I’ve been struggling with the theme for this year’s Halloween binge list. I started just making a list of horror movies that I like that I didn’t mention in last year’s list. I noticed a theme emerging. A lot of these films were made in Australia or New Zealand. So there’s my theme: NZ & ozploitation.

There’s a whole lot to choose from and I didn’t get to several promising prospects, like Killer Sofa and Fresh Meat. I’ll add them later if they prove worthy.

Note: The films below are streaming on the platforms listed as of October 2025. 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.

The Babadook (2014) — A critical darling on the international scene, this film didn’t do as well in its native Australia. It stars Essie Davis as an exhausted widow with a clingy young son who is on her last nerve. She reads her son Sam a pop-up book about a monster called the Babadook. Sam is convinced the Babadook is real. Writer/director Jennifer Kent’s feature debut. Currently streaming on AMC+, Hulu, the Roku Channel, Kanopy, Shudder, Mubi, Philo.

Black Sheep (2006) — Henry returns home to the family sheep farm for the first time in 15 years. He suffers from ovinophobia due to childhood trauma from a bullying incident perpetrated by his brother Angus, who now runs the farm. But Angus is up to some shady genetic experiments. This one is pretty wild and also very funny. Lovely New Zealand landscape. Currently streaming on Starz, Plex, Fandango.

Bloody Hell (2020) — This one may seem not to qualify as it begins in Boise, Idaho then moves to Helsinki, Finland for the remainder of the film. But both the director (Alister Grierson) and most of the cast are Australian and it’s a US-Australia-Finland co-production. Rex Coen (Ben O’Toole), fresh out of prison after foiling a bank robbery (he was blamed for a civilian death), decides to go to Finland for a fresh start. This proves to be a mistake of epic proportions. Rex ends up tied up in the basement of a Finnish family who are feeding him piece by piece to their cannibal monster son. But they don’t know who they are dealing with. Rex has conversations with a disembodied version of himself who is good at getting him out of trouble but bad at considering the consequences of his actions. Considering the context, this is a surprisingly upbeat movie. Rex’s alter ego may have landed him in prison but he’s a pragmatic survivor. If anyone can get him out of his predicament, it’s his mouthy conscience. Currently streaming on Hoopla, PlutoTV, Plex, Fawsome.

The Changeover (2017) — Like her father before her, Laura Chant senses when something bad is about to happen. But her father is dead and her mother (Melanie Lynksey) does not believe Laura when she tells her that her little brother Jacko is in danger. Then they meet a creepy shopkeeper named Carmody Braque (Timothy Spall) who puts a stamp on Jacko’s hand and Jacko begins to decline. Braque is a mystical parasite who feeds on youth and vitality. But Laura has a few tricks of her own. Based on a YA novel by Margaret Mahy. Currently streaming on Prime, the Roku Channel, Hoopla, Fandango.

Daybreakers (2009) — What would happen if vampires were real? They might over-hunt their food source (i.e. humans) leading to dangerous scarcity and starving vampires. That’s what happens in Daybreakers. Nearly all the people in the world are vampires and there’s a very limited food supply. Ethan Hawke plays a vampire hematologist working on a synthetic blood substitute. Then he meets a human man (Willem Dafoe) who claims to have a cure for vampirism. With Claudia Karvan, Michael Dorman, Sam Neill. Currently streaming on AMC+, Kanopy, Starz, Philo, Fawsome.

Deathgasm (2015) — Hilariously over-the-top New Zealand horror comedy about a couple of metalheads who accidentally summon a demon. The violence in this is beyond the pale but it’s really funny. It is the feature debut of director Jason Lei Howden who went on to direct Guns Akimbo with Daniel Radcliffe and Samara Weaving. I recommend that one too. There’s a sequel entitled Deathgasm 2: Goremageddon. I haven’t seen it. The original is currently streaming on Prime, Hoopla, PlutoTV, Plex, Blood Stream.

Forgive Us All (2025) — The zombie apocalypse has struck New Zealand. There is a cure but it is being hoarded by what remains of the government, an organization called GMA who have rounded up survivors in camps. There are still people living outside the camps but they are on their own against the ‘howlers’. This is basically a western with zombies. Noah (Lance Giles) steals a dose of the cure to save his son and a posse goes after him. Rory (Lily Sullivan) is a woman who had to shoot her own daughter when she turned and is haunted by it. When she encounters a wounded Noah, she decides to help him even if it brings the posse to her door. With Richard Roxburgh, Callan Mulvey, Bree Peters. Currently streaming on Prime, the Roku Channel, Hoopla, Kanopy.

The Frighteners (1996) — Bit of a cheat since I did mention this one last year. The Frighteners is Peter Jackson’s first Hollywood movie and it has a largely American cast but it was shot in New Zealand. It’s a much milder movie than Jackson’s splattery 1992 film Dead Alive, which I only watched half of because I was so grossed out. (The dinner scene is what did me in.) Anyway, The Frighteners is a horror comedy about exorcist Frank Bannister (Michael J. Fox) who removes ghosts (who work for him) for a price. An evil shrouded figure is killing people and only Frank can see it, as well as a glowing number on the foreheads of the victims before they die. Unfortunately, creepy FBI agent Milton Dammers (Jeffrey Combs) is convinced that Frank is the murderer. With Trini Alvarado, Dee Wallace, Jake Busey, John Astin, Chi McBride. Currently streaming on Peacock.

Housebound (2014) — Kylie gets sentenced to house arrest for eight months at her mother’s house. She doesn’t get along with her mother or stepfather but she has no choice. Her ankle monitor will alert the police if she leaves the premises. To add further distress, the house appears to be haunted. Another gem from New Zealand. It’s been several years since I saw this but I remember it as both funny and scary. Currently streaming on the Roku Channel, Hoopla, Kanopy, PlutoTV, Plex, Fawsome.

Killer Sofa (2019) — New Zealand comedy horror about a killer sofa. Actually it’s not a sofa, it’s a recliner, with two buttons for eyes and a fold in the middle that resembles a mouth. It glowers balefully out the window at anyone who might get between it and its object of desire, a dancer named Francesca (Piimeo Mei). This is a very silly movie but I enjoyed it. Currently streaming on Prime, Fandango, Fawsome.

Lake Mungo (2008) — Australian mockumentary about a family that may or may not be experiencing a haunting. 16-year-old Alice Palmer disappears while on a family picnic. Her body is eventually recovered from the lake where she drowned and the family begins experiencing unexplained phenomena. This is a slow burn but the payoff is worth it, if you have the patience. Currently streaming on Prime, Plex, Fawsome, the Roku Channel, the Criterion Channel, Fubo, Fandango.

Loop Track (2023) — I have mixed feelings about this one. It starts strong but the final act is a little WTF. Ian (Thomas Sainsbury), an extremely nervous and paranoid man, decides to go hiking by himself in the New Zealand wilderness. He reluctantly joins up with some other hikers but he keeps looking over his shoulder, telling the others that something is following them. Before long they think he’s crazy and decide that one of them should escort him out of the park for his own good. Thomas Sainsbury wrote, directed and stars. Currently streaming on Prime, AMC+, the Roku Channel, Hoopla, Kanopy, Shudder, Philo, Fandango.

Perfect Creature (2006) — Vampires and humans coexist in a dreary world where a plague is ravaging the human population. Humans willingly give blood to sustain the vampires, who live like monks. But a vampire named Edgar (Leo Gregory) is killing and feeding on humans. Brother Silas (Dougray Scott) joins forces with police detective Lily (Saffron Burrows) to catch Edgar before he can destroy the centuries long peace between species. Currently streaming on Fubo, the Roku Channel, Hoopla, Fandango, Filmzie.

Talk To Me (2022) — Teens in Adelaide, Australia play a party game involving a severed, embalmed hand. When you grasp the hand and say “talk to me”, it opens a door to the other side. Creepy and effective horror flick with a great lead performance by Sophie Wilde. Currently streaming on HBO-max, Paramount+, Fubo.

The Tunnel (2011) — Due to a water shortage, the government wants to reclaim pockets of water in the subway tunnels under Sydney. When they suddenly abandon the project with no explanation, a tv news woman smells a story. She and her crew descend into the tunnels without permission. The Tunnel is presented as a documentary with field footage from the tv crew’s cameras and interviews with the reporter and her cameraman years later. There are some good creepy moments in this but it could have used a little editing to tighten things up. Currently streaming on AMC+, Kanopy, Shudder.

What We Do In the Shadows (2014) — Hilarious mockumentary about several vampires who share a house in Wellington, New Zealand. It’s like MTV’s The Real World if the housemates were all vampires. Co-written and co-directed by Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement who also play two of the vampires. The film launched a franchise with the tv spinoff series of the same name and another tv spinoff called Wellington Paranormal. Not currently streaming free but you can rent it in the usual places.

Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead (2014) — Wyrmwood has been described as Mad Max meets Dawn of the Dead. That’s a pretty apt description. The zombie apocalypse arrives in Australia via a meteor shower. After killing his zombie wife and daughter with a nail gun, Barry (Jay Gallagher) heads to Bulla, Victoria to find his sister Brooke (Bianca Bradey). He meets up with Benny (Leon Burchill) and Frank (Keith Agius) who join him on the road. Meanwhile, sinister military types are rounding up survivors and subjecting them to horrifying experiments looking for a cure. There are two twists on the zombie mythos here. Watch the movie to find out what they are. Followed by a sequel, Wyrmwood: Apocalypse, which I have not seen. Currently streaming on AMC+, Kanopy, Philo.