To celebrate the spooky season being upon us once again, we’ve selected 13 (!) films that are sure to put the fright in your film night. Read on … if you dare!
Halloween horror picks 2025
House (1977) – in select cinemas for retrospective screenings
- Director: Nobuhiko Obayashi
- Cast: Kimiko Ikegami, Miki Jinbo, Kumiko Ohba
- Runtime: 88 minutes
The terrifying tale of a medical diagnostician who’s one malpractice lawsuit away from losing his livelihoo – no, hang on, I have the wrong card. Ah, yes! Hausu. It’s a batshit fever dream of Japanese horror that fell to obscurity before being resurrected as a cult hit by the Criterion tote mob.
This surreal flick, inspired by the nightmares of Obayashi’s 10 year old daughter, mixes slapstick, gore, and experimental visuals to make one unforgettable experience. Hausu follows schoolgirl Gorgeous and her friends as they visit her aunt’s countryside home. Once there, the house itself becomes the monster, consuming the girls one by one in increasingly bizarre ways. The psychedelic visual effects will stick with you long after the credits roll. Watch the trailer.
ScreenHub: House (1977): 5 reasons you need to see this bonkers horror film
The X trilogy (2022-2024) – Paramount+, Apple TV
- Director: Ti West
- Cast: Mia Goth, Jenna Ortega, Brittany Snow, Martin Henderson
- Runtime: Approx. 5.5 hours total across three films
Across X, Pearl and MaXXXine, Mia Goth transforms into one of horror’s modern icons. From a farm in rural Texas to the neon glare of Hollywood, the trilogy charts murder, fame, repression, and the dark cost of ambition. ‘I will not accept a life I do not deserve!’ Whew!
Few horror sagas arrive fully formed in three years. The trilogy’s blend of arthouse stylisation and grindhouse grit has secured its place in modern horror history. Plus, it’s just the best fun watching Goth freak out in various period-appropriate, cunty outfits. Watch the trailer for X.
ScreenHub: MaXXXine review: a killer ending to Ti West’s trilogy
Good Boy (2025) – in cinemas
- Director: Ben Leonberg
- Cast: Indy the Dog, Shane Jensen
- Runtime: 73 minutes
A haunted-house flick told from a dog’s-eye view. A loyal dog relocates with his owner to a remote family home, where something malevolent stalks the corridors and seeps into the walls. The story is told from the dog’s limited perspective, building dread from what only a very good boy can sense.
It’s a neat reinvention of the haunted-house template that makes canine loyalty the emotional core and the suspense engine. Every bit of it, from the framing, to the sound and blocking are aligned with the dog’s senses – which turns a high-concept premise into a focused, unsettling thriller. Watch the trailer.
Celia (1989) – Brollie, Beamafilm
- Director: Ann Turner
- Cast: Rebecca Smart, Nicholas Eadie, Mary-Anne Fahey
- Runtime: 102 minutes
Set in 1950s suburban Melbourne, Celia navigates the paranoia of the Cold War, strict parents, and traumatic childhood events. Her imagination becomes a refuge, dangerously blurring fantasy and reality.
Often overlooked, Celia is a haunting piece of Australian gothic. Its political undertones and unsettling tone give it lasting relevance. Plus, its soundtrack is a smorgasbord of synthy goodness. Watch the trailer.
The Evil Dead trilogy (1985) – Rialto, Apple TV
- Director: Sam Raimi
- Cast: Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, Embeth Davidtz
- Runtime: Approx. 5.5 hours total
From the cabin in the woods to medieval England, Ash Williams battles demonic forces with a shotgun and chainsaw. Raimi’s mix of slapstick and gore redefined low-budget horror when he was only in his 20s.
Equal parts terrifying and hilarious, the trilogy remains a cornerstone of the horror canon. Speaking of Evil Dead, have you ever head of Bloody Muscle Bodybuilder from Hell? It’s touted as Japan’s answer to Sam Raimi’s zombie trilogy … but I’ll let you be the judge of that (if you can find the film). Watch the Evil Dead II trailer.
An American Werewolf in London (1981) – Apple TV
- Director: John Landis
- Cast: David Naughton, Jenny Agutter, Griffin Dunne
- Runtime: 97 minutes
Two American backpackers are attacked on the Yorkshire moors, leaving one cursed with lycanthropy. The transformation sequences? Legendary.
An American Werewolf in London is a perfect horror-comedy hybrid with groundbreaking effects that still hold up. Plus, Griffin Dunne’s in town for the Melbourne Writer’s Fest, so it’s the perfect time to revisit his back catalogue. Watch the trailer.
Suspiria (1977 and 2018) – Brollie, Hoopla, Prime Video
- Directors: Dario Argento (1977), Luca Guadagnino (2018)
- Cast: Jessica Harper, Dakota Johnson, Tilda Swinton
- Runtime: 99 minutes (1977), 152 minutes (2018)
Both Suspiria films (the ’77 Giallo original and 2018 remake) follow an American dancer at a German academy hiding dark secrets. Argento’s original is a neon-coloured nightmare, while Guadagnino’s remake is a politically charged reimagining. Both are good.
So, it’s time for a remake double feature! Watching both Suspirias reveals two radically different but equally mesmerising visions of horror. Watch the trailer for the original Suspiria.
I Saw The TV Glow (2024) –Binge, Apple TV
- Director: Jane Schoenbrun
- Cast: Justice Smith, Brigette Lundy-Paine, Helena Howard
- Runtime: 100 minutes
Remember when episodes of Buffy used to seem so scary? In Jane Schoenbrun’s modern horror-drama, a teenager’s reality unravels after becoming obsessed with a mysterious late-night TV show called The Pink Opaque, introduced to him by a loner classmate.
It’s a deeply unsettling coming-of-age film that explores queer identity and dissociation through horror imagery. While there are no real jump scares, it will chill you and leave you numb with nostalgia. Bring on the existential dread! Watch the trailer.
Night of the Living Dead (1968) – Beamafilm, Plex, Brollie, Cultpix, Prime Video
- Director: George A. Romero
- Cast: Duane Jones, Judith O’Dea, Karl Hardman
- Runtime: 96 minutes
A group of survivors barricade themselves in a farmhouse during a zombie outbreak. Romero’s low-budget masterpiece launched the modern zombie genre.
Still socially biting and terrifying over 50 years later, Night of the Living Dead is simply essential Halloween viewing. And fun fact: the film was accidentally released into the public domain due to a copyright mishap. While obviously a pain for the creators behind the movie, this is one of the reasons it’s become such a well known classic. Watch the trailer.
The Thing (1982) – Apple TV, in select cinemas for retrospective screenings
- Director: John Carpenter
- Cast: Kurt Russell, Keith David, Wilford Brimley
- Runtime: 109 minutes
A research team in Antarctica is infiltrated by a shape-shifting alien that can perfectly imitate its victims.
The paranoia, the body horror, and the groundbreaking effects make this one of the most terrifying films ever made. We had to include a Carpenter classic on this list, and honestly there’s no contest for which one makes the cut. No spoilers for the twist, please! Watch the trailer.
Satranic Panic (2023) – Shudder, AMC+
- Director: Alice Maio Mackay
- Cast: Adelaida, Lucy Sullivan, Daisy Axon
- Runtime: 100 minutes
In the young Alice Maio Mackay’s Satranic Panic, drag queens and artists take on a demon-worshipping cult in this bloody, camp road movie.
Australian director Mackay brings queer identity and chosen family into the horror spotlight, with buckets of blood and campy style. It’s honestly hard picking one of her films to showcase, because they’re all great and all perfect for Halloween viewing! Watch the trailer.
ScreenHub: Satranic Panic director Alice Maio Mackay is an 18-year-old trans woman on a mission
The Invisible Man (1933) – Apple TV, in select cinemas for retrospective screenings
- Director: James Whale
- Cast: Claude Rains, Gloria Stuart, William Harrigan
- Runtime: 71 minutes
A scientist’s experiments render him invisible, but also dangerously unstable. Jack Griffin, played by Claude Rains, discovers just what it’s like to be literally invisible to society.
The Invisible Man is a classic of Universal horror– and one of the only films in this list to be mentioned in the opening song to The Rocky Horror Picture Show – blending science fiction with psychological terror. More recently, film lovers and academics have theorised that the movie is an allegory for queerness. Watch the trailer.
Talk to Me (2023) – Netflix, Stan
- Directors: Danny and Michael Philippou
- Cast: Sophie Wilde, Alexandra Jensen, Joe Bird
- Runtime: 95 minutes
A group of teens conjure spirits using an embalmed hand, unleashing deadly consequences that turn their house parties into true nightmares.
Talk to Me is a breakout hit of modern Australian horror, where Adelaide YouTubers-turned-directors Danny and Michael Philippou blend possession scares with sharp social commentary. It’s one of the only films on this list that I’d call ‘hide-behind-your-hands’ horror – so if you’re not game, proceed with caution! Watch the trailer.
ScreenHub: Talk to Me review: an Australian horror to possess you
