The 12 Highest Rated Halloween Movies On Netflix

With Halloween being just over a week away, Netflix is full of horror offerings to satisfy your Halloween movie blood-lust. Earlier this year, we covered the highest rated horror movies on Netflix, and while some of those movies made the cut again, this go around, Netflix has added and subtracted a few titles as well as updated the genre with a new sub-genre, “Halloween movies.” The Hallowen movies subgenre includes a fair amount of campy and completely non-terrifying titles as well, offering a nice variety for those who may prefer their chills without blood, guts, and chainsaws.

Some great Halloween picks like The Adams Family, The Frighteners, and both Carries didn’t make the cut, but there’s a strong mix of choices among the highest rated offerings. Whether you’re looking for terrifying suspense or something a little less nightmare inducing, here’s what Netflix is currently dishing out.

The Silence of the Lambs 4.1 stars out of 12,197,586 ratings.

Not just one of the creepiest thrillers of the last 25 years, but one of the best movies in general, Silence of the Lambs won multiple Oscars and spawned several sequels, including a rather creepy TV show. The story of a young FBI agent who must turn to a homicidal maniac to catch another homicidal maniac is a fantastic roller-coaster ride of tension from the beginning until its nail-biting showdown. Any movie that can survive 12 million Netflix opinions and still pull a 4 star rating is worth watching or re-watching for the second/tenth time. Rotten Tomatoes 95, IMDB 8.6

World War Z 4.1 stars out of 1,594,828 ratings.

World War Z isn’t your typical zombie movie — if it can even be classified a zombie movie is debatable — but more of a summer blockbuster about Brad Pitt saving the world. A world that just happens to be overrun with sprinting, man-eating, psychos. If you’re looking for Walking Dead-style gore, World War Z has none of that, but instead plays it safe with a PG-13 rating in favor of suspenseful and over-the-top action scenes. The movie is a bit uneven in places and Brad Pitt avoids death an eye-rolling amount of times — all while somehow never losing his scarf — but still delivers two hours of suspenseful action and is safe bet for those looking for some Halloween excitement, without the rotting corpses. Rotten Tomatoes 72, IMDB 7.0

Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil 4 stars out of 1,859,028 ratings ratings.

Tucker & Dale works perfectly as a dark comedy, but its abundance of blood and severed body parts lend nicely to the horror genre, too. The movie draws upon the 80s teen slasher films and injects them with a dose of slapstick comedy from two bumbling redneck friends who simply want to enjoy a relaxing weekend in the woods. The movie pokes fun at just about every slasher movie stereotype, from the backwoods psychopath to the dimwitted college sexpot that is destined to end up on the wrong side of the gun — or in this case, a wood chipper. Rotten Tomatoes 84, IMDB 7.6

Odd Thomas 4 stars out of 1,195,765 ratings.

Based on the Dean Kootnz novel, Odd Thomas is a rather endearing supernatural romantic comedy about a small town short order cook who just so happens to see the dead. When a mysterious stranger rolls into town, bringing with him a horde of ghostly demonic creatures, it’s up to Thomas to save the town from whatever sinister events are about to unfold. The movie caters to fans of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series, meaning that any real scares are traded in for teenage drama, but there’s still enough humor and plot to keep one interested in the onscreen weirdness that is constantly unfolding. Rotten Tomatoes 65, IMDB 6.9

The Nightmare Before Christmas 3.9 stars out of 6,224,930 ratings.

The movie that spawned a legion of goth kids 20 years ago still has incredibly strong cult following and is keeping Hot Topic in business. The stop-animation film from the mind of Tim Burton about a Halloween king who kidnaps Santa Clause out of boredom, knocks it out of the park both visually and musically. Burton tried to recreate the same Gothic magic years later with Corpse Bride, but not even Johnny Depp was an adequate substitute for Jack Skeleton. Rotten Tomatoes 91, IMDB 8.1.

The Crow 3.8 stars out of 4,297,914 ratings.

Sure, The Crow doesn’t qualify as a horror movie, but a film about a guy who returns from the dead to kill his enemies on Devil’s Night is more than fitting for a Halloween movie. The dark action thriller based on the comic book of the same name was meant to be Brand Lee’s star-launching role before he was tragically killed during filming. The movie works as a stunning visual blend of martial arts action and science fiction to create a revenge story straight from a nightmare, layered with one of the best hard rock soundtracks of any film from the 90s. Rotten Tomatoes 91, IMDB 7.6

Let the Right One In 3.8 stars out of 1,430,913 ratings.

For those looking for a vampire movie this season that don’t want the typical Dracula/teen heartthrob bloodsucker story, Let the Right One is a fine pick. If you’ve only seen the carbon copied American version that came out a couple of years ago, do yourself a favor and watch the original. Not only is it probably the most original vampire movie of the last 20 years, its story of friendship between a young boy and adolescent vampire will pull at your heartstrings, before ripping them out in a fury of carnage. Rotten Tomatoes 90, IMDB 8.0

From Dusk Till Dawn 3.7 stars out of 4,349,884 ratings.

The worst thing about From Dusk Till Dawn is Quentin Tarantino’s acting, the best thing — Salma Hayek’s snake dance. The rest of the movie is a B-movie romp that follows a pair of bank robbers fighting their way through a vampire infested strip club is mindless fun with an added dose of wicked humor. Oh, there’s also Cheech Marin playing three different characters and Danny Trejo of course being Danny Trejo. The movie has Robert Rodriguez killing off his character’s in his usual ridiculous ways, which works fine for this B-movie that would go on to spawn several inferior sequels and a television spin-off. Rotten Tomatoes 77, IMDB 7.3

American Psycho 3.7 stars out of 3,632,186 ratings.

American Psycho probably isn’t an obvious Halloween pick, but it’s one of Netflix’s highest rated horror/slasher films and there’s definitely plenty of blood and suspense. The movie works as both a satire of the hyper-materialistic 1980s and a terrifying slasher movie with some dry humor thrown into the mix. Based on the Bret Easton Ellis novel of the same name, Christian Bale is fantastic in his portrayal of a successful and completely psychotic investment banker who splits his time between dinning at trendy restaurants and splitting open the heads of prostitutes. Rotten Tomatoes 85, IMDB 7.6

The Cabin in the Woods 3.7 stars out of 2,167,466 ratings.

If you’re tired of the regular horror offerings, Cabin in the Woods offers a new twist on the genre. Drew Goodard and Joss Whedon take the stereotypical horror storyline of teenagers being chased by an axe murder in the woods and flip it on its head in a surprisingly unexpected direction. Part horror, part comedy, and part conspiracy flick, the movie works as a masterful dissection of its horror film predecessors. Rotten Tomatoes 73, IMDB 7.1

Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn 3.7 stars out of 1,447,766 ratings.

There is Evil Dead 2 and then there is every other horror-comedy following behind in a trail of blood and guts. Sam Rami’s sequel to the first Evil Dead is a B-movie masterpiece loaded with special effects and truly rotten creatures of gore. Bruce Campbell and his girlfriend must put their chainsaw to good use when the dead descend on their cabin in the woods. Really, if your looking for some goody campy Halloween gore, Evil Dead 2 is going to be your best bet. Rotten Tomatoes 89, IMDB 7.9

Hannibal 3.7 stars out of 3,132,963 ratings.

We started this list with Dr. Hannibal Lecter and we’re finishing it with him as well. Hannibal is a poor comparison to its predecessor, but as a stand alone film it’s a decent thriller. Julianne Moore steps in for Jodie Foster as Agent Clarice Starling who is reconnected with Dr. Lecter a few years after they parted ways. While it will never be anywhere as good as Silence of the Lambs, Hopkins is great again in his role as the cannibalistic doctor and the movie delivers its share of chills, along with the creepiest dinner party ever filmed. Rotten Tomatoes 63, IMDB 6.7

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