If you’re anything like me, you love to dive in deep when it comes to any season, and Halloween is no exception. There are numerous activities to get you into the Halloween spirit, like corn mazes and haunted houses, but if you prefer to stay at home to get your horror, then scary movies are a great way to get into the right mood for the holiday. Depending on if you like general eerie aesthetics or if you want to be terrified, below are some films to watch to get yourself ready for Oct. 31!
For Funsies
If you are interested in getting into the mood for Halloween without necessarily getting scared, below are some general films that should be just right for getting you excited for the upcoming holiday. While considered children’s films, the films listed below are classics that will surely get you excited for the remainder of October, all while providing you a visually stunning experience!
- “Coraline” (2009)
The story follows the protagonist Coraline as her family moves into a new home, far away from where her friends are. Growing dissatisfied with her family, Coraline finds a doll of her likeness with button eyes and realizes there is another world she can enter that parallels her own, though it is filled with a better family (the Other Mother and Other Father), less work, and more fun. However, things begin to go awry when the Other Mother wants Coraline to stay in her world, and Coraline has to fight to save her real parents and return back to her real life. While a children’s movie, “Coraline” is an excellent spooky film that will leave you anxious for the characters in the film and in awe of how visually captivating the story is.
Starting off, I had to include one of the most impressives films of the 21st century (in my opinion), which just so happens to be spooky as well! “Coraline” is a perfect fun movie to watch if you would like to get into the general vibe of Halloween as well as get slightly freaked out. “Coraline” (as well as the next two films on this list) are stop-motion, meaning that the directors meticulously positioned the films’ characters in a way where each movement and action was deliberate, and you can definitely tell.
- “Corpse Bride” (2005)
A Tim Burton movie, “Corpse Bride” follows the story of Victor, a new money Victorian man who is arranged to marry Victoria, the daughter of an old money family that has recently gone bankrupt. The marriage is for economic means, though Victor and Victoria grow fond of each other and want to marry for love. However, things go wrong when Victor cannot complete his marriage vows correctly, and while practicing alone in the forest, accidentally completes his vows to Emily, a deceased bride who was murdered by her husband, which results in Victor being transported to the underworld with her. Victor now has to find a way to return back to Victoria in time for his marriage with her, all while Victoria’s parents attempt to marry her off to a new wealthy (and unsettling) man, Barkis.
While almost any Tim Burton film can be a great mood-setter for Halloween, “Corpse Bride” is a particularly good choice based on its stellar stop motion, story, and overall Victorian aesthetic. Despite being a children’s film, the plot is nevertheless interesting and emotional, and with its animation style and music, the film will definitely get you into the Halloween spirit.
- “The Haunted Mansion” (2003)
One of my personal favorite films, the original “The Haunted Mansion” is a great film that incorporates good world building with leading actors, such as Eddie Murphy and Terence Stamp, and special effects that creates a visually and plot heavy film. Jim Evers and his wife Sara run a joint real estate company and are meant to go on family vacation for their anniversary, but Jim decides to run through one final real estate deal with a local mansion – one that proves disastrous when a storm comes and forces them to stay overnight. During the course of the night, it’s revealed that the inhabitants of the mansion, including Master Gracey and butler Ramsley, are actually ghosts under a curse to haunt the mansion, and it’s up to Jim to uplift it.
“The Haunted Mansion,” even as an older film, still holds up today in special effects. While the dialogue and humor is a little dry and cheesy, the film is overall entertaining and holds a strong narrative at the same time. Furthermore, there is one particular scene that continues to scare me today (the infamous zombie scene), so the film is equal parts fun, emotional, and slightly scary!
Actually Scary
If you are less interested in a fun-filled time and more interested in horror movies that will have you at the edge of your seat, then the following list is for you. The films listed below are all supernatural horror rather than incorporating gore to better fit the eerie and creepy atmosphere of Halloween. Furthermore, these are some of my favorite supernatural horror films, so I hope you can find a film or two that you’re interested in!
- “The Conjuring” Series (2013–present)
When talking about supernatural horror films, you’d be remiss to leave out “The Conjuring” series. Holding a list of roughly eight movies, “The Conjuring” series follows paranormal investigators and demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren as they investigate hauntings for various families. Since the first few films in the series have been released, “The Conjuring” series has expanded their cinematic universe to include other plots such as that of the haunted Annabelle doll (“Annabelle,” “Annabelle: Creation,” and “Annabelle Comes Home”) as well as the Nun, a personification of the demon Valak (“The Conjuring 2,” “The Nun,” and “The Nun II”).
“The Conjuring” cinematic universe is a great series to get into if you want to binge-watch a coherent horror story, as well as follow similar stories of hauntings if that is what interests you. These films also incorporate gradual unsettling atmospheres and terrifying ghosts and demons that have become iconic in popular culture. Not to mention, many of these films are loosely based on true stories, which can further heighten your horror experience!
- “As Above, So Below” (2014)
Filmed as a found footage feature, “As Above, So Below” follows the story of archaeologist Scarlett Marlowe as she tries to find the philosopher’s stone, which is said to grant eternal life and turn any metal into gold. To accomplish this, she finds herself in the underground catacombs of Paris, a mass burial and historical monument filled with human remains. As she and other travelers join her in the catacombs, things begin to go awry as they find themselves stuck in certain areas, encounter strange people, and find that the catacombs are a lot stranger and dangerous as they were led to believe.
“As Above, So Below,” while starting off slow, gradually picks up throughout the film until many things begin to go wrong at once, allowing the viewer to sit at the edge of their seat not knowing what will come next. The scares within the film are highly memorable and are catered to the various characters, allowing you to have a range of scares and unsettling moments. With its one-of-a-kind plot, “As Above, So Below” is definitely a film you should have on your watchlist.
- “The Autopsy of Jane Doe” (2016)
A classic story of a witch coming back to do her bidding, “The Autopsy of Jane Doe” follows Austin and his father Tommy as the town’s coroner. An unidentified body, Jane Doe, is transported to the father-son duo, and the police say they have until the morning to complete an autopsy on the body and find what the cause of death was for the woman. During the autopsy, they find medical anomalies and strange things happening in the building, which keeps growing throughout the film.
“The Autopsy of Jane Doe” is a great horror/mystery film to watch if you like a gradual buildup of horror, especially when events become stranger and stranger, and explanations are hard to come by. There are a few jumpscares towards the second and third act of the film, which are done in a way that is predictable, yet entertaining nonetheless. I’m not one to usually jump at a scare, but “The Autopsy of Jane Doe” has a tasteful amount of horror that will definitely keep you entertained.
- “Sinister” (2012)
Part of a sequel series, “Sinister” was one of the first times a film has genuinely terrified me. Ellison Oswald, a true-crime author, finds himself in a writer’s block stump that he can’t shake. However, Ellison finds an unsolved story of a family’s murder, and he decides to move into the victim’s home with his family to try and uncover the mystery himself. What follows, however, is a slow haunting that begins with viewing tapes left in the attic, before the hauntings come to Ellison and his family.
“Sinister” has a great pace throughout the film, and if you’re fond of found footage and things slightly out of order, then this film is perfect for you. The antagonist of the film is genuinely one of the most terrifying I’ve ever seen – “Mr. Boogie,” or Bughuul as he’s further investigated, is a menacing figure with a perfectly dark demeanor and even better acting. If you are looking for genuine scares and an unsettling plot, “Sinister” is a great choice.
- “Talk to Me” (2022)
A more recent film from A24, “Talk to Me” begins as an ‘innocent’ game – teenagers find a hand figure that they learn can possess you for a limited amount of time, and the group begins to have nights where they take turns becoming possessed, meeting ghosts, and recording themselves. However, when Mia, the protagonist, finds that she can speak to her deceased mother Rhea, she begins to abuse the power of the figurine until the spirits she’s interacting with begin to take a larger toll in her life – leading to disastrous consequences.
“Talk to Me” has a genuinely interesting plot that I have previously not seen enacted before. Besides the film’s supernatural plot, the narrative is completely realistic in how teenagers would interact with spirits and possession. The plot of the film progresses at a steady pace, allowing you to be engaged throughout its entire runtime. I was personally frightened and intrigued the entirety of the film, and the ending is something that you don’t want to miss.
Since Halloween is just around the corner, watching a scary movie is one of the simplest ways of getting into the Halloween spirit. Whether you’d like to watch a fun film and get into the aesthetic or you’d like to get scared out of your mind, there are many films that can help you prepare for the upcoming holiday. Hopefully this list will provide some film titles that will be interesting to you, or at least get you thinking about the next scary film you’re going to watch!