With the spooky season upon us, our collective thoughts turn to streaming the scariest, weirdest, and most haunting movies we can find. From the black-and-white classics of yesteryear to the most recent flicks about ghosts and cults and slashers, everyone has their favorite go-to titles for Halloween. But what do you do when you’ve exhausted all those seasonal favorites?
Sometimes, you want something a little more obscure—something you haven’t seen every previous Halloween for who knows how many years. In that case, you might start looking for some lesser-known titles. B-horror movies that are just as good—and often much weirder—than their better-known kin. Fortunately, you won’t necessarily have to look far.
There are plenty of obscure and strange horror titles just waiting to be discovered in the vaults of your favorite streaming services. We’ve tackled a few of the most popular streaming platforms and pulled just a small sampling of their creaky, creepy, and seasonally-appropriate delights. Depending on your predilections, this might be just the beginning of a rabbit hole that takes you deep into uncharted horror waters and carries you all the way through the end of the month … and beyond!
Netflix
In recent years, Netflix has begun specializing heavily in exclusive content, but there is still plenty of B-list horror to be found in the nooks and crannies.
Piranha (2010)
An earthquake at the bottom of Lake Victoria unleashes a swarm of prehistoric, carnivorous fish. To survive this vicious aquatic bloodlust, a group of mismatched strangers must stick together.
The Car: Road to Revenge (2019)
A dishonest District Attorney is the victim of a brutal murder—tossed from a building to land atop his new car. But the DA and his car return as a single entity hellbent on vengeance.
Unfriended (2015)
Before the lockdown horror of The Host, there was this movie about video chatting friends who are slowly picked off by a vengeful presence within the internet. Like found footage all told through shots of their computer screens.
Shudder
As a streaming service dedicated exclusively to horror, Shudder has an insurmountable selection of B-horror fare available from across the ages.
House on Haunted Hill (1959)
William Castle’s most famous picture and one of only two he made with the great Vincent Price, House on Haunted Hill is the perfect Halloween dinner party movie for those who have to spend the night in a haunted house…
Tourist Trap (1979)
This weirdo flick about a group stranded at a sinister roadside attraction has style and strangeness to spare, and went on to unofficially inspire the 2005 remake of House of Wax.
Ice Cream Man (1995)
Local ice cream man Gregory is desperate for people to like him—but while the adults in the neighborhood look down on him, the children fear him. Naturally, the recently released mental patient starts murdering anyone who upsets him.
Amazon Prime
Amazon Prime may not have as much A-list horror fare as some of its competitors, but when it comes to B-horror, the streaming platform contains a hidden smorgasbord.
The Manster (1959)
An American reporter working in Japan finds out that two heads are better than one in this bizarre late-night co-production with scenes that inspired parts of Sam Raimi’s Army of Darkness.
Death Ship (1980)
It may boast the cast of a made-for-TV movie, but this underseen gem is one of the most skin-crawling haunted house movies ever made—never mind that the “house” in question is a Nazi torture ship.
The Funhouse Massacre (2015)
Six terrifying psycho killers break out of an Asylum and take over a haunted house attraction. As unsuspecting victims step into the funhouse mazes, they are set upon by senseless violence.
Hulu
Hulu may have kicked off primarily as a vector for TV, but it soon added movies to its roster. It now boasts some intriguing B-movie horror, especially from recent years.
The ABCs of Death (2012)
This 26-segment anthology adds diversity into B-horror with alphabet-inspired scares from a plethora of directors.
Trick (2019)
From director Patrick Lussier (Drive Angry) and screenwriter Todd Farmer (Jason X) comes this wild tale of a new face in Halloween horror, a seemingly unstoppable serial killer whose bloodbath has to be seen to be believed.
Spree (2020)
Rideshare driver Kurt Kunkle (Joe Keery) is desperate to heighten his social media following. In order to go viral, he concocts a deadly plan.
HBO Max
With some exclusive distribution deals, HBO Max not only gets some of the newest stuff from Warner Bros., it also has a wealth of other B-horror options.
House (1977)
It’s somewhat de rigueur to refer to movies from Japan as “weird,” but there’s weird and then there’s this bonkers 1977 classic—a haunted house picture like you’ve never seen before.
The Brood (1979)
A divorced couple goes head to head in a brutal custody battle over their daughter. When the ex-wife turns to therapy, she's encourage to indulge the rage brewing inside her—to deadly ends.
House on Haunted Hill (1999)
The first of a string of gory remakes of classic shlock horror films that continued into the 2000s, House on Haunted Hill brings the creaky fun of the original but also ups the blood quotient by about a million gallons.
Tubi
You may have to watch the occasional commercial, but you can find some fascinating horror fare streaming for free on Tubi.
One Dark Night (1982)
Before he helmed fan favorite Friday the 13th installment Jason Lives, Tom McLoughlin wrote and directed this wild feature debut about a girl who spends the night in a mausoleum where the dead aren’t exactly at rest…
The Stuff (1985)
Larry Cohen (It’s Alive) brings you the best movie about killer yogurt that you will ever watch!
Chopping Mall (1986)
Some “state of the art” security robots go haywire while guarding an upscale shopping mall. Unfortunately, they do so on the same night that a bunch of teenage employees decide to stage a party in the mall after hours.
