Stream and scream: What to watch this spooky szn

The Babadook – 2014 – Amazon Prime

Director Jennifer Kent made quite the first impression in her directorial debut, which is all about The Babadook, a character in a pop-up children’s book. This is horror at its very best, as the director delivers heart-stopping moments of pure terror. We follow a troubled widow (Essie Davis) and her six-year-old son Samuel (Noah Wisman), who begins to show signs of troubling behaviour when the monster known as “The Babadook turns up at their house. Beyond being a terrifying movie experience, it is also full of heart and explores parenting themes. Highly recommended, but please do check the trigger warnings in advance).

The Sixth Sense – 1999 – Disney + and Hulu

Night Shyamalan is a pretty hit-or-miss director, but in my opinion, The Sixth Sense is probably one of his best. This 90s classic follows a child psychologist, played by Bruce Willis, in one of his finest performances, whose patient, played by Haley Joel Osment, claims he can see and talk to the dead. You might already know the twist, as Shyamalan is a master of, but it still packs a hell of a punch even after all these years.

Jaws – 1975 – Netflix  

Before there was Close Encounters of the Third Kind, ET, Indiana Jones and even Jurassic Park, legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg made one of the most iconic horror movies ever. Jaws, where a bloodthirsty shark attacks a small beachside community off Cape Cod, forcing the local sheriff, a marine biologist and an old seafarer to hunt down the beast. With an iconic score by John Williams, this classic scared an entire generation into visiting the beach.    

The Birds -1963 – Netflix  

On to one of the original masters of horror now with the iconic Alfred Hitchcock. Psycho will always remain Hitchcock’s masterwork and one of my favourite movies. But The Birds is a classic horror title that you centrally shouldn’t ignore. Based on the thrilling novel of the same name by Daphne Du Maurier, when a San Francisco socialite, played by Jessica Tandy, takes a trip up north to pursue a potential boyfriend, things take a dark turn when birds of all different shapes and sizes begin to attack the local community.

Heretic – 2024 – Coming soon – 15^th November– Honourable mention

Okay this one is a November release but, in my opinion, has Halloween vibes written all over it. We follow two young Mormon missionaries who are drawn into a game of cat and mouse in the house of a strange man and soon become ensnared in his deadly and rather intense plans. Hugh Grant really has come a long way since his days of being the lead in romantic comedies and his role as the diabolical Mr Reed could be one of his most terrifying.