Are you a subscriber to Netflix, Disney+ or Amazon Prime Video and looking for a film to watch for the ideal Halloween evening? Here are our suggestions, don’t hesitate to share yours in the comments!
The Halloween period is a good time to watch films on video streaming platforms. With autumn and the days getting shorter, we enjoy settling down on the sofa with a blanket and a hot drink to immerse ourselves in cold, dark, distressing, even horrifying atmospheres. Are you lacking inspiration when choosing your film and afraid of spending another hour browsing the catalog of your video streaming service? We have put together a selection of feature films specially adapted for Halloween (but not necessarily horror films), all you have to do is make your choice.
The best Halloween movies on Netflix
Netflix has a plethora of Halloween-themed films. It is not a question here of mentioning them all, but rather of highlighting a few which seem particularly interesting to us to see.
American Nightmare
A classic of the genre. In American Nightmare (The Purge in original version), in the United States, one night a year, all residents can assassinate people they consider harmful to society, without fear of legal action. A hunted man takes refuge in a family’s house without any problem to hide, and the trouble begins. A film mixing anxiety and violence. If you liked the first part, know that four sequels have already been released and that an American Nightmare 6 is in preparation.
Get Out
No, you don’t have to look at a dick on Halloween. Get Out won the Oscar for Best Screenplay and offers us a thrilling thriller that will leave no one unmoved. Chris, a young black man, is going to meet the family of his girlfriend Rose, from the white bourgeoisie, for the first time. But nothing goes as planned: his hosts seem to be hiding a dark secret. The film also brilliantly questions the mechanisms of ordinary racism.
Black Phone
Already present in American Nightmare, Ethan Hawke appears a second time in this selection with the most recent Black Phone, released in 2021 and recently available on Netflix. He plays Albert Shaw, a serial killer known as The Grabber. He kidnaps young Finney, who ends up locked in his basement, where he manages to communicate using a strange telephone. Suspense and anxiety, Black Phone is a sure bet for Halloween.
The Babysitter
The Babysitter and its sequel The Babysitter: Killer Queen are horror comedies that don’t take themselves seriously. The pitch of the first film? Young Cole discovers that his babysitter Bee is actually part of a satanic sect, which will do everything to silence him. We will spare you the synopsis of the sequel, which would inevitably spoil the first opus, but know that it includes in the cast the excellent Jenna Ortega, interpreter of Wednesday in the original Netflix series of the same name. Besides, if you prefer a short series (eight episodes) to a movie for Halloween, Wednesday is an excellent option.
Invisible Man
Elisabeth Moss is one of the actresses of the moment who best embodies horror and horror. In Invisible Man, his character manages to escape an abusive relationship with a wealthy man, a tycoon in the new technology sector. She learns of his suicide shortly after, but cannot help but live in fear and dread of his return. Her doubts resurface even more when she begins to be harassed and mistreated by an invisible entity.
The best Halloween movies on Disney+
One of the advantages of Disney+ is its content for the whole family, even for Halloween.
Hocus Pocus 2
Almost 30 years after the release of the first film, the Sanderson sisters make their comeback in Hocus Pocus 2. The three witches from the 17th century once again attack the town of Salem in order to carry out their revenge. The day before All Saints’ Day, three high school students decide to intervene and try to prevent them from ravaging Salem. A program mainly intended for children, but which can also be watched with the whole family together.
Coco
This moving animated film takes place during the Day of the Dead, the equivalent of All Saints’ Day in Mexico, where this event is celebrated with music, disguises, and a good dose of makeup. Young Miguel wants to become a musician, like his idol Ernesto de la Cruz, but music has been forbidden in his family for several generations. Miguel finds himself in the Land of the Dead for an initiatory journey during which he will discover the secrets of his family.
The haunted mansion
Disney also knows how to scare. In the summer of 2023, The Haunted Mansion was released, a horror film inspired by one of the iconic attractions of the Disneyland parks. The synopsis is not very original: a mother and her son hire a team of pseudo-experts to help them chase away the specters and ghosts that haunt their house. But the result is rather entertaining and this production has the merit of mixing low-level horror and humor for a Halloween movie evening with the family (recommended age from 12 years old).
The best Halloween movies on Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video also has its share of Halloween movies. We have selected feature films available in the basic subscription, you do not need to subscribe to the Warner Pass for another package to access them.
Thesilenceofthelambs
Cult film having won a whopping five Oscars, The Silence of the Lambs is undoubtedly one of the best-known thrillers in the world. FBI trainee Clarice Starling is on the hunt for a serial killer. For this, she needs the help of Hannibal Lechter (Anthony Hopkins), a former psychiatrist with a penchant for cannibalism. Brilliant and cunning, the psychopath will establish a relationship of fascination and repulsion with his interlocutor. More than 30 years after its release, it still provides the same effect.
The Boy
If you like creepy and cringe, you will be served with The Boy. Greta flees the United States to escape her past and finds a job as a nanny in England, in a house lost in the countryside. Except she realizes that the young Brahms she has to take care of is in fact not a child, but a life-size porcelain doll. She must also respect rules which make the situation even more distressing: never leave Brahms alone, do not cover his head, give him food… Inevitably, the situation quickly becomes out of control.
That
Based on the novel by Stephen King, this 2017 adaptation is of course not recommended for those under 18. Children in an American town begin mysteriously disappearing. A group of young people must then overcome their fears, discover what happened to them and face the clown Pennywise, whom they call It. An effective film that meets the expectations of a terrifying Halloween evening.
