With October winding down, Halloween is closer than ever. If costume parties aren’t your thing, consider watching a horror film to honor the spooky season. What’s great about horror is the high number of genres to pick from and the variety of movies made. Horror movies made for under $1 million are just as good, if not better, than some $50 million projects.
We also have guides to thebest movies on Netflix, thebest movies on Hulu, thebest movies on Amazon Prime Video, thebest movies on Max,andthebest movies on Disney+.
Terrifier (2016)
The most popular clown in 2024 is not the Joker. Instead, that title belongs to Art the Clown, the murderous killer inTerrifier 3. BeforeTerrifier 3became a box-office sensation, Art’s reign of dread began inTerrifier. Written and directed by Damien Leone,Terrifierstarted as a crowdfunded independent film that slowly developed a cult-like following.
On Halloween night, two women — Tara (Jenna Kanell) and Dawn (Catherine Corcoran) — stumble out of a party when they encounter Art for the first time. Thinking nothing of it, the girls continue on with their night. Eventually, they end up in an old apartment building to use its bathroom.
It’s a costly move, as Art kidnaps the girls and shows them how sadistic he can truly be. When Tara’s sister, Victoria (Samantha Scaffidi), arrives on the scene, she’s thrust into Art’s madness, which turns into a fight for her life. If you love watching harrowing kills,Terrifierwill be right up your alley.
StreamTerrifierfor free onTubi.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
Calling a movie “the greatest of all time” for a genre is extremely subjective. However, certain films must be acknowledged when starting any “best of” list. If there’s a list of the greatest horror movies,The Texas Chain Saw Massacrebetter be positioned toward the top, or else it should be invalidated. That’s how influential Tobe Hooper’s slasher is to horror.
Sally Hardesty (Marilyn Burns), her paraplegic brother Franklin (Paul A. Partain), and friends Jerry (Allen Danziger), Pam (Teri McMinn), and Kirk (William Vail) embark on a road trip in Texas to see her grandfather’s grave. Low on gas, the group stumbles on a house with cars and generators. Believing they can barter for gas, two friends enter the house.
Much to their shock, it’s home to cannibals, with one of them, Leatherface (Gunnar Hansen), wearing a human skin mask while wielding a chain saw.The Texas Chain Saw Massacreis absolutely terrifying, and the film’s final image will be burned into your memory forever.
StreamThe Texas Chain Saw Massacrefor free onTubi.
Train to Busan (2016)
Halloween has zombies, right? The zombies inTrain to Busanare fast, relentless, and unforgiving. One bite, and you’ll turn into one. Like most zombie apocalypse movies,Train to Busanstarts rather peacefully. Seok-woo (Gong Yoo), an absentee father and workaholic, decides to take his young daughter Su-an (Kim Su-an) to see her mother for her birthday. The duo take a train from Seoul Station to Busan.
Unbeknownst to most of the passengers, an infected woman steps onto the train and attacks one of the train’s employees. This begins a chain reaction, as the virus spreads rapidly and turns the passengers into zombies. The only hope is to reach a quarantine area near Busan. While the action is high-octane and the kills are vicious,Train to Busan’ssecret is its heart, as the emotional father-daughter relationship allows the film to stand out in a crowded genre.
