The days getting shorter and the darkness looming can only mean one thing: Halloween is just around the corner. Netflix has, of course, been preparing: its horror catalogue naturally grows at this time of year, and once again it is serving us a fright-filled October.
As with the start of every month, I have scoured the world's most popular streaming service for the best it has to offer this Halloween month, and below is my pick of the top four movies and TV shows to get you in the mood for Netflix and chills.
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Hannibal
Hannibal had some very big boots to fill as the TV show that followed Sir Anthony Hopkin's career-making performance in Silence of the Lambs. With respect for the original, it managed to not only fill those boots but even surpass the acclaimed movie. There, I said it.
Mads Mikkelsen's Hannibal portrayal is spine-chillingly good, while the story, which builds tension across seasons, comes together like a three-part movie that is so good it warrants repeat viewing.
Beetlejuice
This is one of those must-watch classics, which is available on Netflix – for now, anyway – as its sequel hits cinemas nationally. That means you currently have the opportunity to catch up on one of the best to have ever combined humour and horror.
Starring Batman himself (Michael Keaton) as well as eighties legends Winona Ryder (Stranger Things), Alec Baldwin (30 Rock) and Catherine O'Hara (Home Alone), Beetlejuice is an iconic work of magical art. You can really feel the quality acting clout coming together in this chance to be silly and have a bit of fun while they work.
Get Out
Written and directed by comedian Jordan Peele, Get Out shot to fame on release in 2017 and still enjoys a stand-out Rotten Tomatoes score of 98 per cent. Not bad for a horror, don't you know!
When Chris takes a trip to visit his girlfriend's family home for a weekend and begins to feel an awkwardness creep in, he puts it down to their interracial relationship. But as the reality behind the increasingly strange encounter starts to seep in, it is too late to avoid its shocking truth.
Fall
Unlike the other all-out horror movies and shows on this list, Fall is more of a high-tension thriller that has you teetering on the edge of your seat for the entirety of its 97-minute run time. Don't expect your nails to survive unbitten.
In the wake of a shared tragedy, Fall sees two female climbers ascend a radio tower and, 2,000 feet up, encounter problems that don't only test their friendship but also their survival. Be prepared to be pulled in and shaken up; this is an adrenaline hit in more ways than one.
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