13 cult 2020s horror movies to watch this Halloween

Halloween might be good for dressing up as your favorite pop star or meme, but the real freaks know it’s the only time of the year that binge-watching horror movies is socially acceptable, if not actively encouraged. While the classics of the canon remain locked (Psycho is a must for me) and recent box office hits like Sinners and Weapons will deservedly be popular this year, sometimes you want something a little off the beaten track. For those looking for some under-the-radar scares consider this collection of cult, micro-budget, niche, and little-known movies to be perfect for switching on at midnight.

Movies set entirely on screens tend to be a little flat as there isn’t much about the laptop experience that feels inherently cinematic. 2020’s Host, however, really uses the framing device to its strengths. This British supernatural horror is set during the pandemic and follows a group of friends who accidentally conjure a demonic presence into their homes during an online séance. Filled with jump scares and unsettling vibes, even the worst Monday morning Zoom call isn’t as scary as this.

Where to watch Host: Shudder

Written and directed by Amy Seimetz, She Dies Tomorrow is the story of a woman whose conviction that she faces an imminent death starts to spread throughout the town where she lives. By pushing anxiety to the forefront of the horror agenda, Seimetz creates an atmosphere where the fear is less elemental and more deep-rooted. Watching one woman’s unshakeable notion become widespread only underlines the absurd proposition underpinning daily life: to survive, you must shake off the knowledge that death lurks around every corner.

Where to watch She Dies Tomorrow: Tubi

A South Sudanese refugee couple arrive in Britain and are greeted by the country’s demons, both literal and spiritual. Starring Wunmi Mosaku (Sinners) and Sope Dirisu (Netflix’s Black Rabbit), the Remi Weekes-directed movie toes the line between realism and the surreal as the couple face prejudice on the streets and a “sea witch” living with them behind closed doors. It takes the haunted house genre and updates it for the modern era while, sadly, its relevance and timeliness only continues to grow.

Where to watch His House: Netflix

Maud, a nurse in the north of England, convenes with God in this gothic A24 horror that leaves an icy chill long after its depiction of obsession and religious fervour comes to an end. Played by Morfydd Clark, Maud takes care of a famous dancer who has taken up residency in the town for what she expects to be her final months. Recently-converted Maud, with the help of God, believes she can save this patient and the movie follows her as she attacks the mission with evangelical zeal. Cracks soon start to show, however, as it appears that it may not be the father that she is channeling but something altogether more devilish.

Where to watch Saint Maud: Prime Video

Co-written by The Worst Person In The World director Joachim Trier, The Innocents is a minimalist and chilly Nordic story of super powers and the supernatural. The movie maintains a quiet and grounded tone as its story of four children discovering newfound special abilities, including telepathy and telekinesis, twists and turns in increasingly violent ways. If there is nothing you find scarier than a group of small children, this may be for you.

Where to watch The Innocents: Shudder and MUBI

One of the most beloved true cult horror films of the last few The Empty Man. Part of that comes down to its design, a story of gruesome murder and shadowy underground network. But the film was also buried upon release mid-pandemic making it a real IYKYK pick for any Halloween watchalong. Director David Prior takes influence from urban legends, nasty slashers, and ‘90s J-horror before merging them with a procedural about a grief-stricken ex-detective searching for a missing teenager. The result is both traditional and wildly original with The Empty Man confidently defying expectations as it ventures deeper into the rabbit hole.

Where to watch The Empty Man: Hulu

If you like horror movies with a massive WTF factor, Resurrection should be your go-to. A New York businesswoman (Rebecca Hall) sees her carefully rebuilt life thrown into disarray when an abusive ex from her past returns, forcing her to confront the destructive force she has avoided for two decades. A committed performance from Hall, alongside Tim Roth as the ex, keeps Resurrection grounded as the action moves in increasingly gory and confounding directions leading to a truly barnstorming ending.

Where to watch Resurrection: Shudder

Director Brandon Cronenberg could easily have been dismissed as a nepo baby taking opportunities from other, lesser-connected, directors. Across both 2020’s Possessor and Infinity Pool, though, son of body horror supremo David has proven himself to be a chip off the old block when it comes to creating unsettling imagery and probing the way we live. Infinity Pool stars Alexander Skarsgård as James who, alongside his wife, is enjoying a luxurious summer holiday. Things take a turn for the worse, however, when they encounter Gabi (modern scream queen Mia Goth). What transpires between the threesome is, in turn, freaky, twisted, sexually-charged, and deadly as this sumptuous dark class satire boldly asks, just how far would the super-rich push things to amuse themselves?

Where to watch Infinity Pool: Kanopy

Brothers Pedro and Jimmy must do all they can to escape their small rural town when they discover a local resident is possessed by a demon awaiting birth in this gnarly stomach-churner. Relentlessly violent and filled with eye-popping practical effects, this Argentine blood-fest is arguably one of the bleakest movies of the decade so far and one guaranteed to have you groaning with disgust.

Where to watch When Evil Lurks: Hulu

Spiders might only be small creatures but they strike fear into enough people that there is a long history of the creepy-crawlies making their way onto the big screen. Joining the likes of Tarantula and Arachnaphobia is French movie Infested. Set in a rundown banlieu filled with imposing brutalist tower blocks, arachnid collector Kaleb causes chaos when one of his spiders escapes and begins laying eggs throughout the building. Soon the screen is awash with the eight-legged critters in a movie that weaves political commentary on the deprived French underclass alongside its terrifying web-weaving foes.

Where to watch Infested: Shudder

Director Curry Baker is one to watch. With his new movie Obsession likely to be big business for horror fans in 2026, now is the time to get on board with his viral hit Milk & Cereal. Made for just $800 and released for free on YouTube, it follows a pair of YouTube pranksters as they attempt to one-up themselves in pursuit of views. It all gets out of hand, however, when one of the pair turns out to be less Mr. Beast and just a straight up monster. At just over an hour-long, this micro-budget horror is lean, nasty, and a real calling card for a star horror director of the future.

Where to watch Milk & Cereal: YouTube

It’s not Halloween without one great zombie flick and this one-shot French tale of the undead fits the bill nicely. The camera stalks Romain (Milton Riche) as he makes his way home from his dealer’s place and encounters a woman acting unusually. Fast forward to him, soaked in blood from a knife plunged through her chest, and Romain’s night is on a very different trajectory to the one he had planned when he was picking up his drugs. This fast-paced and quietly funny exploration of survival and a young man’s determination to keep on partying is stylishly shot and filled with an energy that matches its panic-stricken characters perfectly.

Where to watch MADS: Shudder

There are scenes in this Norwegian fairytale-cum-nightmare that will test the resolve of even the most hardened of horror fans. Maggots, broken teeth, and a wincingly zoomed-in eye surgery are among the highlights of a movie that takes the Cinderella framework and squeezes it into grotesque and fiendishly brutal new places. With its focus on the slow degradation of the human body, alongside its critique of female beauty standards, think of this as a magical goth take on The Substance.

Where to watch The Ugly Stepsister: Shudder