When picking out a movie to watch in honor of Halloween, there are a number of different ways you could go. You could go full-on horror and pick a movie that will leave you scared to turn off the lights afterward. Or you could go in the opposite direction and pick a funnier and cozier alternative.
Fortunately, there are enough great Halloween films to suit just about every kind of late October vibe imaginable. With that in mind, here are the best Halloween movies streaming right now.
“Halloween” (1978)
You can’t make a list of great Halloween movies without including director John Carpenter’s enduring 1978 masterpiece. A lean, mean piece of low-budget genre filmmaking, “Halloween” is both a piercing, nerve-wracking home invasion thriller and a savage horror story about suburban America’s flimsy facade of safety. Despite being filmed in California, it even has enough autumnal vibes to aesthetically suit its annual place in every programmer’s Halloween movie lineup.
“Halloween” is streaming now on AMC+ and Shudder.
“Hocus Pocus” (1993)
Speaking of timeless Halloween classics, here’s 1993’s “Hocus Pocus.” A widely beloved Halloween comedy, the film centers on the Sanderson Sisters (Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy), a trio of 17th century witches who are inadvertently resurrected and allowed to terrorize the citizens of 1990s Salem, Massachusetts, over the course of one long Halloween night.
Overflowing with cozy, crisp-air fall vibes and boasting a wicked sense of humor that suits both its witch antagonists and its Halloween setting, “Hocus Pocus” is a must-watch on Oct. 31 for anyone who wants to celebrate the holiday without getting scared for two hours straight.
“Hocus Pocus” is streaming now on Disney+.
“Sleepy Hollow” (1999)
One of director Tim Burton’s most underappreciated films, 1999’s “Sleepy Hollow” is a horror film overflowing with fog-covered gothic vibes and Halloween-inspired imagery. Based on an 1820 short story by Washington Irving, the film follows a New York constable (Johnny Depp) who is sent to a small town to investigate a series of grisly murders that the local townsfolk believe were committed by a headless horseman.
Supremely grisly and yet not very scary, “Sleepy Hollow” is an atmospheric, gothic cinematic adventure of practically unmatched visual power. It’s a film that demands to be watched during Spooky Season.
“Sleepy Hollow” is streaming now on Paramount+.
“Trick ‘r Treat” (2007)
There are not many great Halloween movies that actually take place during the Halloween holiday. 1978’s “Halloween” and 1993’s “Hocus Pocus” are two of the few that do. 2007’s “Trick ‘r Treat” is another. Directed by Michael Dougherty, this horror comedy is an anthology film that tells four loosely connected Halloween horror stories. Both gruesome and wickedly funny, it’s a blood-splattered celebration of not just Halloween itself but all the different kinds of horror movies that the holiday has inspired over the years.
“Trick ‘r Treat” is streaming now on HBO Max.
“It” (2017)
2017’s “It” may take place primarily during the summer season, but it is, nonetheless, one of the better films you could watch on Halloween night. Director Andy Muschietti’s feature adaptation of one-half of Stephen King’s 1986 novel strikes a difficult, impressive balance across its 135 minutes. It is, at times, aggressively scary, yes, but it is also a lot of fun — a horror movie as a rollercoaster ride. That feat makes it a perfect movie for Halloween, a holiday that is not just about embracing and confronting your fears, but also about having as much fun as possible while doing it.
“It” is streaming now on HBO Max.
“The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” (1974)
If you don’t really care about your Halloween movie having any orange leaves or fall vibes and all you really want is to be scared witless, then you really can’t go wrong with 1974’s “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.” Widely agreed to be as perfect a horror movie as there has ever been, director Tobe Hooper’s low-budget independent triumph follows a group of friends who unwittingly wander into the home of a family of murderous, crazed cannibals. Not a single second of “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” is wasted. It is an 83-minute masterpiece that shreds your nerves and leaves you feeling just as helplessly trapped in its nightmare as its poor, unfortunate protagonists.
“The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” is streaming now on Netflix, Amazon’s Prime Video and Peacock.
“Practical Magic” (1998)
Like “Hocus Pocus,” 1998’s “Practical Magic” resides firmly in the cozy, playful side of the Halloween movie canon. Directed by Griffin Dunne, this cult classic romantic fantasy follows a pair of witch sisters (Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman) as they are reunited as adults by their own, respective struggles with love. Both a heartwarming portrait of sisterhood and a delightfully spooky reimagining of witchcraft, “Practical Magic” is just about as charming and fun as a Halloween movie can get.
“Practical Magic” is streaming now on HBO Max and for free on Tubi.
