BOOvie Night: Scary Flicks to Watch in October

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(COURTESY OF BILLY FERGUSON)

Prepare to scream while you stream this Halloween season with these freaky flicks

By CASEY ROBINSON

Halloween night entails getting out of the house, whether it be for candy, the Village parade or parties all across town. But that still leaves plenty of nights this month you have to fill with spooky fun. What better way to kick-start the season than by curling up with your roomies in front of a nice, nightmare-inducing movie? Here’s a list of freaky flicks — from the gory classics to horror-lite — available to stream and guaranteed to make you scream.

  1. “IT” (2017)
    Clowns. Enough said. Andy Muschietti’s adaptation of the Stephen King classic follows a group of middle-school outcasts facing something worse than the ups and downs of prepubescence: a child-eating demon who takes the shape of Pennywise the Dancing Clown. There’s still another year before the release of “IT: Chapter Two” in theaters, but it’s never too early to start screaming and screaming with this shudder-inducing piece of cinema. Available on HBO GO.
  2. “The Conjuring” (2013)
    Who doesn’t love a good old-fashioned barn-burner? James Wan’s modern horror follows husband/wife duo Ed and Lorraine Warren as they investigate a malevolent force terrorizing a small family who recently moved into an abandoned farmhouse. Jump-scares abound in this chilling feature, which spawned other horror hits like “Annabelle” (2014) and “The Nun” (2018). Available to stream on Netflix.  
  3. “The Omen” (1976)
    When Halloween comes around, we’re reminded of the creatures that scared us most as children — zombies, vampires, ghosts, you name it. This Richard Donner classic, however, challenges adults to remember that, at the end of the day, there’s nothing scarier in this world than children themselves. To make matters worse, this particular child may just be the Antichrist. If “American Horror Story: Apocalypse” has been a let-down for you so far, try this original demon-baby story. Available to stream on HBO GO.
  4. “The Babadook” (2014)
    On the topic of terrifying children, Jennifer Kent directs this deeply disturbing psychological drama about the creepy character featured in a child’s bedtime story. After the violent death of her husband, a mother must juggle her traumatized son and the demon entity living in his nightmares (and possibly their basement). “The Babadook” serves as a chilling reminder that not all monsters stay under the bed after the lights are turned off. Available to stream on Netflix.
  5. “Scooby Doo” (2002) and “Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed” (2004)
    Love the season, but hate the scares? Just a fan of double features? Raja Gosnell’s live-action remakes of the childhood classic cartoon combine ghouls and good vibes as Scooby and the gang take a beach vacation to investigate paranormal occurrences, and then return to their hometown, which has been overrun by all the monsters the gang has ever unmasked. Not quite the adventures you remember from your youth, these features promise laughs for audiences of all ages and proclivities for horror. Both available to stream on Netflix.
  6. “Halloween” (2018)
    For the truly dedicated horror fans — with money in their wallets and no fear in their hearts — the ninth installment of the Halloween franchise (excluding the Rob Zombie remakes) hits theaters this October. Michael Myers is back, but Jamie Lee Curtis’s Laurie is ready to fight — or kill, if necessary. After 40 years of trauma and “Home Alone” style planning, she certainly seems to think it is. It was released in theaters on Oct. 19.