The Best Halloween Movies on Netflix to Watch Now 2023

halloween-movies-netflix-scary-movies-to-tell-in-the-dark-real-simple — Photo:
CBS Films

Just like with nearly every holiday, the lead-up to Halloween is almost as good as Oct. 31 itself. From pumpkin-carving to leaf-peeping road trips, there are tons of ways to get in the spirit before the big day. But perhaps the best way is scheduling a scary movie night—or 10.

Fortunately, Netflix has you covered no matter your Halloween movie preference. Halloween movies on Netflix range from kid-friendly to horror-filled and everything in between. There are even a few scary Netflix Originals that can only be watched on the streaming platform.

We rounded up some of the best of the best so you can put together a watch-list of must-see Halloween movies, sans rental fees. And if you're not planning to go trick-or-treating this year? Be sure save one of these flicks for Oct. 31. There’s nothing like a jump scare to help you escape the grim reality of the world around you.

Best Halloween Movies on Netflix

01 of 17

It Follows

Truth: The most terrifying moments in horror don’t come with a sudden pop-up or loud music cue—it comes with the prolonged feeling of sinking dread. That’s probably the best way to describe the feeling you’ll get while watching this movie. The story revolves around a contagious curse, but its premise is definitely a unique one: The curse, an entity that takes on different human forms to follow you slowly wherever you go—is passed on via sexual intercourse (talk about a terrible STD). I don’t want to give too much away, but I will say that I can’t shake the image of a naked man standing on a suburban rooftop (you’ll know what I mean once you watch it).

02 of 17

There’s Someone in Your House

Nothing like a solid slasher featuring high schoolers to get you in the Halloween spirit. This one takes the perspective of a transfer student from Hawaii who moves to Nebraska and finds herself surrounded by gruesome murders. The con: People are getting murdered. The pro: The victims are pretty terrible people, so I guess that makes it marginally better?

03 of 17

Nighbooks

For a more kid-friendly option, this dark fantasy flick is filled with all the elements for a successful Halloween movie, including magical books, ancient specters, enchanted forests, and of course—scary stories. The gorgeous art direction and production design is worth a watch for adults too.

04 of 17

Hubie Halloween

Featuring a stacked cast including Adam Sandler, Kevin James, and Maya Rudolph, this comedy-horror film features a Halloween-loving delicatessen worker named Hubie who must save his town of Salem, Mass., from a dangerous kidnapper. The fact that the residents and local police see Hubie as the town troublemaker makes it a lot harder to get anyone to listen to his warnings.

05 of 17

Fear Street: The Trilogy

Based on R. L. Stine's book series of the same name, the Fear Street series includes three movies about a group of teenagers who work to break a curse that has haunted their small town of Shadyside, Ohio, for three centuries. On the flipside, the neighboring town—aptly named Sunnyside—continually thrives with good fortune. In true Halloween fashion, the movies (each taking place in different years) are packed with mystery and spooks, but heads-up to the squeamish that you'll also get your fair share of blood and gore.

06 of 17

A Babysitter's Guide to Monster Hunting

A great kids' Halloween movie on Netflix, this family-friendly film follows a babysitter on a mission to find the child in her care who has been kidnapped by the Boogeyman on Halloween night. On the way, she runs into a variety of fantastical monsters—plus a secret society of children-protecting babysitters she never knew existed.

07 of 17

Crimson Peak

If horror movies teach you anything, it's that when a handsome aristocrat wants to swiftly elope and whisk you away to a creepy ancestral home, you say no. In this gothic ghost story, Edith (Mia Wasikowska) clearly didn't get the memo—when she moves to a crumbling mansion atop a mountain of blood-red clay with her new beau, her experience isn't nearly as idealistic as she expected.

08 of 17

Velvet Buzzsaw

Psychological thriller turned artsy, this film is definitely the most colorful (literally) of them all. Morf (Jake Gyllenhaal) realizes that his newly discovered art is a bit too life-like, and the plot escalates very quickly as supernatural forces start to bring paintings and sculptures to life. The Netflix film does a great job at breathing life into a group of flawed characters while playfully poking fun at the pretentious art world.

09 of 17

Eli

As you can deduce from the title, the movie is all about Eli, a boy that is forced to live in a bubble wearing only sterilized, vacuum-packed clothing because he's allergic to the world. His parents take him to see a specialist who might offer a cure to his genetic abnormalities, but everything is not as it seems in this cold, high-tech facility.

10 of 17

The Babysitter

This dark comedy is full of classic teenage horror elements, with a great up-and-coming cast—and a satanic cult for plenty of Halloween charm. A boy's babysitter seems great, until he stays up late and realizes she's part of a bloodthirsty cult. He races to expose his babysitter and her friends before they can make him their next victim, with soft horror and humor in equal measure. The sequel—The Babysitter: Killer Queen—is just out from Netflix too, so this is perfect for a Halloween movie double-feature.

11 of 17

Enola Holmes

Starring the charming Millie Bobby Brown as the titular character (with Henry Cavill and Sam Claflin as her famous Holmes brothers), this is a Halloween movie in the mysterious sense. This Netflix Original Film has a suspicious murder and a disappearance at its core, with fun costume changes, a classic fall atmosphere, and a little Victorian eeriness to round out the spooky vibe. Playful and upbeat, it's a great Halloween movie for those who don't like horror movie thrills or families with older kids.

12 of 17

1922

A Netflix Original, this Halloween movie is based on a Stephen King novella. In it, a farmer confesses to murdering his wife—but she's not finished with him. As with most works from King, this one isn't exactly kid-friendly. Produced with Netflix's typical flair for cinematography, this one might give even the adults uneasy dreams.

13 of 17

Hush

The slasher-horror genre gets a refreshing take when the main protagonist is a deaf woman. As if fighting a deranged killer in the woods isn't hard enough, this writer has to do it in complete silence. The killer is a lunatic murderer who murders for fun, but Maddie (Kate Siegel) uses her sharp writing abilities to predict his next movements and try to outsmart him. Like a lot of movies on this list, this one doesn't resort to the jump scare tactics that mar so many slasher movies.

14 of 17

DreamWorks Spooky Stories

Animated favorites from Shrek and Monsters vs. Aliens tell their favorite spooky stories for the Halloween holiday, including The Pig Who Cried Wolf (narrated by Shrek) and Night of the Living Carrots (from Monsters vs. Aliens).

15 of 17

In the Tall Grass

Stephen King is undoubtedly the king of horror, both in book and on screen, but this film adaptation might be one of his best. When two siblings hear pleas for help from a small boy lost in a field of tall grass, they enter the green abyss only to realize they can't find a way out. This isn't a situation that a compass or Google maps can solve; aside from the fact that there isn't a WiFi connection, something supernatural lurks in the grass, creating an endless infinity loop and time disconnect that can't be escaped.

16 of 17

The Silence

In a world ravaged by mysterious creatures that hunt by sound, a family seeks a safe haven—and encounters a frightening, ominous cult instead. Their battle against both the creatures and the cult will keep anyone on the edge of their seat. Starring Stanley Tucci, Kiernan Shipka, and Miranda Otto, this horror movie is a Netflix Original perfect for the month of Halloween.

17 of 17

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile

A dramatic retelling of the true story of a woman in love with serial killer Ted Bundy, this dark movie stars Zac Efron and Lily Collins. It's more courtroom drama (with a dark undercurrent) than spooky horror flick, but still a worthy watch around Halloween, particularly if you lean more toward psychological than physical frights.

Was this page helpful?