Best Horror Movies to See in Theaters This Halloween

Halloween falls on a Thursday night this year, which means that in addition to all the Halloween parties, events, and trick-r-treating, there are also going to be some fun group outings to the movies in the hopes of seeing something spooky, chilling, or horrifying on the big screen. Lucky for them, horror has become as much of a go-to for studios as superhero films have; Halloween 2024 has no less than half a dozen different horror flicks currently playing in theaters, which fans can choose from.

Here are your choices!

Best Horror Movies to See in Theaters During Halloween 2024

Smile 2

Smile 2 is the sequel to the breakout hit 2022 film by writer-producer-director Parker Finn. In the sequel, the concept of a grinning supernatural entity passed as a trauma virus gets applied to mega pop star Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) who has to face an entire menacing public before launching her world tour.

Smile 2 has been overwhelmingly hailed as being far superior to the original film, not to mention one of the best horror films of the year. Star Naomi Scott (Power Rangers, Disney’s Aladdin) has even been sparking talk about awards nominations (Golden Globe, Oscar) for her performance. With its mix of psychological, supernatural, and bloody gore horror, Smile 2 delivers on all fronts.

Read our Smile 2 Review Here

MORE: 7 Movies to Watch at Home Instead of Smile 2

Terrifier 3

Art the Clown has grown from an indie-horror hopeful to one of the biggest icons of the Halloween 2024 season. Writer-producer-director Damien Leone’s threequel Terrifier 3 has also become the “double-dare-you to see it” horror movie event of the year, with scenes so graphic and disturbing that even the crew of the film was unnerved by them.

If you are looking for the hardest of the hardcore horror movies for your Halloween viewing experience, look no further.

The Substance

The Substance is the dark horse breakout horror hit of the season, and it’s building bigger hype every day. Writer-producer-director Coralie Fargeat delivers one of the best and most biting satirical horror films in years — one with an insane body-horror bend. The story follows former movie star Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) who celebrates her 50th (and a severe injury) by taking a black market drug called “the Substance,” which creates a much younger version of herself (Margaret Qualley).

We’ll stop there, as the actual mechanics of using the substance (and the inevitable cost) are the true “horror” of Fargeat’s film. Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley are both earning big praise for their respective performances, while Coralie Faregeat is being saluted for her Cronenberg-ian Freaky Friday takedown of Hollywood beauty standards.

Heretic*

This new film by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods is going to be opening in theaters the week after Halloween — but if The Simpsons can do Halloween specials a week (or so) later, why not this list?

Heretic explores the dark, twisted, story of two Mormon missionaries (Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East) who come to the wrong house. That house is owned by “Mr. Reed” (Hugh Grant), who turns out to have a deeply nefarious reason for luring the two girls into his house — one that could break their faith, as well as take their life.

Check out our interviews with the Heretic Cast & Crew

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

On the lighter side of things: Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is still in theaters, and some fans may have been waiting for the Halloween holiday to enjoy it!

In the sequel film, Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) returns to Winter River with her daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega) and stepmother Delia (Catherine O’Hara) to bury her father Charles. Unfortunately, old ghosts still haunt that town, and before long Astrid is snatched into the Ghost World, forcing Lydia and Delia to ally with Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton) to get her back.

Tim Burton seems to have struck cult-hit gold again, as Beetlejuice Beetlejuice remained at the top of the box office for three consecutive weeks, and continues to play in theaters nearly two months after opening (it even beat Joker 2).

Read our Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Review Here

Speak No Evil

If you like thrillers more than straight-up horror, then Speak No Evil is the one for you to see this year. The remake of the Danish original film turns every couple’s least-favorite social situation (forced company with another couple/family) and turns it into an excruciating downward spiral of increasing tension and awkwardness — and that’s before it crashes out into a full-on slasher/survival experience.

It’s James McAvoy’s biggest “must-see” performance since M. Night Shyamalan’s Split, and concrete proof that the former X-Men actor is uniquely talented at playing a terrifying villain.

Read our Speak No Evil Review Here

Re-Releases

Check your local theater listings! Movie re-releases have become a regular part of the industry — and seasonal re-releases are a growing trend.

During Halloween 2024, we’ve seen the Texas Chain Saw Massacre back in theaters for its 50th Anniversary, as well as the animated classic The Nightmare Before Christmas, and the seasonal classic, Hocus Pocus.

Also back in theaters are more recent films like horror-comedy hit Happy Death Day and cult-horror hit The Black Phone. During Devil’s Night (October 30th) and Halloween (October 31st), you can find the horror-gaming adaptation Five Nights at Freddy’s and Laika Studios’ stop-motion classic Coraline back in theaters (respectively).

Finally, if you missed one of the biggest indie-horror hits of 2024, Longlegs, it is also running in theaters again throughout Halloween.