We might be stuck inside for Halloween 2020, but there are plenty of tricks and treats to be found from the comfort of your couch. That's right, spooky season is upon us once more and this year we are appreciating distraction born out of sheer terror more so than ever before. Whether you're looking for horror games to play with the lights out or the scariest movies to watch through your fingers, we have put together this Halloween 2020 guide to help keep your mind occupied.
In this Halloween 2020 coverage hub, 12DOVE will point you towards the best Halloween movies and scariest TV shows. Retro Gamer has explored the making of some spooky classics from the past, while Newsarama has some comic book reading recommendations that will give you an excuse to keep the lights on. If that weren't enough, we've also got reviews on the latest horror games, recommendations on what you should play this Halloween, and even a few personal stories from the team reflecting on our time playing the scariest games.
What to Watch?
Horror comes in all shapes and sizes when it comes to looking for the right thing to watch this Halloween, and the sheer volume of content on offer can be overwhelming to wade through as a result. But whether you're looking for a no-pulled-punches frightfest, or something that juggles its scares with equal amounts of laughter, we'll have something for you in our featured 'Best Of' lists below.
Best Horror Movies on Netflix
With Halloween just around the corner, you'll want easy access to the best movies on all your favourite streaming services. This list has supernatural scares, sci-fi horror mash-ups, psychological horror, and creature features, plus much more. Head here for the best Netflix horror movies to watch right now.
Best Witch Movies
It's the season of the witch, and we've gathered the 15 best movies dedicated to the magical woman, from cult classics to family-friendly flicks and all the spells in between. You'll want to watch every movie on our 15 best witch movies list and start practicing magic yourself.
Best Haunted House Movies
There's nothing scarier than a haunted house - you think you're safe within the walls of your home and you're anything but. Why not get scared by this list of the best haunted house movies, which includes The Innocents, The Conjuring, Poltergeist, and more. Check out our best haunted house movies.
Best Horror Movie Remakes
The scary formula is there, but it's been improved upon. These 25 horror movie remakes take some serious classics and upgrade them with better effects and more visceral scares, and they'll have you screaming for more. Head to our 25 best horror movie remakes list for more.
Best Horror Movie Sequels
Sequels aren't easy, and sequels to horror movies are even harder, but these movies got it right. If you liked Evil Dead, you'll love Evil Dead 2 - and that's just one movie on this list. You'll want to watch all of our 15 best horror movie sequels.
Best Treehouse of Horror Episodes
The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror episodes are always hotly anticipated, but some are definitely better than others. Don't worry, you won't have to figure out the best ones on your own, because we've ranked them all right here, in our best Treehouse of Horror episodes.
Best Vampire Movies
Vampires suck, am I right? They may literally suck, but vampire movies are some of the best films to watch during the Halloween season, and we've gathered the best of the bunch. Whether you want laughs or scares, the 25 best vampire movies will have something to satisfy you.
Best Horror Movies for Scaredy Cats
Not everyone wants to be scared this Halloween, and there's nothing wrong with that. If you're looking to enjoy spooky season without any frights, we've gathered the best films for you. Head here for the best non-scary Halloween shows and movies. You're welcome.
Best Horror Comedies
Believe it or not, horror can be hilarious and there are some movies that strike the perfect balance between scary and hysterical. Lighten up after a scary movie sesh or avoid scares at all with the 15 best horror comedies, from Gremlins 2 to Beetlejuice.
Why Buffy the Vampire Slayer is so damn scary
There's a reason people love Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It's not just a horror show about a kick-ass teen who takes down the undead, but a series about growing up. High school is hell, literally, in Buffy, and that's what makes it even scarier. Read our feature on why that is here.
What to Play?
The horror genre is responsible for some of the best games of all time, creating an embarrassment of riches for those looking to get scared senseless on their console of choice this Halloween. Below, you'll find recommendations for every type of game that sits under the horror umbrella, alongside a number of deeper dives from team 12DOVE, dissecting the devilishly masterful design work behind our favourite horror titles, and why we love them.
Best Horror Games
Watching a scary movie is one thing. Playing a scary game is another. With that in mind, our list of the best horror games features nothing but stone-cold scary classics, sure to keep you up at night this Halloween. Turn off the lights, whack on those headphones, and prepare to be terrified.
Video game Halloween events
With Halloween drawing closer, we're seeing more games holding special themed events around the spooky season. From Rocket League to Animal Crossing: New Horizons to Call of Duty Warzone, here are all of the Video game Halloween events 2020 so that you can get involved in the spooky action.
Non-horror games like Half-Life 2 and Fallout 3
Ravenholm, Vault 108, and the devilish brilliance of horror sequences in non-horror video games: We reflect on our love-hate relationship with horror sequences in non-horror video games, and how developers use the element of surprise to trick players into a false sense of security…
Amnesia: Rebirth
Looking for something new to play this Halloween? Good news for you then, because of the scariest horror games of 2020 just released! If you want to learn more about what we called "a dark and twisted piece of playable horror fiction" then you'll want to read our Amnesia: Rebirth review.
Call of Duty: Warzone
Did you think that a battle royale would try to stay out of the Halloween fray? Then you should think again! Whether it's jump scares or the triumphant return of zombies, Call of Duty Warzone: The Haunting of Verdansk does Halloween like no other game.
Dark Pictures: Little Hope
Just in time for Halloween, Supermassive Games has dropped the latest installment to The Dark Pictures Anthology. If you'd like to join a couple of teenagers on a time-spanning horror mystery, in a story where all can perish, then you will want to check out our The Dark Pictures: Little Hope review.
Doki Doki Literature Club
When it comes to video games, horror can come emerge from the most unexpected of places. Doki Doki Literature Club might look like anime fun, but but there's a sinister edge lurking beneath the surface. In Deadnamed by Doki Doki Literature Club, we examine just how effective this game is at delivering horror.
Phasmophobia
Our resident horror-hater, Alyssa Mercante, confesses that Phasmophobia turned this scaredy cat into a junkie. The indie phenomenon is increasing heart rates and inciting screams across the world with ghost-hunting gameplay straight out of your worst nightmare - but you'll laugh as much as you scream, we promise.
Sleuth
With little more than a few beeps and limited interaction, Sleuth is a showcase of gaming's capacity to engineer fear. This 1983 text adventure might look primitive, but Sleuth is a text-based murder mystery simulator that is far scarier than it has any right to be.
Silent Hill 2
Silent Hill 2 remains one of the best horror games in the video game industry, and it proved that horror games don't have to have jumpscares to be utterly terrifying. Here we explore why Silent Hill 2's prison scene is still one of gaming's most disturbing sequences to date.
Thief: Deadly Shadows
Thief: Deadly Shadows is no ordinary stealth game. As we examine in this feature, it has a legendary mission that lives on as one of gaming's scariest missions. Here you'll learn why the Shalebridge Cradle in Thief: Deadly Shadows nearly sent me to the grave.
The Sims 4
Okay, so The Sims 4 isn't technically a horror game, but given that we can't go outside for trick or treating, why not spend Halloween building a haunted house in The Sims 4? We spent far too much time making this scary vampire mansion and learned the horrors of a little hard work in the process.
Tales from the Retro Crypt: How classic horror games were made
The making of Stephen King's The Mist
Tales from the Retro Crypt – Chapter One: Retro Gamer dives into its archives to take you behind-the-scenes on some horror game classics from the past. First up in this four part series, the making of Stephen King's The Mist.
The making of The 7th Guest
Tales from the Retro Crypt – Chapter Two: Retro Games explores the dark secrets, fiendish puzzles, and ghostly inhabitants that were known to haunt the Stauf mansion in this horror classic, The 7th Guest.
The making of Realms of the Haunting
Tales from the Retro Crypt – Chapter Three: Retro Gamer magazine takes you inside an action-horror classic from Gremlin Interactive, Realms of the Haunting, which unleashed a battle between good and evil on unsuspecting public back in 1996.
The Making of Silent Hill 2
Tales from the Retro Crypt – Chapter Four: Retro Gamer explores the making of one of the most acclaimed horror games ever made, sitting down with famed composer Akira Yamaoka about his work on the game and his methods.
What to read?
Not in the mood to boot up your game console and can't find the time to dedicate to entire movie? Don't worry, there are plenty of spooky comic books to read over Halloween if you'd prefer to. From ghost stories to supernatural tales, we've rounded up some of our favourites comic books and characters below to help get you in the spirit for Halloween 2020.
Best Halloween comics
Looking for the best comics to get into the Halloween spirit? Then you'll want to check our guide to the 10 best halloween comics that you should add to your collection to help you get into the spirit.
Best ghost superheroes
Halloween is known by many as the night where the dead return to the realm of the living to roam the Earth. In the world of comic books, some spirits haunt all year around. If you're looking for a fright, check out the best ghost superheroes.
Most supernatural superheroes
Not all superheroes are billionaires or aliens (or billionaire aliens hailing from some distant planets); some have seriously impressive supernatural powers. Here's our list of the ten best supernatural superheroes to help get you into the Halloween spirit.
Dressed for scares
Okay, so we can't leave our houses this year... that doesn't mean you can't get dressed up and scare some pals on Zoom. If you're after a cheap way to dress up for Halloween, here's a guide to the best comic book Halloween costumes on a budget.
Night of the Living Dead
Did you know that there's a Heavy Metal Night of the Living Dead prequel? The son of George Romero is revisiting his father's acclaimed work and we spoke to the man himself about how he's making it happen.
