This is Halloween

Horror is an exciting genre that has gained popularity in recent years. There's no shortage of disturbing thematic choices available, including hauntings and the supernatural, psychological thrillers, eerie reality tv shows, slashers, science fiction, humorous horror, and Halloween melodrama, each clamoring for the spotlight. Now more than ever, new expressions of filming fear are redefining the genre.

These days when I want a fright, it's faster to turn on the news. When it comes time for entertainment, I tend to go for something different.

If you're celebrating indoors instead of hitting the streets for All Hallows Eve, consider streaming these movies and shows; some scary, some innocuous flights of fancy.

Netflix is a streamer's paradise. Their offerings of new scary stories are on point. The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020) is a supernatural horror drama television series, created by Mike Flanagan for Netflix, and loosely based on Henry James's work, particularly his 1898 novella The Turn of the Screw. Dani, an American au pair, cares for two orphans in an ominous English manor. The job is unsettling, to say the least, as Dani and the children learn dead does not always mean gone.

Not thrilling enough? Try Ratched, (2020–) a psychological thriller about the character Nurse Ratched from Ken Kesey's 1962 novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Created by Evan Romansky and developed by Ryan Murphy, the series serves as a prequel to the book.

Or revisit the Netflix original series, Stranger Things (2016–), and get sucked into the Upside Down. Sheriff Hopper and Eleven will have you right side up in no time.

As a not-so-scary Netflix option, might I suggest A Babysitter's Guide to Monster Hunting? (, 2020). Reluctantly recruited by a secret society of babysitters, Kelly Ferguson battles the Boogeyman and his monsters when they nab the boy she's watching on Halloween. Of course, he's no regular boy as he discovers his ability to turn nightmares into reality.

While not specifically Halloween themed, Worst Witch (2017–) is fun for the family, especially around this time of year. The television series, based on the bestselling children's books, written and illustrated by Jill Murphy, follows the adventures of Mildred Hubble, a young witch from a normal life outside of magic, who finds herself the worst student at Miss Cackle's Academy for witches.

The streaming service Hulu definitely takes "Huluween" seriously. They have conveniently queued up the Halloween episodes of family favorite television shows, making them accessible with one click rather than having to navigate to each season's details page.

Hulu's scarier selections range from classics such as the Chucky movie Child's Play (2019) and Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2013) to recent television shows, including seasons of American Horror Story (2011–) and Hannibal (2013-2015).

In horror-comedy options, check out the new Hulu original Bad Hair (2020), where a woman's new hairdo appears to have a mind of its own. Set in 1989, when the music television industry was new, an ambitious young woman gets a weave to succeed in the image-obsessed world of music. However, her flourishing career may come at a great cost.

In the comedy-horror television series Stan Against Evil (2016-18), Stan Miller of Willard's Mill, where 172 witches were burned historically, is the first sheriff to retire in many years. All the previous constables met with untimely, gruesome fates. Following the loss of his beloved wife, Stan discovers there was more than sewing going on in her craft room. This show isn't so much frightening as it is hilariously gory. There will be blood, and it will be in someone's mouth.

The mysteriously spooky and all together ooky Addams Family is back in action in this 2019. animated movie. With an updated storyline and animation, these characters are prepared for outlandish stunts. They have a pet lion named Kitty, but things never get too far out of hand. (Wink-wink, nudge-nudge).