The spooky month of October requires some of the best horror movies around, and with the dark Winter nights closing in, it’s the perfect time to curl up on the sofa with a batch of the best scary movies streaming across the interwebs. Fortunately, there are plenty of horror movies on Netflix, Disney Plus, Amazon Prime Video, and more to check out in 2022, so let’s check out a selection of the best.
Alien (Disney Plus)
The entire Alien and Predator saga is on Disney Plus, right up to Alien Covenant and this year’s fantastic Prey. The original Alien remains the purest horror movie in the series, with the creature liable to pop out when and where you least expect it to. A classic that remains just as effective today.
The Woman in Black (Disney Plus)
You’d think Harry Potter would be used to ghosts and haunted houses, but apparently not. Daniel Radcliffe stars in this turn-of-the-20th-century novel adaptation, investigating a cursed house where a lot of children have died. The Woman in Black is a deeply creepy ghost story that’ll unsettle you with every shadowy shot.
The Purge (Amazon Prime)
One night a year, all crime is legal. The iconic series now has multiple entries and even a TV series, but the original remains just as powerful, with a single family struggling to survive this lawless night. It’s deeply tense, nail-biting stuff, in a horrifyingly possible situation.
Ready or Not (Disney Plus)
Samara Weaving stays with her in-laws on her wedding night and ends up playing a terrifying game of hide-and-seek where the family tries to murder her, and she has to survive until dawn. It’s darkly comedic as well as scary, so this is the one to go for if you’re not after jump-scares.
Candyman (2021) (Amazon Prime)
The new Candyman movie by Nope and Get Out director Jordan Peele is the best since the original. Aquaman star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is a struggling artist who becomes obsessed with the Candyman legend, and then people around him start saying Candyman’s name in the mirror. Bad idea.
Paranormal Activity (Amazon Prime)
Turn the lights off, the volume up, and watch the screen closely. The first Paranormal Activity is a masterful exercise in restraint and low-budget found-footage terror that can turn a door slightly moving into the scariest thing ever – and then things slowly start to escalate to a terrifying conclusion. And yes, Micah’s meant to be annoying.
Malignant (HBO Max)
Insidious and Conjuring director James Wan’s return to horror is one of his best, with Annabelle Wallis trying to stop a series of grisly murders by a gruesome creature that she’s somehow receiving visions of. Don’t let anyone spoil this for you, as it goes to some truly clever places.
Insidious (Amazon Prime/Netflix)
While its more popular neighbor The Conjuring pings in and out of streaming, Insidious is arguably the scarier movie anyway. Essentially a better Poltergeist remake, the movie can pull a jump-scare on you at any moment. And does.
Midsommar (Netflix)
Horror doesn’t need the dark to be scary. Midsommar is set in bright, warm daylight and yet it’ll send shivers down your spine. A group of friends, including Florence Pugh, attend a Swedish folk festival only to discover it has a more sinister purpose – which they might not be able to escape.
