10 new films to watch at home this Halloween

Halloween in New Zealand may land in spring, but that’s no reason to skip the scares. Some of the year’s biggest and most talked-about films have finished their run in cinemas and are now heading to digital platforms, ready to buy or rent from the comfort of your lounge.

Whether you like your frights spine-tingling, laugh-out-loud or safely family-friendly, there’s a line-up to suit every level of bravery. There’s no subscription to sign up for and no ads interrupting the tension: you simply pay for the film you want and press play.

So draw the curtains, grab the popcorn and keep a cushion handy. Here’s what to queue up.

Twenty-eight years after they first played the Owens sisters, Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman are back with their broomsticks. A curse has kept the family loveless for centuries, and this time three generations of witches must confront dark family secrets, and make real sacrifices for each other, to break it. Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest return as the beloved aunts, joined by Joey King and Maisie Williams as the next generation. Midnight margaritas optional, but encouraged.

The demons are back. In the sixth chapter of the hit horror franchise, Gemma (Amelia Eve), a young mother raising her daughter in her childhood home, discovers she can travel into The Further, the shadowy realm of lost souls. Worse, she can bring what lives there back with her. Long-time fans will be pleased to see Lin Shaye return as psychic Elise Rainier.

If you only watch one horror film from this year, make it this one. Written, directed and edited by YouTube sensation Curry Barker, Obsession was made for a reported US$750,000 and went on to earn more than US$370 million worldwide. Lovesick record-store clerk Bear breaks a novelty charm called the One Wish Willow to win the heart of his friend Nikki. The wish works, a little too well, and it soon becomes clear that some desires come at a sinister price.

Twenty-six years after the original, the Wayans brothers are back to send up every horror trend since. Anna Faris, Regina Hall, Marlon Wayans and Shawn Wayans reunite as Cindy, Brenda, Shorty and Ray, who find themselves stalked by a new masked killer. The Extended Cut adds all-new scenes, so even if you caught it at the cinema, there’s more to laugh (and groan) at. Nothing is off-limits, so it’s one for the grown-ups.

Not good with heights? Consider yourself warned. Directed by Australian filmmakers the Spierig Brothers, this sequel follows Jax (Harriet Slater), who is still grieving her sister Shiloh. She teams up with Shiloh’s fearless friend Luce (Arsema Thomas) to tackle Thailand’s treacherous Mount Kwan. Then a rockslide leaves them stranded on a narrow plank 4,000 feet up. Palms sweating yet?

Horror master Eli Roth (Hostel, Thanksgiving) turns a beloved symbol of summer into pure nightmare fuel. In an idyllic town, the friendly ice cream man (Orphan Black‘s Ari Millen) starts handing out sweet treats, with horrifying results for the kids who eat them. Gory, gleefully over-the-top and best enjoyed without dessert.

If you missed it at the cinema or the New Zealand International Film Festival, this Cannes favourite from director Jane Schoenbrun plays with every slasher-film cliche in the book. Hannah Einbinder (Hacks) stars as Kris, a young director hired to revive a tired horror franchise. When she tracks down the original film’s reclusive star (a deliciously strange Gillian Anderson), the two are drawn into a blood-soaked world of desire, fear and delirium. Strange, sexy and strictly for adults.

If the tamariki want in on the Halloweekend fun, this colourful DreamWorks adventure has mystery without the nightmares. Inspired by Philippine mythology, it follows two lifelong best friends who wake up stranded on Nakali, a magical island full of fantastical creatures. The catch? The only way off might cost them every memory they share. Dave Franco, Jenny Slate and Lea Salonga are among the voice cast.

The highest-grossing film of the year, with around US$2.5 billion at the global box office, swings into lounges. Set four years after No Way Home, Tom Holland’s Peter Parker is living alone as a full-time Spider-Man in a city that no longer remembers who he is. Then mounting pressure triggers a dangerous change, and a powerful new enemy emerges. Less chills, more thrills, and perfect for the whole whānau.