With Halloween next week, I’ve come to the realization that fall is nearly halfway through and I’ve yet to feel any sort of seasonal cheer. Maybe it’s because of the hauntingly warm weather we’ve been having or my preoccupation with turning in my assignments on time for once, but the usual joy I feel during my favorite season just hasn’t reached me yet. While I could probably cure this with enough Dunkin’ pumpkin spice lattes and Hozier albums, I’ve decided on a more convoluted route: the perfect fall movie.
What is the perfect fall movie? I had no idea before this week. But using my very objective and in no way biased criteria – I believe I’ve found the true answer to this question. Here are the categories I’ve determined makeup the best fall movies:
Seasonal references – Is fall foliage in view? Are the characters’ wearing sweaters and are they possibly in the colors orange or red? Is someone reading a book while staring out a rainy window while also holding a steaming mug of tea? These are all important things to consider while determining a movie’s rank on the seasonal scale.
Comfort – This category determines how good I feel during the movie and after it and when I think about it two weeks later. It examines the quantifiable data that tracks whether watching the movie gives me the same warm feeling of cuddling a cat or holding a warm cup to my cheek. Does life regain meaning after this film? Have I become cozier as a person?
Spookiness – While I don’t think the perfect fall movie needs horror – I do think it adds to the film to have a certain element of spookiness, whether this is just a tantalizing 5-second-view of Halloween decorations or a full blown murder plot.
Good-Bad – Good-bad is a feeling, it’s a lifestyle, it’s a spiritual awakening, it’s looking camp right in the eye. It’s not enough for a movie to be good, as this is not the true spirit of fall. The true spirit of fall is just cheesy enough that the perfect fall film must know to emulate this element of cheese. It must embody the role of Good-Bad.
As a college student with two jobs, I didn’t have the time to watch every renowned fall movie in one week, so I already ruled out films I knew wouldn’t work due to either being too focused on the horror, not seasonal enough, or too good/bad but not good-bad. I also ruled out movies I haven’t seen before to save some time. This left a short, but powerful list of contenders.
The MOvies
Beginning strong is the classic of every high school English class, Dead Poets Society (1989). This film has so many things I consider to be quintessentially fall: red sweaters, nostalgic film graininess, gayly reciting poetry to your friends, Shakespeare, and the fact that the film itself takes place during the fall semester. However, the level of comfort received from this film is debatable. Did I feel like a different person after I watched it? Undoubtedly. Did I also sob for an hour after watching it, send a photo of tears and snot rolling down my face to everyone I know, and vow to never watch the film again? Also yes. And for that reason, this cannot be the perfect fall film as I physically cannot make myself watch it again.
Seasonal References: 5/5 Comfort: 1/5 Spookiness: 2/5 Good-Bad: 2.5/5
When Harry Met Sally (1989) is one of those films you could watch every year and not get tired of it, and while that’s not an official scale on the perfect fall movie ranking, it is a nice bonus. This film invented seasonal references – no one has ever looked more fall than Meg Ryan in her sweater+blazer combo surrounded by the orange and red trees of Central Park. However, the film also spends a significant amount of time building up the winter aesthetic, and possibly invokes more winter than fall by ending the film at a New Year’s Eve party.
Seasonal References: 2/5 Comfort: 5/5 Spookiness: 1/5 Good-Bad: 4/5
Possibly no film has been more good-bad than Twilight (2008). The sheer concept of an immortal vampire attending highschool and falling in love with a girl because she’s got absolutely nothing going on in her head is the pinnacle of good-bad. Paired with the quotability of lines such as, “and so the lion fell in love with the lamb… what a stupid lamb, what a sick masochistic lion,” no matter if you love or hate the movie, you have to admit it entertains. A strong contender on the list, it also has spookiness on lock with the supernatural creature turf war going on.
Seasonal References: 4.5/5 Comfort: 3/5 Spookiness: 4/5 Good-Bad: 5/5
Another heavy-hitter in the good-bad category is the greatest sequel in existence (besides Shrek 2), Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2002). Unlike its predecessor, this movie doesn’t mess around with that Scrappy-Doo nonsense and instead focuses on what we really came for: Scooby in a wig and jumpsuit leading a dance number. Truly by its name only it exceeds in spookiness points, but the movie also carries out the classic Scooby-Doo scares and even sneaks in a plot twist. It’s only downfall is that there’s nary a seasonal reference to be found, in fact, I could not tell you what time of year this movie takes place.
Seasonal References: 1/5 Comfort: 3/5 Spookiness: 5/5 Good-Bad: 5/5
There’s nothing more comforting than nostalgia, and for that reason Wallace and Gromit: the Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005) makes it onto the list through force of will. Personally, I think Wallace and Gromit should be knighted, not only for their contributions to British culture, but to my childhood as well. This movie has just enough seasonal references to let me know this takes place sometime in fall and its monster-mystery creates a sufficient level of spookiness as well. And what’s more good-bad than watching a giant rabbit die and turn into a bald, naked man who only wakes back up at the smell of cheese?
Seasonal References: 2.5/5 Comfort: 5/5 Spookiness: 5/5 Good-Bad: 4/5
The final, and probably most anticipated pick solely based on the contents of random strangers’ Letterboxd lists, is Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009). This movie is so perfectly fall down to every last detail – the colors, the animals, the turkey-cider-chicken conflict, the outfits, the soundtrack. The ending is so fulfilling and hopeful, there’s no way you could leave not feeling comforted. While there’s not a classic feeling of spookiness, the more creepy animals like the rabid dog, slick rat, and silent wolf give a little bit of that spooky edge. And there’s just enough of that comedic silliness to tease into the good-bad category. Fantastic Mr. Fox is the all-rounder, jack of all trades, of the fall movie circuit.
Seasonal References: 5/5 Comfort: 5/5 Spookiness: 2.5/5 Good-Bad: 4/5
And there you have it, after totaling up every movie’s score, we’ve somehow landed in a three-way tie. Based on this, we can concur that the perfect fall movie occurs when you watch Twilight, Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit, and Fantastic Mr. Fox all in tandem, or possibly in a back-to-back row. Now go forth and become enveloped in the spirit of fall!