Editorials
Here Are the Best Halloween-themed Movies Available on Streaming!
October is definitively the best month of the year. It’s the month where you can find horror movie programming just about everywhere you turn, from the big screen to cable TV. There’s so much to choose from it can be a little overwhelming. Netflix has already previewed its offerings of frights this Halloween season, but what about the rest of the streaming services? The list of films being added across the board is vast, but for those looking for something new or different we have you covered.
Here are all the new release highlights we can expect from Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, and Shudder throughout October.
Amazon Prime Video
Hell House LLC
In 2009, a haunted house attraction befell a horrific tragedy that claimed the lives of 15 people on opening night. Every single member of the crew died, save one who went missing shortly after. A documentary crew found her, and decide the best plan of action is to head back to the scene of the crime to find out what happened. Ok. So this is a found footage horror. But give it a chance anyway. It’s themed around a haunt attraction around Halloween, but more importantly, it manages to craft well-executed scares that work.
Jigsaw
What’s Halloween without a Saw movie? The latest, released last Halloween season, marks the return of the Jigsaw killer, further muddying one of horror’s most convoluted timelines ever. But if you’re seeking fun and a whole lot of intricate killer traps, than Jigsaw succeeds and then some. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it’s a lot of fun. This is the perfect movie to watch while carving pumpkins, right?
Pet Sematary II
Yes, I’m still defending this maligned sequel. It’s over the top and bonkers, not unlike Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II. It also is set over Halloween, with Halloween night factoring into the plot in a major way. Starring Edward Furlong and Anthony Edwards as the father-son duo dealing with their own loss, the real reason to watch is for Clancy Brown’s scene-chewing performance. It’s pure madness in the best way. If you’re still not convinced, then rest assured Pet Sematary is also available on Prime Video.
Scarecrows
One of Fall’s major icons is the scarecrow, and one of horror’s best movies about killer scarecrows is, well, Scarecrows. When a group of robbers are making their getaway by plane and forced to land in an abandoned field, they find themselves facing killer scarecrows. The plot doesn’t always make sense, but the atmosphere and great effects more than make up for the flaws. This is a fun one.
Slice – October 18
When a pizza delivery driver is murdered, the city is on the hunt for the murdered. A disgraced werewolf is the prime suspect, but in a town full of ghosts, witches, and humans there’s more to this mystery than pizza. An irreverent horror comedy by first time feature director Austin Vesely, Slice stars Chance the Rapper, Zazie Beetz, Hannibal Buress, Joe Keery, and more. If you want something more lighthearted this Halloween season, this might be for you (our review). It’s the equivalent of a spooky Saturday morning cartoon.
“Lore” Season 2- Available October 19
A unique anthology series based on Aaron Mahnke’s podcast that explores folklore-based horror in a sort of documentary/live-action podcast format returns for a second season with a new showrunner at the helm. Some of the new episodes will harken back to familiar episodes of Mahnke’s podcase, and some will feature wholly new stories.
Hulu
[REC] series
Hulu has dropped not one, but all four movies in the REC franchise. Which makes for a perfect Halloween movie marathon. The first two films, written/directed by Paco Plaza and Jaume Balaguero, are two halves of a whole, giving a unique twist to the outbreak sub-genre. More importantly, they both deliver on the scares in spades. Paco Plaza went solo for the third entry, REC 3: Genesis, dropping the found footage format for a spinoff story that deserves more love and recognition than it’s received so far. Jaume Balaguero returns to close the series out with REC 4: Apocalypse, but it’s not nearly as strong as everything that came before. Even still, this is one of the best modern horror franchises, and for a night of spooky fun you can’t go wrong with REC.
Into the Dark “The Body”
This anthology series is unlike any that’s come before; each episode is a feature length film. Beginning October 5, a new episode airs every month on the first Friday of the month and will run year-round. The movie-a-month series will revolve around that month’s holiday, beginning with the Halloween themed episode “The Body.” Starring Tom Bateman, “The Body” follows a hitman who carries out his latest victim in plain sight on Halloween, pretending it’s simply a Halloween prop. When groupies latch on, it becomes a battle of will and wits.
Pyewacket – Available October 6
The latest by Adam MacDonald (Backcountry) sees a young girl performing a ritual to summon a witch to kill her mother after a devastating fight. But when they make up soon after, it may be too late to revoke the spell. A brooding, atmospheric coming of age story, Brad called this an instant indie gem that should make its way onto many best of the year lists. Thanks to Hulu, Pyewacket is less likely to slip under the radar as of October 6. And witches are, of course, a major Halloween staple.
Light as a Feather – Available October 11
This 10-episode supernatural series revolves around a group of teen girls being picked off one by one after a game of “Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board.” The surviving girls then must determine why they’re being targeted, and whether an evil presence is the one behind the murders. This is the first Hulu project to be based on a Wattpad story, and stars Ajiona Alexus, Liana Liberato, Peyton List, and more.[/caption]
Shudder
Satan’s Slaves
A remake of an ‘80s film of the same name, this Indonesian horror film has consistently been touted as the scariest horror film during its run on the festival circuit. Written and directed by Joko Anwar, Satan’s Slaves follows a family that begins experiencing paranormal activity shortly after the matriarch passes away. Effective jump scares and unnerving atmosphere grounded by the endearing family dynamics makes for a spooky Halloween movie to add to your watchlist.
True Horror
The hit U.K. horror series is coming to Shudder to elicit chills. A docudrama series that opens with a disclaimer of true terror, True Horror presents based on true story encounters with the paranormal by combining on camera interviews and dramatizations. The series is by the producers of 2015’s The Enfield Haunting. This series sounds like a great pairing option with WNUF Halloween Special or Ghostwatch.
Terrified – Available Oct 11
This Argentinian horror film from the mind of Demian Rugna only has one true purpose; to scare the crap out of you (our review). It succeeds in its goal and then some, delivering several memorable scares that will leave you wanting to sleep with the lights one. Set in a neighborhood in Buenos Aires, a group of paranormal experts and a soon-to-be-retired cop investigate a series of creepy events happening on the block. Turn all the lights out, turn the volume up and prepare for scares. Even better? Pair this with Satan’s Slaves and forget about ever sleeping again.
The Witch in the Window – Oct 18
Written and directed by Andy Mitton (YellowBrickRoad, We Go On), this small scaled chiller follows a father who brings his son, Finn, to a rural home in Vermont to flip, and the pair encounters the malicious spirit of the previous owner. The longer they stay, the stronger she gets. Kalyn called this horror film one of the most exciting horror movies of the year.
Channel Zero: Butcher’s Block – Available October 25
Just the day before season four of this beloved horror series makes its debut on Syfy, Shudder gives you a chance to catch up with season 3, Butcher’s Block. Based on Kerry Hammond’s “Search and Rescue Woods,” Butcher’s Block follows a young woman that works with her sister to find out what’s happening to the city’s residents after moving there and discovering a string of disappearances. It stars Rutger Hauer and was directed by Arkasha Stevenson.
Some movies are just so beloved that you can experience them through cultural osmosis without ever sitting down to actually watch them. From loving parodies to meticulous recreations of iconic scenes, memorable filmmaking lives on even after the curtains close on the silver screen. And when it comes to horror, few films can compete with the massive impact that Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining had on popular culture as a whole.
Whether or not you think the flick is a good adaptation of Stephen King’s seminal novel, 1980’s The Shining slowly but surely grew into one of the most influential genre movies ever made, inspiring everything from surprisingly heartfelt sequels to classic episodes of The Simpsons. However, not all The Shining references are created equal, and today I’d like to shine a light on six unexpected homages to Kubrick’s iconic film.
In this list, we’ll be focusing on references and Easter eggs that either came out of the blue or came from creators that you wouldn’t expect to be fans of this classic ghost story. That being said, don’t forget to comment below with your own favorite references to the Torrance family and the Overlook Hotel if you think we missed a particularly memorable one.
With that out of the way, onto the list!
5. A Nightmare on FaceTime – South Park (2012)
Regardless of the brand’s iffy reputation among former employees, the death of Blockbuster Video was a serious blow to fans of physical media. Of course, some folks were more affected by this than others, and South Park’s Randy Marsh definitely took things a little too far in the twelfth episode of the show’s sixteenth season.
Titled A Nightmare on FaceTime, the main plot of this 2012 story is a surprisingly faithful recreation of The Shining where Randy purchases an empty Blockbuster store and begins to go mad once he realizes that his investment may not have been a very good idea due to the rise of streaming and the now-defunct RedBox storefronts.
4. The Overlook Hotel Level – Ready Player One (2018)
I was never really a fan of Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One, so I viewed Stephen Spielberg’s divisive adaptation of the novel as an improvement over the source material despite having its own narrative issues. In fact, I actually prefer how Spielberg changed the story by removing several references to his own work and replacing a lengthy Blade Runner detour with an over-the-top homage to The Shining.
A CGI-heavy recreation of the film’s most iconic moments that feels like a big-budget ghost train ride set within the Overlook Hotel, this intense sequence is more of a recreation of the freaky aesthetics of The Shining rather than its mind-bending narrative. However, it’s still fun to see Spielberg make a heartfelt tribute to a filmmaker that was once his close personal friend.
3. IKEA Singapore Halloween Ad (2014)
It makes sense that commercials don’t typically borrow from the horror genre, as it might be a bad idea to scare away potential customers, but some references are just too much fun to pass up.
That’s probably why the publicists behind this Ikea ad from Singapore were allowed to turn their commercial into a genuinely unsettling recreation of Danny’s tricycle scene from The Shining. After all, nobody cares if your store is haunted so long as it offers late-night shopping hours and a large selection of merchandise that you can become lost in forever and ever…
2. The End of ‘Bondage and Beta Male Sexuality’ – Community (2014)
Community is no stranger to recreating iconic movie moments within the show, and the series had previously tackled horror tropes in episodes like the fan-favorite Epidemiology. However, the most laugh-out-loud moment on this particular list comes from a brief gag towards the end of the season five episode ‘Bondage and Beta Male Sexuality’.
The majority of this episode has nothing to do with scary movies, but there’s a brief subplot involving supporting character Chang and a possible encounter with ghosts that leads him to question his own existence. This subplot culminates in the episode’s hilarious ending where the camera zooms in on a black-and-white photograph of Chang in period clothing at some kind of celebration, just like Jack Nicholson at the end of The Shining.
However, the picture’s subtitle eventually reveals that it’s merely a conveniently placed keepsake from the ‘Old Timey Photo Club’.
1. The Overlook Hedge Maze Sequence – Zootopia 2 (2025)
Disney movies are pretty far removed from both the gruesome horror of Stephen King and the heady filmmaking of Stanley Kubrick, so I don’t think anyone was expecting the climax of last year’s Zootopia sequel to take place in an animated version of the snowy hedge maze from The Shining.
In this unexpectedly intense sequence, friend-turned-villain Pawbert Lynxley (an unhinged lynx cat played by Andy Samberg) chases our protagonists through a creepy labyrinth in a loving recreation of Jack Nicholson’s icy demise outside the Overlook Hotel. The actual ending here might be a little more child-friendly than what’s being referenced, but it’s amazing that the filmmakers were able to push the horror elements as far as they did – especially since the scene doesn’t really have anything to do with the rest of the movie.
You must be logged in to post a comment.