Need to scratch your scary movie itch? Film expert Tom Doherty has seven great options
Photo Credit: Universal History Archive / UIG via Getty Images
By Julian Cardillo ’14 and Thomas Doherty
October 21, 2025
It’s the dead of October, which means you’re probably looking for movies that can get you in the right mindset for spooky season.
American studies professor and film expert Thomas Doherty has you covered with a special list of scary movie recommendations, suitable for scaredy-cats and young children to horror fanatics who love being traumatized.
Grab your popcorn, candycorn or better yet — a blanket to shield your eyes.
Movie: “Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein” (1948)
Synopsis: The title sums up the plot, though it should be pointed out that the famed comedy duo actually meets Frankenstein’s monster.
Why Doherty recommends it: It shows how a scary creature can be rendered harmless when he’s overused.
Where to find it: Available on most streaming services for a small fee.
Movie: “Drag Me to Hell” (2009)
Synopsis: A kind, young woman turns down a Roma for a bank loan and lives to regret it.
Why Doherty recommends it: Actually, this movie won’t let you sleep at night.
Where to find it: Free on Tubi, HBO Max and Peacock.
Movie: “Alien” (1979)
Synopsis: A terrifying blend of the sci-fi and horror genres, with a spaceship doubling as a haunted house.
Why Doherty recommends it: Heart-stopping jump scares and head-spinning genre twists.
Where to find it: Free on Hulu and Disney+, as well as most other streaming services for a small fee.
Movie: “The Blair Witch Project” (1999)
Synopsis: Three film students with a really bad sense of direction go into the woods.
Why Doherty recommends it: It’s the original “found footage” horror film that stays true to its conceit. Surprisingly rattling and unnerving. Remade in 2016.
Where to find it: Available on Amazon Prime, Google Play, and YouTube for a small fee.
Movie: “The Shining” (1980)
Synopsis: A novelist with a bad case of writer’s block, his talented son and his annoying wife get bored housesitting a vacant mountain resort in the dead of winter.
Why Doherty recommends it: Director Stanley Kubrick’s slow burn visual style — including a pioneering use of steadicam perspective — and, of course, Jack Nicholson’s demonic menace.
Where to find it: Free on HBO Max, and other streaming services for a small fee.
Movie: “Witchfinder General” (1968)
Synopsis: A sadistic witchfinder roams the 17th-century English countryside and sets uppity women on fire.
Why Doherty recommends it: Released by American International Pictures and starring Vincent Price, the film defies expectations by being authentically terrifying and not the usual Edgar Alan Poe yukfest.
Where to find it: Free on Pluto TV.
Movie: “Cat People” (1942)
Synopsis: A man marries a mysterious woman and later discovers she has a dark feline side.
Why Doherty recommends it: This motion picture shows what creative filmmakers Val Lewton and Jacques Tourneur can do with a low budget and the audience’s imagination.
Where to find it: Available for a small fee on most streaming services.
