The Halloween season is officially here, and HBO is not playing around. HBO Go and HBO Now (not to be confused with the forthcoming HBO Max) are adding several new horror releases in October, including Happy Death Day 2U and Glass, but the streamer's horror movie lineup is already stacked with classics. Looking for the perfect throwback scare? All you have to do is queue up A Nightmare on Elm Street. If horror with a side of camp is more your thing, then you can try The Meg or Arachnophobia instead. One thing is certain: no matter what kind of scary movie you're in the mood for, you're going to find something spooky to watch on HBO this October.
50+ Horror Movies You Can Watch on HBO Right Now
50+ Spine-Tingling Horror Movies Streaming on HBO This October
Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid
A group of scientists head to the jungles of Borneo in hopes of finding a black orchid that's said to offer eternal life in this monster movie. Unfortunately, the black orchid is also the preferred snack choice of giant, man-eating anacondas.
Arachnophobia
If spiders make your skin crawl, then you might want to avoid this '90s creature feature. Everyone else will delight in the schlocky fun of watching John Goodman's super exterminator character team up with a California family man to save their town from an influx of poisonous arachnids.
Black Swan
Psychological horror can be way scarier than ghosts and vampires, as Darren Aronofsky's masterful Black Swan proves. The story of dueling ballerinas Nina (Natalie Portman) and Lily (Mila Kunis) is full of dark turns and nightmarish imagery that will stay with you long after the movie ends.
When it's available: Oct. 1
Cabin Fever
Eli Roth's Cabin Fever is a gory good time. The movie follows a group of college kids whose holiday in the woods goes horribly wrong when one of them accidentally shoots a local man suffering from a contagious skin disease. The man ends up infecting the water supply leading to paranoia and a whole lot of bloodshed back at the cabin.
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Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever
The sequel to Cabin Fever doesn't pack the same stomach-turning punch as the original, but the prom night gone wrong setting still serves up some gruesome moments. This time around, a popular bottled water becomes infected with the virus which leads to a high school prom turning into a nightmare.
Captivity
Elisha Cuthbert and Daniel Gillies star in this horrifying movie about a mad man who captures a model and a young man and traps them in his basement. Things only get worse from there as he devises ways to torture the duo.
The Company of Wolves
This '80s classic gives fairy tale classics the dark reimaginings that they deserve. Angela Lansbury stars in the twisted take on Little Red Riding Hood that's full of werewolves and nightmare fuel.
The Conjuring 2
Ed and Lorraine Warren's second big screen investigation is even scarier than the first. This time around, they're in London's Enfield borough investigating an alleged possession case. The movie is based on a true story, which only makes it all the more chilling.
When it's available: Oct. 21
The Darkest Hour
Aliens invade Moscow in The Darkest Hour, a 2011 sci-fi film that finds four twentysomethings trying to survive an invasion. To make things that much trickier, the aliens in question feed off of electricity.
Doppelganger
Drew Barrymore takes on dual roles in this early '90s film about a young woman and her evil twin. The actress shines as both characters, but the good twin's murderous counterpart is particularly fun to watch.
Dracula
There are lots of Dracula movie adaptations out there, but the 1979 version starring Frank Langella is lots of fun. Watch out for a particularly brilliant turn from Laurence Olivier as Dracula's nemesis Van Helsing.
A Fantastic Fear of Everything
Simon Pegg stars in this offbeat horror comedy about a man who becomes paranoid while writing a book that tackles the subject of Victorian serial killers. His topic of choice leads him to believe everyone is trying to kill him, which isn't exactly conducive to leading a happy social life.
The First Purge
The fourth instalment of the successful The Purge franchise is actually a prequel. This movie details how the first Purge night went down, and as usual, it ends up being a nightmare for citizens who don't relish the thought of legalized crime.
The Forest
Natalie Dormer stars in this movie about a woman whose search for her sister takes her to Japan's infamous "suicide forest." Once there, she encounters plenty of restless spirits as she tries to save her sibling.
The Fourth Kind
Nome, Alaska is plagued with missing people cases in this 2009 thriller. It's not until a psychologist begins to suspect the missing are being abducted by aliens that the town's dark mystery starts to unfurl.
When it's available: Oct. 1
Funny Games
This remake of the 1997 cult classic is even more twisted than the original. Once again, a family holiday goes horribly wrong when a couple and their son are taken hostage by a sadistic group that comes up with disturbing ways to torture them.
Glass
M. Night Shyamalan's Unbreakable trilogy concludes with Glass, which unites James McAvoy's The Beast with Bruce Willis's David Dunn and Samuel L. Jackson's Elijah Price. The trio engage in an epic (and scary) showdown in an asylum where they attend therapy sessions led by Sarah Paulson's Dr. Ellie Staple.
When it's available: Oct. 19
Greta
Chloë Grace Moretz is fantastic as a young woman whose seemingly harmless friendship with a lonely widow quickly becomes toxic. As it becomes apparent that the widow is obsessed with her, Moretz's Frances fights to free herself from a nightmare.
When it's available: Oct. 26
Halloween
The 2018 version of Halloween breathes new life into the franchise by taking it back to its roots. Michael Myers is creepier than ever, but the best reason to watch is to witness Jamie Lee Curtis in full badass mode.
Halloween II
Head back to the '70s to witness Laurie Strode and Michael Myers' second encounter in Halloween II. The sequel picks up just moments after the end of the first movie as Myers continues his reign of terror.
Halloween III: Season of the Witch
The divisive third film in the Halloween franchise doesn't feature Michael Myers at all. Instead, it tells a stand-alone story about haunted Halloween masks. Yes, it's random, but it also serves up effective scares.
Happy Death Day
Add a crazed murderer to Groundhog Day and you have the clever Happy Death Day. Poor Tree just keeps getting killed by a baby mask wearing killer, and the only way to survive her never-ending day is to figure out who wants her dead.
When it's available: Oct. 1
Happy Death Day 2U
Tree just can't catch a break. In the 2019 sequel, she finds herself trapped in an alternate universe where she has to sacrifice herself over and over again to save her friends.
When it's available: Oct. 12
Hellbound: Hellraiser II
Pinhead returns to continue tormenting Kirsty Cotton in the bloody sequel to Hellraiser. This time around, Kirsty is stuck in an asylum where her psychiatrist is obsessed with solving the puzzle box that unleashes Pinhead on the world.
Insidious: The Last Key
Elise Rainie returns to her childhood home to face the evil that's been haunting her since she was just a little girl. Her battle with the demon is nail-biting stuff — definitely beware of the jump scares with this one.
The Invasion
Invasion of the Body Snatchers gets a modern update as Nicole Kidman tries to resist the alien spores that change humans into hosts. Like the original, The Invasion relies heavily on the psychological scares that come with a monster that attacks when you're sleeping.
The Invisible
An attack leaves a teen stranded in a dangerous dreamworld that he can't escape without help from a young woman with whom he shares a mysterious connection. Now she needs to figure out who attacked him and where his unconscious body is in order to save the teen's life.
Jessabelle
Thanks to its Louisiana setting, Jessabelle is an atmospheric possession film. The movie centres on Jessabelle, who returns to her father's home where she discovers a series of disturbing taped messages from her late mother.
Kiss of Death
Prefer to get your scares from thrillers? Then check out this 1995 film about an ex-con who gets involved in a car heist that goes wrong and the horrible repercussions that lead to serious danger for his family. Watch out for a chilling performance by Nicolas Cage as a deranged crime boss.
When it's available: Oct. 1
Knock Knock
Keanu Reeves plays a hot dad who makes a horrible mistake in Knock Knock. He and his family are leading perfectly happily lives until two strangers come knocking, and Reeves' character lets them into his home.
The Lost Boys
A mom and her two sons move to a sunny California town overrun by vampires in this '80s cult classic. Punk rock vampires and the '80s aesthetics makes this horror movie a must see.
The Meg
Jason Statham battles a megashark in this silly but fun blockbuster. While it's not going to leave you sleeping with the lights on, this creature feature is perfect for people who want light scares this Halloween.
My Little Eye
Five young people must live together for six months in order to win one million dollars. If any of them quits, they all lose. Sounds simple enough, right? Well, no one told them that they might not come out of the experiment alive.
A Nightmare on Elm Street
Freddy Krueger gets the reboot treatment in this 2010 film. Once again, a group of teens find their dreams haunted by the razor-gloved ghoul.
The Nun
The Conjuring universe expands to tell the story of that terrifying nun from the second movie. A priest and a young nun are sent to a remote Abbey to deal with the demonic presence lurking there.
Phantoms
Rose McGowan and Ben Affleck star in Phantoms, a movie set in a small town where most of the residents suddenly disappear. Now the survivors are left with the unenviable task of figuring out what happened to their friends and families.
The Predator
The Predators are back and ready to cause some mayhem on Earth all over again in the fourth instalment in this long-running franchise. Funny and gruesome, this is a surprisingly fun entry in the ongoing alien saga.
Predators
A stellar cast of character actors are stranded on an alien planet where they soon discover they're being hunted by the Predators in this twisty entry into the franchise.
Psycho
No, it's not as good as the original, but the Psycho remake is an interesting experiment. It's a shot-for-shot remake of the Alfred Hitchcock classic, and that alone makes it worth a look.
Psycho II
Anthony Perkins reprises his role as Norman Bates, only this time the disturbed man is 22 years older and being released from a psychiatric hospital. Upon his release, he returns home to encounter a familiar face.
Psycho III
Norman's motel business somehow continues to boom in the third instalment of the Psycho films. And you'd be right to expect that no one's checking out alive.
Resident Evil: Apocalypse
Milla Jovovich continues kicking all of the zombie butt in the 2004 follow-up to Resident Evil.
The Ring Two
Why do people keep watching those haunted video tapes? Even as you ask yourself that question, you won't be able to look away from this frightening sequel to The Ring.
Season of the Witch
The Season of the Witch cast is absolutely stacked with brilliant actors: Cage, Claire Foy, Game of Thrones favourite Rory McCann, and Robert Sheehan all star in the medieval horror flick that asks, are there really witches among us?
When it's available: Oct. 1
Signs
Part alien invasion movie, part meditation on the nature of faith, Signs is perhaps Shyamalan's most underrated film. (It will also make you start keeping glasses of water around your house, just in case.)
Skinwalkers
Werewolf fans are in for a treat with Skinwalkers. The movie follows rival bands of werewolves as they clash — it also holds the special distinction of being cowritten by Psych's James Roday.
Sphere
A group of scientists head to the ocean floor to investigate a suspected alien spacecraft, but what they find is far more sinister than they could have imagined.
Splice
A scientist couple create a creature that they can't control in this tale of a science experiment gone terribly wrong.
Stay Alive
Stay Alive is all about a deadly video game, but the best reason to watch is the cast, which is stacked with your favourite '00s teen actors. The movie stars Samaire Armstrong, Frankie Muniz, Jimmi Simpson, Milo Ventimiglia, and Sophia Bush.
The Stepford Wives
Kidman is clearly having a blast in this nightmarish remake about a town where the wives are a little too "perfect."
The Thaw
The Thaw is a true skin crawler. Set in the Arctic, a scientist's discovery of a lifetime quickly turns into a nightmare when it turns out his find is carrying deadly parasites.
Truth or Dare
A group of college students get way too involved in a deadly game of Truth or Dare in this bloody horror film.
War of the Worlds
Tom Cruise fights to keep his kids safe when an alien invasion interrupts their weekend together.
When it's available: Oct. 1
Z for Zachariah
Chiwetel Ejiofor, Margot Robbie, and Chris Pine are a dream team in this intense post-apocalyptic film about the last woman on Earth, and the two men who love her.