Watch enough horror movies, and you’re bound to collect a lot of favorites and go-tos for every holiday and occasion. And when it seems like we’ve already nailed down the standbys for Halloween, there’s always room for more. Look past the usual suspects and you’ll find plenty of other horror movies set on All Hallows’ Eve.
10 TV Horror Anthology Episodes Perfect for Halloween
So, if you’re in the mood for something less familiar, and are willing to take a risk, then give these ten movies a chance. Maybe you’ll get lucky and one of them will become part of your annual Halloween watchlist.
Cemetery of Terror (1985)
On Halloween night, several children come across zombies and the raised corpse of a Satan-worshipping serial killer.
If you don’t mind reading subtitles, then I implore you to check out Rubén Galindo Jr.’s Mexican cult classic Cemetery of Terror. Drawing from Lucio Fulci’s zombie output, and elevated by makeup artist Ken Diaz (Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”), this Texas-shot movie is a delight from start to finish. What it lacks in polish it makes up for in spirit.
Watch: Shudder
The Midnight Hour (1985)
High schoolers accidentally raise the dead and other supernatural beings on Halloween night.
One of the most commemorative, not to mention fun, Halloween treats hails from the small screen. Jack Bender’s The Midnight Hour has fallen through the cracks over the years, and there’s no telling when it’ll be restored to full health, but come Halloween, folks flock to this bewitching and offbeat TV classic, however they can get it.
Watch: YouTube
Scary Movie (1991)
A man finds more than creepy props and staged scares when he enters a haunted attraction on Halloween.
While it’s not to be confused with the parody franchise of the same name, this Scary Movie isn’t lacking in laughs, either. In this case, the joke is on the paranoid protagonist, a nerdy type played to the full by a then-unknown John Hawkes. The Texas-born director Daniel Erickson didn’t strictly spoof the slasher subgenre here, but in hindsight, he turned it on its head just enough to feel fresh from everything prior. This indie became something of a bridge between those first two major slasher cycles.
Watch: Tubi
Fear 2: Halloween Night (1999)
A gathering on Halloween goes south when a wooden effigy manifests the guests’ fears.
We don’t get a lot of movies about life-sized killer dolls anymore, and we certainly don’t get many set on Halloween. Maybe the M3GAN franchise can course-correct itself and pick up the slack? That said, go into Fear 2: Halloween Night (also The Fear: Resurrection) with low expectations, and you might find yourself somewhat amused. I know I did as I watched the wooden foe of the previous movie, The Fear (1995), be given a new origin, and then do his absolute worst Freddy Krueger impersonation. This silly slice of Canadian horror never crosses over into “good” territory, per se, but at least it’s not a total bore like its predecessor. You can read my further thoughts at Bloody-Disgusting!
Watch: Fawesome TV and Plex
Hellbent (2005)
During the Halloween festivities in West Hollywood, one friend group is stalked by a devil-masked killer.
Horror scholars might take issue with my calling Paul Etheredge-Ouzts’ Hellbent the first gay slasher. Yet, unlike a few others nominated for the title, this thrifty but stylish movie is unabashedly queer; it’s as out as its ill-fated characters. And those same characters are precisely what boost this gay gem’s appeal and rewatch value. The charming Eddie (Dylan Fergus) and his friends are all likable and complex, and you’ll surely root for them as they’re targeted by the most muscle daddy-looking killer.
Watch: Here TV
Satan’s Little Helper (2005)
A trick-or-treater doesn’t realize he’s befriended an actual killer on Halloween, and as a result of his ignorance, he’s now the masked madman’s accomplice.
Jeff Lieberman’s Satan’s Little Helper beats madly to its own drumbeat, never caring all too much for realism or structure. Like the young main character on his trick-or-treat route, the movie goes wherever looks most promising and generous. Any semblance of a sound plot is a stroke of luck, however, it’s that grab-bag of bloody confections that sweetens this oddball slasher.
Watch: Shudder
Murder Party (2007)
A random invitation to a Halloween party leads to trouble for one unlucky man.
Needless to say, director Jeremy Saulnier has taken the polar-opposite route since Murder Party, a deeply unserious movie. This gallows-humored bloodbath also serves as a bit of takedown of the pretentious art scene. And as you watch this outrageous comedy, you’ll ask yourself, “This is from the director of Blue Ruin and Green Room?” Yes, and he did a damn good job.
Watch: Tubi
Livid (2011)
Three people find more than they bargained for when they rob an old mansion on Halloween.
Fans of Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo’s Livid (Livide) felt some déjà vu when they watched Abigail prance its way into existence. Yet as much as this elegant and atmospheric French movie evolves into a tangible, life-or-death scenario for its characters, Livid is truly more effective when it’s just a haunted house story profuse with atmosphere and tension.
Watch: Shudder
Mischief Night (2013)
While left home alone, a teenager with psychosomatic blindness fends off a masked intruder.
Technically Richard Schenkman’s Mischief Night is set on the night before Halloween, hence its title. Nevertheless, that small technicality doesn’t stop its vulnerable lead from fearing her raincoated, axe-wielding opponent. This movie plays to its strengths, which are namely the isolated setting, the violence, and the uninterrupted pacing once the main story gets going. And be forewarned: there’s another Mischief Night, but that movie is very different from this one, in both tone and narrative.
Watch: Pluto TV
Truth or Dare (2017)
After renting a haunted house on Halloween, a friend group is forced to play a spirit’s sadistic game of truth or dare, or else they’ll have to heed the deadly consequences.
While SYFY’s originals aren’t normally what I’d recommend to anyone who doesn’t already take pleasure in these slapdash productions, I make an exception for Nick Simon’s Truth or Dare. This movie doesn’t have much in the way of Halloween aesthetics, but it does sport the kind of meanness you would expect in a Saw sequel. Be prepared to wince and turn away from the screen as the characters commit self-harm in the name of survival.
Watch: Prime Video
Tales from the Paulside 
Thank you for these awesome recommendations!!! My sister and I were just talking about Halloween horror films
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