Film Tampa Bay's Top Halloween Movie Picks

Find out what the team at FTB’s favorite scary movies are:

This year, Halloween falls on a weekend. So we thought to ourselves, should we create a marathon of our favorite Halloween movies and share it with everyone? And the answer was obviously yes. So, here are our team’s top Halloween movie picks.

Tyler’s picks include:

Number one. The Thing (1982) starring Kurt Russell and directed by legend John Carpenter.

A research team in Antarctica is hunted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of its victims. Touted as “the ultimate in alien terror,” this movie is filled with ice, snow, blood, Kurt Russel’s beard, and practical effects that would make any horror film fan quiver. Stream the sci-fi, horror movie on Starz and Amazon Prime.

Number two. Alien (1979) starring Sigourney Weaver and directed by another legend Ridley Scott.

After a space merchant vessel receives an unknown transmission as a distress call, one of the crew is attacked by a mysterious life form and they soon realize that its life cycle has merely begun. Yikes! Stream the sci-fi, horror movie on Amazon Prime.

Number three. Exorcist III (1990) starring Ed Flanders, George C. Scott, and Brad Dourif and directed by William Peter Blatty.

A police Lieutenant uncovers more than he bargained for as his investigation of a series of murders, which have all the hallmarks of the deceased Gemini serial killer, leads him to question the patients of a psychiatric ward. Stream this psych-horror movie on Peacock and Amazon Prime.

Hilary’s picks include:

Number one. The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971) starring Vincent Price and directed by Robert Fuest.

A doctor, scientist, organist, and biblical scholar, Anton Phibes, seeks revenge on the nine doctors he considers responsible for his wife's death. Watch this classic comedy horror movie on Turner Classic Movies Fri, Oct 29 at 5PM Est.

Number two. The Shining (1980) starring Jack Nicholson and Shelly Duvall and directed by master of creepy, Stanley Kubrick.

Red Rum, Red Rum, RED RUM! In case you do not know the premise: A family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where a sinister presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from both past and future, including bears, naked old women, etc. Stream the classic psych-horror on Amazon Prime, AMC+ and HBO Max.

Number three. Scream (1996) starring Courteney Cox, Neve Campbell and David Arquette and directed by Wes Craven.

A year after the murder of her mother, a teenage girl is terrorized by a new killer, who targets the girl and her friends by using horror films as part of a deadly game. Stream this thrilling mystery on Amazon Prime and AMC+.

Number four. Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) starring Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon and Meat Loaf and directed by Jim Sharman.

He’s just a sweet transvestite from Transexual, Transylvania! A newly-engaged couple have a breakdown in an isolated area and must seek shelter at the bizarre residence of Dr. Frank-n-Furter. Stream this musical horror movie on Hulu and Amazon Prime.

Number five. Ghost Stories (2017) starring Andy Nyman and Martin Freeman and directed by Andy Nyman and Jeremy Dyson.

Skeptical professor Phillip Goodman embarks on a trip to the terrifying after being given a file with details of three unexplained cases of apparitions. Stream this psych-horror on Amazon Prime and AMC+.  

Caleb’s picks include:

Number one. Midsommar (2019) starring Florence Pugh and directed by Ari Aster.

A couple travels to Scandinavia to visit a rural hometown's fabled Swedish mid-summer festival. What begins as an idyllic retreat quickly devolves into an increasingly violent and bizarre competition at the hands of a pagan cult. Stream this out-there-horror film on Amazon Prime.

Number two. Get Out (2017) starring Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams and Bradley Whitford and directed by Jordan Peele.

A young African-American visits his white girlfriend's parents for the weekend, where his simmering uneasiness about their reception of him eventually reaches a boiling point. Stream it on Amazon Prime and FXNOW.

Number three. Scream Queens (2015-16) starring Emma Roberts and created by Ryan Murphy, Ian Brennan and Brad Falchuck.

A semi-anthology series that centers on characters being terrorized by a serial killer in different locations, including a university and a hospital. Stream all seasons on Hulu.  

Jesse’s picks include:

Number one. Cape Fear (1991) starring Robert DeNiro, Jessica Lange and Nick Nolte, and directed by Martin Scorsese.

Counselor? Counselor!? A convicted rapist, released from prison after serving a fourteen-year sentence, stalks the family of the lawyer who originally defended him. Watch this psych-horror on Amazon Prime and Starz.

Number two. Young Frankenstein (1974) starring Gene Wilder and directed by Mel Brooks.

An American grandson of the infamous scientist, struggling to prove that his grandfather was not as insane as people believe, is invited to Transylvania, where he discovers the process that reanimates a dead body. Stream this classic comedy-horror movie on Amazon Prime OR see it on the big screen at Green Light Cinema in St. Pete Fri, Oct 29 at 7PM.

Number three. What We Do In The Shadows (2014) starring Taika Waititi, Jemaine Clement and Jonny Brugh and directed by Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement.

They are the bait, and they are also the trap. Viago, Deacon and Vladislav are vampires who are finding that modern life has them struggling with the mundane - like paying rent, keeping up with the chore wheel, trying to get into nightclubs and overcoming flatmate conflicts. Stream this New-Zealand-comedy-horror film (now a series) on Amazon Prime and FXNOW.

Number four. An American Werewolf in London (1981) starring David Naughton and Joe Belcher and directed by John Landis (Blues Brothers).

“What’s that star on the wall?” Two American college students on a walking tour of Britain are attacked by a werewolf that none of the locals will admit exists. Filled with practical effects including the transformation of the werewolf himself, this movie holds up as a classic. Stream it on Amazon Prime.

Number five. The Babadook (2014) starring Essie Davis and directed by Jennifer Kent.

A single mother and her child fall into a deep well of paranoia when an eerie children's book titled "Mister Babadook" manifests in their home. This psych-horror movie is available to stream on Amazon Prime and AMC+.