School’s back in session, which means—no matter how old you are, or whether or not you’re actually returning to a classroom—it’s a fine time to immerse yourself in back-to-school horror. This syllabus includes sections on witches, aliens, mind-control, murderous vengeance, and more, all streaming for your convenience.
In this recent entry in the boarding-school horror genre, Suki Waterhouse (Daisy Jones and the Six) stars as the new girl at a cinematically spooky academy where dark secrets lurk in the past—and students have made “peeking beyond the veil” an ill-advised extracurricular activity. Plus, there’s a masked killer creeping around. Read io9's full review here. (Shudder)
This new arrival on Shudder from writer-director Jennifer Reeder is a most unusual coming-of-age body-horror tale, following a rebellious girl (Kiah McKirnan) who finds out as she’s about to turn 18 that her family legacy involves certain visceral and unsettling powers—which she then uses to take down the creep who’s been picking off girls at her new school. Watch a clip on io9 here. (Shudder)
What if body-snatching alien parasites invaded your high school, infecting teachers and other members of the staff? And what if this all happened at the height of the 1990s teen-horror tidal wave? The experience would strongly resemble The Faculty—directed by Robert Rodriguez (it’s the film he made after From Dusk Till Dawn), written by Scream’s Kevin Williamson, and featuring a star-studded cast, including Elijah Wood, Jordana Brewster, Clea DuVall, Josh Hartnett, Famke Janssen, Piper Laurie, Bebe Neuwirth, Robert Patrick, Usher, and Jon Stewart. (Paramount+)
Speaking of that 1990s teen-horror wave, there’s also this 1998 entry from director David Nutter (The X-Files) and starring James Marsden in his pre-X-Men Hollywood breakout role. He’s the new guy in a seemingly idyllic Pacific Northwest community that harbors some peculiar ideas about forcing teens to conform, with Katie Holmes and Nick Stahl as fellow fringe kids decked out in stylish grunge gear. Read io9's full retro review here. (Free with ads on Freevee)
Another new-kid-in-town tale, as well as another 1990s horror classic, this 1996 Halloween-season staple teaches us some important lessons about the sinister forces that drive high-school social situations, only some of which are specifically witchy. (Hulu)
The same year Josh Hartnett made his big-screen debut in The Faculty, he also starred in this slasher sequel, which lures Michael Myers to an isolated boarding school stocked with his favorite prey: high-school kids and Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis). In this version of the Halloween timeline—which after Halloween II took a pretty casual attitude toward continuity—Laurie’s living under an assumed name in an attempt to put her bloody past behind her, which... nice try, but the guy’s a supernatural force of nature. The cast also features Michelle Williams, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, LL Cool J, and Curtis’ mom Janet Leigh, a horror legend in her own right. (Paramount +)
Misunderstood at the time of its release—but now occupying its rightful place as a cult classic—this 2009 Karyn Kusama-directed, Diablo Cody-written exploration of toxic friends and high-school sexual awakenings features outstanding performances by Amanda Seyfried as a timid teen so needy her name is literally “Needy,” and Megan Fox as her vixen-turned-succubus best frenemy. (Max)
Only Brian De Palma’s 1976 original, please, for this Stephen King adaptation that warns bullies everywhere not to mess with the most awkward girl in school, lest she fry you (while covered in pig’s blood) and the rest of the senior class during her thoroughly justified prom-night telekinetic freakout. (Max)
Speaking of tormented prom queens, David Lynch’s Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me traces the nightmarishly surreal final week of troubled teen Laura Palmer’s life—leading up to the discovery of her plastic-wrapped corpse at the start of the Twin Peaks TV series. Read io9's full retro review here. (Max)
And here’s another cautionary tale for bullies, this time of the online variety, in a tale told entirely through a computer screen: just because the object of your torment is no longer alive doesn’t mean they can’t still come after you (and all your similarly guilty friends) in the name of sweet revenge. (Netflix)