With movies & TV shows like Disney Plus’s Werewolf by Night & Netflix’s The Midnight Club, October 2022 is packed with promising Halloween special content to keep audiences glued to their favorite streaming platforms or even paying a visit to theatres. While HBO and Amazon Prime’s behemoth shows House of the Dragon and Rings of Power have kept cinephiles entertained, nothing beats a good ol’ spooky drama exploring Vampire storylines, witchcraft & more —  keeping in line with the Halloween tradition.  

The below list contains 14 titles carefully chosen to cater to viewers expecting everything from a slasher thriller to a supernatural mind-bender but there’s also a little something for the casual cinephile — From watching a horror fest through a sadomasochistic entity incapable of differentiating pain and pleasure to experiencing the most jump scares in a single episode —  here’s a list of TV series and features worth tuning in this month on Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney Plus and other streaming services. 

Werewolf by Night (Disney Plus)

Starting with MCU’s supernatural flick, this black-and-white Halloween special pays homage to the 80s Universal Pictures-style horror movies. The 52-minute feature is a one-off (so don’t worry about catching up on any past Marvel movies) and centers on Jack Russell (Gael García Bernal), a lycanthrope who makes an unlikely alliance with a monster hunter, Elsa Bloodstone (Laura Donnelly). 

Horror titles like Cabinet of Curiosities releases during this Halloween week

The two are engaged in a Hunger Games-Esque tournament pitted against many other hunters, in a competition over who gets to be the successor of the prized jewel that belonged to the famous monster hunter Ulysses Bloodstone. But clearly, Russell being a Werewolf himself has other plans. Directed by music composer Michael Giacchino as his directorial debut title, Werewolf by Night is available to stream on Disney Plus. 

Barbarian (HBO Max)

Rental homes can be scary, especially when it’s a double-booked stay and the stranger turns out to be an eerie-looking individual, and beneath the house is a secret underground tunnel. That’s essentially the gist of Barbarian but writer and director Zach Cregger’s storytelling amplifies the uncanny incidents and Georgina Campbell’s Tess seems to be the scream queen of this movie. The trailer does a brilliant job by leaving audiences puzzled over Bill Skarsgård’s Keith, is he a victim or the person luring people into a trap? Luckily, that question need not linger in your minds any longer as Barbarian is all set to arrive on HBO Max on October 25. Definitely, a feature to tune in on Halloween.

Conversations with a Killer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes  (Netflix)

All you serial-killer genre lovers out there feeling dried out after the Dahmer series will surely feel inclined to stream Conversations with a Killer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes documentary. This three-episode mini-series does not feature Evan Peters as the serial killer and sex offender but rather shows the real “Milwaukee Cannibal” confessing his crimes on tape with a deep dive into his disturbing world of view. The courtroom crime series is available on Netflix.

The Midnight club season 1  (Netflix)

Based on Christopher Pike’s 1994 horror novel of the same name, The Midnight Club centers on a group of terminally-ill teens that arrive from different norms of life at a palliative care sanctuary (end-of-life facility) called Brightcliffe Hospice. The teenagers meet every day at midnight at Hospice’s uncanny library to exchange horror stories. They make a pact that the first one to pass away will send a message to the group, as a signal that there’s an afterlife. But things take a twisted frightening turn when one of them dies and strange incidents occur around the property. 

Mike Flanagan has been on a winning streak lately and The Midnight Club is proof of that. The first episode has bagged a Guinness World Record for the most jump-scare scenes, and if you’d like a warning, especially for the headphone listeners, then expect an eerie young woman akin to The Grudge, screaming horrifyingly in the debut segment. The Midnight Club season 1 consisting of 10 episodes is available to stream on Netflix. 

Pearl (VOD)

Any cinephile that regularly follows FIlm Twitter would remember Mia Goth on the top trends for her performance in Pearl. Set in the 70s rural texas, as all great slasher movies are — Pearl centers over a young woman of the same name who wishes to escape the misery-filled life at her isolated farmhouse, to become the biggest star the world has ever known. But don’t let her initial naive and innocence fool you into brushing off her innate serial killer antics, like desiring to push off her wheelchaired father into an alligator’s mouth or killing farm animals in a fit of rage, to name a few. 

Any more details would just spoil the experience of Pearl but for context, this movie is a prequel to Ti West’s X. However, watching X is not necessary to understand or enjoy Pearl since both are standalone titles. Pearl is currently in theaters but is available on Video on demand (VOD) for $19.99 on Vudu. 

Hellraiser (Hulu)

Pinhead is back but this time, portrayed by trans actor Jamie Clayton but does it matter? Any Hellraiser fan would know The masochistic entities are sexless but the upcoming horror feature from David Bruckner is not a retelling of the original Hellraiser from Clive Barker so the Hell priest’s origin could be a reimagining to portray a different sinister story — the movie describes meeting the cenobites by solving the puzzle as “an audience with God.”. Nonetheless, Hellraiser still dabbles with pain and pleasure through grotesque bodily mutilation.

As the trailer puts it, Greater delights await cenobite fans in 2022’s Hellraiser. And critics have already called it the best entry of the franchise, The story goes in-depth in exploring the mystery puzzle box, which once solved  — summons the Priest a.k.a Pinhead or the leader’s henchmen called cenobites who torture the individual in their plane of existence. Hellraiser is currently streaming on Hulu. 

Mr. Harrigan’s Phone (Netflix)

Don’t call out unless you want an answer and in Mr. Harrigan’s Phone, that statement should be taken literally or bare witness to a series of deaths by a vengeful spirit. A billionaire who enjoys his solitary days but requires the help of Craig to read out novels due to his poor eyesight. Craigs is just another innocent teenager with a good heart, however, his high school bullies are making his life miserable. 

Craig enjoys reading to Harrigan and even buys the billionaire an iPhone and teaches him how to use it. But their friendship is short-lived when Harrigan passes away. Craig leaves the phone inside Harrigan’s coffin and occasionally messages about his struggles, like being beaten to a pulp by the bully. But a series of mysterious incidents raise Craig’s doubts if the town of Harlow is being haunted by Harrigan’s spirit after the teenager asked for his help. 

Based on Stephen King’s novel, Mr. Harrigan’s Phone is just a click away on Netflix. 

Terrifier 2 (Theater)

An Indie slasher that makes Pennywise the clown look like a well, a “clown” compared to the murderous clown known as Art (that’s a lot of clowns in one sentence) in Terrifier 2. A follow-up to the 2016 movie of the same name, this eerie Mime-Esque costumed freak returns again for Halloween to go on a killing spree but this time, he targets a 13-year-old kid, his sister and their mother. 

Due to high fan demand, Terrifier 2 is returning to over 700+ theaters in the US so check out Fandango to book your tickets. 

Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities (Season 1)  (Netflix)

This unique anthology series from the brilliant horror & fantasy maestro storyteller Guillermo del Toro will challenge the traditional idea of scary movies. On the lines of Twilight Zone and Black Mirror, this series will explore separate self-contained stories in each episode. Moreover, each segment is directed by different horror expert creatives such as The Babadook helmer Jennifer Kent held the director’s chair for episode 1, which is based on a short story by del Toro. The below trailer will give readers a perfect picture of the series.

Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities has a total of eight episodes with star-studded casts like Shadow & Bone star Ben Barnes, The Walking Dead’s Andrew Lincoln & more. Simply put, walking into del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities would be something like taking a stroll inside The Warrens’ occult house, but the difference, this series features Del Toro’s collection of horror stories. 

Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities releases on 25 October on Netflix. 

Daniel Spellbound (Season 1)  (Netflix)

I meant it when I said there’s a little something for every binge watcher, Daniel Spellbound is an animated horror that delves a lot into adventure whilst delivering magical spooky elements that are sure to interest kids and fantasy-loving adults. 

The series was announced in the “Netflix and chills” roster for Halloween and takes place in modern-day New York City, in a world where magic is real but remains a secret for the larger society. However, Daniel Spellbound is the tracker you’d go to, to find magical objects but on one of his mission — he rubs the wrong people when he discovers a rare artifact and suddenly the fate of the supernatural world hangs in the balance. Daniel Spellbound releases on October 27 via Netflix. 

Wendell & Wild (2022)  (Netflix)

This stop-motion animation is a dark fantasy comedy horror that’s been in the making since 2015. As the movie’s title goes, Wendell portrayed by Keegan-Michael Key & Wild by Jordan Peele, the two demon brothers are trying to manipulate a 13-year-old girl named Kat played by Lyric Ross into summoning them to the land of the living. Horror whizz Peele served as one of the main writers so let’s hope the director’s slow-burning twists and disturbing grotesque elements are also embedded in the story. 

Directed by Henry Selick, Wendell & Wild will go up on Netflix on October 21. 

Halloween Ends 

The unstoppable force that is Michael Myers is back for more blood in 2022’s Halloween Ends. But Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) is no longer the trauma dealt repressed person she was, as shown in 2018’s Halloween. As the series’ “final girl”, she must confront the embodiment of true evil to vanquish him once and for all. And going by critics’ responses, it could be David Gordon Green’s best title of the soft-rebooted franchise.

 The movie follows the events of Halloween Kills but begins with a four-year time jump. Halloween Ends is currently in theaters.  

Run Sweetheart Run (Prime Video)

Blind dates can be scary and Run Sweetheart Run takes the spookiness behind it to a whole new level. A Blumhouse horror feature so viewers know what they are in for, but unfortunately, Cherie played by Ella Balinska, does not. After being set up by her boss on a date with a charming magnate, Ethan (Pilou Asbæk) — Cherie seems convinced her date night can escalate and makes herself comfortable in his home. However, she soon breaks out bruised and bloodied, realizing she is on the hunt by a supernatural freak capable of finding his prey by their scent. Cherie is on a survival mission, to evade Ethan for the night to win her freedom but it does not seem to be an easy task, as can be seen in the trailer below. Run Sweet Heart Run will be available to stream on Prime Video in the US from October 28, 2022.

What did you think of the above Halloween special listicle for October? Let us know in the comments below and follow our updates through push notifications to stay tuned to the next edition of movie & TV show recommendations.