It’s been a rough year, culturally speaking. I kept thinking of the people we lost while trying to compose my Halloween binge list so I threw out my list and started over. This one is in honor of the artists who died since last Halloween.

Note: The films below are streaming on the platforms listed as of October 2026. If you are reading this post at a later date, they might be gone from those streamers. Check JustWatch or Reelgood to see where they are streaming now.

Tim Curry (1946—2026)

Tim Curry’s death hit me hard. It should not have come as a surprise. He never fully recovered from the stroke he had in 2012. I loved the guy, not just for his iconic portrayal of Dr. Frank-N-Furter in Rocky Horror (both on stage and on screen) but for a whole raft of other things, including a hilarious guest spot on the USA show, Psych. But it’s Halloween so we’ll stick with the spooky stuff. I’m leaving out Legend. Yes, Tim is epic as always, but it’s a Tom Cruise fantasy film and a pretty bog standard one at that.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) — The legendary horror comedy musical and one of the first midnight movies. What do I really need to say about it? If you know, you know. If you don’t, what rock have you been living under? Midnight movies used to be the only way you could see Rocky Horror. There was no legitimate home video release for decades. I purchased a Japanese VHS bootleg at a convention years ago. It’s now streaming free on Fandango.

The Shout (1978) — I have never seen this though it’s been on my radar for years. It’s a folk horror with Alan Bates, Susannah York, and John Hurt. Maybe I’ll give it a shot this Halloween. Streaming on Tubi, Fawsome, Plex, ShoutTV, Criterion, AMC+

It (1990) — This is a tv production and frankly a little cheesy. The cast is mostly tv actors: Richard Thomas, John Ritter, Harry Anderson, Richard Masur, Tim Reid, Annette O’Toole, Dennis Christopher… and Tim Curry as Pennywise the Clown. Tim Curry is really the only reason to watch It, he is great as always. But the ending is pure cringe. Not streaming free, rent or buy.

Gerrit Graham (1948—2026)

Gerrit Graham is not a household name the way Tim Curry is but he appears in several horror movies. If you watch just one, make it Phantom of the Paradise.

Phantom of the Paradise (1974) — Another rock musical horror movie. Written and directed by Brian De Palma with music by Paul Williams, who also stars. Williams plays Swan, an unscrupulous record producer who steals a naive young songwriter’s work. The songwriter (William Finley) is hideously disfigured in a record pressing machine. He then remakes himself as the Phantom and haunts Swan’s new concert hall, the Paradise. Gerrit Graham plays Beef, a rockstar with a Frankenstein-inspired persona. Jessica Harper plays the Christine character in this Phantom of the Opera riff. Not streaming free, rent or buy.

Other Gerrit Graham movies appropriate for Halloween include Beware! The Blob, Demon Seed, TerrorVision, The Creature Wasn’t Nice, Chopping Mall, It’s Alive III: Island of the Alive, C.H.U.D. II: Bud the C.H.U.D. and Child’s Play 2. The only ones I have seen in recent memory are Chopping Mall and C.H.U.D. II, which is more of a goofy comedy than the original C.H.U.D. and pretty stupid.

Sam Neill (1947—2026)

Another actor I adore for his entire body of work. He was in a surprising number of horror movies. He played the Antichrist in his first Hollywood movie (Omen III: The Final Conflict). I never saw that one so I didn’t include it.

Possession (1981) — This is a very strange film and I am not going to try to describe it. Film critic J. Hoberman described it as “an unusually violent breakup film, takes an extremely yucky turn toward Repulsion-style psychological breakdown, escalates into the avant-garde splatterific body horror of the ’70s (Eraserhead or The Brood), and ends in the realm of pulp metaphysics as in I Married A Monster From Outer Space.” With Sam Neill and Isabelle Adjani. Streaming on AMC+, Shudder, Kino, Kanopy, Hoopla.

In the Mouth of Madness (1994) — Sam Neill plays an insurance investigator who is hired to find missing writer Sutter Cane (Jürgen Prochnow), a Stephen King-like horror novelist. Then things get very weird. With Julie Carmen, David Warner, Charlton Heston, John Glover. Directed by John Carpenter. Streaming on Tubi, Roku, Hoopla, Howdy.

Daybreakers (2009) — If vampires are real and a vampire’s bite turns you into one, how long before the whole world is nothing but vampires? That’s the question posed in this film. Almost everyone is a vampire, humans are scarce, and the vampire population is beginning to starve to death. Ethan Hawke plays a hematologist looking for a blood substitute when he meets a human (Willem Dafoe) who claims to have a cure for vampirism. Sam Neill plays Hawke’s ruthless boss who expects to profit from the blood substitute. Directed by the Spierig Brothers who later made the time travel classic, Predestination. With Claudia Karvan, Michael Dorman. Streaming on Tubi, Roku, Plex, Vix, Hoopla, Kanopy.

Robert Duvall (1931—2026)

A veteran actor of stage and screen, you have seen Duvall in something. He was nominated for 7 Oscars, 7 Golden Globes, 7 SAG Actor awards, 5 Emmys, and 3 BAFTAs. He won the Oscar for Tender Mercies.

To Kill A Mockingbird (1962) — Not a horror movie in the usual sense but the Boo Radley subplot has loads of atmosphere that makes me think of Halloween. Robert Duvall plays Boo in his screen debut. Also starring Gregory Peck, Brock Peters, Mary Badham, Phillip Alford. Winner of three Oscars (best actor (Peck), best adapted screenplay (Horton Foote), best art direction). Streaming on Hoopla.

The Pale Blue Eye (2022) — More mystery thriller than horror but it involves a young Edgar Allan Poe so it qualifies. Christian Bale plays a retired detective who is asked to investigate the death of a cadet at the US Military Academy. There he meets Poe (Henry Melling), another cadet who helps him with the case. Robert Duvall plays Jean Pepe. I have no recollection of who that is. Also starring Gillian Anderson, Lucy Boynton, Toby Jones, Charlotte Gainsbourgh. This was Duvall’s final film. Streaming on Netflix.

Anthony Head (1954—2026)

Anthony Head began his career in musical theater. He played Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Show in the 1990 revival. But his greatest fame came from playing Buffy’s watcher (and father figure) Rupert Giles on the long running Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He ended his career playing Rebecca’s odious ex-husband on Ted Lasso. You could just binge Buffy for your Anthony Head fix but he also made a few horror flicks.

Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008) — A rock opera set in a dystopian future where a megacorp provides organ transplants on a payment plan. If you miss a payment, they send the repo man to take back the organ. Yes, it’s the same plot as Repo Men (2010), but with music and a super gothy vibe. I wanted to like this movie, I really did. But the music is not that good. Your mileage may vary. Anthony Head plays the repo man. The cast also includes Alexa Vega, Paul Sorvino, Sarah Brightman, Paris Hilton. Streaming on Prime, Tubi, Roku, Plex, Hoopla, Howdy.

Here, judge for yourself.

Anthony Head did two horror comedies in 2021 that I have never seen: School’s Out Forever and Let the Wrong One In. I will come back and talk about them if I see them.

Let the Wrong One In (2021) — Goofy horror comedy about a vampire outbreak in Dublin. Sheila (Mary Murray) goes to Romania for her hen party and gets bitten by a vampire. She’s now building an army of vamps in Dublin. Her fiancé Henry (Anthony Head), a cab driver turned vampire slayer, goes after the newly turned Deco (Eoin Duffy), a wastrel who is estranged from his mother (Hilda Fay) and brother Matt (Karl Rice). Matt has to decide whose side he’s on when Henry comes to stake Deco. Streaming on Prime, Tubi, Fandango, PlutoTV, Plex.

Catherine O’Hara (1954—2026)

The beloved Canadian actress had her breakthrough on SCTV, the legendary sketch comedy show. She played the mom in the Home Alone movies. But the movie that makes her a Halloween icon is Beetlejuice.

Beetlejuice (1988) — The classic Tim Burton ghost comedy about a young couple (Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis) who die and return to haunt their country house. A new family moves in and immediately start modernizing and ruining the old farmhouse. Catherine O’Hara plays Delia Dietz, the wannabe scultper who is determined to put her stamp on the new home. The ghost couple summon Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton) to help get rid of the Dietzes but he proves to be a double-edged sword. Also starring Winona Ryder, Jeffrey Jones. Streaming on HBO-max.

Catherine O’Hara did voice work in two animated spooky movies that you can add to your bingelist, Monster House (2006) and Frankenweenie (2012).

Tom Noonan (1951—2026)

Tom Noonan was an actor, director, playwright and screenwriter. He is best remembered for playing serial killer Francis Dollarhyde in Manhunter (1986), the first take on Hannibal Lecter (based on the novel, Red Dragon). His horror credits are extensive.

Wolfen (1981) — Intriguing horror crime drama about a series of murders in New York City that appear to be animal attacks. Noonan plays a zoologist who identifies animal hair found at the crime scenes as an unknown subspecies of wolf. The detective in charge (Albert Finney) begins to suspect Native American shapeshifters. With Diane Venora, Edward James Olmos, Gregory Hines. Streaming on Tubi and Hoopla.

The Monster Squad (1987) — Fun kid’s movie is a pastiche of the Universal monsters from director Fred Dekker (Night of the Creeps) and writer Shane Black (Lethal Weapon, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang). Noonan plays Frankenstein’s monster, who is pretty sympathetic here. Dracula (Duncan Regehr) is the real villain. Also featuring the Wolfman, the Gill-man, the Mummy, and Dracula’s brides. Streaming on Prime, Paramount+, YouTube, Yowtv.

The House of the Devil (2009) — Horror throwback to the ‘satanic panic’ of the 1980s from writer/director Ti West (the X trilogy). A college student (Jocelin Donahue) is hired by Mr. Ulman (Tom Noonan) to babysit at his remote mansion. There is no baby, she’s there to take care of Ulman’s mother-in-law. Then the horror begins. With Mary Woronov, Greta Gerwig, A.J. Bowen, Dee Wallace. Streaming on Prime, Tubi, AMC+, Hoopla, Fandango, PlutoTV, Plex, Bloodstream.

Nicholas Brendon (1971—2026)

Another veteran of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Brendon played Buffy’s best guy pal, Xander. It’s been a rough couple of years for the Buffyverse. In addition to Brendon and Anthony Head, Michelle Trachtenberg (who played Buffy’s little sister Dawn) died in 2025.

Psycho Beach Party (2000) — comedy horror spoof of the beach movies of the 60s (Beach Blanket Bingo, et. al.) from drag queen Charles Busch, who plays Captain Monica Stark, the police officer investigating a series of murders around town. Lauren Ambrose plays ‘Chicklet’, a Gidget-like surfer girl. Nicholas Brendon plays Starcat, one of the surfer guys and Chicklet’s love interest. With Thomas Gibson, Matt Keeslar, Beth Broderick, Amy Adams. Streaming on Tubi and Kanopy.

Coherence (2013) — when a comet passes Earth, a door opens between alternate realities. This is a clever low budget science fiction thriller. Starring Emily Foxler, Maury Sterling, Nicholas Brendon, Lorene Scafaria, Elizabeth Gracen. Brendon’s twin brother plays an alternate version of his character when they are onscreen together (he also appeared in the episode of Buffy where Xander was split into two people). Streaming on Prime, Peacock, Tubi, Hoopla.

Brandon made a few horror movies post-Buffy that I’ve never seen: Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest, Demon Island, Unholy, Blood on the Highway.

James Ransone (1979—2025)

James Ransone was a gifted actor who tragically took his own life last December. He first made his mark on season 2 of The Wire playing Ziggy Sobotka. His horror credits are extensive: Prom Night, It Chapter Two, the Sinister franchise, V/H/S/85.

The Black Phone (2021) — Set in 1978, a serial killer known as the Grabber (Ethan Hawke) is preying on kids in a Colorado suburb. When he grabs Finney (Mason Thames) and locks him in the basement, Finney starts receiving phone calls from the Grabber’s previous victims on a disconnected rotary phone in the basement. Ransone plays Max, a guy in the neighborhood who has been following the crimes closely. Ransone had a brief cameo in The Black Phone 2, which came out a couple of months before his death. Streaming on Netflix.

T.K. Carter (1956—2026)

You might not recognize the name but he appears in one of the greatest monster movies of all time so he deserves a spot on this list.

The Thing (1982) — Widely regarded as John Carpenter’s best film, The Thing was a box office disappointment on release. It was one of many great genre films to be released in the summer of 1982. Many of them fell to the juggernaut that was E.T. Carter played the roller-skating cook at the Antarctic research base under attack by a shapeshifting alien.

There are several more actors with horror credits who died in the last year. But my knowledge of their horror output is limited so I will just list the movies without commentary.

Robert Carradine (1954—2026)

The youngest of John Carradine’s sons, Robert is best known for the Revenge of the Nerds franchise and playing Lizzie Maguire‘s dad. But he has a surprising number of horror movies in his filmography, none of which I’ve ever seen.

• Blackout (1978)
• The Tommyknockers (1993)
• Lycanthrope (1999)
• Hoboken Hollow (2006)
• Monster Night (2006)
• Tooth and Nail (2007)
• The 13th Alley (2008)
• Slumber Party Slaughter (2012)
• Nearly Departed (2019)
• Skate to Hell (2026)
• Night of the Rising Dead (2026)

Bud Cort (1948—2026)

Eccentric actor Bud Cort is best known for Hal Ashby’s Harold & Maude, an unconventional romance between a young man and an 80-year-old woman (Ruth Gordon). He also starred in Robert Altman’s Brewster McCloud.

• Out of the Dark (1988)
• Brain Dead (1990)

James Van Der Beek (1977—2026)

James Van Der Beek is best known for the teen drama series Dawson’s Creek, which launched the careers of Michelle Williams, Katie Holmes and Joshua Jackson. I haven’t seen his horror movies but I’m intrigued by the horror comedy Bad Hair.

• Final Draft (2007)
• Bad Hair (2020)

Eric Dane (1972—2026)

I’m not very familiar with the work of Eric Dane. I know his character on Grey’s Anatomy was dubbed McSteamy but I didn’t watch that show. He was quite likeable in the 2025 black comedy Borderline with Samara Weaving and Ray Nicholson.

• Feast (2005)
• Open Water 2: Adrift (2006)
• American Carnage (2022)