Halloween is nearly upon us. While horror aficionados don't need any excuse to watch something spooky all year round, many of us slightly more cowardly viewers need a seasonal reason to dive into a properly scary movie or show.
If you're looking at your array of streaming services and wondering if there's some great horror to enjoy on them, we're here to help you find the right pick. We've sifted through hundreds of options to pick out a few of the best horror movies (and one show) on Netflix, Prime Video and Apple TV+, covering some of the best streaming services out there. Check them out below!
The best horror movies on Netflix, Prime Video and Apple TV+ right now
Apostle (Netflix)
The Wicker Man is clearly a huge inspiration behind this Netflix original movie from a few years ago, which sees a lonesome protagonist played by Dan Stevens journey to a remote British community in search of his missing sister. He encounters a cult that likes to take punishment to some crazy extremes, led by a terrifying Michael Sheen.
This one is a bit of a slow burn in the first half, so it's a great pick for those who like their tension to ratchet up nice and slowly. Things get properly crazy in its latter stages, though, so trust us when we say there's some real payoff.
His House (Netflix)
Another excellent Netflix original, His House didn't get the reception it deserved, possibly because it launched just a hair before Covid locked us all down for months. It's a brilliantly tense horror movie that starts with a super-believable premise, as an immigrant couple are told that they have to stay in their new council housing at all times.
It doesn't take long for that housing to start to look more than a little, well, haunted, and the way this movie slowly ekes out pure terror from some of these paranormal moments is pretty masterful. Don't miss this one if you're a Netflix subscriber.
Servant (Apple TV+)
Apple hasn't exactly gone hard on horror since launching Apple TV+. While it's dominated the sci-fi space, and made some pretty excellent dramas, it's largely steered clear of really scary material. The exception to that rule is Servant, one of the creepier shows you could possibly hope to watch.
It sees a young couple who recently lost a child hire a new nanny despite that, for the doll that the mother has used to cope with her grief. Things quickly devolve into sheer creepiness, though, as the nanny's attachment to that doll starts to blur the lines of reality. Strap in for some properly eerie moments.
Suspiria (Amazon Prime Video)
The 1977 giallo horror original is a classic, but there's also a lot to like about Luca Gaudagnino's 2018 remake of Suspiria. This visually striking movie tells the story of an aspiring dancer who journeys to a remote academy in the hopes of making it big and learning some new techniques.
What she instead happens upon is basically a coven of evil, and some of the twisted sights on display here will live long in the memory. With psychological depth and a haunting soundtrack, this Amazon original is a great choice on Prime Video.
The Neon Demon (Amazon Prime Video)
For those who want to go even more arthouse for their horror pick, The Neon Demon is a properly weird look at modelling and fame. It stars Elle Fanning as a hopeful model who gets drawn into a deadly world full of fake friends and manipulative figures of power.
The allure of attention and beauty is at the centre of director Nicolas Winding Refn's slow-paced but extremely off-putting film. By the end, you'll see seemingly likeable characters doing almost unbelievable things. If you enjoyed his most famous movie, Drive, give this a shot - although it's closer to his less popular follow-up, Only God Forgives.
Totally Killer (Amazon Prime Video)
Everything we've picked in the list above is likely to leave you feeling fairly shocked and potentially traumatised, so we've gone for something a little lighter to round things out. Amazon's recent original movie Totally Killer slipped under the radar for plenty of people, but an 87% score on Rotten Tomatoes shows it's worth your time.
It basically offers the same idea as Back to the Future, but with a murder to stop this time around, and has a nice thread of comedy running through it to avoid things getting too persistently dark. That might just mean it's the perfect choice for a Halloween movie night.
