WATCH: The Best Horror Movies Currently On Streaming

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With Halloween around the corner, I figured it's a good time to comb through the big four streamers and pick out some of the best streaming titles for your viewing pleasure. I divided them into two sections: The classics, and my recommendations. I figure you probably want to know which classics are out there, but maybe also want to try something new. Thats where my recs will come in. 

Netflix 

Classics:

1. Friday the 13th 

2. Psycho

3. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 

4. The Strangers

5. Alien 

My recommendations:   

1. 28 Years Later + Bone Temple

A group of survivors of the rage virus live on a small island. When one of the group leaves the island on a mission into the mainland, he discovers secrets, wonders, and horrors that have mutated not only the infected but other survivors.

As a big fan of '28 Days Later', one of the best zombie movies ever, I was a little hesitant on this reboot after how much '28 Weeks Later' fell off. Granted, it had a different director, but still. But Danny Boyle returned with a vengeance, making an incredible follow up movie that is scary, visually beautiful and pretty heartbreaking. Nia DaCosta did a great job picking up the reigns with The Bone Temple, keeping up Boyle's style while giving it her own touch. I hope they get a chance to close out the trilogy despite the box office numbers. 

2. Nope 

The residents of a lonely gulch in inland California bear witness to an uncanny and chilling phenomenon.

I feel this movie was a little bit slept on because it doesn't quite have the same oomph as 'Get Out', but it rocks. Great cast, a cool concept and really unique creature design. We've been stuck with a lot of very boilerplate looking aliens over the years and this really bucked that trend. 

3. Green Room

A punk rock band is forced to fight for survival after witnessing something they shouldn't have at a neo-Nazi skinhead bar.

This is a super underrated movie in the genre that has a great cast (RIP Anton Yelchin) and really brutal action. It's one of my favorite underrated gems to put people on. 

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4.  Crawl

Gigantic alligators swarm around a young woman and her father as floodwaters engulf their home.

I remember going to the Paramount screening room for this movie (we were interviewing Barry Pepper for it) and I did not have high expectations. They went lower when the screening room, which could seat probably 100, was empty except for me. But I'll be dammed if this isn't one of the best animal based horror movies of the century. Great scares + a silly concept that weirdly works great. 

5. Creep

A young videographer answers an online ad for a one-day job in a remote town to record the last messages of a dying man. When he notices the man's odd behavior, he starts to question his intentions.

Another underrated gem that I think some people were reluctant to try out because it starred Mark Duplass, who we basically knew as one of the funny guys from 'The League'. But this movie, which I would consider one of the first of Blumhouse's new wave of horror, absolutely rocks. One of the better serial killer movies of the 2000's. 

HBO MAX:

Classics: 

1. The Shining 

2. The Exorcist 

3. A Nightmare on Elm Street

4. Carrie

5. Interview With A Vampire

My recommendations:  

1. Sinners 

Trying to leave their troubled lives behind, twin brothers return to their hometown to start again, only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back.

I know it has the oscar noms/wins and everything, but it's not quite what I would call a classic in the genre. At least not yet. That said, it is a very entertaining action horror movie that is a very fun rewatch. 

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2. Midsommar 

A couple travels to Northern Europe to visit a rural hometown's fabled Swedish mid-summer festival. What begins as an idyllic retreat quickly devolves into an increasingly violent and bizarre competition at the hands of a pagan cult.

The first of back-to-back miserable Ari Aster movies that will fill you with nothing but dread and anxiety. Not exactly what you might want if you're a classic jump scare fan, but a very unique movie. Especially the fact that it's a horror almost entirely in daytime. 

3. Hereditary 

A grieving family is haunted by tragic and disturbing occurrences.

The second (chronologically first) of the Aster movies, this one features what should have been an oscar-winning performance from Toni Collette. This is such a creepy movie with some of the most unique camerawork you'll see in horror. 

4. Bring Her Back 

A brother and sister uncover a terrifying ritual at the secluded home of their new foster mother.

The Philippou brothers follow up to 'Talk To Me' (also great) is one of the most offputting horror movies I've seen in a while. It stops short of freaky gore shit like the Terrifier movies, but it's definitely close to the line. Creepy kids are also wayyyy scarier than creepy adults. 

5. They Will Kill You 

A woman takes a job as a housekeeper in a NYC high-rise, unaware of the building's history of disappearances. She soon realizes the community is shrouded in mystery.

This is a new one from this year that I found to be pretty fun. More of a horror/action/comedy that will feel familiar if you liked 'Ready or Not', but I enjoyed it. 

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Hulu

Classics:

1. Stephen King's It (TV movie)

2. Beetlejuice 

3. The Fly 

4. House 

5. The Sixth Sense

My recommendations: 

1. The Substance

A fading celebrity takes a black-market drug: a cell-replicating substance that helps her create a younger, better version of herself.

I've mentioned it before, but every year there at least one movie that is the ONE movie a big crowd of people see a year. And, because they have no reference point, they believe that it is the best movie of the year, nothing else comes close and anyone who doesn't have it in their top-5 i s a moron. 'The Substance' is that. While not some insane achievement, I think it is a very good movie within the genre. 

2. Hokum

A horror writer visits an Irish inn to scatter his parents' ashes, unaware the property is said to be haunted by a witch.

This movie flew under the radar this year which is a shame. It's not the most unique concept in the world, but the execution is really solid and Adam Scott was great. 

3. Barbarian 

A woman staying at an Airbnb discovers that the house she has rented is not what it seems.

Zach Cregger is obviously all the rage now BUT I still think his coming out party is weirdly under-seen. It's freaky, super off-putting and really builds up dread without over relying on jump scares. 

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4. Good Boy

A loyal dog moves to a rural family home with his owner, only to discover supernatural forces lurking in the shadows. As dark entities threaten his human companion, the brave pup must fight to protect the one he loves most.

I may be a little biased since I interviewed the dog, but god damn did I love this movie. I have no god damn clue how they managed to get the dog to hit those marks, convey emotion that fits the scariness of the scenes etc. On top of that, also just a very scary movie. 

5. Fresh 

After quitting dating apps, a woman meets the supposedly perfect man and accepts his invitation to a romantic weekend getaway, only to find that her new paramour has been hiding some unusual appetites.

This is a weirdly great movie that has a stacked cast (Sebastian Stan, Daisy Edgar-Jones) and really preys on dating insecurities with a cool twist. One of the better Hulu original movies in my opinion.

Prime Video 

Classic:

1. The Thing

2. Army of Darkness

3. Videodrome

4. American Psycho 

5. An American Werewolf in London

My Recommendations:  

1. The Witch

An isolated Puritan family in 1630s New England comes unraveled by the forces of witchcraft and possession.

I hesitate putting this as a reccomendation only because it's very much a love or hate movie. But the people that love it, LOVE it. Maybe that will be you!

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2. The Mist 

In the small town of Bridgton, Maine, people become trapped inside a supermarket after a mysterious mist envelops the town.

I've been beating the drum for the movie since it first scared the shit out of me in theaters. I think it's scary but, more than maybe any other King horror adaption, does a great job exploring the societal human response to fear. Also one of the all time endings you're ever gonna see. 

3. The Host 

A monster emerges from Seoul's Han River and begins attacking people. One victim's loving family does what it can to rescue her from its clutches.

One of the earlier efforts from oscar-winner Bong Joon Ho, this movie rocks. If you like creature features, this gives you a lot to sit with between the performances and actual monster itself. However, if you're an anti-subtitle person or can't get past (era appropriate as its a 2006 foreign movie) bad CGI, you should probably skip it. 

4. Suspiria 

A darkness swirls at the center of a world-renowned dance company, one that will engulf the artistic director, an ambitious young dancer, and a grieving psychotherapist. Some will succumb to the nightmare. Others will finally wake up.

While the original Italian movie has more sauce, this one isn't bad either. Really well shot and well acted by a banger cast (and thats coming from a real non-liker of Dakota Johnson). 

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5. Primate 

A group of friends' tropical vacation turns into a terrifying, primal tale of horror and survival.

This movie is legitimately scary as all hell and I think a big part of that is the wise decision to make the monkey practically instead of through CGI. It just feels real which elevates the stakes.