If I had to trace the origins of my compulsion to seek scary movies for Halloween, I might picture myself in childhood, horrified by a TV broadcast of Disney’s cartoon adaptation of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. I can still picture the Headless Horseman heaving that flaming jack-o’-lantern right at me. Countless nights spent enthralled by KIRO’s Nightmare Theatrelibrary of old movies didn’t help, either.
On Halloween, one must have horror—which, thanks to streaming, is now at everybody’s fingertips via popular streaming services and more niche ones (the horror-based Shudder or the free-with-a-library-card Kanopy). (Although plenty of great movies aren’t available through streaming—so long live physical media.)
Here are some recommended titles—some brand new, some classic, all currently available streaming or on demand.
New Releases Available for Streaming Rental
Mandy
If it’s still playing in a theater near you, go see it there. Otherwise, this gorgeous movie—your basic psychedelic-backwoods-revenge picture—has been on demand for a few weeks already. If the Oscars ever noticed movies at the grindhouse level, Nicolas Cage and Andrea Riseborough would be nominated for their otherworldly performances, as two recluses whose lives are interrupted by a Manson-like cult. Amazon, YouTube, Google Play