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Last Updated on October 14, 2024 by Stefanie Hutson

As dark winter nights begin to close in on us, it's only natural to want to curl up inside with a warm drink and a spooky movie – especially if you live in the US where Halloween is heavily celebrated. For this list, we've done our best to steer clear of anything too gruesome, opting instead to focus on the more eerie and atmospheric productions. We've also thrown in a few that are family friendly.

Most of the films below are available with SOME subscription streaming service, but there are a handful that are only available for streaming rental/purchase at the moment.

26 Spooky British Movies You Can Stream

Amulet – 2020 – When a homeless ex-soldier is invited to stay with a young woman and her dying mother, begins to suspect their decaying London home is housing something unnatural. Romola Garai (The Hour) and Imelda Staunton (Harry Potter) are among the stars of this 2020 British supernatural thriller. It’s also worth noting that Garai wrote and directed. Stream it HERE

Blithe Spirit – 2020 – This modern adaptation of Noël Coward’s 1941 play is a fun option for those who prefer milder ghost stories, and it includes a dazzling performance by Judi Dench as Madam Arcati. Other stars include Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey), Emilia Fox (Silent Witness), and Aimee-Ffion Edwards (Detectorists). Stream it HERE

The Banishing – 2020 – Jessica Brown Findlay (Downton Abbey) stars in this Yorkshire-based haunted house mystery. When a young family moves into a manor house, it’s not long before they realise the building has some dark secrets. The film is set in the 1930s and it was filmed around Skipton, North Yorkshire. Stream it HERE

The Little Stranger – 2018 – Set in 1948 England, this movie focuses on a country doctor as he's drawn into the mystery of what's haunting the inhabitants of a decaying country estate. Luther fans are sure to notice Ruth Wilson as Caroline Ayres. Stream it HERE

In Fabric – 2018 – This unusual ghost story is set around a department store during the busy winter sales season, and it follows the path of destruction connected to one red dress. Hayley Squires (Call the Midwife), Julian Barratt (The Mighty Boosh), and Marianne Jean-Baptiste (Broadchurch) all appear. Stream it HERE

A View from a Hill – 2005 – As a continuation of the tradition of telling ghost stories at Christmas, BBC One created the series A Ghost Story for Christmas. During the 1970s, they would produce one ghostly movie for Christmas – a tradition they’ve revived sporadically since 2005. In this one, an archaeologist has a chilling experience after borrowing a pair of binoculars belonging to an outcast historian. Stream it HERE

A Warning to the Curious – 1972 – One of the original A Ghost Story for Christmas films, this one stars Peter Vaughan (Chancer) and Clive Swift (Keeping Up Appearances), telling the tale of an archaeologist who searches the coast for a fabled crown that supposedly protects Great Britain from invaders. It’s based on the M.R. James story of the same name. Stream it HERE

Spooky House – 2002 – Though technically American, this family-friendly spook-fest stars Sir Ben Kingsley (Hugo) as The Great Zamboni, an illusionist whose wife disappeared after a trick gone wrong. Years later, he’s living alone with his pet jaguar, scaring off potential visitors by cultivating a reputation as the local scary fellow. The film was the first unanimous winner at the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival. Stream it HERE

Altar (aka The Haunting of Radcliffe House) – 2015 – A family moves into a beautiful Victorian home with the goal of renovating it, but what they don't realize is that the previous owner murdered his wife – and they may not be entirely alone on the property. Stream it HERE

Harry Price: Ghost Hunter – 2015 – Rafe Spall stars as real-life British ghost hunter Harry Price in this relatively tame ghost story. He’s approached on behalf of an MP whose wife’s behaviour leads him to believe their home is haunted. Price moves in to investigate, researching the home’s history and trying to get to the bottom of the problem. Fans of the recent series Ghosts may recognise the Goodwin home as “Button House” from the sitcom. Stream it HERE

The Haunted Hotel – 2021 – This film offers eight tales of ghostly encounters over a number of decades at a fading English hotel. Stream it HERE

The House That Dripped Blood – 1971 – This creepy classic anthology film includes stars Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, and Ingrid Pitt. It sees a Scotland Yard Inspector investigating a haunted mansion while trying to find a missing film star. As the history of the house unfolds, we get four stories of terror and mystery involving previous tenants. Stream it HERE

The Canterville Ghost – 1996 – Sir Patrick Stewart stars as the ghostly Sir Simon de Canterville in this kid-friendly film about a family that moves to England, only to find themselves living in a haunted old castle. Fans of As Time Goes By will also notice Joan Sims (who played Madge Hardcastle) playing Mrs. Umney. Stream it HERE

The Green Marker Scare – 2012 – This highly unusual Irish horror film was actually animated entirely by children from Cork, Limerick, and Tipperary (they didn’t know what they were animating, and they weren’t shown any of the content). It follows a young Irish girl detective who happens upon Satanic ritual abuse in her small village. The 70-minute film was released freely on YouTube.

Crooked House – 2008 – Not to be confused with the Agatha Christie mystery of the same name (adapted most recently in 2017), this feature-length supernatural anthology was originally broadcast in three 30-minute episodes on BBC Four. Mark Gatiss (Sherlock, Doctor Who) wrote and starred. Each of the stories concern the ghostly secrets of the fictional Geap Manor, a demolished Tudor mansion. Stream it HERE

Boys from County Hell – 2021 – In the fictional small town of Six Mile Hill in Northern Ireland, a group of construction workers are making way for an unpopular bypass when then accidentally awaken an ancient Irish vampire known as Abhartach. The vampire comes from a real local legend. Stream it HERE

The Woman in Black – 2012 – Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) stars as Arthur Kipps, a widowed lawyer who’s been sent to a remote village to deal with the affairs of a recently deceased local eccentric. He soon realises the house is haunted. Stream it HERE

Ghost Stories – 2017 – Andy Nyman (Unforgotten) and Martin Freeman (Sherlock) star in this film about a skeptic who devotes his life to uncovering phony psychics and other supernatural con artists. It’s all going well until he encounters several cases he can’t explain, each of them with connections to his own life. Stream it HERE

The Turn of the Screw – 1999 – Based on the horror story by Henry James, this film follows a governess who looks after two children at a remote estate and becomes convinced the home is haunted. The 1999 adaptation features Colin Firth and Pam Ferris. Stream it HERE

Other adaptations:

1974
2009
Netflix adaptation: The Haunting of Bly Manor
2022 – This is not a direct adaptation of the work, but it follows a young woman taking part in a production of The Turn of the Screw

Nails – 2017 – This British-Irish co-production stars Shauna Macdonald (Spooks/MI-5) as a track coach left paralysed after a hit-and-run accident. When she wakes up in the hospital, she’s haunted by a ghost who enters her room at night. QI fans will recognise comedian Ross Noble in the role of Trevor. Stream it HERE

The Prestige – 2006 – This period thriller set in Edwardian London was written by Christopher Nolan and follows two rival magicians at the end of the 19th century. Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, and David Bowie all star. Stream it HERE

The Wicker Man – 1973 – This British horror classic has been referred to as “the Citizen Kane of horror movies”, and it focuses on a police sergeant sent to an isolated island to investigate the disappearance of a young girl. He’s horrified to find that locals claim no knowledge of the girl, and they’ve abandoned Christianity for Celtic pagan rituals. The movie was filmed around Scotland (including Plockton, which also served as the location for Hamish Macbeth), and it had a very small budget due to the production company’s precarious financial situation. Stream it HERE

The Lair of the White Worm – 1988 – This supernatural comedy includes Hugh Grant and Peter Capaldi among its cast members, and Roger Ebert called it “a respectable B-grade monster movie”. Scottish archaeology student Angus Flint unearths a snake skull tied to the legend of the d'Ampton worm, sparking a sinister chain of events involving Lady Sylvia, an immortal priestess to an ancient snake god. As Lady Sylvia’s true nature and terrifying powers are revealed, Angus and his allies must confront deadly serpentine forces that may have left a lasting mark on him. Stream it HERE

The Haunting of Margam Castle – 2020 – This delightfully bad film follows a group of American paranormal researchers who head to Wales to investigate reports of ghostly activity – only to find themselves fighting for their lives when they anger the spirits. Stream it HERE

The Awakening – 2012 – This supernatural drama stars Rebecca Hall (daughter of Sir Peter Hall) as a ghost hunter investigating the haunting of a Cumbria boys’ school shortly after WWI. Imelda Staunton (Flesh & Blood) and Dominic West (John Carter) also star. Stream it HERE

An American Werewolf in London – 1981 – This classic British-American horror-comedy includes Brits John Woodvine (The Crown) and Jenny Agutter (Call the Midwife) among the central cast members. It sees two American backpackers trekking across the moors of Yorkshire when they encounter a mysterious and vicious creature. Stream it HERE