Hoping to settle down with a terrifying film this Halloween? There is one disappointment for horror fans planning to watch on traditional television: none of the films in our scary-movie wish list are scheduled on BBC One, BBC Two, ITV, Channel 4 or Channel 5 tonight, Saturday, October 31.
That does not mean you have to spend Halloween without a horror fix. From the found-footage phenomenon The Blair Witch Project to the terrifying supernatural classic The Exorcist, several iconic films can be found on UK streaming services. And there’s a particularly timely option for fans of Ghostface, with Scream 7 arriving on Sky Cinema and Paramount+ in the UK in the run-up to Halloween.
Here is our guide to where to watch the horror favourites – including the original Scream, Halloween, The Shining and A Nightmare on Elm Street. Streaming catalogues can change, so check the service before settling in.
Where to stream The Blair Witch Project
The Blair Witch Project (1999) is a perfect choice for anyone who likes their horror unsettling and atmospheric. The low-budget film follows three student filmmakers who disappear while investigating a local legend in the woods of Maryland. Their supposedly recovered footage forms the film, which helped popularise the found-footage horror style.
The film stars Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard and Michael C. Williams.
Where to watch: UK streaming options include Netflix and Lionsgate+ through Amazon Channels. It has also been available free with adverts on YouTube. Rental options include Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Rakuten TV and Sky Store.
Where to stream Poltergeist
Poltergeist (1982) remains one of the great supernatural horror films. Directed by Tobe Hooper, it follows the Freeling family after their suburban home becomes the centre of increasingly frightening paranormal activity. When their young daughter disappears, her family discovers that something terrifying is lurking beyond the walls.
The cast includes JoBeth Williams, Craig T. Nelson, Beatrice Straight and Heather O’Rourke.
Where to watch: UK streaming options include HBO Max, HBO Max through Amazon Channels and NOW TV Cinema. It is also available to rent or buy through digital stores including Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Rakuten TV and Sky Store.
Where to stream Scream and Scream 7
There are two Ghostface films to consider this Halloween, with the original Scream (1996) still a landmark of modern horror.
Directed by Wes Craven, the film follows teenager Sidney Prescott as a masked killer begins targeting her and her friends. Neve Campbell leads the cast, alongside Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Rose McGowan and Skeet Ulrich. Its mix of slasher scares, mystery and knowing humour helped revive the genre in the 1990s.
Where to watch Scream: The original film is available on Paramount+, including its Amazon Channels offering. It can also be rented or purchased through digital stores.
The latest instalment, Scream 7 (2026), brings Ghostface back to target Sidney Prescott and her daughter Tatum. Neve Campbell returns, with Courteney Cox also reprising her role as journalist Gale Weathers. The cast includes Isabel May, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding and Matthew Lillard.
Where to watch Scream 7: The film is available on Paramount+ and Paramount+ Amazon Channels in the UK. It is also available to rent or buy through digital retailers. Sky Cinema has also featured the film in its Halloween line-up.
Where to stream Scary Movie
If you prefer your horror with plenty of laughs, Scary Movie (2000) is the obvious choice. The comedy takes aim at films such as Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer, turning familiar slasher clichés into outrageous jokes.
Anna Faris stars as Cindy Campbell, alongside Regina Hall, Marlon Wayans and Shawn Wayans. It is a very different sort of Halloween night, but one that still delivers plenty of Ghostface-inspired silliness.
Where to watch: Scary Movie is available on Paramount+ and Paramount+ Amazon Channels in the UK. It can also be rented or bought through digital retailers including Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Rakuten TV and Sky Store.
Where to stream Halloween
John Carpenter’s Halloween (1978) is essential viewing for slasher fans. Jamie Lee Curtis made her name as Laurie Strode, the teenager pursued by masked killer Michael Myers after he escapes from a psychiatric institution and returns to his home town.
Carpenter’s tense direction, memorable score and relentless sense of threat helped make the film one of the most influential horror movies ever made.
Where to watch: UK streaming options include Shudder, Shudder through Amazon Channels and Cultpix. It has also been available free with adverts on Pluto TV. Digital rental options include Amazon Video, Apple TV Store and Sky Store.
Where to stream Friday the 13th
For another classic slasher, Friday the 13th (1980) takes viewers to Camp Crystal Lake, where a group of young counsellors find themselves being stalked by a mysterious killer.
The film stars Adrienne King, Betsy Palmer and a young Kevin Bacon. It launched a hugely successful horror franchise and introduced audiences to one of the genre’s most recognisable settings.
Where to watch: The original film is available to rent or purchase through Apple TV Store, Rakuten TV, Amazon Video and Sky Store.
Where to stream The Shining
Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining (1980) is a chilling choice for anyone who enjoys psychological horror. Based on Stephen King’s novel, it stars Jack Nicholson as Jack Torrance, a writer who takes a job as the winter caretaker of the isolated Overlook Hotel.
As the hotel becomes increasingly disturbing, Jack’s behaviour grows more frightening, leaving his wife Wendy and young son Danny in danger. Shelley Duvall and Danny Lloyd also star.
Where to watch: UK streaming options include HBO Max, HBO Max through Amazon Channels, NOW TV Cinema and Sky Go. It is also available to rent or buy from digital stores.
Where to stream The Exorcist
Few films have a reputation quite like The Exorcist (1973). The supernatural horror follows young Regan MacNeil, whose increasingly disturbing behaviour leads her mother to seek help from two Catholic priests.
Directed by William Friedkin, the film stars Ellen Burstyn, Linda Blair, Jason Miller and Max von Sydow. Its shocking scenes and unnerving atmosphere have kept it firmly on horror fans’ Halloween watchlists for decades.
Where to watch: UK streaming options include HBO Max, HBO Max through Amazon Channels, NOW TV Cinema and Sky Go. Digital rental and purchase options are also available.
Where to stream Ghostbusters
Not every Halloween film needs to be terrifying. Ghostbusters (1984) offers a lighter supernatural adventure, following three former university researchers who set up a ghost-catching business in New York.
Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis star as the paranormal investigators, with Sigourney Weaver, Rick Moranis and Ernie Hudson also featuring. It is a family-friendly alternative for viewers who want ghosts, ghouls and a generous helping of comedy.
Where to watch: The original film is available on Sky Go and NOW TV Cinema in the UK. It can also be rented or purchased through Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Rakuten TV and Sky Store.
Where to stream A Nightmare on Elm Street
Wes Craven’s A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) introduced horror fans to Freddy Krueger, the terrifying figure who attacks teenagers in their dreams.
Heather Langenkamp stars as Nancy Thompson, who discovers that the mysterious deaths affecting her friends are connected to a burned killer who can enter their nightmares. Robert Englund’s performance as Freddy helped create one of horror cinema’s most enduring villains. The film also features a young Johnny Depp.
Where to watch: The original film is available to rent or purchase through Apple TV Store, Rakuten TV, Amazon Video and Sky Store.
Where to stream The Sixth Sense
For a film that relies on atmosphere, mystery and a memorable twist, The Sixth Sense (1999) is a strong choice. Bruce Willis stars as child psychologist Malcolm Crowe, who begins working with a young boy called Cole, played by Haley Joel Osment. Cole has a disturbing secret that changes the way Malcolm sees the world.
Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, the film also stars Toni Collette and became one of the most talked-about thrillers of its time.
Where to watch: The Sixth Sense is available on Netflix and Disney+ in the UK. It can also be rented or purchased through digital retailers including Apple TV Store, Rakuten TV, Amazon Video and Sky Store.
What scary film should you watch this Halloween?
Although the main UK television channels are not showing these particular horror favourites tonight, streaming services offer plenty of ways to put together a Halloween movie marathon.
For a classic slasher, try Halloween, Friday the 13th or the original Scream. If supernatural scares are more your thing, Poltergeist and The Exorcist are obvious choices, while The Shining offers a slower, psychological kind of terror.
For something more recent, Scream 7 brings Ghostface back for another outing. And if you would rather laugh than scream, Scary Movie and Ghostbusters provide a lighter alternative.
One final tip: streaming rights can change, and a film may be included with one subscription but only available to rent on another. Check the relevant streaming service before you press play.
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