I found the best horror movies on every major streaming service to stream this Halloween ‣ Diverse Daily

If you’re not going out trick-or-treating this Halloween, you’re probably staying inside and watching scary movies. As a die-hard fan of horror movies, I’ll be a part of the latter group this year. Thankfully, fans like myself have a huge lineup of horror films to stream this season.

2026 has been an especially terrific year for the horror genre, with films like Obsession, Backrooms, and Resident Evil dominating theaters and winning over critics. While some of the year’s best scary movies are now on streaming, there are several classic features available as well. Choosing which horror movies to watch this season can be difficult, so I put together a list of the best scary films available on every major streaming platform.

Subscription with ads: $9
Premium Subscription: $20 or $26 options
Simultaneous streams: 2-4
# of profiles: 5
Originals: Yes
Live TV: No

Netflix is a global streaming service offering on-demand access to movies, TV shows, documentaries, and original content. Founded in 1997 as a DVD rental service, it transitioned to streaming in 2007 and now operates in over 190 countries.

Jaws – Netflix

The first summer blockbuster by Steven Spielberg

If you were too scared to go in the water this summer, it was probably because of Jaws. Since its premiere in 1975, Steven Spielberg’s groundbreaking blockbuster has fueled countless nightmares about sharks with its tale of a great white tormenting the people of a Long Island beach town. It also launched a new era for cinema as the industry’s first summer blockbuster.

I myself still get anxious going into the water because of this movie. However, it still ranks as one of my all-time favorite horror films. With nail-biting suspense, Spielberg’s ingenious direction, and John Williams’ chilling score, Jaws remains one of the most terrifying and adored movies ever made, and it’s now streaming on Netflix.

Release Date: June 20, 1975
Runtime: 124 minutes
Director: Steven Spielberg

Lorraine Gary

Ellen Brody

Barbarian – Hulu

Zach Cregger’s first cinematic nightmare

Before Zach Cregger made Weapons and Resident Evil, this movie launched the director into horror movie stardom. Barbarian follows a woman who unknowingly rents out a house at the same time as another man. Though she doubts whether he can be trusted, she discovers an even scarier threat hidden beneath the house.

Barbarian keeps you guessing whether one or both of the characters are walking into a trap. But then, the movie shifts gears with a shocking twist on par with Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, making for a clever, subversive, and suspenseful thrill ride now streaming on Hulu.

Release Date: September 9, 2022
Runtime: 102 minutes
Director: Zach Cregger

Hereditary – Prime Video

Ari Aster’s terrifying directorial debut

Hereditary is one of my favorite horror movies from A24. Written and directed by Ari Aster, it stars Toni Collette as a grieving woman who discovers dark secrets about her dead mother. She and her family then find themselves trapped in a Satanic conspiracy that threatens to tear them all apart.

Hereditary builds up a layered, slow-burning mystery that hardly gives its audience a moment to relax. It also delivers some of the most shocking, gruesome kills ever seen in a horror movie, so it is not a feature meant for the faint of heart. If you’re not interested in streaming Hereditary on Prime Video, it is also available on Hulu and Tubi.

Release Date: June 8, 2018
Runtime: 2h 7m
Director: Ari Aster

Obsession – Peacock

A shocking debut from director Curry Barker

I did not expect Obsession to become one of my new favorite horror movies, but here we are. Written and directed by Curry Barker, the movie follows the lonely Bear as he wishes for his crush, Nikki, to fall madly in love with him. Though he gets what he wished for, it ends up being more than he bargained for when she grows more violent and possessive.

Obsession is essentially what The Exorcist would be if it were a rom-com, and the results are truly twisted and terrifying. Though this was a low-budget horror starring relative unknowns, it grossed more than $500 million in theaters this year, making it one of the most surprisingly successful movies of the century. Since the movie was distributed by Universal Pictures, it is now available on the company’s flagship streaming service, Peacock.

Release Date: May 15, 2026
Runtime: 108 minutes
Director: Curry Barker

Backrooms – HBO Max

A creepypasta that became A24’s biggest blockbuster

This A24 horror film is another critical and commercial success from 2026. The story follows a furniture salesman and his therapist as they enter a parallel, liminal dimension filled with bizarre creatures. At the same time, the characters confront the depressing, psychological prisons that they put themselves in every day.

Backrooms took a viral creepypasta and turned it into one of the deepest, profoundly unnerving horror movies in recent memory. The 20-year-old Kane Parsons also became the youngest director to have a movie debut at number one worldwide, grossing over $400 in theaters. And now, the horror phenomenon is streaming on HBO Max.

Release Date: May 27, 2026
Runtime: 110 minutes
Director: Kane Parsons

Alien: Romulus – Disney+

A good-old-fashioned Alien film from Fede Alvarez

Alien: Romulus follows a group of teenagers who explore a ruined space station and encounter a hive of killer Xenomorphs. The movie takes the concept of the original Alien film and becomes more like a traditional slasher set in space, complete with a terrifying atmosphere, brutal kills, and shocking creature designs.

Though it leans a little too heavily on fan service with franchise callbacks, Romulus is one of the better installments of the Alien film franchise. It even boasts incredible Oscar-nominated Visual Effects, showing that the franchise is just as groundbreaking as it was nearly 50 years ago. Fans can now stream this hit reboot on Disney+.

alien-romulus-poster-showing-a-facehugger-attacking-a-human.jpeg

Release Date: August 16, 2024
Runtime: 119 Minutes
Director: Fede Alvarez

The Shining – Apple TV

Director Stanley Kubrick’s terrifying opus

The Shining is one of the first horror movies I ever watched, and it also made me a fan of director Stanley Kubrick. It’s a loose adaptation of Stephen King’s novel, which follows an alcoholic father who takes a job overseeing a haunted hotel during the winter with his wife and son. Over time, he loses himself to the hotel’s control, threatening his family and going on a murderous rampage.

Though divisive upon release, Kubrick’s film has become one of the most memorable and debated horror movies ever made. There is actually a whole documentary exploring the conspiracy theories about the film’s hidden meanings, and it only made me appreciate it even more.

Now streaming on Apple TV, The Shining enchants you with its mesmerizing visuals and filmmaking, all while crafting a slow-burning nightmare led by Jack Nicholson’s bone-chilling performance. All in all, The Shining is a horror movie that will stick with you forever and ever and ever.

Release Date: June 13, 1980
Runtime: 144 minutes
Director: Stanley Kubrick

Jack Nicholson

Jack Torrance
Shelley Duvall

Wendy Torrance
Scatman Crothers

Hallorann

A Quiet Place – Paramount+

This movie will have you scared silent

The Office star John Krasinski made a shocking jump to directing with this modern horror classic. A Quiet Place stars Krasinski and his wife, Emily Blunt, as parents who try to protect their children in a world overrun by blind aliens with super-sensitive hearing, armored skin, and an instinctive desire to kill anyone they hear.

Staying quiet has long been a top rule in surviving a horror movie, and A Quiet Place takes that to the extreme. Even the tiniest sound can mean a brutal death, making this movie a heart-pounding cinematic experience. At the same time, it delivers a heartfelt story about family and coping with grief in a bleak world that must be seen on Paramount+.