Top Horror Hits: Here are Most-Watched Scary Movies This October According to Nielsen’s Latest Numbers

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From October 1st to 7th, 2025, horror fans enjoyed spooky content on both regular television and streaming services.

During the first week of October, a few movies – both old favorites and new releases – really grabbed viewers looking for a good scare. Here’s a look at what people were watching.

10. ‘The Intruder’ (47M Minutes Watched)

The 2019 thriller, The Intruder, directed by Deon Taylor, follows a couple—played by Michael Ealy and Meagan Good—who find their new dream home is haunted by the previous owner (Dennis Quaid). The movie was a hit, reaching number 10 on a list of popular films with 47 million minutes viewed.

9. Halloween (50M Minutes Watched)

Coming in at number 9 with 50 million minutes watched is the 2018 slasher film Halloween, directed by David Gordon Green and written with Jeff Fradley and Danny McBride. This movie is the eleventh film in the Halloween franchise, but it follows directly after the very first Halloween movie from 1978, disregarding all the films that came between.

Jamie Lee Curtis is back as Laurie Strode, confronting Michael Myers – portrayed by James Jude Courtney with a special appearance by Nick Castle as the killer. The film centers on a deeply traumatized Laurie as she prepares for one last, terrifying confrontation with Myers on Halloween, forty years after she first survived his brutal attacks.

8. Sinners (57M Minutes Watched)

At number 8 on the list, with 57 million minutes viewed, is Sinners, a 2025 American horror film by Ryan Coogler, who wrote, produced, and directed it. The movie is set in the Mississippi Delta in 1932 and stars Michael B. Jordan as twin brothers who come home to confront a terrifying supernatural force. The cast also includes Hailee Steinfeld, Miles Caton (in his first film role), Jack O’Connell, Wunmi Mosaku, Jayme Lawson, Omar Benson Miller, and Delroy Lindo.

7. Tremors (58M Minutes Watched)

Coming in at number 7 with 58 million minutes viewed is the 1990 American monster horror film, Tremors, directed by Ron Underwood. The film features Kevin Bacon, Fred Ward, Finn Carter, Michael Gross, and Reba McEntire.

The movie follows handymen Val McKee and Earl Bassett as they try to escape the quiet desert town of Perfection, Nevada. Their plans are disrupted when strange deaths begin to occur. Along with a seismologist named Rhonda and a survivalist couple, Burt and Heather Gummer, they find themselves battling enormous, prehistoric worms that are bursting out from beneath the ground.

6. Slender Man (58M Minutes Watched)

Coming in at number 6 with 58 million minutes viewed is the 2018 supernatural horror film Slender Man, directed by Sylvain White and written by David Birke.

The film is inspired by the popular online myth of Slender Man and features Joey King, Julia Goldani Telles, Taylor Richardson, Jaz Sinclair, Annalise Basso, and Alex Fitzalan. Javier Botet plays the frightening Slender Man character.

5. Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? (58M Minutes Watched)

Released in 1962, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? is a chilling psychological thriller directed by Robert Aldrich. The film stars Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, and marks the first film role for Victor Buono. Based on the novel by Henry Farrell, with a screenplay by Lukas Heller, the story centers on a bitter rivalry between two sisters: a former child actress and her disabled sister, trapped together in a crumbling Hollywood home.

Made in Los Angeles with a $1 million budget, the film led to speculation about a rivalry between Davis and Crawford, which they both dismissed. Warner Bros. released it on October 31, 1962, and it was both a critical and commercial hit.

The movie was nominated for five Academy Awards, including a final Best Actress nomination for Davis, who also won for Best Costume Design. Praised for its darkly funny and suspenseful tone, the film boosted the careers of its actors and became a beloved cult hit, even launching a new trend of films featuring older, assertive female leads.

4. 28 Years Later (60M Minutes Watched)

Coming in at number 4 with 60 million minutes viewed is the 2025 post-apocalyptic horror film, 28 Years Later. Directed by Danny Boyle and written by Alex Garland, it’s the third film in the 28 Days Later series. The movie stars Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jack O’Connell, Alfie Williams, and Ralph Fiennes.

3. Bring Her Back (93M Minutes Watched)

The Australian horror movie Bring Her Back (2025), directed by Danny and Michael Philippou, came in third place with 93 million minutes viewed.

The film features Billy Barratt, Sora Wong, Jonah Wren Phillips, and Sally Hawkins. It’s about two step-siblings who become orphans and find themselves caught up in a strange magical ritual led by their new foster mother.

2. Scream (1996) (113M Minutes Watched)

Coming in at number two with 113 million minutes watched is the 1996 horror film Scream. Directed by Wes Craven and written by Kevin Williamson, this iconic American slasher stars Neve Campbell, David Arquette, Courteney Cox, Matthew Lillard, Rose McGowan, Skeet Ulrich, and Drew Barrymore. The story takes place in the fictional town of Woodsboro, California, and centers on high school student Sidney Prescott (played by Campbell) and her friends as they become the targets of a masked killer, all around the anniversary of her mother’s murder.

1. M3gan 2.0 (115M Minutes Watched)

Topping the charts with 115 million minutes viewed is M3GAN 2.0 (2025), a science fiction action movie from the United States. It was written and directed by Gerard Johnstone, building on a story he created with Akela Cooper.

The new movie M3GAN 2.0 features returning stars Allison Williams and Violet McGraw, along with Ivanna Sakhno and Jemaine Clement. Amie Donald again physically performs as M3GAN, while Jenna Davis provides the voice. Produced by Jason Blum and James Wan, the film sees M3GAN rebuilt as a powerful, human-like military robot, and focuses on her attempt to use her technology to take over everything with artificial intelligence.

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2025-10-31 00:45