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WeirdThe 20 Best Halloween Movies on Netflix
By Claire Spellberg
@c_spellberg
Published
Oct. 24, 2017, 8:00 p.m. ET
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Ready to get spooked? These are the best Halloween movies on Netflix, ranked by their Rotten Tomatoes scores.
Photos: Everett Collection, Getty Images ; Illustration: Dillen Phelps
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The Babadook (2014)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 98%
Is there anything scarier than a fictional monster come to life? In this harrowing tale, a single mother, Amelia, and her already-scared-of-monsters son are haunted by a monster that has jumped off the page of a picture book and into their home. At first, Amelia doesn't believe that her son could possibly be seeing the fictional Babadook, but once she begins seeing signs of a sinister presence in the house, she can't ignore the frightening reality of the situation.
[Stream The Babadook]
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 98%
Is there anything scarier than a fictional monster come to life? In this harrowing tale, a single mother, Amelia, and her already-scared-of-monsters son are haunted by a monster that has jumped off the page of a picture book and into their home. At first, Amelia doesn't believe that her son could possibly be seeing the fictional Babadook, but once she begins seeing signs of a sinister presence in the house, she can't ignore the frightening reality of the situation.
[Stream The Babadook]
©IFC Films/Courtesy Everett Collection
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Creep (2014)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%
While it may be only 80 minutes long, this horror film packs a big punch. Mark Duplass plays Josef, a man living in a remote cabin who hires a cameraman named Aaron (Patrick Brice) to document the last few weeks of his life. However, when Aaron treks out to Josef's cabin, he learns that Josef's intentions aren't so pure, and things quickly go from bad to worse for the documentary filmmaker.
[Stream Creep]
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%
While it may be only 80 minutes long, this horror film packs a big punch. Mark Duplass plays Josef, a man living in a remote cabin who hires a cameraman named Aaron (Patrick Brice) to document the last few weeks of his life. However, when Aaron treks out to Josef's cabin, he learns that Josef's intentions aren't so pure, and things quickly go from bad to worse for the documentary filmmaker.
[Stream Creep]
Photo: Netflix
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We Are Still Here(2015)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%
If you're looking for a haunted house flick to get you in the Halloween spirit, check out We Are Still Here. In 1979, a couple moves to a new home in rural New England in order to move on from the sudden death of their son. As the couple settles in, they begin noticing strange supernatural phenomena, including apparitions of their dead son. Staying true to the haunted house trope, the couple chooses to stay instead of getting the hell out of there, and their decision soon becomes deadly.
[Stream We Are Still Here]
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%
If you're looking for a haunted house flick to get you in the Halloween spirit, check out We Are Still Here. In 1979, a couple moves to a new home in rural New England in order to move on from the sudden death of their son. As the couple settles in, they begin noticing strange supernatural phenomena, including apparitions of their dead son. Staying true to the haunted house trope, the couple chooses to stay instead of getting the hell out of there, and their decision soon becomes deadly.
[Stream We Are Still Here]
©Dark Sky Films/Courtesy Everett Collection
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The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%
Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town, loves his town, but he's getting tired of serving up the same old spooks year after year. One day, Jack discovers Christmas Town, and when he returns home, he tries to make the Halloween Townsfolk adopt the Christmas spirit. Unfortunately, the goblins and ghouls of Halloween Town don't quite get the concept of holiday cheer, and Jack's well-intentioned idea soon wreaks havoc on the town.
[Stream The Nightmare Before Christmas]
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%
Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town, loves his town, but he's getting tired of serving up the same old spooks year after year. One day, Jack discovers Christmas Town, and when he returns home, he tries to make the Halloween Townsfolk adopt the Christmas spirit. Unfortunately, the goblins and ghouls of Halloween Town don't quite get the concept of holiday cheer, and Jack's well-intentioned idea soon wreaks havoc on the town.
[Stream The Nightmare Before Christmas]
©Buena Vista Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
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Young Frankenstein (1974)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%
Gene Wilder plays Dr. Frederick Frankenstein, the young grandson of the infamous Victor Frankenstein, the doctor who experimented with bringing back the dead. Frederick has always tried to distance himself from Victor, but when he travels to his grandfather's castle and lab in Transylvania, he can't help but get caught up in the reanimation experiment.
[Stream Young Frankenstein]
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%
Gene Wilder plays Dr. Frederick Frankenstein, the young grandson of the infamous Victor Frankenstein, the doctor who experimented with bringing back the dead. Frederick has always tried to distance himself from Victor, but when he travels to his grandfather's castle and lab in Transylvania, he can't help but get caught up in the reanimation experiment.
[Stream Young Frankenstein]
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Coraline (2009)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90%
Don't let the fact that it's animated fool you: Coraline is just as disturbing as a slasher flick. A young girl, Coraline, moves to a new house where her parents don't pay much attention to her. While exploring alone, Coraline finds a parallel world where everyone has buttons for eyes, but she's cool with it because her parents are caring and good things keep happening. However, this seemingly perfect world is more sinister than it seems, and Coraline soon learns what these "others" truly want.
[Stream Coraline]
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90%
Don't let the fact that it's animated fool you: Coraline is just as disturbing as a slasher flick. A young girl, Coraline, moves to a new house where her parents don't pay much attention to her. While exploring alone, Coraline finds a parallel world where everyone has buttons for eyes, but she's cool with it because her parents are caring and good things keep happening. However, this seemingly perfect world is more sinister than it seems, and Coraline soon learns what these "others" truly want.
[Stream Coraline]
©Focus Features/Courtesy Everett Collection
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Cult of Chucky (2017)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 87%
The infamous demonic doll returns in the seventh installment of the Child's Play franchise. In Cult of Chucky, the doll returns to terrorize his former victim, Nica. Even if you're not into the Chucky films, this one is worth a watch: Decider's own Jade Budowski describes the film as "both horrifying and hilarious in equal measure."
[Stream Cult of Chucky]
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 87%
The infamous demonic doll returns in the seventh installment of the Child's Play franchise. In Cult of Chucky, the doll returns to terrorize his former victim, Nica. Even if you're not into the Chucky films, this one is worth a watch: Decider's own Jade Budowski describes the film as "both horrifying and hilarious in equal measure."
[Stream Cult of Chucky]
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Deathgasm (2015)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 86%
Teenagers in a heavy metal band unknowingly summon evil forces with their loud music. These evil forces threaten the town with mass destruction, so in order to save the town, the band members must figure out how to reverse their summon and send the spirits back to hell for good.
[Stream Deathgasm]
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 86%
Teenagers in a heavy metal band unknowingly summon evil forces with their loud music. These evil forces threaten the town with mass destruction, so in order to save the town, the band members must figure out how to reverse their summon and send the spirits back to hell for good.
[Stream Deathgasm]
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The Sixth Sense (1999)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 85%
With a single sentence, Haley Joel Osment changed the psychological thriller game. "I see dead people" made Osment a household name, and the chilling horror/thriller earned M. Night Shyamalan a Best Director Oscar nomination. If you're looking for a film about a troubled boy who can communicate with the dead and his equally troubled psychologist, The Sixth Sense is for you.
[Stream The Sixth Sense]
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 85%
With a single sentence, Haley Joel Osment changed the psychological thriller game. "I see dead people" made Osment a household name, and the chilling horror/thriller earned M. Night Shyamalan a Best Director Oscar nomination. If you're looking for a film about a troubled boy who can communicate with the dead and his equally troubled psychologist, The Sixth Sense is for you.
[Stream The Sixth Sense]
©Buena Vista Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
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Gremlins (1984)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 84%
Billy Peltzer is excited to receive a small creature called a Mogwai from his father, but there are certain rules that he must follow in order to be a responsible owner. When Billy breaks one of these rules, his pet suddenly turns into a devilish monster, a "gremlin," that threatens to destroy everything and everyone in its path.
[Stream Gremlins]
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 84%
Billy Peltzer is excited to receive a small creature called a Mogwai from his father, but there are certain rules that he must follow in order to be a responsible owner. When Billy breaks one of these rules, his pet suddenly turns into a devilish monster, a "gremlin," that threatens to destroy everything and everyone in its path.
[Stream Gremlins]
©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection
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Corpse Bride (2005)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 83%
The second Tim Burton film on this list follows Victor, a young man about to be married who is sucked into an alternate underworld by the Corpse Bride. Victor wants nothing more than to escape the land of the dead, but the Corpse Bride won't let up so easy.
[Stream Corpse Bride]
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 83%
The second Tim Burton film on this list follows Victor, a young man about to be married who is sucked into an alternate underworld by the Corpse Bride. Victor wants nothing more than to escape the land of the dead, but the Corpse Bride won't let up so easy.
[Stream Corpse Bride]
©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection
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Teeth (2007)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 79%
Nothing gets you in the Halloween mood quite like a man-eating vagina (sidenote: great costume idea). In the 2007 film, a teenager named Dawn discovers that she has teeth in her vagina that will bite off any unwanted intruders. As Dawn learns to live with this unique characteristic, she discovers that having a second set of teeth isn't all bad.
[Stream Teeth]
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 79%
Nothing gets you in the Halloween mood quite like a man-eating vagina (sidenote: great costume idea). In the 2007 film, a teenager named Dawn discovers that she has teeth in her vagina that will bite off any unwanted intruders. As Dawn learns to live with this unique characteristic, she discovers that having a second set of teeth isn't all bad.
[Stream Teeth]
©Weinstein Company/Courtesy Everett Collection
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Tales of Halloween
(2015)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 79%
This 97 minute anthology film features ten different Halloween stories about a suburban town, each with a unique theme. Viewers will spend time in the world of killer pumpkins, evil spirits, homicidal neighbors, and more in this action-packed movie that covers just about every major horror trope you can think of. If you're looking to get a lot of bang for your buck, Tales of Halloween is the movie for you.
[Stream Tales of Halloween]
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 79%
This 97 minute anthology film features ten different Halloween stories about a suburban town, each with a unique theme. Viewers will spend time in the world of killer pumpkins, evil spirits, homicidal neighbors, and more in this action-packed movie that covers just about every major horror trope you can think of. If you're looking to get a lot of bang for your buck, Tales of Halloween is the movie for you.
[Stream Tales of Halloween]
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Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 78%
Wes Craven's super self-aware Freddy Krueger film follows the murderer as he bullies Craven and the earlier films' actors into doing another Freddy film. After Heather Langenkamp, the star of the previous films, refuses to participate in another sequel, Freddy begins to haunt Langenkamp and her family, even going so far as to kill her husband. A New Nightmare is campy fun that fans of the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise should be sure not to miss.
[Stream Wes Craven's A New Nightmare]
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 78%
Wes Craven's super self-aware Freddy Krueger film follows the murderer as he bullies Craven and the earlier films' actors into doing another Freddy film. After Heather Langenkamp, the star of the previous films, refuses to participate in another sequel, Freddy begins to haunt Langenkamp and her family, even going so far as to kill her husband. A New Nightmare is campy fun that fans of the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise should be sure not to miss.
[Stream Wes Craven's A New Nightmare]
©New Line Cinema/courtesy Everett / Everett Collection
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Goosebumps (2015)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 77%
If The Babadook were a family-friendly movie, it would look a lot like Goosebumps. This Jack Black-led movie follows a teenager, Zach, who lives next door to R.L. Stine (Black) and his daughter, Hannah. One day, the kids accidentally unleash the fictional monsters from Stine's famous novels, and the creatures begin terrorizing the town. It's up to Zach, Hannah, and Stine to stop these monsters by getting them all back into the books where they belong.
[Stream Goosebumps]
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 77%
If The Babadook were a family-friendly movie, it would look a lot like Goosebumps. This Jack Black-led movie follows a teenager, Zach, who lives next door to R.L. Stine (Black) and his daughter, Hannah. One day, the kids accidentally unleash the fictional monsters from Stine's famous novels, and the creatures begin terrorizing the town. It's up to Zach, Hannah, and Stine to stop these monsters by getting them all back into the books where they belong.
[Stream Goosebumps]
©Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
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Sleepy Hollow (1999)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 67%
Sleepy Hollow is the third Tim Burton film on this list, so is it safe to say that he's officially the King of Halloween? Burton's 1999 film takes on the popular legend of the Headless Horseman and Ichabod Crane: Johnny Depp plays Crane, a detective from NYC who is sent to the town of Sleepy Hollow to investigate a series of beheadings in the woods. When Crane falls for an already spoken-for woman (Christina Ricci), he convinces himself that the only way to win her heart is to capture the murderer. Because a homicidal lunatic is only worth catching if you also get the girl, right?
[Stream Sleepy Hollow]
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 67%
Sleepy Hollow is the third Tim Burton film on this list, so is it safe to say that he's officially the King of Halloween? Burton's 1999 film takes on the popular legend of the Headless Horseman and Ichabod Crane: Johnny Depp plays Crane, a detective from NYC who is sent to the town of Sleepy Hollow to investigate a series of beheadings in the woods. When Crane falls for an already spoken-for woman (Christina Ricci), he convinces himself that the only way to win her heart is to capture the murderer. Because a homicidal lunatic is only worth catching if you also get the girl, right?
[Stream Sleepy Hollow]
©Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection
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Hellraiser (1987)
Rotten Tomatoes Score:67%
Sean Chapman plays Frank, a man who buys a mysterious puzzle box, only to find that it opens a portal to Hell. When Frank is resurrected by his brother Larry's blood, he enlists Larry's wife (and his own ex-mistress) to help collect human sacrifices to sustain his newfound life.
[Stream Hellraiser]
Rotten Tomatoes Score:67%
Sean Chapman plays Frank, a man who buys a mysterious puzzle box, only to find that it opens a portal to Hell. When Frank is resurrected by his brother Larry's blood, he enlists Larry's wife (and his own ex-mistress) to help collect human sacrifices to sustain his newfound life.
[Stream Hellraiser]
Everett Collection
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The Addams Family (1991)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 60%
The Addams family is so much more than inspo for this year's Halloween costume. In the 1991 adaptation of the 1960s series, a con artist pretends to be Gomez Addams' long lost brother Fester in order to gain access to the family's wealth. Unaware of his scheme, Morticia, Wednesday, and Pugsley Addams grow close to Uncle Fester, forcing him to choose between his old and new family.
[Stream The Addams Family]
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 60%
The Addams family is so much more than inspo for this year's Halloween costume. In the 1991 adaptation of the 1960s series, a con artist pretends to be Gomez Addams' long lost brother Fester in order to gain access to the family's wealth. Unaware of his scheme, Morticia, Wednesday, and Pugsley Addams grow close to Uncle Fester, forcing him to choose between his old and new family.
[Stream The Addams Family]
©Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection
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I Am The Pretty Thing That Lives In The House (2016)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 60%
In between seasons of The Affair, Ruth Wilson managed to appear in I Am The Pretty Thing That Lives In The House, a ghost story about a woman who just so happened to have spent her whole life writing ghost stories. Wilson plays Lily, a nurse who is tasked with taking care of retired horror novelist Mrs. Blum. As she spends more time in the house, Lily comes to believe that the house is haunted, but she'll soon learn that what's going on is much more sinister than your run of the mill paranormal activity.
[Stream I Am The Pretty Thing That Lives In The House]
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 60%
In between seasons of The Affair, Ruth Wilson managed to appear in I Am The Pretty Thing That Lives In The House, a ghost story about a woman who just so happened to have spent her whole life writing ghost stories. Wilson plays Lily, a nurse who is tasked with taking care of retired horror novelist Mrs. Blum. As she spends more time in the house, Lily comes to believe that the house is haunted, but she'll soon learn that what's going on is much more sinister than your run of the mill paranormal activity.
[Stream I Am The Pretty Thing That Lives In The House]
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Saw (2004)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 48%
Sure, the critics over at Rotten Tomatoes may not consider Saw to be a great movie overall, but there's no denying that the first film in the slasher franchise is a great Halloween movie. This first film managed to scare audiences out of their wits while also making them question how far they would go to save their loved ones. No matter your thoughts on the film, there's no denying that you'll see at least one Jigsaw costume this Halloween.
[Stream Saw]
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 48%
Sure, the critics over at Rotten Tomatoes may not consider Saw to be a great movie overall, but there's no denying that the first film in the slasher franchise is a great Halloween movie. This first film managed to scare audiences out of their wits while also making them question how far they would go to save their loved ones. No matter your thoughts on the film, there's no denying that you'll see at least one Jigsaw costume this Halloween.
[Stream Saw]
©Lions Gate/Courtesy Everett Collection
