10 best horror movies to stream right now: 'M3gan,' 'Last Exorcism,' more
Best killer doll: "M3GAN" directed by Gerard Johnstone. Credit: Universal Pictures/Geoffrey Short
October and scary movies go together like ghosts and goblins — or do they?
It turns out the month of Halloween isn’t always a bonanza for horror movies. Of the 25 highest-grossing horror films released since 1995, only four came out in October according to data from The Numbers, a box-office tracking site. Of those four, the highest is 2002’s “The Ring,” which took in $129 million — and even that movie is only No. 7 on the list.
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October and scary movies go together like ghosts and goblins — or do they?
It turns out the month of Halloween isn’t always a bonanza for horror movies. Of the 25 highest-grossing horror films released since 1995, only four came out in October according to data from The Numbers, a box-office tracking site. Of those four, the highest is 2002’s “The Ring,” which took in $129 million — and even that movie is only No. 7 on the list.
As for the current month, there are only two horror films from major studios in wide release: “The Exorcist: Believer,” which arrived Oct. 1, and “Five Nights at Freddy’s,” which is due Oct. 27. Maybe there wasn’t room for many more, as the studios seemed too scared to put any big movies up against “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” on Oct. 13. As a result, Swift’s concert movie had that weekend almost entirely to itself.
One sure-fire place to find some good scary movies at the moment: your favorite streaming platform. Here are some recommendations that are slightly off the beaten track but readily available on major platforms like Apple TV, Prime Video, Hulu, Tubi, YouTube and Google Play.
BEST KILLER DOLL
M3GAN (2023)
(from left), Gemma (Allison Williams) and Cady (Violet McGraw) in "M3GAN," directed by Gerard Johnstone. Credit: Universal Pictures/Geoffrey Short
What’s scarier than a doll possessed by Satan? One possessed by technology! In “M3GAN,” a life-like A.I. robot (Amie Donald) befriends a lonely tween (Violet McGraw) and becomes fiercely protective — even murderous. There’s a reason this little movie became a $181 million hit (and a TikTok sensation): It’s a smart, fun, jump-in-your-seat treat.
BEST 'EXORCIST' KNOCK-OFF
The Last Exorcism (2010)
"The Last Exorcism": foreground: Ashley Bell, rear l-r: Patrick Fabian, Louis Herthum, Caleb Landry Jones. Credit: Lions Gate/Everett Collection
Finally, a clever twist on the 1973 classic! Patrick Fabian plays Cotton Marcus, a Southern preacher who is about to expose himself as a fraud — until he encounters what appears to be a genuine demonic possession. A twisty-turny story and a fine cast (including a young Caleb Landry Jones) make this lesser-known title worth finding.
BEST ELEVATED HORROR
Hereditary (2018)
Toni Collette in "Hereditary." Credit: A24/ Everett Collection
Doesn’t “elevated” usually just mean “arty?” Here, it might also describe your heart rate. Ari Aster’s directorial debut, about a young man (Alex Wolff) who causes an unspeakable tragedy, combines disorienting camerawork, a dreamlike narrative and shocking gore to create one of the most upsetting movies you’ll ever see. Not for the faint of heart.
BEST HORROR WESTERN
Bone Tomahawk (2015)
Not many movies fit this definition, even if you go all the way back to 1966’s “Billy the Kid vs. Dracula.” Top of the list, then, is S. Craig Zahler’s grisly story about a small-town posse (led by Kurt Russell) trying to rescue hostages from a clan of cannibals. Danny Peary, the Sag Harbor-based author of “Cult Movies,” counts it among his recent favorites. With Richard Jenkins, Patrick Wilson and David Arquette.
BEST HORROR MOVIE ABOUT THE BANKING CRISIS
Drag Me to Hell (2009)
from left: Lorna Raver and Alison Lohman from Universal Pictures' 2009 movie "Drag Me To Hell." Credit: Universal Pictures/Everett Collection
When an ambitious loan officer (Alison Lohman) refuses to save an old woman’s home, she is cursed for eternity — unless she can pass the curse to some other sucker. Director Sam Raimi and his brother wrote this story years before the Great Recession, but timing is everything: After the film premiered at Cannes (!) it was praised for its themes of greed and selfishness. It’s also a freaky, shriek-worthy delight.
MOST UNDERRATED
Crimson Peak (2015)
Universal Pictures film with Jessica Chastain and Tom Hiddleston in "Crimson Peak", 2015. Credit: Alamy Stock Photo/Universal Pictures/Pictorial Press Ltd
Even with a name-brand director like Guillermo del Toro and two acclaimed stars — Mia Wasikowska as a rich American and Tom Hiddleston as a baronet who whisks her away to England — this lavish-looking production got snubbed by audiences. Here’s a contrary opinion: With its air of decadent luxury and moral rot (Jessica Chastain plays the baronet’s possessive sister), “Crimson Peak” is a ravishing gothic chiller worthy of Edgar Allan Poe.
BEST SCI-FI HORROR
The Thing (1982)
Kurt Russell in Universal Pictures' "The Thing", 1982. Credit: Alamy Stock Photo/Universal Pictures
In an Antarctic research station, several men discover a creature that can take over and replicate any being. “Alien” may be the classier film, but John Carpenter’s tightly scripted B-movie is scarier, wilder and waaaay gorier. It was a bit too much for audiences, who clearly preferred “E.T.” (released the same month), but “The Thing” remains an absolute hair-raiser and a howling good time. With Kurt Russell, Keith David and Wilford Brimley.
BEST HORROR COMEDY
An American Werewolf in London (1981)
David Naughton in "An American Werewolf in London." Credit: Universal/Everett Collection
Most horror comedies are more funny than scary. Not this one. Director John Landis keeps the balance 50-50 as he tells the story of a young Yank (David Naughton) who ventures onto a foggy English moor and is transformed — literally. The man-into-wolf effects, courtesy of latex maestro Rick Baker, won the first-ever Oscar for best makeup.
SCARIEST ABC MOVIE OF THE WEEK
Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark (1973)
A young housewife (Kim Darby, “True Grit”) moves into an old mansion and finds that it’s already occupied — by miniature creatures living in the fireplace! Despite the goofy premise and bargain-basement goblin-costumes, this TV movie was scary enough to traumatize a generation of ‘70s kids (including Guillermo del Toro, who remade it in 2011). Less widely available than others on this list, but you can rent it on YouTube and Google Play.
MOST MALIGNED
Peeping Tom (1960)
Carl Boehm, Anna Massey in "Peeping Tom" (1960). Credit: Everett Collection
After decades as one of England’s most beloved directors, Michael Powell made this skin-crawler about a serial killer who films his victims’ final moments. Appalled viewers at the premiere reportedly avoided shaking Powell’s hand, and his career never fully recovered. Banned in parts of Europe and barely seen in the U.S., “Peeping Tom” languished until Martin Scorsese helped rerelease it in 1978. It’s now considered a forerunner to the modern slasher film and an overall masterpiece.
CHUCK E. CHEESE MEETS 'SAW'
Could “Five Nights at Freddy’s” be the best horror movie … for kids?
Arriving in theaters and debuting on Peacock this Friday, “Five Nights at Freddy’s” features Josh Hutcherson (“The Hunger Games”) as a man who becomes the latest security guard for Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, a family-friendly destination that was popular in the 1980s. It’s now shuttered and decrepit — but at night, its animatronic figures come to life and begin searching for victims. Think Chuck E. Cheese meets “Saw,” and you’re on the right track.
Initially a video game released in 2014, “Five Nights at Freddy’s” became a hit that spawned several sequel games, spin-off games, novelizations and a line of merchandise. A sizable part of the fan base is kids — roughly of grade-school age, it seems, though precise data is hard to come by. It’s a curious development for a game whose back story includes a serial killer, diabolical contraptions and dead children. (Adding to the mystique: The game’s creator, Scott Cawthon, recently retired from the industry and has kept largely out of public view, though he did help write the film’s screenplay. Through representatives, Cawthon declined to be interviewed.)
“I had a nephew tell me about it at a party one time, and it was just word for word,” says Justin Timms, the Selden-based director of the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival. “I think it’s a lot of kids’ first introduction to something that’s actually scary. They watch spooky things, but they’re more like ‘Scooby-Doo’ spooky. Whereas this is an actual horror game, and since it has these childhood elements, it makes for a good introduction.”
Emma Tammi, the director and a co-writer of the film adaptation, says the dark subject matter and young fans were two things she tried to balance. “We were making this film with a PG-13 rating in mind, and we definitely wanted to include the younger audiences,” she says. “But we also wanted to satisfy on a scare-level for adults.”
Tammi adds: “I really think it’s an intergenerational movie. I hope it’s something adults can bring their kids to.”
One kid who’s excited to see it: seven-year-old Jameson Dowd of East Meadow, who says he first learned about “Freddy’s” by watching a YouTuber play the game. “It inspired me,” says Jameson, who likes to draw his own pictures of the various characters. Jameson now owns two of the “Freddy’s” games and several plushies; for one recent Halloweens he dressed as Foxy, a character that looks something like a fox crossed with a pirate.
“It’s insane, he knows all the characters by heart, he has all the plushies we can find,” says Jameson’s mother, Ariel Dowd, 35, a home health aide. She plans to take him to the movie on opening day, she says. “I can see where other people might get worried, because it is a little creepy. But as long as he’s not scared of it, then I’m O.K.” — RAFER GUZMAN