Arne Johnson (played by Ruairi O'Connor). The possessed Arne subsequently commits a slew of gruesome murders under demonic possession. The movie has all the ingredients to evoke ultimate spookiness and is perfect for Halloween night. Since its release, it has grossed over $200 million at the box office.
Release Year: 2022
Notable Cast: Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer, Steve Yeun
Ratings: 69% on Rotten Tomatoes, 6.9 on IMDB
Where to watch: Amazon Prime
Nope is currently the highest-grossing horror movie in 2022, earning $171 million at the box office. It follows the lives of two siblings who spot a strange flying object at a California ranch. As they try to figure out precisely what the object is, they are faced with numerous scary challenges along the way. Jordan Peele directs the movie (director of the hit horror movie, Get Out).
Release Year: 2018, (2020)
Notable Cast: Cillian Murphy, John Krasinki, Emily Blunt
Ratings: 83% on Rotten Tomatoes, 7.5 on IMDB
Where to Watch: Netflix, Amazon Prime
A Quiet Place shows the life of a family who must live in total silence or risk death from monsters with sharp hearing in a post-apocalyptic world. The Quiet Place is a great place to start if you are looking for a movie that will keep you on edge with suspense and a good scare. The movie earned a whopping $341 million at the box office, and its sequel (Quiet Place II) earned almost $300 million. Overall, a highly rated and highly successful movie.
Release Year: 2017
Notable Cast: Finn Wolfhard, Bill Skarsgard, Sophia Lillis
Ratings: 84% on Rotten Tomatoes, 7.3 on IMDB
Where to Watch: Netflix, Amazon Prime, Apple TV
If there is any movie that can swiftly get you into the spirit of Halloween, it is this movie. Quite literally, this movie is 'it.' Since its release in 2017, it has become one of the major horror classics. The movie is centred around a demonic clown that lives in the sewer. Every two decades, the demon emerges from the sewer to attack children in the town. A group of seven friends subsequently come together to destroy the monster and reclaim their town. It has grossed over $700 million at the box office. Interestingly, the movie’s clown could also be a great costume idea for Halloween.
Overall, you can enjoy a ton of great movies this Halloween season. There are movie options for however you intend to spend your Halloween— indoors or outdoors, alone or with friends.