7 Lesser-Known & Underrated Halloween Movies You Should Watch This Month!

With Halloween just a few weeks away, there’s no better time to celebrate than with movie nights and candy. Watching horror movies is the staple of Halloween, but with only so many options out there, it can be difficult for horror fans to keep watching the same typical Halloween films each and every year.

Everyone already knows the classics -- Scream, Halloween, “Friday the 13th, etc. -- and even the more recent successes like The Conjuring, Insidious, and Midsommar, but most horror fans are looking to switch things up this year. Here are some good lesser-known horror movies that you probably haven't seen that you can add to your yearly viewing repertoire!

1. Hell House LLC (2015)

Hell House LLC is a unique film that follows the story of the death of 15 visitors and the staff of a haunted hotel attraction in Pennsylvania. Five years after the tragedy, a documentary crew follows the story to find out the true details of that fateful opening night. The town and police have given little information or attention to the mass death incident, and there is no clear answer to what went wrong. While interviewing one of the staff, the documentary crew is given first account footage of the days leading up to the opening of the haunted house. The twist ending of the film, combined with the multiple POV account style, gives an eerie and unique take on a documentary-style horror film. With two films to follow the first, the trilogy gives you plenty of new scares to watch this Halloween season! Stream on YouTube, Prime Video, Tubi.

2. Tales of Halloween (2015)

In one town in an American suburb, Halloween is a very interesting time. In the film, it consists of 10 mini stories that all take place on the same night within the town. The paranormal stories consist of weird creatures, aliens, witches, demons, and devils as well as a mutant pumpkin with a killer appetite. Stories surrounding adults and murderous children and creatures tend to give this film a less scary feeling. Many of the mini stories are take-offs on the classic horror films with a comedic approach. With multiple directors with creative freedom over each mini story, they certainly don’t flow too much with each other. If you are looking for a change of pace from the normal horror movie vibe, this is definitely one to watch, as it is a (very) gory film with a lot of adult humor. Stream on YouTube, Prime Video, Tubi.

3. The Fear Street Trilogy (2021)

Consisting of Fear Street Part 1: 1994, Fear Street Part 2: 1978, and Fear Street Part 3: 1666, this trilogy is a slasher/thriller that takes place in the fictional “murder capital of the world” called Shadyside which neighbors a wealthy and safe town called Sunnyvale. Shadyside is said to be cursed by a witch named Sarah Fier who was executed for witchcraft. A few teenagers get caught up in the town’s evil history after a car accident which disturbed Sarah Fier’s gravesite, unleashing a series of murders in the town. Parts 2 and 3 travel back in time to further uncover the history of the evil that plagues the town, featuring even more brutal murders. If you’re tired of the typical slasher film, trust me, I understand. This trilogy adds a unique spin on the typical campy slasher film that continues to be the same story movie after movie. Uncovering the history of the town and the true beginning of the curse adds a nice spin that will keep you enthralled in the series. Stream on Netflix.

4. The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016)

There’s nothing creepier than a morgue, which is the setting of this movie. A coroner (played by "Succession" star Brian Cox) and his son are tasked with determining the cause of death and identity of a mysterious woman that was found buried in a basement. Her anonymous identity and strangely intact and preserved body is a mystery that the father-son duo need to uncover. While examining her, they discover she has multiple odd injuries that do not match the outside condition of her body. As they work to further find the truth, paranormal occurrences begin to happen all around them, and ties to witchcraft might be the answer. The movie is extremely clever and well-crafted. If you enjoy movies with a paranormal mysterious essence and do not get squeamish at gory details, this is definitely a movie to watch. It scored an 86% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, which is impressive for a horror movie. Stream on Hulu, Tubi, AMC+.

5. Oculus (2013)

There’s certainly a chance that you’ve seen this one if you are an avid horror fan; but, if you somehow missed it, you have to put this on your watch list right away. The film is set in two different time periods following a brother and sister with a bizarre family history. When they were children, Tim and Kaylie’s father purchased a large antique mirror for his office. After its appearance, strange hallucinations started to plague the home, turning their father obsessed and self-isolated and their mother murderous, animalistic, and insane. After a horrible fallout one night, their father murdered their mother, and Tim was forced to shoot his father. Years later, Tim is discharged from a psychiatric hospital after he is found guilty of murdering his father and has made peace with the events of that fateful night. His sister, however, is still obsessed with discovering the truth behind the mirror. She finds it and convinces her brother to unfold the mystery behind it. The film is terrifying and truly one of my favorite horror films of all time. The storyline and madness pull you in to where you can't look away, even at the most gruesome moments. The paranormal hallucinations keep you always wondering what is real in the film and what is fake which is a very unique aspect to the film. Stream on Prime Video, YouTube, Pluto TV.

6. Creep (2014)

Creep is exactly what it sounds like. If someone asked you to imagine a “creep”, that's exactly the man that actor Mark Duplass plays. Using a documentary-style of filming for maximum eeriness, the film follows a young videographer named Aaron who finds a one-day filming job on Craigslist. The job is in a remote location in the mountains for a man named Josef who wants someone to film his last days of terminal cancer for his pregnant wife and future child. As the day goes on, Josef gets stranger as Aaron films him throughout the day. Aaron soon learns that Josef is not really who he said he was. The movie is extremely unsettling and at times very disturbing. If you enjoy horror movies with these qualities, it is definitely worth watching. If you have an uneasy stomach and get freaked out easily, this might not be the movie for you. There’s also a second film that acts as a sequel to this one. Stream on Netflix.

7. Wrong Turn (2021)

I was pleasantly surprised by Wrong Turn, and it seems that a majority of critics and audiences agree with me. It is a reboot of an old film series but can be watched on its own, so there's no reason to go back and watch the old ones. The plot follows Jen Shaw and her friends as they arrive in a town in rural Virginia with the plan to go hike the Appalachian Trail. She and her friends are warned by residents of the town to stay on the path due to dangers that lurk off of it. Not heeding their warnings, of course, she and her friends stray off the path when a tree rolling down the mountainside crushes one of their friends to death. One by one, Jen’s friends begin getting picked off by traps set up by a primal group of people that live in the woods. The typical "people getting lost in the woods" storyline is rather overdone and usually has an ending that you see coming; however, that's not the case with Wrong Turn. Without giving too much information, even more occurs in the film that makes it truly one-of-a-kind. It’s worth the watch if you don’t mind realistic blood and gore. Stream on Showtime.

Happy watching!