And finally, we’ve come now to the end of all this Halloween hoopla. The leaves are falling more rapidly, the days are getting shorter and soon we’ll be…umm, probably not Christmas shopping, cause COVID. But who says that you can’t celebrate all year long, right?
As a person whose Facebook cover photo is a drawing of a cover of Ray Bradbury’s “The Halloween Tree” and has been for as long as I can remember, you certainly can. Live every day like it’s Halloween. Never let the season die! And enjoy this final helping of horror/Halloween-themed movies.
Don’t miss out on the Halloween Hoopla! Be sure to check out these previous countdowns!
31 Best Horror and Halloween-Themed Movies on Streaming Part One
31 Best Horror and Halloween-Themed Movies on Streaming Part Two
31 Best Horror and Halloween-Themed Movies on Streaming Part Three
24. The House of the Devil
Streaming Service(s): Amazon Prime
If you love independent low-brow slashers and cult-panic films from the late ’70s and early ‘80s, you’ll very much enjoy indie horror director Ti West’s “The House of the Devil,” which takes all of the camp from those movies and applies to it the kind of tension found in some of the period’s greatest films.
It also features academy award-nominated director Greta Gerwig in one of her earliest roles as an actress, as well as Dee Wallace and the infinitely great Tom Noonan, whose name may not be recognizable to some, but who is arguably one of the best character actors of the past four decades, having roles in “Manhunter,” “Monster Squad,” “Synecdoche, New York,” “Last Action Hero,” “RoboCop 2,” and “12 Monkeys,” among others.
25. Hush
Streaming Service(s): Netflix
“Hush,” directed by Mike Flanagan, who made “The Haunting of Hill House,” “Oculus,” “Gerald’s Game,” and “Doctor Sleep,” is a modern-day send-up of Audrey Hepburn’s “Wait Until Dark,” but instead of being blind, the protagonist is deaf.
It might, at first, seem like a bit of a gimmick, but it’s genuinely effective at creating tension in a realistic way, as the main character, played by Kate Siegal of “The Haunting of Hill House” must fend off a home invasion.
26. Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon
Streaming Service(s): Amazon Prime
Horror lovers will delight at this mockumentary about what it’s like to be the killer in a slasher movie. Complete with cameos by some of the genre’s biggest icons including Robert England.
Lesser movies would settle with simple jokes about the amount of cardio it takes to walk after running teens and still keep up, which “Behind the Mask” does, but the movie is filled with likable characters and an entertaining lead performance by the titular character.
27. Gremlins 2
Streaming Service(s): HBO Max
There is so much to say about this movie, from the absurd, Chuck Jones-esque insanity of it, to the Donald Trump parody decades before he became frightening, to the…umm, Hulk Hogan cameo.
A lot of people don’t like this movie as it veers far away from the original’s more straightforward approach to horror with a sprinkling of comedy. And yeah, admittedly, the sequel veers far from the first’s tone, and it mostly crashes tonally, but it does so with such gusto that it’s nothing if not admirable and enjoyable.
28. House (1977)
Streaming Service(s): HBO Max
How do I even go about explaining the fever dream that is “House?” Imagine if Scooby-Doo were made into a live-action film it was made by people on mind-altering substances. Oh, and it’s set in Japan.
The filmmaker, Nobuhiko Obayashi, one said that in the making of the film his intent was to purposely break all the rooms of filmmaking he could think of. So, yeah. I guess you should just watch the trailer, but seriously, watch it with a friend, laugh, get creeped out, and find yourself falling in love with this enigmatic film. Also, don’t get this confused with the one from ‘86.
29. Plan 9 From Outer Space (In Color)
Streaming Service(s): Amazon Prime
Sticking with the theme of weird horror movies. Famed “bad movie director” Ed Wood’s magnum opus of weird, “Plan 9 From Outer Space” is thoroughly entertaining both in its early Hollywood horror aesthetic and it’s wildly badly made hilarity. Think “The Room” but with grave robbing Bela Lugosi.
Oh, yeah, THE Bela Lugosi of “Dracula” fame is in this movie. Admittedly it’s better in black and white, but only the in-color version is on streaming right now, unfortunately.
P.S. Several versions also exist on YouTube, many of which are in the original black and white format.
30. Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Streaming Service(s): Amazon Prime
Based on the original film from 1956, which in turn was based on a book by Jack Finney, this version leaves out the Red Scare fears of the original film’s mid-Cold War pathos and concentrates more so on the horror in conformity.
Featuring Donald Glover, Leonard Nemoy, and a very early role for Jeff Goldblum, it’s just a really great horror film that for some reason or another is often overlooked.
31. Ghost Stories
Streaming Service(s): Hulu
What better way to spend Halloween than with a movie that not only is scary but also dissects ghost stories to boot.
Originally a stage play, Phillip Goodman, played by one of the film’s directors, Andy Nyman, is a tv host who has a show wherein he debunks paranormal experiences and psychic mediums. Thus, throughout the movie, Goodman must speak with people who have had actual paranormal experiences, thus placing us the audience in his shoes, listening as an unreliable narrator tells us a ghost story. Is there anything better than that?
Richard Foltz
Associate Editor