The 17 Best Back-to-School Horror Movies Now on Streaming

The 17 best back-to-school horror movies

Written by Zee

September 12, 2023

In Lists and Movies

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Summer vacation is over and it’s time to head back to class and hit the books. Unless your school has a coven of witches, body-snatching aliens, or blood-thirsty killer on the loose. Here are the best back-to-school horror movies to help you cope with — or celebrate — the start of a new school year.

The best school horror movies on streaming now


Perpetrator movie poster (Best back-to-school horror movies)

#17: Perpetrator (2023)

Two weeks before her 18th birthday, troubled teen Jonny is sent to live with her estranged (and creepy) aunt. It’s there that she learns about who — and more importantly what — she is.

Her aunt enrolls her in a private school where she makes zero effort to fit in. She soon hears about the number of girls who have gone missing in the small town and Jonny uses her newfound powers to find them.

The new Shudder original film written and directed by Jennifer Reeder has critics and audiences divided, with the former loving it and the latter not so much. With equal parts metaphor and gore, the feminist avant-garde film is not for everyone, but films like this never are. And Perpetrator is destined to become a cult classic.

Where to stream it:

AMC+, Shudder


Return to Horror High movie poster (Best back-to-school horror movies)

#16: Return to Horror High (1987)

A film crew returns to the scene 5 years after a series of murders to make a documentary.

While the National Film Registry won’t be adding Return to Horror High to the Library of Congress any time soon, the movie helped pave the way for meta-horror-with-a-sense-of-humor a decade before Scream.

A lot of the killings occur off-screen — so don’t expect a splatterfest — but the movie has its moments. And 15 minutes of screen time with a 25-year-old George Clooney should be reason enough for some to watch.

Where to stream it:

Screambox

FASTs: Tubi


Prom Night movie poster (Best back-to-school horror movies)

#15: Prom Night (1980)

A group of kids playing hide and seek in an abandoned convent accidentally send a 10-year-old schoolmate to her death. Naturally, they vow to keep it a secret to the grave. Six years later, on the night of their prom, a prank-calling killer starts sending them there.

It’s not who you go with, honey. It’s who takes you home.

Wendy

As you might glean from the title, it borrows heavily from Carrie, but it also inspired I Know What You Did Last Summer.

Most of the makeup budget was probably spent on the final kill, so it’s a little less gory than its contemporaries. The low-budget Canadian slasher starred Jamie Lee Curtis at the height of her scream queen days — who was nominated for a Genie Award for best foreign actress in the Great White North.

Where to stream it:

Criterion Channel, Peacock, Shudder, Fubo, Philo

FASTs: Crackle, Freevee, Pluto TV, Popcornflix, Redbox, The Roku Channel, Tubi


The Slumber Party Massacre movie poster (Best back-to-school horror movies)

#14: The Slumber Party Massacre (1982)

The girls’ high school basketball team has a slumber to bare their souls… and everything else. Unfortunately for them, a couple of horny jocks from school aren’t the only ones lurking outside the house.

Cue the psychotic killer with a 24″ power drill.

Written by a woman, directed by a woman, it was initially planned as a parody of have-sex-and-die horror. But it was shot as a straight up horror flick instead.

While it may be considered tame compared to later slashers, The Slumber Party Massacre lives up to its name and its VHS box cover. Look forward to lots of butts, boobs, and blood.

Where to stream it:

Criterion Channel, Screambox, Fubo

FASTs: Crackle, Freevee, Plex, Pluto TV, Popcornflix, Redbox


Student Bodies movie poster (Best back-to-school horror movies)

#13: Student Bodies (1981)

Student Bodies was a true pioneer as it was the first movie to parody the slasher genre. It laid the groundwork for Scary Movie almost 20 years later.

As a heavy-breathing serial killer — aptly named The Breather — slays any teens who dare to have sex, a kill count number appears on the screen.

We see the killer choosing his next weapon, as his hand hovers above a noose, a hammer, bullets and more — then decides on a paper clip. (Could scene have inspired Eli Roth’s Hostel?) Other murder weapons include a chalkboard eraser, eggplant, and bookends.

Where to stream it:

FASTs: Pluto TV


Happy Birthday to Me movie poster (Best back-to-school horror movies)

#12: Happy Birthday to Me (1981)

Wandering far from her wholesome Little House on the Prairie, Melissa Sue Anderson stars in this Canada-US co-production.

The elite clique at Crawford Academy, humbly called the Top Ten, is slowly losing its members. But not because they’re heading off to college. They’re being brutally murdered with straight razors and shish kebabs.

There are some creative deaths, and with its use of red herrings and plot twists, it creeps into giallo territory. So fans of mystery horrors should find a lot to enjoy here.

One thing’s for certain, its 29% Critics Score at Rotten Tomatoes makes it one of the most underrated slashers of the 80s.

Where to stream it:

Fubo

FASTs: Tubi


Disturbing Behavior movie poster (Best back-to-school horror movies)

#11: Disturbing Behavior (1998)

Underachieving outcast Gavin gives new kid Steve a breakdown of all the cliques at Cradle Bay High — the motorheads, geeks, skaters, and the mandatory preppy jocks. But the “Blue Ribbons” aren’t your typical jocks.

It isn’t long before a brainwashed Gavin joins the evil Blue Ribbon Club, leaving Steve and bad girl Rachel to battle the forces of evil in Cradle Bay.

“Sounds razor.”

Rachel Wagner

With a Stepford Wives take on high school life, Disturbing Behavior is peak Katie Holmes with an alt-rock soundtrack that is pure 90s.

Where to stream it:

FASTs & Library streamers: Freevee, Pluto TV, Tubi, Hoopla


Freaky movie poster (Best back-to-school horror movies)

#10: Freaky (2020)

In this modern horror take on Freaky Friday, the 6’5″ Vince Vaughn swaps bodies with 5’5″ Kathryn Newton.

Fighting for her life, high school outcast Millie stabs the Blissfield Butcher with a magic dagger. The 2 wake up in different places the next day to discover they’re not quite themselves. And she has 24 hours to stab him again — or she’ll have balls forever.

I learned something when I was in your body too… having balls sucks!

Millie Kessler

Some serious gore, a good number of laughs, and a well-paced plot. Nothing groundbreaking, but a lot of fun. We even get the ugly-duckling-becomes-hot-girl scene that’s so critical to girl-life high school movies.

Where to stream it:

FASTs: Freevee


Jennifer's Body movie poster (Best back-to-school horror movies)

#9: Jennifer’s Body (2009)

Friends since childhood, Jennifer and Needy remain besties — even though Jennifer blossomed (a lot) and Needy… well, her nickname says it all.

However, after Jennifer is the human sacrifice in a Satanic ritual, things kind of change. Needy starts to see Jennifer for what she is and their longstanding, albeit lopsided, BFF relationship is finally called into question.

“Jennifer’s evil.”

“I know.”

“No, I mean she’s actually evil. Not high school evil.”

It’s no small task to make a slasher full of sex and gore that is also about female relationships and empowerment. But Jennifer’s pulls it off. So well in fact, that you can turn the metaphors on or off as easy as subtitles.

Where to stream it:

Max, DirecTV Stream


Ginger Snaps movie poster (Best back-to-school horror movies)

#7: Ginger Snaps (2000)

Teen sisters Brigitte and Ginger have a morbid fascination with death, and it won’t be long before they get a firsthand look. On the eve of her first period, Ginger is brutally attacked by a creature — then miraculously recovers from her wounds.

And all seems fine until the next full moon.

(Get it? The title is a verb, not a cookie.)

With some heavy metaphors about puberty and womanhood, the Canadian horror film has a lot more to say than your typical horror flick. And it does so exquisitely, with both horror and dark humor.

Where to stream it:

AMC+, Criterion Channel, Peacock, Shudder

FASTs: Crackle, Freevee, Plex, Pluto TV, Redbox, The Roku Channel, Tubi


Unfriended movie poster (Best back-to-school horror movies)

#8: Unfriended (2014)

The first full-length feature film in the screenlife genre, Unfriended all takes place on a single computer screen. And in real time. Every second.

On the one-year anniversary of Laura Barns’ suicide — which remains viewable on YouTube — six of her former classmates have a group video chat. But they quickly realize they’re not alone.

After trying — and failing — to boot the unwelcome billie227 from their chat, they are forced to play a deadly game of “Never Have I Ever”.

Ignore the haters. This seminal horror film, made even better with its incredible editing, realistically captures teen life in the days of the digital native.

Where to stream it:

Netflix

The Faculty movie poster (Best back-to-school horror movies)

#6: The Faculty (1998)

The only sci-fi flick on our list of high school horror movies — think Invasion of the Bodies Snatchers meets The Breakfast Club — is another late-90s classic. It’s got the soundtrack to prove it as well as the cast, with Elijah Wood, Josh Hartnett, Jordana Brewster, Jon Stewart, Salma Hayek, Usher and others.

The teachers at Herrington High have been possessed by alien parasites and begin taking over the students one by one. And it’s up to the nerd, the jock, the popular girl, the edgy girl, and the stoner guy — yes, The Breakfast Club — to stop them.

Written by Kevin Williamson and directed by Robert Rodriguez, it’s a recipe for a horror-ifically good time — and obviously a chase scene or two.

Where to stream it:

Criterion Channel, Paramount+, DirecTV Stream

FASTs & library streamers: Pluto TV, Hoopla


Tragedy Girls movie poster (Best back-to-school horror movies)

#5: Tragedy Girls (2017)

It’s Mean Girls meets Scream as best friends (and cheerleaders) McKayla and Sadie try to promote their true crime blog — and get police to admit that a serial killer is on the loose.

And they’ll do anything to help move things along.

If you want to police these kids on Twitter, be my guest.

Principal Reid

Full of over-the-top gore, the comedy slasher is a no-holds-barred commentary on the attention economy in the era of hashtags, main character syndrome, and, as the girls’ teacher Ms. Kent tells the class, “the dark side of social media.”

Where to stream it:

AMC+, Shudder

FASTs: Freevee, Plex, Redbox, Shout TV, Tubi


The Craft movie poster (Best back-to-school horror movies)

#4: The Craft (1996)

The mid-to-late-90s were a goldmine for teen horror and few movies capture the period more than The Craft. (It also gave a second life to How Soon Is Now? by The Smiths.)

In another tale of teen outcasts, 4 girls form a tight bond — and a coven. When Sarah’s family moves to a new city, the troubled teen quickly makes friends with 3 girls in need of a fourth to complete their “circle”.

It’s a witchcraft thing, as they require the 4 elements to become real witches. But it isn’t long before their witching powers go to their heads, threatening the the tight-knit coven.

Fun, stylish, essential 90s — must-see viewing for fans of high school horror movies.

Where to stream it:

Criterion Channel, Hulu, Paramount+


Scream movie poster (Best back-to-school horror movies)

#3: Scream (1996)

For the second time in his career, horror legend We Craven injected new life into the horror genre when he directed Scream — and the 3 sequels that followed. Following in the footsteps of Return to Horror High and to a lesser degree Student Bodies, Scream achieved what neither of those earlier films did — it was massive success.

And it wasn’t only successful in terms of box office receipts, it’s just an all-around excellent piece of film-making. Script, acting, pacing, tension, mystery — it nailed them all.

It’s also one of the first major Hollywood studio films that could be considered a giallo — or at least its American cousin. But it certainly wasn’t the last — which is in essence the impact of Scream.

Where to stream it:

AMC+, Paramount+

FASTs: The Roku Channel


A Nightmare on Elm Street movie poster (Best back-to-school horror movies)

#2: A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)

The film that started it all. The 1984 supernatural slasher launched the third-highest-grossing horror movie franchise of all time (in adjusted dollars), behind Halloween and Friday the 13th, and just above Scream.

Wes Craven’s A Nightmare on Elm Street was a turning point in horror. Before Nightmare most films were derivative copies of Halloween and Friday the 13th with a different villain. But not Nightmare. Craven showed the world that a slasher could also be deeply psychological.

The movies got inside your head. People at the time were literally afraid to go to sleep.

Along with Jason and Michael, Freddy Krueger is one of the Big 3 slasher villains on the Mount Rushmore of Horror. Like his peers, he got his start carving up teenagers. While it may not have as much to do with high school as other films on this list, Nancy’s dream sequence during class is more than 5 minutes long.

Where to stream it:

Max

Carrie movie poster (Best back-to-school horror movies)

#1: Carrie (1976)

In case you’re unaware of the story, shy and awkward 16-year-old Carrie White is constantly bullied at school — then goes home to get bullied by her religious fanatic of a mother. Good thing for Carrie she’s got telekinetic powers. But that’s not so good for everyone else.

Based on a Stephen King’s first novel (as if you didn’t already know that), Carrie set the bar for every high school horror movie that followed. And it’s one of those rare cases when the movie is better than the book — like Jaws and Silence of the Lambs.

Directed by master-of-thrillers Brain De Palma and starring Sissy Spacek, it is one of the few horror movies to be nominated for multiple Academy Awards. It was remade twice, once in 2002 and again in 2013, the latter starring Chloë Grace Moretz. Neither made this list, and for good reason.

Where to stream it:

DirecTV Stream, Max, Paramount+

FASTs & library streamers: Kanopy


3 Killer school horror movies not on streaming

While most of the best high school horror movies are fortunately available on one or more streaming services, there are obviously some that aren’t. Here are 3 school horror movies worth the rental fee — or even worth tracking down.

If you don’t want to believe that summer vacation is over, deny reality with our Best Summer Horror Movies.

Cherry Falls (2000)

This film about a serial killer targeting small-town virgins starring Brittany Murphy never made it to theaters. And it continues down its rocky path. Not only is Cherry Falls not available so stream, it’s not even available for digital rental. But it’s definitely worth a watch if you can find it.

Suicide Club (2001)

Known as Suicide Circle in its home country of Japan, this was Sion Sono’s breakthrough film and is mandatory viewing for fans of J-horror. There are (literally) buckets of blood as police investigate a string of teen mass suicides. It’s available for digital rental, but only through Apple TV and Amazon.

Megan Is Missing (2011)

A found footage horror film focused on the disappearance of a popular high school girl. Based on true events, it should carry a Parental Advisory sticker… for parents. It’s not on any streaming services, free or paid, but you can still get it as a digital rental at most of the usual suspects.


Photo in featured image by Muyuan Ma on Unsplash
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