5 horror movies to enjoy during the Halloween season

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By now, you’ve probably researched film reviews recommending horror movies for Halloween or prepared your own list of scary films to watch. On the other hand, you may not care about finalizing your rotation of spooky cinema and are just excited about the costume parties and all-you-can-eat candy.

In any case, here are five frightastic films you can watch in the lead up to or day of Halloween.

• Totally Killer (2023)

This sci-fi and horror-comedy film follows Jamie, played by Kiernan Shipka, time travel back to 1987 to stop a serial killer from murdering her mother in the present. Modern 1980s-style movies are nothing new, but Shipka makes all the difference in holding this one together. She easily makes you root for Jamie while empathizing with her as she learns more about her family. 

Totally Killer is quite creative in showing the absurd power of time travel while decently balancing its sci-fi element with horror and comedy. The story also has engaging stakes and twists on top of satisfying callbacks to 80s film culture, so just have fun guessing who’s behind the mask with this genre-bending slasher. Totally Killer is available on Amazon Prime Video.

• Ready or Not (2019)

This even more bizarre horror-comedy film stars Samara Weaving as a newly wedded bride who must survive her in-laws during their strange tradition involving a violent game of hide-and-seek. The movie was an unexpected treat for its incredibly original ideas and subversive dark humour. 

Weaving gave what is still her best performance in this film as we follow her character learning to outsmart her in-laws. Even the supporting cast — from Andie MacDowell to Adam Brody — plays the murderous family with such notable humour with their weird mannerisms. Ready or Not is available on Disney+.

• Lisa Frankenstein (2024)

Directed by Zelda Williams, Lisa Frankenstein stars scream queen Kathryn Newton as a teenage girl who leads a twisted yet strangely romantic relationship with an undead young man, played by Cole Sprouse. The macabre humour and inventive Frankenstein satire paired with its 1980s visuals and music make this film a colourful candy to crunch on this Halloween.

The idea of a human and a zombie falling in love with each other has been done quite a few times. However, the film rolls with this concept in its own way, thanks to Williams’s zany direction, a stunning script by Diablo Cody, and Newton and Sprouse’s endearing chemistry. Lisa Frankenstein is available on Amazon Prime Video. 

• Hellboy (2004)

Directed by Guillermo del Toro, Hellboy follows the titular demon detective, played by Ron Perlman, and the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense as they try to stop an old foe from ushering in the apocalypse. 

With Perlman and his hilarious and gritty performance leading a talented cast, del Toro creates a beautifully dark fantasy world filled with nightmarish creatures, ancient magic, and energetic action scenes perfect for Halloween night. There’s never going to be a Hellboy movie that will surpass del Toro’s when taking into account his dark aesthetics and endless love for monsters. Hellboy is available on Hoopla.

• Werewolf by Night (2022)

There are so many werewolf movies to choose from, but none entertained me more than this awesome monster flick. Werewolf by Night, directed by Star Trek music composer Michael Giacchino, is a one-hour Marvel Studios special presentation that pays homage to horror films from the 1930s and 1940s. Marvel Studios was surprisingly bold in its willingness to get so dark and bloody.

Shot mostly in black and white, Werewolf by Night follows the legendary howler of the full moon, played by Gael García Bernal, trying to rescue his friend during a monster hunter event. The werewolf has incredible creature prosthetics, and the gothic sets have props that are enjoyable treats for horror fans. With terrifying action, the film is another worthy take on one of cinema’s classic movie monsters. Werewolf by Night is available on Disney+.