Fall is my favorite season. It’s just cold enough to be perfect hoodie weather, the leaves turn brilliant colors, and there are tons of nostalgic Halloween movies to watch while munching on a little candy corn or sipping some cocoa. These are my favorite:
- It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! (1966)
-
My father is a massive fan of the Peanuts comics and everything Charlie Brown. We’ve watched this together every year at least once in October. Looking back, it’s a bit unfortunate that he never tried to tell me that the Great Pumpkin was real. Each time we watch a Charlie Brown movie he tells me how Linus’s sister, Lucy, reminds him of his own sister, Regina. With this movie, that moment always comes when the gang is picking out Halloween costumes and Lucy decides to dress as a witch, because she ironically claims it is the opposite of who she truly is.
- Halloweentown (1998)
-
Until I looked it up for this article, I didn’t realize that “Halloweentown” was released in ‘98. Somehow that makes it feel more nostalgic, even though I wasn’t born until two years later and my earliest memories of it are from circa 2005. It used to be my favorite Halloween movie because I loved the idea of magic and wizards, and the magical bus Marnie and Dylan ride to Halloweentown reminded me of the magic train in the Polar Express. There have been three additions to the series, “Halloweentown II: Kalabar’s Revenge”, “Halloweentown High”, and “Return to Halloweentown”, but I haven’t seen those since they came out. Maybe I’ll grab some candy corn and sit down for a movie marathon this weekend to watch them all.
- Twitches (2005)
-
For those of you who haven’t seen this one, the name twitches is a portmanteau of “twins” and “witches.” I loved this movie for two reasons as a kid: first and foremost, I have a twin brother, so the movie often sparked daydreams of what it would be like if we had magical powers but didn’t find out until we turned 21. Although we lived together until we were six or seven years old, we were later separated and adopted into different families, so the story felt even more special once I got older.
What are your favorite movies to watch in the fall? Do they get you nostalgic? If you’re looking to feel a little more warm and fuzzy this fall, give these three movies a shot, and maybe mix in your own for a weekend movie marathon.