Look no further for the perfect spine-chilling movie for a laid-back Halloween. From the classic zombie apocalypse sub-genre to chilling teenage slasher movies, anyone is sure to find the ideal movie pick to slip into the spooky mood.
“The Evil Dead (2013)” – Fede Álvarez
Determined to recover from her drug addiction, Mia invites her brother and friends to their family’s desolate cabin in the middle of the forest. This venture toward sobriety veers off course after one of the friends discovers a mysterious book. When the group reads aloud the book’s passages, chaos ensues as an evil entity possesses Mia.
“Fear Street (2021 & 2025)” – Leigh Janiak, Matt Palmer
This film series comprises multiple movies spanning different time periods. Part one, set in 1994, follows a group of teenagers navigating their ominous town’s recent series of brutal slayings. Part two is set in Camp Nightwing, where a summer camping trip turns into a ruthless fight for survival. Slipping back in time to 1666 in part three, the film shares life in a colonial town overcome by a deadly witch hunt. Finally, the series’s most recent film, “Prom Queen,” depicts a fatal high school election in which the candidates begin dying in mysterious circumstances.
“Hereditary (2018)” – Ari Aster
After the loss of their grandmother, the Graham family begins to unveil terrifying secrets about their ancestry and the sinister fate that they’ve inherited.
“Hubie Halloween (2020)” – Steven Brill
A devoted community volunteer often succumbs to nasty pranks from his fellow citizens in Salem, Massachusetts. On Halloween night, he finds himself in the middle of a murder investigation.
“Jennifer’s Body (2009)” – Karen Kusama
An indie band makes a pact with the Devil to gain fame. One night, they kidnap and kill a cheerleader named Jennifer. However, because she is not a virgin like the Devil required, she resurrects and seeks revenge.
“The Love Witch (2016)” – Anna Biller
A beautiful young witch is determined to find love. She creates spells and potions to seduce men of her choosing. However, her spells work in interesting ways, causing a string of hapless victims. When she finally meets the man of her dreams, she is driven to insanity and murder from desperation.
“Midsommar (2019)” – Ari Aster
After losing her entire immediate family in a carbon monoxide leak, Dani travels with her boyfriend to visit their friend’s rural hometown in Sweden. The town is known for its midsummer festival, but this dreamy retreat quickly turns into a violent cult experience.
“Nosferatu (2024)” – Robert Eggers
The 1830s estate agent, Thomas Hutter, travels to Transylvania to meet a prospective client, Count Orlok. While away, his bride Ellen is taken in by their friends. She is burdened by horrific visions, a sense of dread and an evil force that she cannot control.
“Talk to Me (2022)” – Michael Filippou, Danny Filippou
A group of friends discovers how to conjure spirits using an embalmed hand as a new party game. However, one of them slips too far into the game, unleashing terrifying consequences.
“Until Dawn (2025)” – David F. Sandberg
One year after her sister’s disappearance, Clover drags her friend to a remote valley in search of answers. After stumbling upon an abandoned visitor center, they encounter a killer who picks them off one by one. However, they mysteriously wake up on the same night and are forced to relive the terrors time and time again.
“Us (2019)” – Jordan Peele
The Wilson family returns to their beachfront home, where Adelaide grew up as a child. However, things take a turn when four masked people arrive at the house and force the family to fight for their survival. The strangest aspect of this encounter is that each masked individual perfectly resembles a member of the Wilson family.
“Warm Bodies (2013)” – Jonathon Lavine
A plague has decimated the human population, causing the streets to be overrun with zombies. A zombie named R witnesses his zombie friend attacking a living woman and rescues her. The woman sees that R is unlike the other zombies, as he expresses humane and compassionate emotions. This starts them on an unusual relationship, leading R to become increasingly human.
“Zombieland (2009)” – Ruben Fleischer
Four survivors of the apocalypse abide by a list of rules that grant survival and assist in zombie-killing as they make their way toward the fabled safe haven, residing in Los Angeles.
