Halloween isn’t just about dressing up and eating candy. It is also the perfect time to face what really scares us. And what better way to do that than by revisiting the films that shaped horror as we know it? Here are five classic Hollywood chillers to stream this Halloween — each one a masterclass in messing with your mind.
Psycho (1960)
Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho follows Marion Crane (Janet Leigh), a woman on the run, who ends up at an out-of-the-way Bates Motel, managed by the mild-mannered Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins). What happens next has changed the horror genre forever.
Psycho shattered taboos with its shocking mid-film twist, Bernard Herrmann’s violins in the background score, and Anthony Perkins’ unsettling performance as Norman Bates. Sixty-five years later, the film still remains one of the creepiest experiences ever.
Where to stream: Apple TV
Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
Roman Polanski’s Rosemary’s Baby is less about jump scares and more about paranoia. Mia Farrow plays Rosemary, a young woman whose pregnancy becomes a nightmare as she begins to suspect her husband and neighbours have sinister plans for her unborn child.
Blending psychological tension with slow-burning dread, Polanski invites the audience into a world of paranoia and control. By the time the truth is revealed, it’s too late — you’re already trapped in the same nightmare as Rosemary.
Where to stream: Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV (both on rent)
Carrie (1976)
Brian De Palma’s Carrie, adapted from Stephen King’s debut novel, is as much about the horrors of adolescence as it is about the supernatural. Sissy Spacek delivers a haunting performance as Carrie White, a shy, socially outcast high-school girl tormented by her classmates and her fanatically religious mother. When Carrie begins to uncover her telekinetic powers, her journey turns both tragic and terrifying. Even today, the film’s exploration of themes like bullying, shame, and vengeance remain relevant.
Where to stream: Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV
The Shining (1980)
Few horror films have the hypnotic pull of Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining. Adapted from Stephen King’s novel, it’s not so much a haunted house story as it is a descent into madness. A struggling writer takes a winter caretaker job at a remote hotel, hoping the isolation will help him focus on his work. He moves in with his wife and young son, but the vast, empty hotel begins to play tricks on their minds.
Jack Nicholson’s unhinged performance as Jack Torrance remains legendary, and his “Here’s Johnny!” moment is now part of pop culture. The Overlook Hotel itself becomes a character with eerie corridors and creeping dread.
Where to stream: Netflix
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
The slasher genre was already a hit formula by the mid-’80s in Hollywood, but Wes Craven gave it a psychological twist with A Nightmare on Elm Street. Teenager Nancy Thompson (Heather Langenkamp) and her friends start having nightmares about the same terrifying man (Robert Englund) — a scarred figure wearing a glove with razor blades.
When one of them dies mysteriously in her sleep, Nancy begins to suspect their dreams are more than just bad visions. As she fights to stay awake, she uncovers a dark secret from their parents’ past and realises the killer haunting their dreams may not be bound by the rules of the real world.
Where to stream: Amazon Prime Video (rent), Apple TV