The Ultimate Scary Halloween Movie Watchlist: Classics, Creepers & New Chillers
- Brooke Amidei
- Oct 5
- 6 min read
Updated: Oct 6
You actually wouldn't catch me dead (see what I did there) watching a scary movie. It's a big HELL NO from me, but who am I to stand in the way of someone's good time?! My friend Lysa is a die hard horror movie fanatic so I had her create the ultimate scary movie playlist for all the other weirdos out there. Enjoy I guess??
Hello, fellow ghoul-lovers! Whether you’re planning a cozy movie marathon or building the perfect playlist for that spooky season binge, here’s your guide: timeless terrors, newer nightmares, and a few fresh faces from 2025 you won’t want to miss. Use this as your cheat sheet: pick your vibe, hit play, and don’t say I didn’t warn you.
🕯️ All About the Old Classics
These are your roots — gothic, black-and-white, shadowy, atmospheric.
Vincent Price movies for the win:
The Pit and the Pendulum, The House of Usher, The House on Haunted Hill, Tales of Terror
The Pit and the Pendulum — Torture chambers, dark family secrets, and gothic dread incarnate. (Tubi, Amazon Prime, Apple TV) Lysa Fav!
The House of Usher — A cursed house, a doomed family, decay and despair in flickering candlelight. (Prime Video, Apple TV) Lysa Fav!
The House on Haunted Hill — “Stay the night, get paid” quickly becomes the worst real estate deal ever. (Tubi, Peacock, Amazon Prime) Lysa Fav!
Tales of Terror — Three twisted Poe stories in one anthology — dark, elegant, and weird. (Amazon Prime, Apple TV) Lysa Fav!
Plus the Universal Monster icons:
Dracula (1931) and Frankenstein (1931)
Dracula (1931) — The original vampire myth on film: shadows, capes, and dramatic flair. (Peacock, Amazon Prime)
Frankenstein (1931) — A tragic monster, the price of playing god, and the stormiest of storms. (Peacock, Amazon Prime)
These movies are perfect for anyone who loves moody black-and-white horror, velvet capes, and candlelit suspense.
🔪 A Little More Current (But Still Classic Oldies)
These bridge the gap between vintage horror and modern standards — slashers, hauntings, demonic meddling, and pop culture icons.
🩸 The Iconic Slashers
Think jump scares, chase scenes, and that one creepy villain who never dies.
Psycho — The motel is no safe haven. (Peacock, Apple TV)
A Nightmare on Elm Street — Dream visits from Freddy — he doesn’t knock, he just shows up. (Max, Hulu)
Friday the 13th — Camp Crystal Lake regrets everything. (Max, Pluto TV)
Halloween — Michael Myers: silent, relentless, evil in plain mask. (Peacock, AMC+) Lysa Fav!
Scream — Horror that laughs at horror, but can still kill you. (Paramount+, Max)
IT (Chapters 1 & 2) — Clowns, childhood trauma, cosmic evil. (Max)
👻 The Haunted House Crew
Eerie mansions, creaky floors, and things that go bump (or scream) in the night.
Poltergeist — The horror is coming through your TV. (Max, Apple TV)
The Conjuring (all) — The Warrens vs. every haunted object you’ve ever feared. (Max)
Annabelle — Dolls should not be creepy. This one is. (Max, Hulu)
Amityville Horror — Living in a haunted suburban dream turned nightmare. (Hulu, Prime Video)
Ouija — That board was never “just a game.” (Peacock, Apple TV)
Insidious — The Further is real, and your kid is lost there. (Netflix, Max)
The Changeling — A haunted mansion, a ghost with purpose, and a composer unraveling. (AMC+, Tubi)
The Visit — Grandparents… are they okay? (Peacock, Prime Video)
Devil — An elevator ride you’ll regret. (Peacock, Apple TV)
La Llorona — The weeping woman legend that won’t stay buried. (Max, Hulu)
😈 Possession, Exorcism & Evil Energy
Religious terror, demonic forces, and a healthy dose of “don’t open that door.”
The Exorcist — Possession, faith, evil, and the ghastliest head spin. (Max, Amazon Prime)
Rosemary’s Baby — Pregnancy + paranoia + satanic suspicion. (Paramount+, Prime Video)
The Devil’s Advocate — Law firm meets hell’s offer. (Hulu, Prime Video)
The Exorcism of Emily Rose — Courtroom meets demonic horror. (Hulu, Prime Video) Lysa Fav!
🪦 The Chilling & the Macabre
Cults, curses, cemeteries, and ghosts that don’t rest easy.
Children of the Corn — Cornfields hide more than stalks. (Hulu, Amazon Prime)
Pet Sematary — “Sometimes dead is better” becomes a brutal lesson. (Paramount+, Apple TV)
Sleepy Hollow — Headless horsemen and gothic forests in full Burton mode. (Paramount+, Apple TV)
Flatliners — Dying just to come back — experiments nobody should do. (Hulu, Prime Video)
🧠 Mind-Benders & Psychological Horror
Where the scariest part might be what’s happening inside your head.
The Sixth Sense — “I see dead people.” Enough said. (Hulu, Prime Video)
The Shining — Isolation + madness in a snow-ridden hotel. (Max, Prime Video)
Split — 24 personalities, one body, and a twist you didn’t see coming. (Peacock, Apple TV)
The Ring — Watch the tape, get the call, die in seven days. (Netflix, Hulu)
A Quiet Place — Monsters hear everything. Even your whisper is dangerous. (Paramount+, Prime Video)
Silence of the Lambs — Cannibal mastermind meets rookie FBI. (Max, Paramount+)
Hereditary — Family grief, cults, and scenes you will not shake off. (Netflix, Max) Lysa hates this one.
Midsommar — Daylight terror, pagan rites, and emotional horror in full bloom. (Paramount+, Prime Video) Lysa hates this one.
🧛 Stylish, Smart & a Little Sexy
Us — Your mirror image doesn’t want to be friends. (Netflix, Prime Video)
Get Out — Meet the parents… and realize you’re in something far darker. (Netflix, Prime Video)
Interview with the Vampire — Immortal angst, forbidden love, and eternal hunger. (Max, AMC+)
The Lost Boys — Vampires + swag + rock ‘n’ roll. (Netflix, Max)
🧙♀️ Kid Friendly & Spooky Fun
These are Halloweeny without the nightmares (or at least minimal).
Hocus Pocus — Witches, mischief, and childlike fun. (Disney+)
Casper — Friendly ghost, warm heart, sweet chills. (Peacock, Netflix)
The Nightmare Before Christmas — The ultimate holiday mash-up: spooky meets festive. (Disney+)
Edward Scissorhands — Gothic fantasy meets suburban beauty. (Hulu, Disney+)
The Addams Family — Quirky, macabre, lovable weirdos. (Paramount+, Netflix)
Haunted Mansion (both versions) — Ghosts, giggles, and haunted houses made fun. (Disney+)
🎥 Scary Documentaries & Real-Life Horror
Because sometimes the real stories are scarier than anything Hollywood dreams up.
The Nightmare — Sleep paralysis turns real-life dreams into pure horror; proof that your own brain can be your worst enemy. (Shudder, Tubi)
Killer Legends — The true crimes behind your favorite urban legends — from Candyman to the Hookman. (Amazon Prime, Tubi)
Beware the Slenderman — When an internet myth jumps off the screen and into a real-life crime, the result is chilling. (Max)
Demon House — A documentary crew buys a supposedly possessed home — and gets more than footage for their reel. (Amazon Prime, Apple TV)
The Blackout Experiments — Real people voluntarily enter a full-contact horror experience and let the cameras roll. (Apple TV, Vudu)
Hail to the Deadites — A love letter to The Evil Dead fandom — the sweetest kind of scary obsession. (Shudder)
American Scary — A nostalgic look at old-school horror hosts who turned fright night into cult TV gold. (Amazon Prime, Tubi)
Sharksploitation — A deep dive into how one shark movie (Jaws, obviously) spawned an entire genre of oceanic terror. (Shudder)
🆕 Fresh Blood: New in 2025
Because even the scariest classics can’t compete with brand-new nightmares.
Final Destination: Bloodlines — The universe is back to finish what it started — and this time, fate’s got an upgrade. (Max)
The Conjuring: Last Rites — The Warrens return for one last terrifying chapter that ties together every haunting in the series. (In theaters now, coming soon to Max)
I Know What You Did Last Summer — A fresh take on the 90s slasher — same guilty secret, new generation of doomed teens. (In theaters, expected on Amazon Prime)
M3GAN 2.0 — Our favorite killer AI doll gets an upgrade (because obviously that’s what humanity needed). (In theaters, coming soon to Peacock)
Uncontained — A zombie outbreak meets social media chaos — survival in 2025 looks different when it’s livestreamed. (Screambox, Apple TV, Amazon Prime)
Die’ced: Reloaded — A new slasher revival that’s equal parts nostalgic and unhinged. (Amazon Prime, Apple TV)
The Last Cabin — Found-footage terror in the woods that proves some cabins really should stay hidden. (Amazon Prime, Apple TV)
Weapons — From the director of Barbarian comes a twisted, interlocking tale of violence, fear, and societal collapse. (Digital now, coming to Max)
Bring Her Back — A stylish, slow-burn occult horror from A24 that hits just in time for spooky season. (Max)
👻 Closing Thoughts & How to Use This Guide
Pick your mood. Gothic and slow burn? Go for the Old Classics. Slasher + hauntings? Dive into Current Classics. Want something light for family? Choose from the Kid Friendly list.
Mix in the new stuff. Every few nights, surprise your viewers/readers with one 2025 release to keep it fresh.
Check your streaming services. Many of these rotate in and out. Use this guide as a starting map — then see what’s available in your region.
Add little notes. Maybe insert checkboxes, “scare level” ratings, or viewer warnings so your followers know what they’re getting into.
For more family friendly Halloween movie suggestions check out: Favorite Halloween Movies- all the Halloween movie vibes without all the jump scares and nightmares!
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