Are you a Halloween fanatic? Too many platforms and not enough time got you stressed? My goodness, you have to read five articles just to figure out what is coming to Netflix. Let’s not get started with Amazon Prime, and what about YouTube? What’s a poor ghoul to do? It’s OK, I have you covered! I have focused on what is new to each platform for October and will let you know what I thought of the series or film. In general, yes, I have watched the vast majority of what is currently available, so that I could give an honest opinion to you guys. I get it, your time is limited. You can’t watch everything and need to know what should be on your list. So, go ahead and scream — I mean stream — with me!!
Netflix
Netflix has outdone itself with films and series this month. While not all are winners, quite a few are. This is on top of their already extensive horror library, with films like Trick ‘r Treat and The Conjuring.
The Haunting of Hill House: Not scary for horror enthusiasts, but a very well-told story. It is 10 episodes that are 45 minutes each, so this might take you all week to complete. I say it’s a must this year for Halloween.
The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell: Half baking show and half puppet show, this show is hard to explain. Ditta von Tease plays Christine’s roommate and ghostly companion, her friends are reanimated animals (that are puppets) and her boyfriend may or may not be a serial killer who loves creepy chocolate creations. It’s not a must see, but it’s interesting for the right audience.
The Haunted: A Netflix original in the same vein as My Haunted House, people sit down and tell their personal stories of dealing with the other side. I’ve seen a few episodes and it’s OK. There are interesting reenactments and if real-life ghost stores are your thing, this might be for you. I think it would be great to play while carving pumpkins or handing out candy to trick or treaters. This isn’t a must see unless you enjoy paranormal reenactments.
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina: This gem will drop on October the 26th. While I can’t tell you much about something I haven’t seen yet, the trailer looks pretty interesting.
Creeped Out: I watched one episode of this, just to be able to review it for you guys. It is very much a kids’ show and adults will find it fairly boring, but I think it’s great for the under-12 set who can’t handle real horror movies yet. It’s a great show for the 7 to 12-year-old age group. Those under 7 might not actually understand the show, as it is similar to Black Mirror, but for children.
Apostle: In 1905, a drifter on a dangerous mission to rescue his kidnapped sister tangles with a sinister religious cult on an isolated island. I haven’t had time to watch this one yet… but I’m a fan of scary cult movies. So, I’ll certainly be watching this one sometime this week.
Castlevania Season 2: This comes out on October the 26th, the same day as the new Sabrina series. I wasn’t a fan of Season 1, but I’ll probably catch at least the first few episodes during the next few weeks.
Other additions for October include:
My favorite, The Shining. A Russian folktale that I give 2 stars called Errementari: The Blacksmith and the Devil. A film that seems to possibly be similar to The Mirror, Kuntilanak. Malevolent, which is about fake paranormal investigators who make a grave error in judgement. The awful, The Haunting of Molly Hartley. A film I reviewed a few months back, Truth or Dare. Tales From the Hood 2, which was so bad I didn’t make it past five minutes into the film. Foreign films Agyaat and Pizza could be interesting, if you enjoy reading subtitles. Lastly, Seven in Heaven is about two teens who get caught in an alternate dimension.
Hulu:
Hulu has dubbed its its streaming services Huluween for the month of October. Hulu also has a quite the range of horror films. It would be impossible for me to even list just all the new films being added this month. I have listed original and the most notable additions.
Into the Dark: The Body: This is a new horror anthology series that Hulu is going into with Blumhouse. Each month a new horror movie will premiere, based on the holiday surrounding that month. The premiere is the film, The Body. It’s based on a short that came out last year, I believe. I have seen the short and it’s just a longer version of that. In the film, a hitman gets caught by Halloween partygoers, who think the dead body he is toting around is part of a Halloween costume. A “costume” that even wins him a Halloween contest. The problem being that, it’s not, in fact, a good costume. No one would say that; no one would invite a stone-faced stranger to a party. It could at least try to be funny, it isn’t though. This is terrible. I advise skipping it. I have my fingers crossed that next month’s offering will be better.
Inside No. 9: Quite honestly, I am not sure when this anthology series came out, but I just found it last week. I’m in love. It’s British and very Twilight Zoneish in nature. It’s not overly scary or graphic, but fun and well written. Something to make you think. I say Inside Station 9 is very binge worthy, along with the similar The House and Dimension 404.
Light as a Feather: This is a pre-teen offereing about some girls who have a sleepover and decide to play light as a feather, stiff as a board. This releases a malevolent entity out to kill them. I haven’t seen this one guys, sorry!
Pyewacket: This is an OK, but not great film about a teen who summons a demon and then is kinda sorry she did that. The film is decent but rather forgettable. With so many great films out right now, it’s not a need to see film.
Amazon Prime:
The problem with Amazon Prime is that they have a ton of horror films (of films in general, to be honest), but at least 65 percent of them aren’t worth watching. Low-budget films that I call “practice films” abound. There is nothing wrong with indie films and hey, I’d even buy a film or two off a friend trying to launch a career, but these movies weigh down the catalog, making it hard to find good movies. Hulu has many films available from the ’80s and ’90s. I honestly can’t even give a rundown of everything being added this month, so again I’ll stick to original series and notable new films.
Lore Season 2: How to explain Lore… well it’s an anthology series based off a podcast with the same name. Where each episode focuses on someone horrific or mythic or just a strange occurrence. It’s normally something that is based on a myth of some kind. It’s interesting background TV, if you catch my meaning. I like it, some episodes are better than others though, which is why I suggest watching it while doing something else, or just skipping past more mundane episodes. Of particular interest was the episode on Jack Parsons.
Tumble Leaf Halloween Special: A series aimed at preschoolers, Tumble Leaf is the perfect Halloween special for your preschooler.
Tubi TV:
You don’t have the cash for a subscription service? It’s OK, I still can help you. Tubi TV is absolutely free and has a huge horror movie section! They have a little bit of everything, from older hits to things that came out just a few years ago. You can watch on your computer or download the app to your tablet, phone or streaming device. Some of my picks include the original Suspiria, Waxwork, Gothic and The Mirror. There are many, many more great movies available, though.
Vudu
Vudu is my favorite place to rent and buy movies and they also have a huge free section of films available, too!! Like Tubi TV, they do not create content, but they have a wide selection of free horror films. To access these movies again, you will need to download the app to your phone, tablet or streaming device. You can also watch on your computer if you happen to be without a proper device or just lack storage space. How many films are available… 3,130 and that doesn’t count TV shows and specials. My picks include, but obviously aren’t limited to: In the Mouth of Madness, Dead Before Dawn and Mr. Brooks.
YouTube:
You already know if you are good at searching, you can probably find all kinds of goodies on YouTube. I have YouTube Red and I’m loving it. Unfortunately, their horror entry, Origin, wont drop until Nov 14th. I can, however, help you navigate and find a few of my favorite channels. YouTube is seriously my go-to for horror shorts, stories and true encounters. I can easily spend all day on YouTube exploring the dark side.
Kings of Horror: This is the largest and most subscribed place on YouTube for horror films. Currently, they are working on the most complete horror documentary on ’80s horror films. Their movies change bi-weakly, are shown legally and focus on forgotten favorites. A few current films include The 13th Unit, Amityville: Vanishing Point, No Tell Motel and some interesting horror shorts.
Mr.Creepy Pasta: He tells you scary stories. Some of them are creepy pastas and some are submitted to him. I listen to Mr. Creepy on the regular with my favorite series of his being Tales from the Gas Station.
Crypt TV: Get your horror short fix here. There are plenty of places to watch horror shorts on YouTube, and I’ve seen MANY go on to become full-length films (hint, hint future horror directors), but since I’m trying to keep this list concise, this is the best place to find consistently well made horror shorts.
Top 5 Scary Videos: I’m addicted to this channel. Basically, they make top five videos on a myriad of topics. A few current videos include: Top 5 Scary Encounters With Strangers, Top 5 Scary Walt Disney Urban Legends That Might Be True and 5 Scary American Urban Legends.
Don’t Turn Around: What makes this channel unique and scary is the fact that the stories told may or may not be true. It’s up to you, the listener, to figure it out. I haven’t spent much time on this channel yet, but so far, so creepy.
Well, I hope I was able to help you navigate the streaming waters! It can be hard and time consuming to find the best of the best to watch. While there are tons more streaming picks available, even I can’t watch everything! Feel free to let us know about any great picks from other streaming options that may be available in the comments below!