If there’s one thing horror fans love the most, it’s a solid scare that gets the adrenaline pumping. And everyone’s entitled to at least one good scare on Halloween.
While there are plenty of Halloween-set frights to binge this weekend, this list is for those seeking visceral scares that’ll send shivers down your spine. These horror movies are designed to induce goosebumps, leave you on edge, and unleash pure nightmare fuel.
Here are eight terrifying horror movies you can and should stream this weekend.
The Autopsy of Jane Doe – Paramount+ with Showtime, Roku Channel, Shudder
André Øvredal goes full throttle for the scares in this quiet little chiller that sees a father and son coroner team stumped over the bizarre mysteries contained within the body of an unidentified young woman. Well-executed scares, clever twists, and earnest performances by Brian Cox and Emile Hirsch give this supernatural haunter serious heft. While the narrative bides its time unveiling the truth behind Jane Doe’s battered body, it’s heavily steeped in witchcraft. In other words, The Autopsy of Jane Doe presents a new take on the subgenre. More importantly, it’s seriously spooky.
The Dark and the Wicked – Hoopla, Shudder
Bryan Bertino, a filmmaker with a reputation for bleak horror, creates unrelenting dread and evil in the vacuum of loss here. Siblings Louise (Marin Ireland) and Michael (Michael Abbott Jr.) return to their childhood home to say their final goodbyes to their dying father, much to their mother’s disappointment. She’d warned them not to come, and it doesn’t take long to figure out why; an evil presence has taken root on the family’s rural land, and it wants them all. Ireland and Abbott Jr. get put through the physical and emotional wringer in a foreboding, nihilistic horror movie that feels evil.
The Descent – Fawesome, Shudder, Tubi
One year after a tragic accident, Sarah sets off with her friends on a spelunking adventure. Too bad pal Juno leads the group into an uncharted cave system, which traps them due to a collapse. As if no hope of rescue isn’t bad enough, this cave system happens to be inhabited by man-eating creatures. The fight for survival has never been quite as primal and bloody as it is in Neil Marshall’s fantastic entry in the annals of claustrophobic horror. It’s intense, unnerving, and epic.
Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum – Hoopla, Prime Video, Roku Channel, Tubi
Amateur ghost hunters in over their heads is a plot description that could apply to many found footage movies, let alone horror in general. If you’re going this route, you’d better find an innovative way to set it apart from the rest, or at least ensure the scares are plenty. Gonjiam nails it. In this Korean film, a horror web show crew plans a live stream event in one of the country’s most infamous abandoned hospitals. The host has rigged fake scares to spook his team for the sake of ratings, but they prove unnecessary thanks to the sinister forces haunting the place. While this movie doesn’t reinvent the wheel, it makes up for that with unrelenting terror. Turn the lights down low and prepare to get creeped out.
Hokum – Hulu
A surly, traumatized writer, Adam Scott’s Ohm, must break free from his self-imposed shackles of guilt when confronted by a wicked witch haunting a quaint Irish inn in the latest by writer/director Damian McCarthy (Oddity). The creepy as hell witch doles out some supernatural karma for crimes committed, but never in the way you’d expect. Channeling Stephen King, this creeper plays like a traditional campfire tale in mood and style, infusing genuine scares with a sense of magic and heart. That means it delivers on spooky atmosphere and scares, and it also happens to take place over Halloween.
Sinister – Disney+, Hulu, Moviesphere+, Peacock, Pluto TV
True crime author Ellison Oswalt has uprooted his family and moved them into a home where a family was previously murdered, unbeknownst to them. He’s researching the murder for his new book, hoping the research will lead him to the whereabouts of the murdered family’s missing 10-year-old girl. When he finds a box of Super 8 home movies in the attic, he discovers the murder might be the work of a serial killer whose work dates back to the 1960s. Scott Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill’s feature consistently ranks high among the scariest horror movies, and it’s not hard to see why. Eerie atmosphere, iconic jump scares, and a memorable boogeyman all make for a noteworthy genre movie.
Smile 2 – Paramount+
Smile 2 picks up days after the first film’s events, tracking the curse’s path to world-famous pop star Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) just as she’s preparing to launch her new global tour. Two things become immediately clear: the entity seems much more savage this round, and Skye is a deeply flawed and fragile character. Writer/Director Parker Finn is much a more confident and assured filmmaker this round, injecting a more pronounced sense of humor and personality when not scaring the pants off his audience. Make no mistake, though, Smile 2 is far more vicious. It makes for a satisfying thrill ride of jaw-dropping horror and unrelenting dread; a perfect Halloween treat for those in need of a good scare — or twenty.
Terrified – Shudder
The cinematic equivalent of enjoying a haunted attraction, Demián Rugna’s feature is an onslaught of terror from beginning to end. Plot-wise, there’s not much to it, nor is there a lot of explanation for those who prefer answers. However, that doesn’t stop a cop on the cusp of retirement and a slew of paranormal experts from trying to get to the bottom of a series of bizarre activities plaguing a Buenos Aires neighborhood. With creative and innovative scares aplenty, Terrified is the type of horror film that lives up to its name; it’s freaking petrifying. Make it a Rugna double feature with visceral possession shocker When Evil Lurks, also streaming on Shudder.
