Want to watch a scary, fun, (and possibly terrible) movie about Halloween on Halloween? We found a few interesting movies, some classic, some new, and some obscure for your All Hallow’s Eve enjoyment.

The Barn is not on a lot of people’s radar – we only know about it because we saw it at a horror film festival in Detroit – but it’s a fun and frightening feature. Released in 2016 and available on Amazon Prime, The Barn is the story of a group of friends who want to enjoy their last Halloween before graduation, but get lost and stumble into a barn where they awaken a handful of evil monsters. It’s kitschy and goofy and all in good fun, with some gore and decent scares. And there’s a sequel on the way, so see this now so you’re ready for it.

Night of the Demons stars “America’s Scream Queen” Linnea Quigley, and…no one else, truthfully. Released in 1988, it’s a exemplar 1980s slasher flick, with the sex and gore you’d expect from that era. Ten teenagers throw a Halloween party complete with a séance at an abandoned funeral parlor (and site of a murder/suicide), because that’s always a good idea. Though it’s low budget, it has a cult following and spawned two sequels. Available on Shout Factory TV and Amazon Prime.

Staying in the 1980s, The Midnight Hour (1985) has more recognizable faces (provided you are old enough to know who Wolfman Jack and Shari Belafonte-Harper are) and another Halloween-party-gone-wrong plot. A bunch of actors in their 20s (looking at you, LeVar Burton) play teenagers who raise the dead with their bitchin’ party. Can an undead cheerleader help them send the dead back where they belong? Probably. Dick VanPatten and Kurtwood Smith round out the cast. Watch it on Amazon Prime or YouTube.

Finally! Late Fee (2009) is not about teens, or old people pretending to be teens, or parties, though it does take place on Halloween. A couple (the screenwriter declined to name them) decides to spend the evening watching videos, and picks out three DVDs from the world’s creepiest rental place. The caveat: the movies have to be returned by midnight or else. (What else? You’ll see.) The movie turns into an anthology, with two of the movies playing out on our screen, not theirs, and the last segment dealing with the aforementioned late fee.

Not gonna lie to you: this is not a good movie. It stars no one in particular and might leave you feeling distinctly icky after viewing. But then again, it could just be what you’re looking to watch as the clock ticks closer to midnight. Just don’t answer the doorbell. Watch it on ConTV through Amazon Prime.

Halloween III: Season of the Witch is the Halloween movie that really isn’t. Released in 1982, it does not feature Michael Myers as the villain; instead there’s a weird plot about killer Halloween masks for kids with computer chips and a boulder from Stonehenge and…let’s face it: it’s weird. Jamie Lee Curtis, while not completely absent (keep your ears peeled for a voiceover cameo) isn’t the star either. This movie went over like a lead pumpkin and after that, the franchise returned to the traditional format of Michael Myers trying to kill everyone. If you absolutely must watch this, catch it on Cinemax (through Amazon Prime.)

Boo (2005) returns to the ubiquitous youth party/stupid location plot (there must be millions of stories one could tell using that very device) where our intrepid students – college, this time – are doing keg stands and whatnot in a haunted hospital. Mayhem and jump-scares ensue once they get trapped in the mental ward in this straight-to-video feature. While the filmmakers apparently put more thought into the atmosphere than the acting, you might like it anyway. Available on YouTube.

At last, we come to a movie with a recognizable cast. Trick ‘r Treat (2007) stars Anna Paquin, Dylan Baker, Leslie Bibb, and…some others. It’s another anthology of Halloween tales, with five distinct stories set in the same small town of Warren Valley, Ohio, and all featuring a creepy trick or treater in the framing story. While it was never a theatrical movie, it has genuine chills and better-than-average marks on IMDb. Watch it on Prime.

Devil’s Night: Dawn of the Nain Rouge is one of the newer films on this list, though technically it’s not a Halloween film, but about the night before. Filmed in Detroit with a locally-based cast and crew, Devil’s Night takes place on the infamous Detroit ‘holiday’ that mostly celebrates fire-based vandalism. A Nain Rouge is a red dwarf (not to be confused with a small star or the hilarious Britcom of the same name) and the plot revolves around snuffing out the urban-legend-come-to-life. The movie stars Eminem’s brother, Nathan Mathers, and Jesi Jensen as the Strong Female Lead. Watch on Prime.

Hubie Halloween (2020) is a movie on Netflix where Adam Sandler uses a weird accent. Need to know more? Ok, you asked for it. Sandler’s character is a self-appointed Halloween safety monitor for the entire town, and has thus earned the ire of the entire population, not counting his mom. This movie packs more star power than any of the other others mentioned earlier, with Steve Buscemi, Maya Rudolph, Kevin James, Tim Meadows and Julie Bowen among those stepping into mostly thankless roles, but the plot is slight and the accent grows tedious about twelve seconds in. (It may signify that Sandler’s character is mentally-challenged, which might not sit right with you.) If you want a Halloween-themed film playing in the background of your own witchy party, you could probably do worse.

Have any more suggestions of great Halloween movies? We’d love to hear about them in the comments.