We all know the usual Halloween horror movies everyone watches for spooky season, but let's talk about some of the lesser known, underrated Halloween horror movies you haven't seen. In this video I'm diving into 11 underrated horror movies set on Halloween that are perfect to add to your spooky watchlist. From haunts to Halloween parties, to found footage movies - there's a movie recommendation for every taste.
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10 Underrated HALLOWEEN Movies You Might Have Missed!
We all know the usual suspects everyone watches for Halloween. But there are so many Halloween horror movies just sitting there, completely ignored, and honestly it drives me a little crazy — seriously, some of these should be on everyone's list. So let's talk about 10 underrated Halloween horror movies you can watch this spooky season.
First category is Haunts:
1. Hauntedween
Hauntedween is a campy, low-budget horror movie set on Halloween. The movie opens with a young girl being brutally murdered inside a haunted house 20 years prior. Then it jumps to the present, where a fraternity is trying to throw a haunted house to make some money.
A strange man shows up at their door and tells them he has the perfect location. It's the same haunted house where the girl was killed 20 years earlier. He gives them the keys, and they decide to fix the place up and turn it into a fun little haunted house for Halloween night.
But when the haunted house opens, the killer returns and starts killing people inside. The best part is that the killer makes a show out of his murders. People walking through the haunt think everything is part of the act. They assume the deaths are fake.
There's something weirdly charming about it — like it was made by people who actually lived in that town and just grabbed whoever was around to act in it. Some of the deaths are really cool, although it takes a little time to get to them. There's a lot of melodramatic cheesy relationship drama, but once the haunted house gets going, it becomes a lot of fun. The creative kills are cool considering the low budget. You can currently stream it on Tubi, Fawesome and Fandango for free with ads.
Another low budget haunted house horror movie is:
2. Scary Movie
Do not confuse the 1991 Scary Movie with the comedy movies from the early 2000s. This one centers on a young teenage boy named Warren, a huge geek who goes to a haunted house with a group of friends because he is trying to impress a girl.
Warren overhears that a psychiatric patient has escaped from a local mental institution. He's freaked out, but he still decides to go through the haunt. He is scared of absolutely everything and might be one of the biggest scaredy-cats I have ever seen.
John Hawkes plays Warren and he's amazing. His performance is very physical, and he gives the character so much personality through his expressions, looks, and eyes. There is a slapstick feel to the movie, with plenty of comedy mixed into the situation.
The haunted house itself is another low-budget, homegrown attraction, but the filmmakers get creative with the props. The story starts out like a straightforward killer movie, but it eventually becomes something different. That was a very creative choice and made the movie feel a little ahead of its time.
It's got those autumnal pumpkin vibes everywhere, so it really truly feels like Halloween. You can watch it free with ads on Tubi, Fawesome, Fandango and Plex links below.
Another haunted house-set horror is:
3. Hellfest
Hellfest from 2018 is another movie that feels overlooked. It centers on a group of friends who visit a huge Halloween theme park attraction called Hellfest. Think of something similar to Halloween Horror Nights, with different haunted attractions spread throughout the park.
Unfortunately, there is a real killer stalking them.
The lead actress makes for a good final girl, and the movie has some interesting kills. I especially love the environment. The amusement park setting is genuinely unsettling — it nails that feeling of something being just slightly off, which is exactly what Halloween should feel like.
It also has a creepy ending and is simply a fun, entertaining horror movie that does what a Halloween horror movie sets out to do. You can watch it free on Fawesome and Pluto or rent it on Amazon Prime.
Next we are moving into the category of Halloween Parties. First is:
4. Murder Party
Murder Party is this weird little horror comedy from Jeremy Saulnier, who later directed movies such as Blue Ruin and Green Room, which are amazing films.
The story takes place on Halloween night. A man gets out of work and finds an invitation to a murder party. He assumes it is simply a Halloween party, but when he arrives, he discovers that the party is actually a setup to murder someone.
He is the victim.
The people who have lured him there are pretentious art students, and the movie has fun with the idea of people who take their art far too seriously. It's goofy as hell, but then out of nowhere it goes places you really weren't expecting — like, genuinely uncomfortable places.
Right out of the gate, the movie hits you with gory violence you genuinely don't see coming — I actually rewound it. It slows down a little in the middle, and the characters can be annoying, although that seems to be part of the point. Then the final act really picks things back up with an intense chase, lots of blood, and impressive gore.
Look, I laughed, I cringed, I had a great time — what more do you want from a Halloween movie? And you can watch it on Fandango free with ads.
Next category is Creature Features:
5. The Hollow
The Hollow from 2004 is essentially a teen version of the Headless Horseman story. The movie was made for television, reportedly for ABC Family, and centers on a group of kids living in Sleepy Hollow.
The Headless Horseman comes to life for real and begins hunting the main character, who is a descendant of Ichabod Crane.
This movie is cheesy and has some cringey dialogue, but I think it's a lot of fun. It has a nostalgic feel, and it is fun to see a teen slasher involving the Headless Horseman.
You can watch it free on Roku, Plex and on YouTube.
6. Dark Harvest
Dark Harvest from 2023 centers on a small town where, every Halloween night, the town's boys have to go out and defeat a creature known as Sawtooth Jack.
Based on the book of the same name, this is a very bleak and dark story. It leaves a lot of questions unanswered and can be quite ambiguous, but the creature design looks like a cool mashup of Pumpkinhead and Sam from Trick 'r Treat.
Atmosphere definitely it's over 9000- there's moments on here that are absolutely unmistakably Halloween night. The costumes are really cool, and the idea of a town forcing its children to fight a monster for the greater good is horrifying on its own.
It also has some incredible gore. There is one scene where blood pours through the air like rain, and it's just so beautiful. It honestly baffles me that more people haven't seen this one — it should be on everyone's October rotation. You can watch it free on Tubi or for subscribers on Amazon Prime.
Next category is Found Footage, my favorite category:
7. Project Eerie
Project Eerie is a found-footage horror movie about two young boys who are live-streaming their Halloween night. They break into a facility and steal a videotape called Project Eerie.
They begin watching the tape, and that is what we see throughout much of the movie. The tapes contain strange events from around the world, including stories involving aliens.
This is a very low-budget movie, and not a lot happens, but it is still fun and entertaining for Halloween. It is silly in places, and some of the stories are hit or miss, but there are enough interesting moments to make it worth watching.
You can rent it on Amazon Prime.
8. The Collingswood Story
The Collingswood Story from 2002 is one of my favorite found-footage horror movies ever. I will never stop talking about this movie. It was one of the early desktop horror movies and is set on Halloween.
The story follows a long-distance couple who communicate through web chat. This was back when webcams were just starting out, so much of the movie takes place on a computer as they explore the internet, various chat rooms, and the weird people they meet online.
Eventually, they have an online séance with a psychic and find out that something strange has happened at the girlfriend's house.
Fair warning — it takes its time getting going, but if you were online in the early 2000s, the nostalgia alone makes it worth it. I love the desktop footage and how well it is used. It makes the story feel claustrophobic and intense at times. Seeing the old websites also adds to the experience.
The story becomes increasingly creepy as they research the case online, leading to a very creepy finale in the attic that will haunt me forever. You can rent it on Amazon Prime. It used to be on Shudder.
The next category is Kids Made for TV Horror Movies:
9. Cry Baby Lane
Cry Baby Lane is an infamous Nickelodeon horror movie set on Halloween night. There were rumors that the story was too dark for kids, and Nickelodeon pulled it from the air and it never aired it again, but they just forgot about it. It was eventually rediscovered years later.
The movie feels a lot like a longer episode of Are You Afraid of the Dark? It follows two boys living in a small town who are friends with the local mortician, played by Frank Langella.
He tells them the story of Cry Baby Lane, which is about a farmer who had conjoined twin sons. One was evil and one was good. After they died, he chopped them in half and buried the evil one on Cry Baby Lane, where his crying can supposedly be heard every night.
The boys accidentally unleash this demon force, and the demon child begins possessing people in town. There are even worms involved.
It is definitely dark for a Nickelodeon movie, but it is not overly scary. It's atmosphere is just right for Halloween, though, and it can be watched on YouTube above.
10. Two Heads Are Better Than None
Or watch the original Nickelodeon broadcast of Two Heads Are Better Than None with commercials:
Two Heads Are Better Than None is the series finale of Kenan & Kel and another Nickelodeon movie set on Halloween.
In the movie, we follow the Rockmores who are on a road trip when they find themselves at a mysterious and creepy inn. The place is haunted by a headless knight, and Kenan and Kel have to figure out how to get out alive.
This one is so much fun, it's actually funny and it's such a huge nostalgic watch for me as well. I love the concept of the headless knight, and the various characters they meet along the road trip are really entertaining.
Bottom line — it's just a good time, especially if you've got nostalgia for the era, and you grew up watching Kenan & Kel. You can rent it on Amazon Prime or watch at Internet Archive above. It's listed as Season 7, Episode 5, although it does not have its own separate DVD or special release to rent, which is a shame because I would totally buy one.
These are just a few underrated Halloween-set movies that you can add to your Halloween watch list this year. These are a bunch I fell in love with and became new favorites, maybe they'll become new favorites for you as well.
Watch on YouTube. Video by @mandysmorgueofhorror:
