One of the most popular low-key ways to celebrate Halloween is to watch a suitably scary movie or two. If you’re not planning to head to the cinema this weekend, or dig into your old DVD collection, here are your best options courtesy of streaming services.
For ease of local availability, we’ve stuck to current options on South African Netflix and Showmax. Where some of our top picks were formerly available, we’ve noted that too in the event you can find them elsewhere.
Kids
You could sit down as a family and watch another animated Scooby Doo or Hotel Transylvania. If you want something live action with a bit more “bite,” though, consider these.
The Witches (Netflix)
Starring Angelia Huston as the Grand High Witch, the first big screen adaptation of Roald Dahl’s children’s book is now 31 years old. If your kids won’t balk at the practical special effects (all courtesy of Jim Henson), this dark fantasy has some extremely intense moments for small children. The plot: A boy and his grandmother discover they’re staying at the same hotel that’s hosting England’s witch convention.
Nightbooks (Netflix)
Much newer is 2021’s Nightbooks, where lonely, horror-loving outcast Alex (Winslow Fegley), finds himself trapped in a magical apartment by a cruel witch (Krysten Ritter). To stay alive, he must tell her a scary story every night, while working with fellow prisoner Yasmin (Lidya Jewett), to escape. Ritter’s malicious performance, memorable production values and mature themes should keep adults engaged.
Honorable mention goes to novel adaptation The House with a Clock in Its Walls (on Showmax), where director Eli (Cabin Fever, Hostel) Roth has made a highly entertaining spookfest for adolescents. Jack Black and Cate Blanchett play a warlock and witch who shepherd an orphan with magical potential in 1955. Ideal for fans of Harry Potter.
Teens
As a warning, both of the following are rated 16+, but they’re good gateways to the horror genre for teenagers with darker entertainment leanings.
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (Showmax)
It doesn’t have the strongest ending, but Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, based on the collections of urban legends and folk tales by Alvin Schwartz, is full to the brim with nightmare fuel – largely because the movie replicates many of the horrific original book illustrations by Stephen Gammell. Guillermo del Toro produces this tale of teens who, in 1968, discover a book of horror stories that start coming true.
Fear Street Trilogy (Netflix)
For movie marathon plans on October 31, look no further than this interconnected trilogy based on the book series by adolescent horror master R.L. Stine. Three films set in 1994, 1978 and 1666 explore the witch’s curse that has triggered inexplicable mass killings in downtrodden Shadyside for centuries. The retro slasher sensibilities are strong with this one, calling to mind the likes of Scream and Friday the 13th. Read our full review.
Thrillers
Want to watch something scary without supernatural overtones? These real-world-set thrillers will have you holding your breath and hiding behind the couch cushions.
Hush (Netflix)
Before hit series The Haunting of Hill House, Bly Manor and Midnight Mass, writer-director Mike Flanagan was already building a reputation for big screen scarefests. Critically acclaimed Hush is one of those efforts. Fans of the aforementioned TV series will recognise several faces in this 2016 home invasion thriller, which sees a deaf, mute author (Kate Siegel) become the target of a masked man on a killing spree.
Don’t Breathe (Netflix)
Speaking of home invasions, Don’t Breathe presents audiences with a role reversal when a trio of young thieves find themselves trapped in the home of their “easy” target – a blind man living alone in a derelict Detroit suburb. Said blind man is a Gulf War veteran played by Avatar’s Stephen Lang, and he has a secret he will murder to protect. Evil Dead remake director Federico Álvarez keeps a tight rein on the tension and twists throughout.
Bonus mention for Run (on Showmax), where paraplegic high school senior, homeschooled Chloe (Kiera Allen) starts to suspect her mother (Sarah Paulson) will never let her go.
Black Comedy
Halloween is as much about treats as tricks, so instead of serious horror, you could always indulge in some nasty delights that mix humour with bloodshed. Apart from the Zombieland movies, these are your best bet.
Freaky (Showmax)
Freaky takes the body swap trope and plays it for gory laughs when an awkward teenage girl (Kathryn Newton) survives an attack by the Blissfield Butcher (Vince Vaughn), only to wake the next morning in the serial killer’s body. Of course, he’s now in hers, and is free to slaughter his way across her high school. Freaky is full of plot holes, but the dialogue is razor-sharp, and the cast is clearly having loads of fun.
Happy Death Day
Sadly, Happy Death Day has just disappeared off local streaming services, but you may be able to find it elsewhere. This one (from the same writer-director as Freaky), puts a slasher spin on the Groundhog Day time loop, with an unpleasant sorority girl reliving the day of her murder over and over. It’s far more fun than its trailer below lets on.
Prestige Horror
The movies in this category are more arty than frightening, but they stand out from other genre fare for being so thematically dense and thought provoking.
Us (Netflix)
Writer-director Jordan Peele’s follow-up to Get Out masterfully entwines social commentary and unsettling horror without losing a sense of fun. A lakeside vacation turns dark when Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke and their two children find themselves facing their evil doppelgangers. Its conclusion isn’t as satisfying as everything that precedes it, but Us is still an engrossing, good time. Read our full review.
Midsommar (Showmax)
Proving horror doesn’t always have be a grim night-time affair is Ari (Hereditary) Aster’s trippy Midsommar. Florence Pugh delivered one of her star-making performances of 2019 in this tale of American students who accompany their Swedish classmate to a mid-summer festival in his remote community. Midsommar is full of surprises, with a particularly strong commentary on grief. Our review here.
An honourable mention goes to “based on a true story” The Exorcism of Emily Rose on Netflix. Laura Linney’s attorney must defend a priest (Tom Wilkinson) whose exorcism efforts may have killed a young woman (Jennifer Carpenter). Watch the trailer here.
Finally, if you want prestige horror that dials up the disturbing, there’s Hereditary on Showmax, where Toni Collette starts to suspect her recently deceased mother was keeping pitch-black secrets. We’d also recommend the Anya Taylor-Joy-starring The Witch (also from A24), but this tale of outcast Puritans in 17th Century New England, seems to have exited local Netflix (again).
Creatures
A Quiet Place has vanished from local streaming services (boo!), but there is one other must-watch horror film with a beastly focus.
Crawl (Netflix)
Lean and effective, Crawl is top tier survival horror, where the threats are entirely natural. The movie sees college swim star Hayley (Kaya Scodelario) rush into a Category 5 hurricane in Florida to find her missing father (Barry Pepper) – only to end up stuck in the basement of their flooding home. Now throw monstrous alligators into the mix. No trailer for this one because it gives too much away.
Monster revamp
We were hoping to add Night Teeth to this section, but alas, the recent Netflix release fails to inject any fresh blood into movie vampire-dom. The following films do successfully rejig classic monsters for the 21st Century, though.
The Invisible Man (Showmax)
Elisabeth Moss’s Cecilia escapes her abusive boyfriend (Oliver Jackson-Cohen), a brilliant tech billionaire. But while she may have fled his compound, she hasn’t escaped his ability to control her. Has he found a way to turn invisible and continue destroying her life, or is she losing her mind? Inspired by HG Wells’s original, The Invisible Man is as much sci-fi horror as a chilling reflection of real-world emotional abuse and its lasting psychological effects.
Blood Red Sky (Netlix)
Where Night Teeth failed, German-British co-production Blood Red Sky has succeeded. In this action horror film, a mother and son board a flight for the US where mom Nadja (Peri Baumeister) will receive treatment for her “blood disorder.” When the plane is hijacked, Nadja must give into her dark desires to save her child. Blood Red Sky has a great international feel, is surprisingly original and nails vampires’ struggle to fight their feral instincts.
Can’t go wrong
If you only watch one horror film to celebrate Halloween, make it this one – loved by critics and audiences alike.
The Conjuring (Netflix)
In 2013, Saw and Insidious filmmaker James Wan gave the world The Conjuring, which opened the door to a whole cinematic universe of horror built on chills instead of shock and gore. Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson star as real-life paranormal investigators Lorraine and Ed Warren, who, in 1971, come to the aid of a family plagued by terrifying supernatural events. Strong performances, likeable, fleshed-out characters and heart-stopping set pieces have made this a modern genre classic you must experience at least once. Clap.
P.S. We weren’t biggest fans of the It remake duo, but you can watch the entire saga this Halloween, with It: Part 1 on Netflix, and It: Part 2 on Showmax.