David Farnor | On 29, Oct 2021

When it comes to the horror classics this Halloween, there’s one place to go: Sky Cinema. You won’t find a silent 1920s flick here, nor many foreign gems, but from The Shining to Evil Dead, there are scares aplenty.

Don’t have Sky? A NOW NOW Cinema Membership costs £11.99 a month and gives you access to all of the Sky Cinema catalogue, both live and on-demand – and, as such, you can expect the usual suspects, from critically-acclaimed genre stalwarts to a splattering of modern gems.

Sleepy Hollow

Tim Burton is in his element with this gothic horror based on Washington Irving’s classic tale “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”, featuring Christopher Walken as the fabled Headless Horseman.

Constantine

Keanu Reeves might not be a ringer for the comic book antihero, but this feature-length outing for the occult detective is an entertainingly chilling ride – with a scene-stealing turn from Tilda Swinton.

Us

Jordan Peele’s ambitious follow-up to Get Out is a creepy invasion thriller with a killer turn from Lupita Nyong’o. Available until 11.59pm on 31st October

Coraline

Not quite The Nightmare Before Christmas, but Coraline is a pleasingly unpleasant bedtime story.

Labyrinth

“I ask for so little. Just fear me, love me, do as I say and I will be your slave.” If you’ve never seen David Bowie as Jareth the Goblin King in this iconic 1986 fantasy, this is your chance.

Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

Can your favourite stop-motion duo work as a feature-length film? By heck, they can: Aardman’s 85-minute adventure is full of visual slapstick, verbal wit and endless puns, not to mention Ralph Fiennes in his first truly comedic role – and, of course, a giant monster rabbit. It’s when you stop noticing the action set pieces are made out of clay that you realise just how superb it is.

Psycho

Shockingly effective in 1960, the brilliance of Hitchcock’s horror remains undimmed to this day. Available until 31st December 2021.

The Birds

Hitchcock’s classic horror remains one of his best. Available until 11.59pm on 31st October 2021.

Swallow

Haley Bennett is chillingly good in this unsettling psychological thriller that’s hard to stomach.

Daniel Isn’t Real

Troubled Luke suffers a violent family trauma and resurrects his childhood imaginary friend to help him cope. Charismatic and full of energy, `Daniel’ helps Luke to achieve his dreams, before pushing him into a desperate fight for his own soul. Available until 11.59pm on 31st October 2021.

The Addams Family

This family flick sees the cartoon characters of old given a live-action make-over from director Barry Sonnenfeld. From Thing (here a desembodied hand) and Christopher Lloyd as Uncle Fester to Christina Ricci’s Wednesday Addams, this perfectly cast outing is creepy, kooky and altogether wonderful.

Event Horizon

This trashy sci-fi about a ship that goes beyond the boundary of space and human sanity combines Sam Neill’s unnerving stare and some strange visuals to truly freaky effect.

The Omen

Richard Donner’s veritable classic finds an American politician suspecting that he and his wife have adopted the antichrist. A string of horrible deaths and accidents ensue, from an innovative use of a glass pane to a grisly interruption to a family party – and, most memorable of all, a in-spired cameo from Doctor Who himself, Patrick Troughton, as a priest who sees what’s going to happen.

Halloween (1978)

John Carpenter’s 1978 classic is the grandaddy of the slasher genre, as we follow Michael Myers, a murderer who escapes 15 years after his disturbing homicide to start seeking his next victims. From the music to the cast (led by Jamie Lee Curtis), this is a definitive frightfest that has little time for character and more time for pure tension.

The Shining

Stanley Kubrick’s genuinely creepy Stephen King adaptation is a labyrinthine masterpiece.

Candyman

Don’t say his name – but do take the chance to go back to the original, classic horror after this year’s remake.

I Know What You Did Last Summer

A group of teens are stalked by a sinister figure a year after they accidentally killed someone in this seminal 1990s slasher.

The Evil Dead (1983)

Sam Raimi’s iconic cabin-in-the-woods horror is still groovily entertaining.

The Invisible Man (2020)

This chilling update of the classic sci-fi story makes the all-too-real issue of gaslighting terrifyingly visceral.

Pan’s Labyrinth

Guillermo del Toro’s beautiful, bold masterpiece is the 21st century’s defining live-action fantasy.

12 Hour Shift

Brea Grant’s portrait of a nurse’s night shift is a “slice of life” in more than one sense.

An American Werewolf in London

Director John Landis wove hilarious set pieces into this 1981 classic, kicking off a horror-comedy trend that has inspired many other directors to date.

Cabin Fever (2003)

Eli Roth’s influential horror remains a striking directorial debut.

 

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