Halloween is approaching fast, and there’s no better time to cozy up on the couch with a spooky movie marathon. Netflix, one of the best streaming services , has plenty of eerie, thrilling and spine-chilling movies to experience, especially after the streamer added a bunch more content in October. Whether you’re into jump scares, psychological thrillers or supernatural tales, there’s something for everyone in Netflix’s ever-growing library.
This fall, why not mix things up with some fresh titles that offer a variety of frights? From mind-bending horror to atmospheric slow-burn thrillers, Netflix has you covered. So, grab your popcorn, dim the lights and dive into our list of the five best Netflix movies to watch this Halloween.
What better movie to watch than one named after the spooky season itself? “Halloween” (the newer 2018 version) is a direct sequel to John Carpenter's 1978 classic “Halloween," ignoring the events of all previous sequels. This movie follows Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), who has been living in isolation for 40 years, haunted by the memory of Michael Myers, the masked killer who terrorized her and her friends in Haddonfield on Halloween night in 1978.
Laurie has spent decades preparing for Michael's return, building an almost bunker-like home filled with traps and weapons. Her relationship with her daughter Karen (Judy Greer) and granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak) is strained due to her obsessive need for protection and survival.
When Michael escapes during a transfer to a new facility, he returns to Haddonfield to once again wreak havoc on Halloween night. Laurie, finally ready for the showdown she's been anticipating for years, faces off against her old nemesis in a brutal confrontation.
Netflix recently got one of my favorite movies to watch on Halloween, and it's a bloody good time. “You’re Next” is a home invasion horror-thriller that follows the Davison family as they gather for a reunion at their secluded vacation home to celebrate their parents’ wedding anniversary. Tensions rise as family dynamics unravel, but the night takes a deadly turn when the house is attacked by a group of masked assailants.
What sets “You’re Next” apart from other home invasion movies is the unexpected twist that Erin (Sharni Vinson), the girlfriend of one of the family members, turns out to have a unique set of survival skills. Raised in a survivalist environment, Erin proves to be far more capable than the intruders anticipated, turning the tables on the killers in increasingly brutal and creative ways.
The latest installment in the “Evil Dead” franchise primarily takes place in a rundown apartment building. The story centers on two estranged sisters, Ellie (Alyssa Sutherland) and Beth (Lily Sullivan), whose reunion is violently interrupted when Ellie’s children accidentally discover a mysterious book in the building’s basement.
Once the book is opened and demonic forces are unleashed, Ellie becomes possessed by malevolent entities that take over bodies and unleash brutal terror on those around them. Beth, now trapped in the building with Ellie’s children, must find a way to survive the night and stop the deadly evil from spreading.
OK, I'm cheating a bit here since a trilogy doesn’t count as a movie, but I just had to include it. The “Fear Street” trilogy has become essential viewing for me around Halloween time. These movies are easy to watch, and they’re perfect for anyone who needs something just a little bit lighter (even though they’re still scary, and sometimes gory).
The trilogy consists of three movies: “Fear Street Part One: 1994”, “Fear Street Part Two: 1978”, and “Fear Street Part Three: 1666”. They’re all interconnected, telling a sprawling horror story that spans three centuries. At the heart of the trilogy is the cursed town of Shadyside, which has been plagued by brutal murders for centuries.
In part one, a group of teenagers led by Deena (Kiana Madeira) discover that the recent string of killings is linked to a centuries-old curse that has haunted their town. Part two shifts to a summer camp massacre, reminiscent of slashers like “Friday the 13th”, and delves deeper into the history of the curse. The survivors from the first movie seek out someone who lived through this earlier massacre to help them understand the curse’s origins. And finally, the third part takes viewers back to the origin of the curse, where the dark truth about the town’s history and its connection to witchcraft is revealed.
“The Platform” is a good choice for those who don’t like pure horror movies. It’s still unsettling, but not enough to put you off. This Spanish dystopian horror-thriller is set in a vertical prison known as "The Pit," and the movie revolves around a unique and horrifying system of food distribution. The prison consists of many levels, with two prisoners per level, and every day, a platform filled with food is lowered from the top to the bottom.
However, prisoners on the upper levels get to eat first, often leaving little or nothing for those below. The deeper the level, the worse the conditions become, leading to desperation, violence, and starvation. The story follows Goreng (Iván Massagué), a man who voluntarily enters the prison in exchange for a diploma. As he moves between different levels, he witnesses the brutal survival instincts that arise from the unequal distribution of resources and tries to inspire change by advocating for fairer food sharing.
The much-anticipated sequel “The Platform 2” has also recently landed on Netflix, so what better time to watch it than on Halloween?
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