The Strangers and 20 best Halloween movies and shows to watch on Netflix (plus 12 to skip) in 2023

Stranger Things

I know. It’s probably no surprise that Stranger Things is on our list. But it’s for good reason! If you’re looking for something to watch with creepy creatures, science fiction elements, and entertaining characters, then this Netflix show is definitely perfect for the scary season!

As it’s set in the ’80s, the show gives off so many horror and science-fiction vibes from classics like E.T., Alien, The Goonies, and A Nightmare on Elm Street. There are also constant themes and inspirations from horror, supernatural fiction, and science-fiction author Stephen King.

I mean the series even had a Halloween episode – season 2 episode 2. Fans of the spooky season will be happy to know that each season of the Netflix hit gets darker, with a scarier monster plaguing the town and its heroines. Need we say more?

Stranger Things was created by Matt and Ross Duffer – aka the Duffer Brothers, and is executive produced by Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen. The series stars Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven, Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler, Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson, Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair, Noah Schnapp as Will Byers, Sadie Sink as Max Mayfield, Winona Ryder as Joyce Byers, David Harbour as Jim Hopper, Natalia Dyer as Nancy Wheeler, Charlie Heaton as Jonathan Byers, Joe Keery as Steve Harrington, and Maya Hawke as Robin Buckley.

The series is set in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana in the 1980s. Hawkins National Laboratory secretly does experiments on those with special abilities, including young human test subjects like Eleven, aka El.

Inadvertently, they open the gate to an alternate dimension, the Upside Down, which allows supernatural creatures like the Demogorgon to enter our dimension, which poses a great danger. Those dangers include hunting (and possessing in later seasons) Hawkins residents. A group of young friends band together to find their friend Will and get him back from the Upside Down after the creature kidnaps him and took the young boy to the Upside Down.

VERDICT: Watch

Add Stranger Things to your Halloween shows watchlist on Netflix