Spooky season is here, and we know you want to watch Halloween movies on streaming. The weather’s getting colder, the days are getting shorter, and it’s the perfect time of year to light a candle, stay inside, and curl up with a horrifying scary movie that you can stream from the comfort of your couch. But which streaming service has the best Halloween content?
Well, that depends on what you want. Do you want blood and guts that will make you gag? Do you want high art that makes you think? Do you want to turn off your brain to a dumb slasher? Do you want to impress your film friends on Letterboxd with cult classics? Or do you not want to be scared at all, and simply want some family-friendly spooky vibes?
No matter what you’re looking for this Halloween season, there is a streaming service out there for you. Here’s Decider’s ranking of the streaming services’ Halloween content in October 2024, catered to your specific tastes.
Max: Best Overall Selection
We know that HBO’s streaming service Max is pricey at $10 a month (with ads), but you really did get what you pay for—which is to say, a huge, varied library of really good Halloween movies. Max has the complete franchises of many beloved horror faves, including Scream, The Conjuring, Saw, Paranormal Activity, and A Nightmare on Elm Street. If those movie marathons don’t keep you busy enough, you can also check out Max’s A24 collection for high-brow “elevated horror” like Midsommar, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, and The Lighthouse. If you’ve got kids, Max also has family-friendly movies with spooky vibes, like Beetlejuice, Practical Magic, and the Harry Potter films. And if you’re a fan of the King of horror, Max also has a Stephen King collection that includes both the recent IT movies and the 1990 miniseries with Tim Curry. There really is something for everyone.
Tubi: Best for Spooky Cult Classics
Click over to the “Cult Classics” carousel on Tubi, and you’ll find a treasure trove of low-budget, high-quality, fan-favorite horror films. There’s They Live, John Carpetenter’s 1988 sci-fi horror action flick, about a man with sunglasses that lets him see the true, horrific nature of the ruling class. There’s The Witches of Eastwick, George Miller’s supernatural fantasy starring Cher, Michelle Pfeiffer, Susan Sarandon as three unwitting witches, and Jack Nicholson as the man who draws out their powers. There’s The Evil Dead, Sam Raimi’s unapologetically gory tale of demonic possession. And best of all? There’s Death Becomes Her the absurd dark comedy starring Meryl Streep as a woman who seeks out immortality, and find it comes with a steep price. But the price for you is zero—Tubi is a free, ad-supported streaming service. No subscription needed!
Peacock: Best for Dumb Fun and Monster Classics
Even the Halloween girlies just want to have fun, sometimes. If you’re in the mood for some horror that you won’t need to think about too deeply, Peacock is the streamer you want. Universal, which owns Peacock, has a deal with Blumhouse Productions, which means Peacock is home to recent B-movie horror faves like The Purge, Happy Death Day, and Insidious. Plus, Peacock also hosts some (though not all) of Universal’s classic monster movies from the ’30s and ’40s, like Frankenstein and The Bride of Frankenstein, starring Boris Karloff. Unfortunately, the streamer took off some of the best of these classics—Dracula and The Invisible Man are no longer streaming—but it’s still the best selection of monster movies from this era available at this time.
Shudder: Best for Indie Horror
If you’re a true horror aficionado who likes to stay on top of up-and-coming titles in the indie horror world, then Shudder is a no-brainer subscription. You’re not going to get big-budget flexes like It: Chapter Two or Evil Dead Rises, but you are going to get the latest from inventive, creative, scrappy young filmmakers like the Cairnes brothers, who wrote and directed the critically-acclaimed 2023 supernatural horror film about a late night talk show host, Late Night with the Devil. Other buzzy titles include Skinamarink, Terrified, and the V/H/S series. These days, Shudder is the ultimate champion of small independent and international horror films, and real horror nerds shouldn’t miss out.
Prime Video / Freevee : Best for Sickos
If blood, guts, and disturbing imagery is what you’re after, then Amazon Prime Video and Freevee (which is Amazon’s free, ad-supported streaming option) have got you covered. The first two Terrifier films, aka the popular grotesque horror series about a killer clown, are streaming on Freevee, as is Luca Guadagnino’s 2018 twisted, bloody, and polarizing remake of Suspiria. And with your Prime subscription, you can watch other twisted horror flicks, like John Carpenter’s classic 1982 sci-fi horror flick, The Thing, and the more recently disturbing thriller, Barbarian.
Hulu: Best for Halloween TV
Hulu certainly has some good horror movies in its “Huluween” content hub (like Ready or Not, Us, Alien, The First Omen, just to name a few). But the real draw of Hulu during spooky season is its library of spooky TV shows. There are light-hearted comedies like the hilarious What We Do in the Shadows, and there are dark scary stories, like Ryan Murphy’s American Horror Story. Then there are all the sitcoms with Halloween episodes, like New Girl, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and Abbott Elementary. If you’re looking for spooky TV this October, Hulu is the way to go.
Disney+: Best for Families
Is it any surprise that the best option for family-friendly spooky movies is Disney’s notoriously family-friendly streamer, aka Disney+? All your favorite Disney Halloween movies from childhood are there, including Hocus Pocus, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Halloweentown, and more. It’s perfect for parents of young children, and for childless millennials looking for a nostalgic trip down memory lane.
Paramount+: Best for Comedy Horror
Just because Halloween is the scary holiday doesn’t mean it can’t be funny, too! If you’re looking for laughs with your spooky content, head on over to Paramount+. There you’ll find a handful of comedy horror movies that will tickle your funny bone in the Halloween spirit—like the criminally underrated, tonally perfect horror comedy Jennifer’s Body, starring Megan Fox as a 2000s popular girl succubus. The streamer also has the slasher parody Scary Movie franchise, the recent Gen Z satire Bodies Bodies Bodies, and the campy AF original Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie. Have some fun with this mountain of comedy horror content!
Netflix: Best For Normies
If you’re not really that into the whole horror movie thing, then just go ahead and stick with your Netflix subscription. This isn’t to say there aren’t some very good scary movies on Netflix because there are! The collection is limited and eclectic, but nevertheless boasts some mainstream heavy-hitters like Psycho, American Psycho, and Evil Dead Rise. If you’re only planning to watch a handful of spooky movies this October, Netflix will do you just fine. There’s no shame in being a mainstream normie! Go ahead and get that Pumpkin Spice Latte. They’re delicious.
