It’s that time of the year again, for revving chainsaws instead of Christmas carols, fun-size candy bars instead of gingerbread men, and blood and guts instead of cookies and milk. Wait your turn, Santa: Art the Clown, Stephen King vampires and those creepy “Smile” grins are bringing all that good Halloween cheer.
October delivers a whole bunch of horror movies for those who dig the scary stuff during the spooky season, from streaming services to cinema screens. There’s a little bit for every guy, girl and ghoul, no matter what your fiendish tastes. Freaky thrillers and survival chillers, period haunts and culinary treats, plus a treasure trove of gore and dismemberment. (We see you, “Terrifier 3”!)
Here are 15 new horror movies you’ll want to check out to best prep for Halloween:
‘Hold Your Breath’ (streaming now)
If you get freaked out by a layer of dust at home, you may not be prepared for this historical chiller. Sarah Paulson is an overprotective mom in Dust Bowl-era Oklahoma trying to keep her kids safe from disease when a dark presence enters their homestead.
Where to watch: Hulu.
‘House of Spoils’ (streaming now)
Oscar winner Ariana DeBose channels “The Bear” in this foodie folk horror film, playing a rising-star chef opening her own restaurant. And because it’s at a remote old place where a witch was said to have lived, our heroine has more than plating issues and a rookie sous chef to worry about when supernatural weirdness abounds.
Where to watch: Prime Video.
‘Salem’s Lot’ (streaming now)
A lean and mean adaptation of the 1975 Stephen King novel, the horror tale stars Lewis Pullman as an author who returns to his Maine hometown looking for new inspiration. He gets involved in searching for a missing kid, which leads to a massive discovery: The place is ground zero for a growing vampire infestation.
Where to watch: Max.
‘It’s What’s Inside’ (Friday)
Horror is just one of many genres mixed into this body-swapping thriller comedy, which centers on a group of college friends who gather for a pre-wedding reunion. One of them brings a suitcase contraption that gives them all new perspective about their relationships until the game goes wildly awry.
Where to watch: Netflix.
‘Little Bites’ (Friday)
Directed by Spider One (aka Rob Zombie’s younger brother), the fright fest centers on a young widow (Krsy Fox) who keeps her daughter safe by having her live with her grandmother, hidden away from the flesh-eating creature slowly devouring the mom’s body.
Where to watch: In theaters and on demand.
‘V/H/S/ Beyond’ (Friday)
The seventh installment in the sci-fi horror anthology series unleashes a new round of found-footage tales, including skydivers who run afoul of a UFO, animal-rights activists making a gruesome discovery in a taxidermist’s house, and a woman investigating strange lights in the Mojave Desert.
Where to watch: Shudder.
‘Caddo Lake’ (Oct. 10)
In this mind-bending thriller produced by M. Night Shyamalan, the lives of a grieving son (Dylan O’Brien) seeking truths about his dead mom and a woman (Eliza Scanlen) desperate to find her missing kid sister intersect in and around a lake with a secret.
Where to watch: Max.
‘Mr. Crocket’ (Oct. 10)
In 1993, a mom (Jerrika Hinton) buys her son a VHS tape of a children’s show featuring an enigmatic Mister Rogers-type host (Elvis Nolasco). There’s nothing friendly about Mr. Crocket’s neighborhood, though, as the evil entertainer emerges from the TV to kidnap kids and slaughter their parents.
Where to watch: Hulu.
‘Daddy’s Head’ (Oct. 11)
A nightmare scenario occurs for young Isaac (Rupert Turnball). Still grieving the death of his father, the boy is left to live with his widowed stepmom (Julia Brown) and worse, a grotesque creature shows up to haunt the kid and takes the form of his deceased dad.
Where to watch: Shudder.
‘Terrifier 3’ (Oct. 11)
Set five years after “Terrifer 2,” director Damien Leone’s next gore-filled installment returns Lauren LaVera as Sienna, who’s still struggling to rebuild her life when sadistic Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton) shows up to ruin Christmas with another bloody murder spree.
Where to watch: In theaters.
‘Smile 2’ (Oct. 18)
In the sequel to 2022’s surprise horror hit, Naomi Scott stars as an international pop star feeling the pressures of fame just as her world tour is about to start. So it’s pretty much the worst time for her being haunted by her dark past, seeing strange visions and people around her wearing eerie grins when they shouldn’t be.
Where to watch: In theaters.
‘Carved’ (Oct. 21)
The horror comedy stars Peyton Elizabeth Lee as a heartbroken teen playwright visiting a historical re-enactment village on Halloween. The night gets very real when she and others are attacked by a sentient, ticked-off and extremely dangerous killer pumpkin.
Where to watch: Hulu.
‘Don’t Move’ (Oct. 25)
“Yellowstone” star Kelsey Asbille plays a woman trying to find peace and solace in the forests of Big Sur when she’s found by a serial killer who injects her with a paralytic nerve agent. She has only 20 torturous minutes before her body completely shuts down in a survival thriller produced by “Evil Dead” mastermind Sam Raimi.
Where to watch: Netflix.
‘Your Monster’ (Oct. 25)
Horror lover Melissa Barrera delves into a more rom-com space in the genre with this film, starring as a recently dumped actress who finds a monster (Tommy Dewey) living in her closet. But in “Beauty and the Beast” fashion, he turns out to be a charmer who encourages her to fulfill her dreams.
Where to watch: In theaters.
‘Time Cut’ (Oct. 30)
In the sci-fi slasher with a “Back to the Future” bent, Madison Bailey (“Outer Banks”) plays an inventive high school senior who discovers a time machine and accidentally travels back to 2003. There, she has to stop a masked killer from murdering her sister and also find a way to not alter her own present.
Where to watch: Netflix.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Horror movies to watch for Halloween 2024, including ‘Terrifier 3’
