Collider Recommends: The Best Spooky Movies and Shows to Watch This Halloween Season

Happy Halloween from your resident experts at Collider! We’re back with another round of Collider Recommends, featuring the best movies and TV shows you can watch to celebrate spooky season! And while we can easily go all out to terrify you with horrors and haunts, we’re offering up a mix of genres that everyone will enjoy.

This week’s experts include the returning Tania Hussain alongside Michael Zimmerman and Anastasi Karras, and they’ve got a perfect offering for you before the costume parties and trick-or-treating begins! From one of the most underrated horror shows of the last decade, to a deliciously devious thriller, and one of Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman‘s most iconic ’90s films, Collider Recommends is here to fill up your watch list. So let’s kick this off!

‘Pracitcal Magic’ (1995) starring Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock

Michael Zimmerman, Video Host

Image via Jefferson Chacon

Spooky season often leans towards horror and “scary” films. While there will be a few frightening recommendations further down on this list, I’m going to start you off with something a bit more fun and light. My pick is the 1998 romantic fantasy film Practical Magic, starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman, and directed by Griffin Dunne.

If you want the feeling of Fall, witches, curses and spells without the screams and blood, then this one is for you.

This movie is based on the 1995 novel Practical Magic, written by Alice Hoffman. It’s a story about two sisters, Sally (played by Bullock) and Gillian (played by Kidman) Owens who have been cursed by their ancestor Maria. The curse dooms any man an Owens woman loves. As a young girl, Sally casts a spell upon herself to ensure she’ll never fall in love. Gillian, on the other hand, is a romantic and can’t wait to fall in love.

As the sisters navigate through heartbreak and, of course, midnight margaritas, they attempt to break curses and spells. Gillian finds herself in a troubling situation, and is helped by Sally, only to be right in the middle of a murder investigation. Through this dilemma, Sally breaks one of her own spells she cast on herself as a child. And let’s not forget about the lovable performances of Diane Wiest and Stockard Channing as Sally and Gillian’s straightforward, yet caring, aunts.

Once you watch this delightful film, you won’t have to wait long for its sequel. Practical Magic 2 is set to release on September 18, 2026, directed by Susanne Bier. It will star Kidman and Bullock, along with some of the original cast members, including Wiest and Channing.

‘The Exorcist’ (2016) starring Alfonso Herrera and Ben Daniels

Tania Hussain, Executive Editor

Everyone knows William Friedkin’s 1973 classic The Exorcist is the gold standard of horror cinema. It’s a film so dark and disturbing that it practically redefined what “scary” meant for every film after. But far fewer people remember Fox’s sequel series, The Exorcist, which even brought back Regan MacNeil in a surprising twist involving Geena Davis. Instead of getting the network TV treatment with “case of the week” jump scares, the series leaned into serialized storytelling, becoming some of the most chilling, prestige-level horror television of the 2010s.

The opening season kicks off with a slow-burning possession inside the Rance family’s Chicago home. At first, it’s all whispers in the walls and shadows slipping out of frame, but the terror peaks when Father Marcus (Ben Daniels) finds the youngest Rance daughter (Hannah Kasulka) deep in an abandoned tunnel. Trying to purge her of the demon, her body contorts into a terrifying spider-walk straight out of the original film. It all goes to hell, quite literally, when the priest, alongside Father Tomas’ (Alfonso Herrera) chaotic exorcism, shakes the house to its foundations.

Meanwhile, Season 2 raises the stakes with John Cho as Andy, a foster dad whose cozy island home turns nightmarish when his kids start hearing voices. One of the most haunting moments comes when his young foster daughter calmly talks to someone who isn’t there at the dinner table. It’s that creeping dread of realizing this isn’t an “imaginary friend” anymore, but a full-on demonic intrusion hurting his family. By the finale, the priests’ showdown takes a devastating turn that will leave you speechless.

What made The Exorcist truly click is that it wasn’t just scary TV — it was deeply emotional. Tomas’s faith is tested, Marcus is cynical, and despite the levitating bodies and guttural growls, you care about the people caught in the crossfire. Sadly, even with its critical acclaim (including a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score for Season 2), Fox canceled it after just 20 episodes — a true crime against good television. Still, what we got is airtight: two seasons of expertly acted, spine-chilling horror that somehow slipped under the radar.

Both seasons are available on streaming, and trust me — the show is every bit as unholy as the movie that started it all.

Anastasi Karras, Operations Manager

If you want something perfect for Halloween that isn’t just blood and jump scares, The Menu should be your go to choice this week. It’s dark, twisted, but somehow still laugh out loud funny. Like, the kind of funny that makes you laugh and then immediately feel a little uncomfortable about it.

What’s great is how the movie balances tones — it’s a dark thriller, has violent murder and it’s a comedy all in one. The tension builds so slowly, every course revealing more insanity to the point of brilliant disbelief at what you’re watching sometimes. It’s a takedown of elitism, influencer culture, and obsession with perfection, but it never feels preachy. Every scene feels like it’s saying something deeper while still keeping you totally entertained. The script is razor-sharp and by the time you reach the finale, you’re equally horrified, impressed, and weirdly satisfied.

Ralph Fiennes is on another level here and this was the unofficial start of his recent hot streak, and you totally see why. He’s chilling yet magnetic, and you can’t take your eyes off him for a second. Anya Taylor-Joy is an absolutely perfect counterbalance to all the craziness that is happening around with a calm, hard-to-read and sharp performance. Nicholas Hoult also gives us a very memorable character that embodies the point of the movie.

It’s smart, stylish, and just the right amount of disturbing — the perfect movie to feast on this Halloween.