Trick or Treat: the 13 best Halloween movies and TV shows to get on your screen this October

Ding, dong! The spooky season has officially arrived at our doorstep in Australia, with Halloween taking place on Thursday, October 31. If you aren’t planning on going trick-or-treating, you can always celebrate by watching some of the best Halloween movies that streaming services have to offer. From the horrific to the family-friendly, there’s a lot available to stream right now, making it almost impossible to decide what to watch next for a little bit of a scare.

Luckily, you can count on us here at Tom's Guide for some timely help. Whether you're a fan of guts-and-gore horror, dark thrillers or classic Halloween favourites, we've curated our top picks and where to stream them for the perfect spookfest. But if you're a scaredy cat like me, we've also got some not-so-bloody picks worth watching too. Even if you can make it through a horror film or two, sometimes taking a break with something less terrifying is necessary (and we don't blame you).

So if you're ready for a night of fear and frightful delights, grab your favourite treats and peruse our recommendations below.

Best Halloween movies

'Scream' (1996)

"Do you like scary movies?" If you don't, this classic flick might not be for you. Following on a year after the murder of her mother, a teenage girl is terrorised by a masked killer — known as Ghostface — who targets his victims by using horror movies as a part of his deadly game. While this film is almost 30 years old, it still holds up the scares all these years later. The Scream franchise has gone on to encompass six films, and an upcoming seventh, debuting in 2026.

🎃 Stream Scream on Netflix or Binge now.

'Halloween' (1978)

This film undeniably crowned Jamie Lee Curtis as the scream queen all those decades ago, and for good reason. If you haven't had a chance to watch this frightful thriller, it takes place 15 years after Michael Myers murders his sister on Halloween Night when he escapes from a mental hospital and comes after an unknowing victim.

🎃 Stream Halloween on Apple TV Plus or Stan now.

'Late Night with The Devil'

Thrills and chills could be the definition of this late-night show-based movie. Starring David Dastmalchian as host Jack Delroy, the film follows a live broadcast of a show that goes horribly wrong and unleashes evil into viewers' living rooms.

🎃 Stream Late Night with The Devil on Netflix now.

'Immaculate'

Adding another title to Sydney Sweeney's impressive filmography, this terrifying thriller is not for the faint of heart. Sweeney plays an American nun who embarks on a new journey when she joins a remote convent in the Italian countryside. However, her warm welcome turns into a living nightmare when she discovers her new home harbours a sinister secret.

🎃 Stream Immaculate on Prime Video or Binge now.

'Child's Play' (1989)

If you haven't heard of Chucky, consider yourself lucky. This 1989 film portrays the killing spree of an innocent-looking doll, inhabited by a serial killer who refuses to die. The Chucky franchise didn't die after its first instalment, with a whopping eight feature-length films, two short films and a television series bringing the doll back to life, over and over again.

🎃 Stream Child's Play on Prime Video or Stan now.

'Woman of the Hour'

Anna Kendrick stars and directs this new Netflix thriller film based on real events. This movie follows the twisted story of an aspiring actor in 1970s Los Angeles and a serial killer during a yearslong murder spree whose lives intersect when they’re cast on an episode of a game show called The Dating Game.

🎃 Stream Woman of the Hour on Netflix now.

Best family Halloween movies

'Hocus Pocus'

While it wasn't a smash hit when it was first released in 1993, it's safe to say that Hocus Pocus has become the ultimate family Halloween movie. The story follows Max Dennison, a teenager who accidentally brings three witches back to life (Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy) while trying to impress his crush, Allison. With the help of his little sister Dani and a talking cat called Binx, Max has until dawn to stop the Sanderson Sisters from stealing the souls of Salem's children.

🎃 Stream Hocus Pocus on Disney Plus now.

'Coraline'

Celebrating its 15th anniversary, this family-friendly Halloween flick centres around Coraline Jones, who finds a mysterious door in her new home. Once she steps through, she finds an idealised version of her real life, with a too-good-to-be-true "Other Mother". What starts as an inciting adventure turns into an eerie tale, with Coraline needing to make a frighteningly real sacrifice to stay in her fantasy world – a fine adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s book of the same name.

🎃 Stream Coraline on Apple TV Plus or Foxtel Now.

Best Halloween series

'Agatha All Along'

If you haven't tuned into Marvel's latest show, the two-episode season finale will drop on Halloween in Australia, making it the most bewitching choice for those not interested in jumpscares. Picking up directly after the events of WandaVision, the highly anticipated Marvel series follows the infamous Agatha Harkness who finds herself down and out of power. After a suspicious goth Teen helps break her free from a distorted spell, he seeks Agatha's help to go down the Witches' Road.

🎃 Stream Agatha All Along on Disney Plus now.

'The Fall of The House of Usher'

If 2024 is missing one thing, most horror show fans might agree that it’s an instalment in the Mike Flanagan universe. This series, inspired by the novel of the same name, is about a mysterious woman who wreaks havoc on the mighty, seemingly untouchable Usher family.

🎃 Stream The Fall of The House of Usher on Netflix now.

'Hysteria!'

Hysteria! is set during the "satanic panic" of the 1980s when members of a high school heavy metal band realise they can capitalise on the town’s sudden interest in the occult by building a reputation as a Satanic metal band. That’s until a series of murders, kidnappings and alleged "supernatural activity" triggers a witch hunt that leads directly back to them.

🎃 Stream Hysteria! on Binge now.

'3 Body Problem'

This Netflix show is arguably one of the best to come out this year. The series is an interlinked story of different scientists who chance upon an alien civilisation. Their individual experiences reveal threats to mankind and how decisions made by one of them could affect humanity’s future.

🎃 Stream 3 Body Problem on Netflix now.

'Grotesquerie'

Trigger warning: this show is filled to the brim with blood, guts and gore, so we'd recommend skipping if you're easily queasy. Working closely with a journalist-nun, a detective tries to solve a string of horrible crimes, all while dealing with a host of personal hurdles. This show does have some fun cameos though, including NFL star Travis Kelce.

🎃 Stream Grotesquerie on Disney Plus now.