The Best Movies Now Streaming on Netflix, From ‘Halloween’ (2018) to ‘The Menendez Brothers’

This October, Netflix treats subscribers to some of the best scary movies available just in time for Halloween movie marathons.

In 2018’s Halloween — a direct sequel to the 1978 original — Jamie Lee Curtis returns as Laurie Strode to confront masked boogeyman Michael Myers. Other horror movies in Netflix’s library include Psycho II, Scream (2022), It: Chapter Two, and A Quiet Place Part II. In addition, the documentary The Menendez Brothers features recent interviews from prison with Erik and Lyle Menendez and coincides with a new movement to free the siblings.

For scaredy-cats and those who just don’t like horror movies, Netflix has you covered with Kung Fu Panda 4, Bad Boys: Ride or Die, and more. What movies will you add to “My List”?

Godzilla Minus One (2023)

For those keeping track, Takashi Yamazaki’s Godzilla Minus One is the 37th film in the Godzilla franchise. The Japanese production is also the first Godzilla movie to receive an Oscar, winning for Best Visual Effects.

Godzilla Minus One/Minus Color — a black-and-white version of the Oscar-winning monster movie — gives the 1940s-set story a retro vibe more in line with 1954’s Godzilla. The striking contrast between the color and black-and-white versions makes them feel like two entirely different movies.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024)

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire moves the action back to New York City and the converted firehouse where it all began in 1984. Frozen Empire is the fourth film in the mainline Ghostbusters franchise and combines actors seen in Ghostbusters: Afterlife (Paul Rudd, Finn Wolfhard, and Mckenna Grace) with original Ghostbusters such as Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, and Ernie Hudson.

Frozen Empire does a better job of incorporating the OG gang in the action than Afterlife, which is set in Oklahoma. The Ghostbusters belong in Manhattan, and there are numerous nods to the 1984 original that make bustin’ feel good again in Frozen Empire.

The Hateful Eight (2015)

Quentin Tarantino’s violent Western The Hateful Eight features knockout performances by Jennifer Jason Leigh, Kurt Russell, Bruce Dern, and Samuel L. Jackson as part of a group of strangers who hole up at the remote Wyoming stopover Minnie’s Haberdashery to wait out a blizzard right after the Civil War. The late Ennio Morricone won his first and only Best Original Score Oscar for composing The Hateful Eight.

In addition to the theatrical presentation, Netflix offers The Hateful Eight: Extended Version, which consists of four episodes and features additional footage no Tarantino fan will hate. These characters are too engaging to leave anything on the cutting room floor.

Kung Fu Panda 4 (2024)

In the animated Kung Fu Panda 4, Po (voiced by Jack Black) must find and train a Dragon Warrior successor. Viola Davis voices a shape-shifting chameleon sorceress who can absorb others’ kung fu abilities.

Although the fourth installment in the popular franchise doesn’t reinvent panda-centric kung fu cinema, it still refreshed the premise and setting enough to please critics and make Kung Fu Panda 4 one of the highest-grossing films of 2024.

Woman of the Hour (2024)

Anna Kendrick stars in and makes her directorial debut with the crime thriller Woman of the Hour. The movie is based on serial killer Rodney Alcala, who appeared on The Dating Game in 1978 right in the middle of his killing spree.

Younger generations may not remember “The Dating Game Killer,” as Alcala was later known, but this unsettling tale that explores violence against women seems even more relevant today given recent headlines involving Diddy and Harvey Weinstein. The critically acclaimed movie is an impressive directorial debut for Kendrick, whom many up until now associated with fluffy romantic comedies.

Bad Boys: Ride or Die (2024)

Bad Boys: Ride or Die is the fourth installment of the Bad Boys franchise starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence as Miami police detectives Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett, respectively. In this sequel, the partners and best friends try to clear the name of the late Captain Conrad Howard (Joe Pantoliano).

For those wondering if the franchise still has gas in the tank, Bad Boys: Ride or Die stands as one of the highest-grossing films of 2024. Smith and Lawrence still have great buddy chemistry in a chaotic and fun film for those willing to switch off their brains for 115 minutes and run with the movie’s logic.

Halloween (2018)

Set 40 years after the events in John Carpenter’s seminal slasher Halloween, David Gordon Green’s 2018 Halloween features the return of Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode, who has been preparing for a final confrontation with killer Michael Myers for decades at the expense of her family and her own happiness.

Although the Laurie character seems to have died in the abysmal 2002 sequel Halloween: Resurrection, 2018’s Halloween hits the reset button and ignores all of the other Halloween movies except the 1978 original. Without the confusing plot baggage some of those shoddy sequels introduced to the franchise, the 2018 Halloween effectively strips the movie down to its essence: good vs. evil.

This heart-pounding, course-correcting sequel became a treat at the box office and spawned two sequels, Halloween Kills and Halloween Ends.

It Chapter Two (2019)

It Chapter Two is a sequel to 2017’s It and the final chapter in the two-part film adaptation of Stephen King’s book of the same name. Taking place 27 years after the events of the first film, the members of the Losers Club reunite in Derry, Maine to destroy the evil entity Pennywise (Bill Skarsgård) once and for all. James McAvoy and Jessica Chastain play adult versions of Bill and Bev, respectively.

This spooky sequel featuring expensive-looking special effects and a top-notch cast scared up more than $473 million worldwide. Skarsgård will reportedly reprise the role of Pennywise in the prequel series It: Welcome to Derry, coming to HBO in 2025.

Psycho II (1983)

Set 22 years after the events of Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (also available on Netflix), Richard Franklin’s Psycho II follows Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) after he is released from a mental hospital and reclaims ownership of the Bates Motel. Vera Miles reprises her role as Lila Loomis, and Meg Tilly plays her daughter, Mary Loomis, who starts noticing disturbing things happening on the Bates property.

Although a sequel to an iconic Hitchcock movie such as Psycho seems doomed to fail, Psycho II is a shockingly atmospheric and stylish sequel that in no way tarnishes the legacy of its famous predecessor. The early ’80s were the heyday of slasher films and Psycho II could have easily gone in the direction of Friday the 13th for a cheap buck, but Perkins turns in a sympathetic performance as a character who has done horrible things but struggles to leave bad memories — and Mother — in the past.

A Quiet Place Part II (2020)

John Krasinski wrote and directed A Quiet Place Part II, which follows the mother played by Emily Blunt as she tries to protect her two children from a world overrun by savage blind aliens who hunt by using their acute sense of hearing. Oscar-winner Cillian Murphy joins the cast as a hardened survivor with trust issues.

Each of the three A Quiet Place movies drill home the point that making noise will get you killed, so they were fun to watch in theaters and observe how the premise affected the usual yapping, munching, and crinkling plastic normally heard at a cineplex. On Netflix at home, feel free to make racket with impunity.

Scarface (1983)

Brian De Palma’s remake of 1932’s Scarface stars Al Pacino as Cuban refugee Tony Montana, a man who arrives in Miami with nothing and quickly becomes a powerful drug lord. Michelle Pfeiffer is a knockout as Montana’s trophy wife and detached dancing queen.

At the time of its release, critics lambasted De Palma for mixing ultraviolence with ’80s glamour. While it’s true that all of the lead characters in Scarface need their moral compasses recalibrated, the remake features several iconic movie sequences, such as Montana’s last stand in his mansion. Scarface has also had an incalculable influence on hip-hop culture, so say hello to Pacino’s “little friend” on Netflix to find out why.

Scream (2022)

The confusingly titled Scream, which is actually Scream 5, takes place 25 years after the events in the first Scream as a new Ghostface killer goes after teens connected to the original Woodsboro murders. Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette reprise their roles from the previous four Scream films and are joined by newcomers Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega, who play sisters.

2022’s Scream is the first movie in the franchise not directed by Wes Craven, who passed away in 2015. Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett direct a surprisingly witty and effective homage to Craven with this slasher sequel packed with references to the previous four movies and pop culture in general.

The Menendez Brothers (2024)

If you enjoyed the Ryan Murphy Netflix series Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, you will want to watch the new documentary The Menendez Brothers. Directed by Alejandro Hartmann, the doc features recent interviews with Lyle and Erik Menendez from prison. It is the first time in almost three decades that the brothers have discussed the murder of their parents.

In addition to the Menendez brothers themselves, the doc features interviews with family members, jurors, reporters, and lawyers, including prosecutor Pamela Bozanich. Unlike with Monsters, the Menendez brothers willingly participated in this documentary that has prompted L.A. District Attorney George Gascón to reevaluate the brothers’ convictions and sentences.