It’s almost October and it’s time for the greatest movie season of the year. Every year I make a list of 31 horror movies, one for each day of the month. From evil grandmas to nightmare dwellers, here’s my list of scary movies- and what streaming services you can find them on- to get you to Halloween night.
1. “Scream” (1996) – Showtime
“Scream” embodies the fun you can have while being scared. Expect plenty of laughs and shrieks during this satire of the slasher genre.
2. “The Conjuring” (2013) – HBO Max
3. “The Conjuring 2” (2016) – HBO Max
James Wan revived the horror genre in 2012 with the first film in “The Conjuring” franchise. The original is still one of the most terrifying scary movies of all time and deserves a rewatch each October.
As good as the first installment is, if you’re anything like me and prefer more character development and plot progression over jump scares, you’ll enjoy the second one more.
4. “X” (2022) – Vudu
Someone needs to run a heat check on Ti West. After he released “X” in March of 2022, “Pearl” came out just six months later and is arguably a better film. Now, “MaXXXine,” a sequel to “X,” is coming soon. You won’t be disappointed trying to keep up with this slasher revival.
5. “Kairo” (2001) – Shudder
6. “Ringu” (1998) – Tubi
These are my two personal favorite films from the Japanese horror craze of the late 90s and early 2000s. “Kairo” provides meaningful commentary on the rise of internet culture and contains some of the scariest scenes I’ve ever watched.
“Ringu” is the most well known of the subgenre with a terrifying premise and a mystery that will keep you guessing throughout the entire movie.
7. “The Empty Man” (2020) – HBO Max
This film went through a terribly elongated production only to flop in theaters. Now, the movie’s gaining quite the following as a staple of the cult-thriller genre.
8. “Spree” (2020) – Hulu
“Stranger Things” fans are sure to appreciate Joe Keery’s performance in this film that’s told almost entirely through the social media livestreams of a psychotic rideshare driver.
9. “Scare Me” (2020) – Shudder
I expected “Scare Me” to receive rave reviews and was incredibly surprised when it didn’t. The film takes place over a single night when two writers tell each other stories in an attempt to scare each other during a power outage.
10. “Host” (2020) – Prime Video
“Host” accomplishes what “Unfriended” couldn’t. With a budget of just $35,000, director Rob Savage and his incredible cast of unknown actors were able to produce one scary video call.
11. “Halloween” (1978) – Shudder
12. “Halloween” (2018) – Hulu
13. “Halloween Kills” (2021) – HBO Max
14. “Halloween Ends” (2022) – In Theaters October 14
Obviously the “Halloween” franchise is an October essential, but even more so this year. October 14 marks the end of David Gordon Green’s “Halloween” reboot trilogy. Gordon Green’s take on the franchise has been met with mixed reviews, but I can’t wait to see the conclusion.
15. “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” (1978) – Youtube
16. “The Thing” (1982) – Peacock
My two science fiction horror films on this list are two of the greatest remakes of all time. “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” and “The Thing” both thrust their characters into situations where they can trust no one, but must find a way to survive. The films have two of my favorite endings of all time, cementing their place on this list.