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Every day until October 31, the major streamers are running as many horror films as they possibly can. There are a lot of modern selections to choose from, but a lot fewer classic horror flicks if you don’t want to pay a rental fee. To address this issue while we’re all among the living, Watch With Us has scoured the major streamers to find the five best nostalgic horror movies to watch on Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, Prime Video and Peacock. If you love the genre like we do, you may have seen a few of these already. ‘Night of the Living Dead’ (1968) Night of the Living Dead is so old, it doesn’t even call zombies by their culturally acceptable name. Instead, they’re called “ghouls.” Regardless, director George A. Romero‘s signature film practically invented the zombie genre and defined it for decades afterwards. This was such a low-budget affair that most of the primary performers weren’t even professional actors. Duane Jones heads the cast as Ben, a man who emerges as a hero when the dead walk the Earth. As Ben and a woman named Barbra (Judith O’Dea) take shelter during the crisis, they learn that one of the biggest threats to their safety comes from the other survivors who were already hiding there. Night of the Living Dead is streaming on Netflix. ‘Prom Night’ (1980) After starring in Halloween, Jamie Lee Curtis solidified her status as a scream queen by taking the leading role in Prom Night. Curtis plays Kim Hammond, the twin sister of Alex (Michael Tough), and both of them are high school students getting ready for prom. Years earlier, their sister, Robin Hammond (Tammy Bourne), was accidentally killed by some of their fellow students, including Kim’s boyfriend, Nick McBride (Casey Stevens). The twins aren’t aware of this fact, which is why they’re in the dark when someone begins targeting Robin’s killers one by one. This rampage won’t be over until the last dance at prom, and Kim is gonna have to put her final girl skills to the test. Prom Night is streaming on Hulu. ‘Friday the 13th Part 3’ (1982) This may be the third Friday the 13th movie and the second time Jason Voorhees (Richard Brooker) was the killer, but it’s also the very first time Jason used his iconic hockey mask. Friday the 13th Part 3 may not be the greatest movie in the franchise, but it set the tone for every sequel that came after it. Dana Kimmell leads the cast as Chris Higgins, a young woman who survived a run-in with Jason, but she can’t quite remember exactly what happened. Chris is trying to get over the trauma of that encounter, but her return to Crystal Lake is ruined by another trademark Jason rampage. Go figure! Anyone young and looking to hook up while Jason’s around is going to meet the usual fate. Friday the 13th Part 3 is streaming on Peacock. ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors’ (1987) “It’s 1987, do you know where Freddy is?” Usually right behind some hapless victim in the Nightmare on Elm Street films. A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors flipped that trope by introducing a group of teens with dream powers that let them fight Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) on their own. Original director Wes Craven returned to cowrite this sequel, which also featured the return of Heather Langenkamp as Nancy Thompson. Nancy was the lone survivor from the first film, and her therapist training helps her lead a new generation of Elm Street kids in a winner-take-all battle against Freddy, including Kristen Parker (Patricia Arquette). These Dream Warriors have potential, but Freddy’s still got the edge. A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors on HBO Max. ‘The Monster Squad’ (1987) It just wouldn’t be Halloween without the Universal Monsters, and The Monster Squad has most of them in the same film. Dracula (Duncan Regehr), the Wolf Man (Jonathan Gries) and Gill-man (Tom Woodruff Jr.) are all real, and they’re going to conscript Frankenstein’s monster (Tom Noonan) in a plot to help them take over the world. In a Goonies-like twist, the only ones standing in the monsters’ way are a group of kids: Sean Crenshaw (Andre Gower), Patrick Rhodes (Robby Kiger), Rudolph “Rudy” Holloran (Ryan Lambert), Horace (Brent Chalem), Eugene (Michael Faustino) and even Sean’s younger sister, Phoebe (Ashley Bank). They’re the self-proclaimed Monster Squad, and they take that responsibility as seriously as they can. The Monster Squad is streaming on Prime Video. Want personalized streaming recommendations? Tell us your favorite services below, and we’ll send you our newsletter. (Select all that apply.) Led by Senior Editor and experienced critic Jason Struss, Watch With Us’ team of writers and editors sees almost every movie and TV show from the distant past to the present to determine what’s worth your time and money. Our countless hours of multimedia consumption — combined with years of experience in the entertainment industry — help us determine the best movies and TV shows you should be streaming right now. To be considered “the best,” these films and series can be visually engaging, intellectually stimulating or simply just fun to watch, but the one trait they must have is that they are all, in some way, entertaining. We then check which platform they are streaming on and how you can access them as a subscriber. No algorithm nonsense or paid endorsements here — our recommendations are based purely on our love and interest for the films and shows we love.
