12 Spooky Movies Like Halloween Ends You Should Watch
As the third film in director David Gordon Green's trilogy that began with 2018's "Halloween," "Halloween Ends" brings an end to the saga of Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) and Michael Myers (James Jude Courtney). It's the culmination of the legacy kicked off by John Carpenter's 1978 original, with Green's movies purposefully not acknowledging any of the other sequels. As the climax to a franchise that towers over horror history, it's a unique moment in cinema. But if you're looking to keep up the autumnal mood after you've seen "Halloween Ends," we've got some suggestions.
To get in the spirit of the season, we're going to take a look at some other movies that "Halloween" fans should check out. There's a wide variety of movies that fans may enjoy, from other recent slasher "requels" to classic horror movies, and offering some surprises in between. If you're looking to get spooked, look no further than the list below.
Halloween II (2009)
It may seem like cheating to recommend a different movie from what's ostensibly the same series, but Rob Zombie's "Halloween II" is a very different vision of how the Laurie (Scout Taylor-Compton) and Michael (Tyler Mane) story ends than what we've seen in David Gordon Green's films. 2009's "Halloween II" (not to be confused with 1981's "Halloween II," a direct sequel to Carpenter's original) is undoubtedly of interest for fans of the "Halloween" franchise broadly, but we think it's worth seeking out even for more casual fans who really enjoyed "Halloween Ends," because it also aims to provide closure to its own take on the story of Michael Myers.
"Halloween II" (2009) takes place one year after the events of Zombie's "Halloween" (a remake of the 1978 movie), and largely centers on Laurie's struggles with PTSD after that attack, and the fallout from the horrifying revelation that she and Michael are blood siblings. That revelation comes from a book written by Dr. Loomis (Malcolm McDowell), who has turned his horror and his sense of guilt into a racket whereby he can make money by selling people his take on Michael's story.
It's an emotional movie that pays off on the almost mythic relationship between Laurie and Michael in a way that's very different from "Halloween Ends." And because it's a Rob Zombie movie, it's got some striking visuals and a handful of the most brutal kills in any "Halloween" film.
Terrifier
While we're certainly seeing more legacy sequels (like Green's "Halloween" trilogy) than original slashers these days, there have also been some exciting new entries to the genre. One look at the reviews will show that "Terrifier" is one of the most divisive horror movies to have been released in the 21st century. Many are turned off by its extreme gore and what some perceive as misogyny, but there's no denying that the movie's got thrills and shocks aplenty.
"Terrifier" is for the slasher fans who've been wanting to see the genre grow more brutal and vicious. It's a mean movie with a genuinely scary villain in Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton), who never speaks but constantly communicates his pure glee about his sadistic acts through pantomime. And apart from the gore, Art is what makes "Terrifier" feel so special — it's the rare modern slasher that's given horror fans a new iconic villain. Whether you like him or not, Art is memorably scary, and that's what matters most in horror.
Prom Night (1980)
"Prom Night" is for those interested in watching more classic Jamie Lee Curtis slashers after revisiting the original "Halloween." The movie follows a group of highschoolers who, six years after the accidental death of another student, become the targets of a masked killer. The movie, like many slashers, functions a little bit like a whodunnit as we're offered a number of possible answers for who may be doing the slashing before the final reveal.
But what makes "Prom Night" so special, besides the fantastic central performance from Curtis, is its emphasis on building out the lives of its characters before the horror really starts. The movie spends the majority of its first half simply getting the audience invested in the romantic and social dramas of these young people so that, when the killing starts, we actually care whether they live or die.
Add the fact that the movie has an iconic disco soundtrack and more than a few stunning dance sequences, and you've also got one of the most aesthetically distinct slashers ever made. "Prom Night" mixes the glitz of disco with the horror of slashers to deliver some of the most beautiful images in the genre, even if some of those images are also terrifying.
High Tension
"High Tension" is the movie that put "Crawl" director Alexandre Aja on the map. It's also one of the most important films in the New French Extremity movement, which saw French filmmakers push the boundaries of what could be shown in film, especially when it came to violence (per Collider).
"High Tension" centers on Marie (Cécile de France), who is visiting the rural family home of her friend Alex. But on the first night at the house, a killer slaughters Alex's family and kidnaps her, leading Marie to give chase to save her friend. It's an incredibly violent movie that moves from set piece to set piece so quickly that you never have a chance to catch your breath. Even when the film brings the gore to a halt, it delivers on its title in some of the most suspenseful sequences in horror.
"High Tension" is a thrill ride from start to finish that reinvents the slasher genre's usual story beats in a way that's very different from "Halloween Ends," but will certainly be of interest for fans of slashers that follow unique plots while still delivering the proverbial goods.
The Final Girls
While this new trilogy of "Halloween" films is, of course, about Michael Myers and his unrelenting evil, it's also about family and the ways that generations of women respond to the horrors and traumas of life. And for fans of "Halloween Ends" that are interested in other slashers that explore the familial relationships of women and their grief, we can't recommend "The Final Girls" highly enough.
"The Final Girls" is certainly a much funnier and lighter movie than your average slasher, but it offers one of the most emotionally potent explorations of a mother-daughter relationship, not just in horror but in any movie made in the last ten years. The story follows Max (Taissa Farmiga), whose actor mom died in a car crash three years ago, as she and her friends attend a screening of one of her mom's movies, "Camp Bloodbath." And through a series of not-thoroughly-explained events, the young people find themselves sucked into the world of the movie, where Max is able to spend time with her mom — sort of.
Max teams up with her mom's character from the movie, and this surreal experience allows her to come to terms with her grief in a beautifully genuine way. We're also treated to some delightful send-ups of slasher tropes and some hilariously absurd kills. "The Final Girls" is a horror comedy with heart, and that's something special.
You're Next
Like "Halloween Ends," "You're Next" is another movie about family and generational relationships, introducing a large family at a reunion in their parents' beautiful vacation home. But unlike "Halloween Ends," "You're Next" isn't about that family loving and supporting one another through difficult times, and instead shows a family torn apart by resentment, struggling to make sense of and survive a home invasion.
But it's not just the family focus that makes us think fans of "Halloween Ends" will enjoy "You're Next" — it's also the fact that "You're Next" introduces one of the best final girls of the 21st century. Erin (Sharni Vinson) isn't even a member of the family. She's the girlfriend of Crispin (A.J. Bowen), and she's been brought along to meet the family. That's why she finds herself at the center of the bloodbath. Erin grew up with survivalists and knows how to hunt, fight, and set traps — all skills that come in handy when you're being attacked by masked killers. "You're Next" is a horror movie that's more fun than scary, as we see Erin fight her way through both masked assailants and less-than-welcoming family members.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022)
While it was largely dismissed by critics and fans, the 2022 "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" has a good amount to offer fans of "Halloween Ends" who are interested in seeing another iconic slasher face off with their first final girl, and of course watch some gnarly kills along the way. "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" features the return of Sally (Olwen Fouéré replacing original actor Marilyn Burns, who died in 2014) and how her experiences with the Sawyer family in the 1970s led her to become a Texas Ranger. Clearly, it sets out to follow up on a slasher classic in much the same way as David Gordon Green's "Halloween" trilogy, bringing its characters to a final deadly conflict.
The movie tells the story of a group of young people who have bought up old properties in what is almost a ghost town with the goal of creating a gentrified yuppy utopia, but learn that Leatherface still lives there. Unsurprisingly, they soon become his targets. It's a wild premise, but the movie knows that and includes jokes about the kinds of people who would find themselves in this situation, and revels in their over-the-top deaths.
Sally hears about the deaths and immediately sets out to once again face off with the masked murderer. Their confrontation is one of the best fights of 2022, and will certainly please horror fans looking for more clashes between aging final girls on a mission and the slashers they survived decades before.
Psycho II
While it's only recently become a major trend in Hollywood, the legacy sequel has existed for some time, and one of the best early examples comes from another iconic slasher: Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins). "Psycho II" picks up with Norman decades after the events of Hitchcock's original, as he's being released from the mental hospital where he's been rehabilitated.
Unlike the majority of slashers, even those few that place us in the point of view of the killers for most of their runtime, "Psycho II" fully places us on Norman's side from the beginning. We see him struggle to return to life outside the hospital, working a job and moving back into his old home. But the world isn't always kind to him, and it gets even less kind when a body count begins to rack up around him. But we don't know who is doing the killing — it may be Norman, but it may be someone trying to frame him.
"Halloween Ends" fans are sure to appreciate the creative and surprisingly successful return to a classic horror story, and more specifically the themes of confronting your past. Norman's struggles are portrayed with great empathy even when we're still unsure about who is doing the killing, and that kind of attention to genuine emotion, especially in the face of past trauma, is something we know "Halloween Ends" fans will find rewarding.
Strait-Jacket
"Strait-Jacket," like "Halloween Ends," stars an iconic actor later in their career, bringing with them not just the weight of their own legend, but the full power of their acting talent. In "Strait-Jacket," Joan Crawford plays Lucy, a woman who's been confined to a psychiatric hospital since killing her husband and his mistress with an ax decades ago. But she's now been released and moves in with her brother, his wife, and the daughter that her brother took in when she was sent away.
The movie initially plays more like a melodrama than a horror movie, but as it develops the bodies begin to pile up, and all of them have been killed with an ax. The movie places us firmly with Lucy, and as with "Psycho II," it's not clear to Lucy herself whether she's been doing the killing or not. She struggles with this and attempts to discover exactly what's going on, while also trying to reestablish some sort of relationship with her daughter.
Beyond the focus on an iconic actor in a late-period role, we think "Halloween Ends" fans will appreciate the focus on family relationships, and the way that Lucy and her daughter attempt to move past Lucy's violent past to create a new relationship going forward.
The Autopsy of Jane Doe
Many of the movies we're recommending here are about broad familial dynamics or center more specifically on the relationships between mothers and daughters, but "The Autopsy of Jane Doe" is one of the rare horror movies that centers on a father and son. Father Tommy (Brian Cox) and son Austin (Emile Hirsch) are both coroners who are tasked with finding the cause of death for a young woman whose body was found at the scene of an as-yet unexplained multiple homicide.
The two work to find the cause of death but are unable to narrow down what might have happened to her, as there are strange and contradictory factors pointing to different possibilities. And then more strange things start happening in the morgue where they work: the radio changes stations on its own, Austin thinks he sees some mysterious figures in the hallways of the locked morgue, and their cat appears fatally wounded by forces unknown.
"The Autopsy of Jane Doe" is a great small-scale spookfest that slowly unfolds its mystery and horror while always focusing on the relationship between Austin and Tommy. That central focus on father and son makes us think "The Autopsy of Jane Doe" will appeal to fans of "Halloween Ends" (and the entire David Gordon Green trilogy) who want to see a horror movie centered on a father/son dynamic after spending time exploring the general relationships between the women of the Strode family.
Trick 'r Treat
There are a lot of horror anthology movies, and "Trick 'r Treat" is one of the best. The movie tells several interweaving stories, allowing it to flow from one vignette to the next without ever stopping the action for title cards or an emcee navigating the audience through the stories, which makes it a unique variation on the format.
The variety of supernatural horror stories are all connected through the now iconic character of Sam, a small boy with a burlap sack over his head. But Sam doesn't just serve as the connective tissue for the movie, he also gets his own storyline that's developed over the course of the others in bits and pieces before coming to a head in the movie's final vignette.
"Trick 'r Treat" is sure to delight fans of Halloween-set movies generally, and "Halloween" movies in particular, simply because it takes place on Halloween night. But the story exploring a twisted father-son relationship and one which centers on the return of an almost forgotten horror that never died are especially sure to be hits for fans of "Halloween Ends."
The Strangers
"The Strangers" is a modern cult classic. After an initially lukewarm critical reception upon its release in 2008, the film went on to become a go-to for many horror fans who want to experience the sheer terror of a home invasion story, earning a reappraisal in recent years (per The Ringer). It's already had a sequel, and now a full remake trilogy is in the works (via MovieWeb).
Inspired by real events, "The Strangers" tells the story of Kristen (Liv Tyler) and James (Scott Speedman), who return from a friend's wedding to James' secluded childhood vacation home and soon find themselves the targets of, you guessed it, strangers. The masked intruders toy with Kristen and James in sadistic ways that allow the movie's horror to function both viscerally and psychologically.
"The Strangers" is one of the best horror movies of the 21st century, and fans of "Halloween Ends" are sure to find much to appreciate about it. Of course there are masked killers, but there's also the dramatic core plot of Kristen having rejected James's proposal just before the attack, making the entire movie more emotionally impactful in much the same way as the family drama at the heart of "Halloween Ends."