The 50 Best Horror Movies to Watch Ahead of Halloween

For many horror enthusiasts alike, the spooky season is more than just eating the best candy and picking out the scariest costume to wear on Halloween. It’s the perfect time to do one thing and one thing only: binge-watch the best horror movies with a large tub of popcorn in hand.

From old classics like The Exorcist to newer favorites like Pearl (as part of the X horror movie franchise), here is a list of the 50 best horror movies to watch ahead of Halloween, including options that are streaming on Netflix, Hulu, Max, Disney+ and more.

• Who’s in it: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Skeet Ulrich, Drew Barrymore
• Rating: R
• Runtime: 111 minutes

Directed by Wes Craven, who famously created the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, Scream follows a teenage girl named Sidney Prescott (Campbell), who becomes the target of a psycho killer who wears a Ghostface mask and kills his victims with a knife.

Scream went on to become a successful horror franchise, with the latest installment in the film series, titled Scream 6, debuting in theaters on March 10, 2023.

• Who’s in it: Jeff Goldblum, Geena Davis, John Getz
• Rating: R
• Runtime: 96 minutes

Loosely based on George Langelaan’s 1957 short story of the same name, David Cronenberg’s The Fly tells the story of a brilliant scientist named Seth Brundle (Goldblum) who creates the greatest invention known to man: a teleportation machine. But, the only problem is it can only transport inanimate objects. Seth shows his creation to a journalist named Veronica (Davis), and together, they try to fix the machine so it can teleport humans.

After Seth transports himself through the machine, completely unaware that a fly is in the teleporter with him, he slowly starts to turn into a fly/human creature. Upon its release, The Fly became a commercial success and spawned a sequel, The Fly 2, which debuted in theaters in 1989.

• Who’s in it: Shannyn Sossamon, Edward Burns, Ariel Winter, Meagan Good
• Rating: PG-13
• Runtime: 87 minutes

Serving as a remake of the 2003 Japanese film directed by Takashi Miike, One Missed Call is about a young woman named Beth Raymond (Sossamon), who witnesses the death of two friends. They both received a phone call from—get this—their own phone number, detailing how they’re going to die. With the help of detective Jack Andrews (Ed Burns), Beth tries to uncover the mystery behind the phone calls before she suffers the same fate. And don’t even get us started on that creepy ringtone.

• Who’s in it: Linda Blair, Ellen Burstyn, Stellan Skarsgård
• Rating: R
• Runtime: 122 minutes

Hailed as one of the greatest horror movies ever made, The Exorcist follows a concerned mother (Burstyn), who turns to the church in hopes they can help her daughter Regan (Blair), who is believed to be possessed by the devil.

The original horror flick, which was directed by William Friedkin from the screenplay written by William Peter Blatty, went on to spawn a number of sequels.

One of the sequels, titled The Exorcist: Believer, was released on October 6, 2023, in theaters everywhere. Set 50 years later, Regan and her mother return to help a father save his daughter and her friend from the same demon they encountered decades prior.

• Who’s in it: Lupita Nyong'o, Winston Duke, Elisabeth Moss
• Rating: R
• Runtime: 116 minutes

“Got 5 on It” by Luniz and Michael Marshall never sounded more unsettling than in this psychological horror directed and written by Jordan Peele. Accompanied by her husband, daughter and son, Adelaide Wilson (Nyong’o) returns to the beach where something traumatic happened to her as a kid. Her worst fears come to life when four individuals who bear a striking resemblance come to their home and terrorize them.

• Who’s in it: Robert Englund, Johnny Depp, Heather Langenkamp
• Rating: R
• Runtime: 91 minutes

In this 1984 horror classic written and directed by Wes Craven, high schooler Nancy Thompson (Langenkamp) encounters a man in her dreams named Freddy Krueger (Englund), who has knives for fingers and a severely burned face. But many of her friends have seen him too. Together, Nancy and her boyfriend Glen (Depp) try to uncover the secret behind his killing spree. Can they stop Freddy before he strikes again?

• Who’s in it: Maika Monroe, Jake Weary, Keir Gilchrist
• Rating: R
• Runtime: 100 minutes

After sleeping with her boyfriend for the first time, Jay (Monroe) soon learns she has contracted a supernatural force that transfers from one person to another after having sexual intercourse. Jay’s friends work together to save her from the sinister being before it’s too late.

• Who’s in it: Gregory Peck, Harvey Spencer Stephens, Lee Remick
• Rating: R
• Runtime: 111 minutes

The Omen, which was directed by Richard Donner and written by David Seltzer, centers around a couple who adopt a young boy they suspect is the Antichrist. Despite receiving mixed reviews from critics at the time, the supernatural horror flick became a commercial success and grossed over $60 million at the box office. It went on to spawn its own franchise, with the release of Damien: Omen II (1978), Omen III: The Final Conflict (1981) and Omen IV: The Awakening (1991).

• Who’s in it: Heather O'Rourke, JoBeth Williams, Craig T. Nelson
• Rating: PG
• Runtime: 114 minutes

Based on a story by acclaimed director Steven Spielberg, Poltergeist follows a suburban family who are terrorized by demonic spirits in their home. When their youngest daughter, Carol Anne, gets kidnapped by the ghosts, the family enlists the help of paranormal experts to help get their baby girl back.

• Who’s in it: Gong Yoo, Choi Woo-shik, Kim Su-an
• Rating: Not Rated
• Runtime: 118 minutes

A father (Yoo) and his daughter (Su-an) board a train to Busan to visit her mother. After a person infected with an unknown virus stumbles onto the train and bites one of the staff members, the passengers soon turn into flesh-eating zombies. Is civilization doomed as they know it?

• Who’s in it: Alex Vincent, Catherine Hicks, Chris Sarandon
• Rating: R
• Runtime: 87 minutes

Desperate to find the perfect gift for her son, a single mother named Karen Barclay (Hicks) buys the popular “Good Guy.” It doesn’t take long for Andy (Vincent) to learn his new toy contains the soul of notorious serial killer, Charles Lee Ray aka “Chucky.” The film created a horror franchise that includes several sequels as well as a television series titled Chucky, which is available to stream on Peacock.

• Who’s in it: Keith Gordon, John Stockwell, Alexandra Paul
• Rating: R
• Runtime: 110 minutes

A masked killer wielding a knife is one thing. But a car going on a killing spree? Yeah, that’s something you don’t see every day. Based on Stephen King’s 1983 novel of the same name, Christine follows a nerdy high school student named Arnie Cunningham (Gordon), who buys a 1958 Plymouth Fury and names the car Christine. Longing to have Arnie all to themselves, Christine starts killing anyone who comes between them.

• Who’s in it: Kurt Russell, Keith David, Wilford Brimley
• Rating: R
• Runtime: 109 minutes

This John Carpenter-directed flick follows a group of American researchers working in Antarctica. When they take in a seemingly abandoned canine into their facility, they soon realize they let in a shape-shifting alien that takes on the appearance of its victims. Will they be able to make it out alive?

• Who’s in it: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, LaKeith Stanfield
• Rating: R
• Runtime: 104 minutes

Serving as Jordan Peele’s directorial debut, Get Out follows a young Black male (Kaluuya), who goes away with his girlfriend (Williams) for the weekend to meet her family. At first, he notices something is off with certain members of the family, as well as the staff members working in their home. As the weekend goes on, he discovers the fam is hiding a secret...far too sinister.

• Who’s in it: Bill Skarsgård, Jaeden Martell, Finn Wolfhard
• Rating: R
• Runtime: 135 minutes

Based on the 1986 novel written by Stephen King, the modern-day adaptation of It centers around seven young outcasts who believe a sinister clown is behind the disappearance of children in the neighborhood. Every 27 years, the supernatural creature emerges from the sewers to prey on the kids using their worst fears to lure them into its clutches.

The story was told in two parts, with the first part coming out in 2017 and It Chapter Two premiering in theaters in 2019. King’s novel was also adapted into an ABC television miniseries titled Stephen King’s It, which debuted on the small screen in 1990.

• Who’s in it: Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, Ruth Gordon
• Rating: R
• Runtime: 137 minutes

A young woman (Farrow) and her husband (Cassavetes) move into their brand-new New York City apartment. Shortly after, she becomes pregnant. Suddenly, she starts losing her hair, sheds a large amount of weight and even has a craving for raw meat?! After giving birth, she learns the unsettling truth about her “normal” baby.

• Who’s in it: Kathy Bates, James Caan, Lauren Bacall
• Rating: R
• Runtime: 107 minutes

From the mind of horror writer Stephen King, Misery centers around a book author named Paul Sheldon (Caan), who gets into a terrible car crash. Luckily, he is rescued by former nurse Annie (Bates), who is a huge fan of his work. At first, she nurses him back to health. But, after Sheldon kills a character she loves in the book series, she turns into the admirer from hell.

• Who’s in it: Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Ty Simpkins
• Rating: PG-13
• Runtime: 101 minutes

Directed by James Wan, who is behind the famous Saw and The Conjuring franchises, this supernatural horror follows a suburban family who discovers their house is haunted. As a result, their young son enters a coma and wakes up three months later. But they soon discover their son is trapped in an alternative realm called The Further.

Insidious is followed by two sequels, Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013) and Insidious: The Red Door (2023), as well as two prequels, Insidious: Chapter 3 (2015) and Insidious: The Last Key (2018).

• Who’s in it: Betsy Palmer, Kevin Bacon, Adrienne King
• Rating: R
• Runtime: 95 minutes

A group of counselors returns to the camp where a young child named Jason Voorhees drowned years prior. One by one, they are killed by an unknown culprit wearing a mask and wielding a large knife. Friday the 13th instantly became a cult classic amongst horror movie fans and spawned a number of sequels, a 2003 crossover film with A Nightmare on Elm Street’s Freddy Krueger in addition to a remake film that was released in 2009.

• Who’s in it: Marilyn Burns, Gunnar Hansen, Edwin Neal
• Rating: R
• Runtime: 83 minutes

After Sally (Burns) and a group of friends make a slight detour in a small town in Texas, their roundtrip soon turns into a living nightmare when they encounter a chainsaw-wielding maniac referred to as “Leatherface” and his family of cannibals. Despite receiving mixed reviews at the time of its release, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre went on to become a popular horror franchise, with a number of sequels and a video game under its belt.

• Who’s in it: Wunmi Mosaku, Sope Dirisu, Matt Smith
• Rating: Not Rated
• Runtime: 93 minutes

In an effort to start over, a refugee couple escapes to Britain for a new life. Despite being given a house that’s on the brink of collapse, they try to make the best of it. But, their past comes back to haunt them after a sinister force enters their home.

• Who’s in it: Justin Long, Gina Philips, Patricia Belcher
• Rating: R
• Runtime: 91 minutes

If you hear the song “Jeepers Creepers” by Louis Armstrong playing, you better run for the hills! While driving back home from college, siblings Darry (Long) and Trish (Philips) encounter a stranger on the side of the road. In a matter of seconds, they find themselves fighting for their lives to escape a supernatural being that gives fear a whole new meaning.

• Who’s in it: Liv Tyler, Scott Speedman, Glenn Howerton
• Rating: R
• Runtime: 85 minutes

Written and directed by Bryan Bertino, The Strangers is a psychological horror film that tells the story of a young woman named Kristen (Tyler) and her boyfriend James (Speedman), who are planning to have a nice, quiet weekend in their home.

After three masked figures show up at their house unexpectedly, the couple’s peaceful evening soon turns into a night of terror when they become the targets of the killer’s sadistic game.

Almost ten years later, a second film titled The Strangers: Prey at Night was released as a followup to the original. There is currently a third film in production, which will be followed by two movies.

• Who’s in it: Mia Goth, David Corenswet, Alistair Sewell
• Rating: R
• Runtime: 102 minutes

What will you do to become a star? This is a question small-town girl Peal (Goth) finds herself asking every day, yearning to leave her family’s farm and become famous. But her dark impulses and killer instinct threaten to break the surface.

Serving as a prequel in the X franchise, this film will be followed by the next installment titled MaXXXine, which is set to debut sometime in 2024.

• Who’s in it: Thomas Jane, Laurie Holden, Marcia Gay Harden
• Rating: R
• Runtime: 126 minutes

It’s no surprise that another one of Stephen King’s horror-stories-turned-movie adaptations has made it onto this list. In this 2007 film, a group of people find themselves stranded in their local supermarket after the town gets overtaken by a deadly supernatural fog.

• Who’s in it: Jamie Lee Curtis, Nancy Kyes, Donald Pleasence
• Rating: R
• Runtime: 91 minutes

Do you believe in the boogeyman? Hailed as one of the greatest horror movies ever made, John Carpenter’s Halloween follows a deranged killer named Michael Myers, who returns to his hometown after killing his older sister fifteen years ago. On Halloween night, babysitter Laurie (Curtis) and other residents of Haddonfield become the masked killer’s latest target.

• Who’s in it: Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, Michael C. Williams
• Rating: R
• Runtime: 81 minutes

The Blair Witch Project tells the story of three film students who venture out to a forest in Maryland to learn about the infamous Blair Witch. By conducting various interviews with the local residents, the crew gathers clues in order to find out the origin of the urban legend. One year later, their camera footage is found, showing what happened to the trio on one terrifying night.

• Who’s in it: Jennifer Love Hewitt, Freddie Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe
• Rating: R
• Runtime: 101 minutes

On the eve of their high school graduation, four friends accidentally hit a man with their car while driving on the road. In an effort to cover up their crime, they dump his body in the ocean and swear to never tell anyone about that night.

One year later, they receive a letter, which reads, “I know what you did last summer.” One by one, the teens are targeted by an unidentified killer dressed in a rain jacket with a hook.

I Know What You Did That Summer, which is based on Lois Duncan’s 1973 novel of the same name, spawned two movie sequels and a television series that premiered on Prime Video back in October 2021. However, the show was canceled after just one season.

• Who’s in it: Toni Collette, Alex Wolff, Milly Shapiro, Gabriel Byrne
• Rating: R
• Runtime: 127 minutes

After the sudden passing of their grandmother, the Graham family soon encounters a supernatural entity that only wants to bring them harm. When her daughter dies in a terrible accident, Annie Graham (Collette) tries to save her remaining loved ones before it’s too late.

• Who’s in it: Sissy Spacek, John Travolta, Piper Laurie, Amy Irving
• Rating: R
• Runtime: 98 minutes

Inspired by Stephen King’s 1974 novel of the same name, Carrie follows a social outcast named Carrie White (Spacek), who is bullied at school and suffers physical/mental abuse from her religious mother. When she’s invited to the school dance by a popular boy, her tormentors devise a plan to play a cruel joke on her involving a bucket and pig’s blood.

• Who’s in it: Eihi Shiina, Ryo Ishibashi, Tetsu Sawaki, Jun Kunimura
• Rating: R
• Runtime: 113 minutes

This Japanese horror movie centers around a man named Aoyama (Ishibashi), who decides to start dating again after losing his wife. A close friend, who also happens to be a film producer, decides to hold a casting call for Aoyama to find a new girlfriend. When he sets his eyes on a young woman named Asami (Shiina), they start dating. But Aoyama starts to realize Asami is anything but the perfect match.

• Who’s in it: Devon Sawa, Ali Larter, Tony Todd
• Rating: R
• Runtime: 98 minutes

When high schooler Alex Browning (Sawa) boards a plane with his class for a trip to Paris, he has a premonition of the plane crashing shortly after taking off.

In a panic, Alex urges everyone to get off and seven of his classmates follow his lead. But his vision comes true, making Alex and the rest of the teens the sole survivors. Each of them starts to die one by one, falling victim to “death’s design.”

The teen horror film, which was directed by James Wong, went on to spawn five sequels, with a sixth movie titled Final Destination 6: Bloodlines starting production in mid-2023.

• Who’s in it: Tony Todd, Virginia Madsen, Bernard Rose
• Rating: R
• Runtime: 101 minutes

While conducting research on an apartment complex located on the north side of Chicago, graduate student Helen Lyle learns about the urban legend of Candyman. Unconvinced of the killer's presence, Helen says his name three times in a mirror, summoning his spirit.

Since the movie’s release, Candyman was followed by two sequels, Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh (1995) and Candyman: Day of the Dead (1999). The horror film also spawned a remake, which was released on August 27, 2021.

• Who’s in it: Shelley Duvall, Jack Nicholson, Danny Lloyd
• Rating: R
• Runtime: 160 minutes

A family getaway sounds like the perfect idea for Jack Torrance (Nicholson), who takes a job as a winter caretaker at the Overlook Hotel. However, he slowly starts to go insane from “cabin fever” and tries to murder his wife and young son.

• Who’s in it: Naomi Watts, Martin Henderson, Brian Cox
• Rating: PG-13
• Runtime: 115 minutes

Serving as a remake of Hideo Nakata’s film of the same name, The Ring centers around a journalist named Rachel Keller, (Watts), who tries to uncover the secret behind a cursed videotape that claims to kill anyone who watches it in just seven days.

• Who’s in it: Sophie Wilde, Joe Bird, Otis Dhanji
• Rating: R
• Runtime: 95 minutes

Talk to Me follows a teenage girl named Mia (Wilde), who is still grappling with the loss of her mother. One night, she goes to a party with her best friend, and while there, the party throwers take out a demonic hand that allows anyone who touches it to talk to the dead.

At first, the group of friends are obsessed with the “high” that comes with being possessed. But, things quickly go from bad to worse after one of them almost dies.

At the time of its release, the horror movie became a box-office success, grossing $89 million worldwide despite having a $4.5 million budget. Directors Danny and Michael Philippou announced a sequel is already in the works.

• Who’s in it: Doug Bradley, Clare Higgins, Sean Chapman
• Rating: R
• Runtime: 93 minutes

After her brother-in-law opens a mysterious box that opens the door to hell, Julie (Higgins) kills for Frank in hopes that it will restore his body back to normal. When he opens the puzzle box, Frank unknowingly releases “The Cenobites,” which is a group of demonic beings that receive pleasure from inflicting pain on others.

• Who’s in it: Tobin Bell, Leigh Whannell, Cary Elwes, Danny Glover
• Rating: R
• Runtime: 103 minutes

Master game maker Jigsaw kidnaps oncologist Lawrence Gordon (Elwes) and struggling photographer Adam Stanheight (Whannell), putting them in a room together with no way out. As they race against the lock, the duo try to devise a plan to escape the killer’s sinister game.

The 2004 film serves as the first installment in the Saw franchise, which has gone on to have several sequels in addition to video games. The most recent sequel, titled Saw X, debuted in theaters on September 29, 2023.

• Who’s in it: Jessica Harper, Alida Valli, Barbara Magnolfi
• Rating: R
• Runtime: 99 minutes

Directed by Dario Argento, Suspiria is an Italian horror film that follows a talented dancer named Suzy (Harper), who travels to Germany to attend ballet school. As more and more people start dying mysteriously, Suzy uncovers a terrifying secret behind the prestigious academy.

• Who’s in it: Ethan Hawke, Lena Headey, Adelaide Kane
• Rating: R
• Runtime: 85 minutes

In a country riddled with crime and violence, the American government grants civilians a 12-hour period to commit any crime, including murder. While taking refuge in their home, James (Hawke) and his family must fight to survive with a group of murderous thugs come knocking on their door.

• Who’s in it: Simon Barrett, Joe Swanberg, A. J. Bowen, Ti West
• Rating: R
• Runtime: 94 minutes

In celebration of their parent’s wedding anniversary, the Davison siblings (and their significant others) embark on a weekend getaway. But they soon become the center of a sick game after assailants wearing bunny masks come into their home and hunt them down using a bow and arrow.

• Who’s in it: Samara Weaving, Adam Brody, Andie MacDowell
• Rating: R
• Runtime: 95 minutes

Grace (Weaving) is beyond excited to spend time with her husband (Brody) and his family on their luxurious estate. But, her new in-laws have something far more sinister planned for the evening.

• Who’s in it: John Franklin, Courtney Gains, Peter Horton
• Rating: R
• Runtime: 92 minutes

Inspired by a short story written by Stephen King, Children of the Corn centers around a supernatural force that possesses the town’s children, urging them to kill every adult. The Children of the Corn went on to spawn its own franchise, releasing sequels and a number of remakes.

• Who’s in it: Kathryn Newton, Vince Vaughn, Uriah Shelton, Misha Osherovich
• Rating: R
• Runtime: 101 minutes

In this horror comedy, 17-year-old Millie Kessler (Newton) swaps bodies with a serial killer after being stabbed with a historic relic. Over the span of 24 hours, Millie and her friends team up to catch the killer and change bodies before it’s too late.