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While Peacock has been branching into horror series lately, with Hysteria! and Teacup two recent additions, the streamer also has a big library of movies perfect for Halloween viewing—encompassing classics, franchise staples, obscure titles (Bermuda Tentacles, anyone?), and seasonal favorites. Here are 10 to set the right frightful mood for your next spooky movie night.
Abigail
Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (Ready or Not, Scream, Scream VI) created their own spin on a Universal Monster with this tale of a tiny ballerina who turns out to be a bloodthirsty vampire—to the gruesome chagrin of the ragtag gang of crooks (including Dan Stevens, Kathryn Newton, and Melissa Barrera) who kidnap her, not realizing that instead of reaping a huge ransom they’ll become her multi-course meal.
The Exorcist III
It’s mid-October—have you had your annual re-watch of The Exorcist III yet? No? Well, lucky for you, Peacock is here to refresh all your nightmares involving garden shears and hospital corridors.
Halloween III: Season of the Witch
Not all film fans have the spirit of Silver Shamrock running through their veins, but for those who appreciate the weird pivot John Carpenter’s blockbuster franchise took in its third installment—no Michael Myers kills, just a diabolical plot involving a toymaker, cursed Halloween masks, and… Stonehenge?—it’s an essential part of spooky season. Are you ready for the big giveaway?
Prince of Darkness
Speaking of John Carpenter, one of his most underrated releases is this 1987 oddity that contains an all-star array of actors from other Carpenter projects, and imagines what would happen if Satan’s essence—which looks like the goo inside of a lava lamp—was discovered buried under an aging church in downtown Los Angeles. Nothing good happens to any of the characters, or the world in which Prince of Darkness takes place, but even with some gaping plot holes the movie is screamingly entertaining.
Phantasm
When you watch a lot of horror movies, you inevitably start to notice similarities, tropes, and details that hover between homage and blatant rip-off. And then there’s Don Coscarelli’s 1979 Phantasm, a movie that is truly one of a kind, with only its own sequels coming close to replicating its bizarre story and unsettling mood. Two brothers and their pal realize something not right is going down at the local mortuary, and things somehow only get weirder from there.
Black Christmas
With Terrifier 3 one of horror’s biggest headlines at the moment, there’s no better time to watch writer-director Damien Leone’s favorite movie: the original Black Christmas. So what if it’s early on the calendar? This movie is scary as hell any time of year, with one of the most chilling final scenes of all time.
Dark Night of the Scarecrow
These days we’re used to made-for-TV entertainment in the context of streamers, where nothing is too salacious for audiences. But it’s still stunning to consider Dark Night of the Scarecrow aired on CBS back in 1981, no doubt terrifying viewers with its tale of mob violence in a small town that goes unpunished… until the vengeful spirit of an innocent victim starts getting payback his own way: disguised as a terrifying scarecrow, and using an array of farm-ready implements, including a wood chipper.
Pieces
Deliciously filthy, often offensive, consistently nonsensical, and gory as can be: that’s Pieces, a 1982 murder mystery that also involves an undercover cop posing as a college tennis coach. It’s by Juan Piquer Simón, who also made the inimitable Slugs: The Movie.
Death Becomes Her
If you recently watched and enjoyed The Substance, why not chase it with Robert Zemeckis’ diabolically hilarious tale of anti-aging miracles framed by a love triangle gone very wrong? Meryl Streep, Goldie Hawn, Bruce Willis, and Isabella Rossellini all give endearingly campy performances, and while the 1992 special effects may look a little dated now, they’re still impressive for the time.
The Purge: Election Year
Remember back in 2016, when you were on edge worrying about the upcoming presidential election, and The Purge series dropped this anxiety-jabbing satire that dared to use the tag line “Keep America Great”? Well, here we are in 2024—and The Purge: Election Year is still lurking, this time summoning a sense of dreadful déjà vu.
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