(Credits: Shudder)

The season of spook has officially begun, which means it’s time to greet terror with a skull garland on Netflix. With the Halloween mood in full swing, whether you believe it’s a calling or deem it a tradition, the chills shouldn’t stop for anyone.

As the pumpkin season blooms and the night falls with a creeping sense of eeriness, the cravings for something all the more haunting go on an upswing. After all, this is the only time when we welcome the uncanny with open arms, like it’s the long-lost imaginary friend people raised eyebrows about.

Although Netflix isn’t exactly short on the slate of horror movies, Halloween calls for a marathon that’s anything but ordinary. However, don’t expect this to be a run for family-friendly watches. So, keep the faint-hearted and the underage members miles away.

In the wake of the pumpkin festival, Best of Netflix has curated the five best movies that will bring Halloween to your doorstep early on. But keep a torch handy in case the lights go off during the bathroom breaks.

The five best movies to watch on Netflix to get ready for Halloween

Scream 2 (Wes Craven, 1997)

Many horror movie sequels start slow, only to catch the audience off guard. And some even address the spook like they’re on a monthly budget. But Scream 2 doesn’t do any of that. Instead, it flips the script on sequel expectations with an opening so unforgettable that it is now a benchmark of slasher horror films of all time.

Scream 2 revolves around the existing survivors of the Woodsboro massacre in Ohio, where the nightmare returns unimaginably. This time, they become victims of a copycat killer using the identity of Ghostface. But just because the perpetrator is a duplicate, don’t expect the chain of terror to slow down.

Dracula (Todd Browning, 1931)

If you think death is the most terrifying thing that could happen to anyone in their life, Dracula will change your mind. The pre-Code vampire film, based on Hamilton Deane and John L Balderston’s stage play and Bram Stoker’s groundbreaking novel, is one of the few films to stand tall in the genre for inducing genuine frights with its spine-tingling worldbuilding and exceptional performances.

Deemed as a cult classic, Dracula tells the story of Count Dracula, who moves from Transylvania to England in order to hunt the living beings. Although Hollywood has seen many spin-offs and sequels for the concept, the 1931 movie remains the one that popularised the character as a cultural cornerstone. Hence, any Halloween trip on Netflix will be incomplete without the movie that started it all.

Host (Rob Savage, 2020)

Horror is such a heavily explored genre that it’s no longer easy to bring the scares to the audience. But Host takes place at a time when the terror was manifold, with the COVID-19 pandemic at its peak. The independent supernatural horror film happens wholly on a Zoom video call, centring on a group of friends and their desperate attempt to get rid of the demon they unknowingly conjured amidst an online séance.

The concept is unlike anything you’ve seen before, and the ambience builds a sense of creeping claustrophobic urgency, making the horror palette twice as gripping. The film currently boasts a 98% Rotten Tomatoes rating, making it the perfect terror escape for seekers of modern hauntings.

Gerald’s Game (Mike Flanagan, 2017)

Coming from the maestro of the horror genre, Gerald’s Game is Mike Flanagan’s 2017 entry, inspired by Stephen King’s 1992 novel. The psychological horror film thrills you in a way that makes you ask what’s real and not. The adaptation, which was long believed to be “unfilmable,” is by far one of the greatest Halloween picks if you crave a thriller that messes with your brain.

Gerald’s Game revolves around a married couple who decide on a staycation in a secluded house. In order to spice up their boring marriage, they turn to handcuffs to enact a fantasy scene. But the husband unexpectedly passes away in a sudden stroke of a heart attack, leaving the wife without a key to fight her inner and outer demons. Sounds wild, right?

Train to Busan (Yeon Sang-ho, 2016)

Terror has many pedigrees. It can be inherently psychological, as is the case in most modern horror. But Train to Busan makes one think: what if it’s all real? You may or may not be drawn to the South Korean cinematic landscape. Yet, there are certain films that you just cannot remain oblivious to. The 2016 action horror film is one such movie that deserves all the buzz it gets, even after passing nearly a decade since its release.

Train to Busan primarily takes place on a KTX running from Seoul to Busan amidst an unexpected breakout of a zombie apocalypse. Although the horror film pans the camera on the panic state of all the passengers who live on the brink of life and death, it primarily focuses on a workaholic father and his estranged daughter, travelling to Busan to spend her birthday with her mother, offering viewers a terror ride that’s not short of an emotional anchor.