HAPPY HALLOWEEN: THE SCREAM SCENE TOP TEN 2025
Good evening, Creatures of the Night!
This post is a little late this year, but better late than never!
No changes in the Top Ten this year, but I've updated availability info:
#10. I Walked With a Zombie (1943)
One of two Val Lewton produced films in the top ten, I Walked With a Zombie is perhaps best described as Jane Eyre in the Caribbean, but what is surprising is that the film is also a well researched depiction of Voodoo practices for 1943. The haunting imagery, sparse sound design, and dreamlike poeticism of this film might make it among the most unique zombie movies you’ve ever seen, made in a time with zombies were supernatural undead slaves, instead of reanimated undead cannibals. Do yourself a favour and check it out - it’s available to buy online in SD for $9.99 from Apple TV, and $14.99 on Amazon Video and YouTube. 1h 8m.
#9. The Old Dark House(1932)
James Whale’s definitive take on this traditional mystery thriller formula is a movie that will have you laughing right until the moment it has you screaming. In some ways, it’s a movie of clichés, with the protagonists seeking shelter in an old mansion during a rainstorm in the night and having to deal with the reclusive family they find within. But the dark, brooding cinematography, and truly shocking twists that rivet up the intensity over the running time, all contribute to make this a harrowing watch. It’s one part Rocky Horror Picture Show, one part The Addams Family, and one part The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. I’m not kidding. The Old Dark House is currently streaming on AMC+, Flix Fling, and Cineverse. 1h 10m.
#8. Horror of Dracula (1958)
Hammer Films had been producing X-rated horror and sci-fi content for a while by the time they got around to producing an adaptation of Dracula, but everything they learned from the success of The Curse of Frankenstein they applied tenfold to Dracula. From the subversive opening act to the shockingly graphic (for the time) finale, this film is full of action and excitement, as well as a sexually feral Count played by Christopher Lee for the first time. A Halloween crowd pleaser! Horror of Dracula is available to rent for $4.99 on Amazon Video, Apple TV, YouTube and Cosmo Go. 1h 22m.
#7. The Spiral Staircase (1946)
This RKO classic is another great take on the old dark house subgenre, from noir director Robert Siodmak. A masterpiece of suspense, featuring wonderful production design and dynamite performances from its cast, this movie will draw you in to the world of a mute servant named Helen trapped in a dark manor on a stormy night with a whole cast of lunatics! A forerunner of giallo (no, really!), this classic and classy thriller is not to be missed! The Spiral Staircase is currently streaming on Flix Fling. 1h 23m.
While the 1986 remake may be more well known today, the original rendition of this body horror classic still retains a punch with its central mystery, compelling drama, and traumatic ending. Excellent creature effects and memorable moments like a woman screaming seen through compound eyes cement this as one of the great sci-fi/horror films of its time! The Fly is currently available to stream on Hollywood Suite and to rent for $4.99 on Amazon Video, YouTube, and Cosmo Go. 1h 34m.
While it may come across as fairly tame by today’s standards, in 1960 the seminal British horror film Peeping Tom was considered so offensive it single-handedly ended the career of its director, former national treasure Michael Powell. Today, the film still has the power to disturb through its exploration of the relationship between victims, voyeurs, and viewers. Peeping Tom is currently available to stream on Amazon Prime, and to rent on Apple and Amazon for $4.99. 1h 41m.
Ishiro Honda’s classic giant monster movie, the progenitor of all kaiju and tokusatsu movies to come, is a masterpiece of ingenuity and imagination. But more than that, it’s a powerful statement about the horrors of nuclear war, an angry and relentless funeral dirge mourning for the Japanese lives lost and raging against the American foreign policy that continued to poison Japan with radiation even after the war. Godzilla is an apocalypse personified, the great revenge of the natural world against the hubris of man that has harmed it. But Gojira is also a film about the immense weight of personal and scientific responsibility weighed against the greater good, and its position on the use of weapons of mass destruction is perhaps more nuanced than you’d expect. Don’t let the campy reputation of Godzilla in the West fool you. Clear your mind of that and sit down to watch this powerful black & white epic. Gojira is streaming on Criterion Channel, and can be rented on Apple for $4.99. 1h 38m.
The American adaptation Godzilla, King of the Monsters! (1956) is also worth a watch, and is available to stream on the Criterion Channel, and to rent on Apple for $4.99. 1h 20m.
Cat People is brilliant. The first of Val Lewton’s horror movies for RKO, it best exemplifies his shadow drenched, suggestive, adult, contemporary, and ambiguous brand of horror. Irena is convinced that if she experiences sexual excitement, she will turn into a black panther and kill the man she loves. Her husband is convinced it’s all in her head. What is the truth? Cat People gives the viewer plenty to chew on while being the first horror movie to understand that less is more, that the monster is scarier if you can’t see it, and also how to pull off a jump scare.You can find this absolute classic to stream on Amazon Prime, and to purchase for $9.99 on Apple, Amazon, and YouTube. 1h 10m.
#2. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931)
Early on in the first Hollywood horror craze, Paramount Pictures managed to outdo their main competitor Universal with this masterpiece from director Rouben Mamoulian. With a use of sound, visuals, effects, script, and performance far beyond what most films were doing at the time, this adaptation reigns supreme among other versions of the same story. Fredric March utterly inhabits the dual title role, but it’s Miriam Hopkins’ performance that will stick with you in this superb examination of domestic abuse, alcoholism, and the beast that dwells within us.
The film is available to rent on YouTube for $4.99. 1h 38m.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho changed the horror genre for decades to come. A low budget thriller based around its two big twists, the film’s power is a little muted now that those twists have been thoroughly disseminated through pop culture osmosis, Psycho is still a master class in pacing and tension through its first half, and contains an incredible performance from actor Anthony Perkins.
You can stream Psycho on Hollywood Suit and rent it on Amazon Video, Apple TV, Cosmo Go, and YouTube for $4.99. 1h 49m.
