Top 5 HBO Max Shows to Binge Before Halloween: October 27–31, 2025

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Looking for something spooky to watch before Halloween? HBO Max has a great selection this week, including thrilling mysteries, darkly comedic shows, and their exclusive original series.

HBO Max is offering a fantastic selection of shows and movies this October, from popular horror series everyone is talking about to exciting new releases – perfect for a weekend binge.

Looking for something scary or just a relaxing watch? Here are five shows Ebaster recommends streaming on HBO Max from October 27th to 31st, 2025.

Salem’s Lot

You can stream Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot on HBO Max, along with the recently released It: Welcome to Derry, which began airing on Sunday with a new episode planned for Halloween. Salem’s Lot came out last year and, like many of King’s recent TV series, received a somewhat mixed reaction from critics.

Stephen King’s novel Salem’s Lot came out 50 years ago, in 1975, and was first adapted for television in 1979. A remake aired in 2004 with Rob Lowe. Despite anticipation for the newest version, featuring Lewis Pullman, Mackenzie Leigh, Bill Camp, and others, reviews from both fans and critics were similar to those of the earlier adaptations. The Daily Beast offered a positive assessment, describing the series as “a reasonably faithful and effective thriller, light on scares but polished and unsettling.”

The Baby

HBO Max has a unique horror series from 2022 called The Baby. It centers on Natasha, a woman in her thirties, who unexpectedly finds herself caring for a seemingly cute, but incredibly mischievous, baby. She soon discovers the infant might be something far more sinister and has to figure out how to deal with it.

The TV series The Baby received a 72% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with favorable reviews appearing in publications like The Guardian, HuffPost, Variety, and The New York Times. According to NPR, the best way to watch the show is to go in with as little prior knowledge as possible, allowing viewers to fully enjoy and be intrigued by its mysteries.

I just finished watching The Baby, and it’s really different! It mixes horror and comedy, but it’s not the kind of show that’ll keep you up all night scared. It’s a really unique and memorable experience. Plus, it’s a quick watch – only eight episodes, and each one is about half an hour long. I was able to finish the whole series in a couple of evenings, and you probably could too!

Folklore

As a horror fan, let me tell you, if you want something genuinely creepy on HBO Max, you really need to check out Folklore. It’s an HBO Asia Original anthology series – meaning each episode tells a different story – and with two seasons totaling 13 episodes, it’s perfect for getting you in the Halloween spirit. I was totally hooked from beginning to end!

The horror series Folklore draws on traditional superstitions and myths from across Asia, including Japan, Thailand, and Korea. Each episode presents a standalone story. Critics have praised the show, giving it an 88% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and an 8/10 from IGN, who called it a collection of ‘chilling, unique, and atmospheric films’ that are sure to leave viewers wanting more. Currently, Folklore is considered one of the best original horror series available on HBO Max.

The Outsider

Released in 2020, The Outsider is a chilling horror series from HBO. It boasts a fantastic cast, including Ben Mendelsohn, Jason Bateman, and Cynthia Erivo. If you enjoy spooky, original shows from HBO, The Outsider is definitely worth watching, though be prepared for a story that unfolds gradually.

Critics loved The Outsider, giving it a 91% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Like many Stephen King stories, it begins with a terrible crime – the murder of a child by a police officer – and introduces a creepy, supernatural element in a small town. Slant Magazine pointed out that the show keeps the clever story of the original novel but changes the overall feel. Compared to other adaptations of Stephen King’s work, The Outsider is a particularly strong offering on HBO Max right now.

30 Coins

If you’re looking for a truly scary series, check out 30 Coins on HBO Max – it might just be the best horror show available. The story follows Father Vergara, a priest with a unique past – he’s an exorcist, former boxer, and ex-convict – who’s been sent to a quiet town in Spain. When strange, unexplainable events start happening, he teams up with the town’s mayor and a local vet to investigate.

If you enjoyed spooky, supernatural shows like Midnight Mass on Netflix, you’ll definitely want to check out 30 Coins on HBO Max. It’s a thrilling and scary series – critics love it, giving it a 91% rating on Rotten Tomatoes – and there are 16 hour-long episodes to keep you hooked.

IGN perfectly captured the vibe of 30 Coins: think of a gritty, violent National Treasure helmed by Guillermo del Toro. Add in Paul Giamatti joining the cast for season two, and you’ve got the best show on HBO Max to binge-watch this week if you’re looking for a spooky Halloween treat.

Need something to watch this Halloween week? Ebaster has updated guides to help you find the best shows and movies on Netflix, Prime Video, Paramount+, and Apple TV.

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2025-10-27 15:39