Spooky season is here. This year, we thought we’d celebrate the whole month of October, offering up a Halloween advent calendar of sorts, with 31 movies to truly embrace gothic Christmas in all its splendour.
Without further ado, here are 31 movies spanning the entire Halloween gambit as recommended by the team at Gizmodo Australia. One a day will keep the doctor away. Or your money back.
This one received the most votes from the team and is the perfect first place to start. I am embarrassed to admit I’ve not seen it. I will, tonight. In Hereditary, a grieving family is haunted by tragic and disturbing occurrences. Sounds perfect. Hereditary is streaming on Netflix.
Corpse Bride is a 2005 stop-motion animated musical dark fantasy film directed by Mike Johnson and Tim Burton. It’s Halloween flawlessness in a movie for all ages. While not available on any streaming services, AppleTV and Amazon both have it to rent for $2.99.
A slasher staple. The start of the now five-part Scream franchise, the 1996 movie is everything of the era. You can’t watch Halloween movies without watching Scream. It’s streaming on Binge and Paramount+.
Let’s go a little further back today, back to 1988. The year Satanic Panic had well and truly set in. Get the first appearance of Chucky into you. It’ll cost you $4.99 on AppleTV or Amazon, sorry.
October 5 – The Blair Witch Project
Skipping forward a decade from yesterday and back to where the found footage phenomenon really took off. The Blair Witch Project sees three film students vanish after travelling into a forest to film a documentary on the local Blair Witch legend. Iconic, scary and a perfect movie to pre-game Halloween.
A computer-animated haunted house movie is next. We never promised gore all the time. Monster House is sweet. Watch it on Binge.
October 7 – In The Tall Grass
This one is a Canadian supernatural horror drama film based on a novella by Stephen King and Joe Hilland. It’s had rave reviews from those around the office who have recommended it. In The Tall Grass is streaming on Netflix.
Directed by everyone’s* favourite, John Krasinski, A Quiet Place is smart. It’s light on gore, but heavy on tension. Just don’t make a sound. It’s streaming on Paramount+.
Norman Bates. Shit. Psycho is one of those movies that will stand the test of time and I’m sorry to be so cliche but it’s a Halloween must-watch. Psycho is streaming on Binge and Stan.
Perfect Blue is a 1997 Japanese animated psychological thriller based on the novel by the same name. We can’t find it on any streaming services in Australia but couldn’t bring ourselves to take it off the list. Please go find it somewhere and give it a watch.
Today, we head back to 1982 for some sci-fi horror. It wouldn’t be a celebration of Halloween without an extremely hostile shape-shifting extraterrestrial organism. Stan is streaming this bad boy.
Here’s the Shudder synopsis: West Point cadet Edgar Allan Poe and four other cadets on a training exercise in upstate New York are drawn by a gruesome discovery into a forgotten community. Obviously, you can stream Raven’s Hollow on Shudder.
In what is dubbed as one of the best cult camp films of the 90s, Death Becomes Her really takes the cake for camp horror. It’s today’s Halloween movies assignment, catch it on Netflix.
Although I could say this about every movie on this list, The Exorcist is undeniably perfect for Halloween. The Exorcist is streaming on Paramount+, just leave the Ouija board in the cupboard.
Today is Green Room horror/thriller day. After a punk band member learns about the crimes of a club owner, the latter decides to kill him and his members to protect himself. However, the members successfully foil his plan. It’s one of my faves. Catch it on Shudder.
Watch The Descent, don’t go on an expedition to a cave. Today’s instruction is pretty simple. The Descent is streaming on Stan.
Let’s go back a little here. Adam Sandler appeared on The Howard Stern Show to promote Uncut Gems, and explained that would be a “funny big thing” if he didn’t get nominated in the Academy Awards. At the time, he threatened to make a terrible movie. “If I don’t get it, I’m going to f***ing come back and do one [movie] again that is so bad on purpose just to make you all pay,” he said. Anyway. The result is Hubie Halloween, you’re welcome. It’s on Netflix.
The Witch is a folk horror film written and directed by Robert Eggers (the dude who did The Northman). It’s streaming on Prime Video.
Filmed at Headland House in NSW’s Gerringong, The Invisible Man has jump scares aplenty. You wish nothing more than the death of this monster. It’s available to rent for $2.99 on Apple TV and Amazon.
October 20 – Let the Right One In
A horror/romance is today’s Halloween movie pick. Can I call this one a gorey coming-of-age flick? It’s on Stan.
Coraline has to be one of the best animated films ever made. It has a well-developed plot, gorgeous animation and some fascinating characters to boot. Coraline isn’t streaming anywhere but it’s worth the $4.99 on Apple TV.
Today is another nostalgia entry on our Halloween movies list. Hocus Pocus was an important, women-led silly and fun flick. It’s streaming on Disney+.
The Shining is one of the best movies for Halloween. It will always be the best Stanley Kubrik movie. I’m taking no questions. Stream it on Binge or Stan.
Today, please, please, please try revisiting this flick because Jennifer’s Body deserves much more credit than it gets. It’s streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
It’s day 25 and you’re going to have Jeepers Creepers, Where’d ya get those peepers in your head. You’re welcome. We can’t find it anywhere but please get it into you.
Yehaw. Bone Tomahawk is a Western horror that’s heavy (read: fucking over the top heavy) on the gruesome. Catch it on Netflix or Shudder.
October 27 – The Autopsy of Jane Doe
Today’s pick is a 2016 chiller about a coroner and his son who conduct an autopsy on the body of an unknown young woman whose cause of death — not to mention the contradictory conditions of her various body parts, some of which indicate recent death, others of which suggest she’s been dead a long while — is confusing, to say the least. That’s just the start of the ordeal. You can rent The Autopsy of Jane Doe for $3.99 on YouTube or Amazon.
30-something years changes a lot. But one thing it hasn’t changed is just how shocking, wonderful and funny Tim Burton’s cult classic film Beetlejuice is. It’ll set you back $2.99 on both Amazon and AppleTV.
A great white shark hunts the crew of a capsized sailboat along the Great Barrier Reef, what could be more terrifying? Ozflix is streaming this one for $3.79
October 30 – Gremlins 2: The New Batch
For the second last day, your treat is Gremlins 2. It’s a far better flick than the first and you should definitely revisit the cute* little malicious Gremlins before tomorrow’s big day. You do have to pay for this one, too. It’s $2.99 on Amazon.
We couldn’t not. While there are 12 (or so, who is counting) movies in the Halloween franchise, the OG is one of the most perfect movies to celebrate the actual day with. It’s streaming on Stan.
Asha is Editor of Gizmodo Australia.
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