It is now October, and that means it’s officially spooky season! This season is the best time to cuddle up inside with a nice pumpkin-scented candle, bake some cookies, and watch some of your favorite Halloween films.
So, I crafted a list of 10 movies that can get everyone in the perfect Halloween spirit. From gory horror films to feel-good family movies, this list is perfect for any mood.
1. Coraline
A childhood favorite for many, Coraline is an animated film that follows a young girl who discovers a secret door in her new house that leads to an alternate universe. Although this alternate world is seemingly like her own at first, Coraline finds it way better because of the treatment she is getting from her “parents.” A set of alternate parents shower Coraline with love through delicious foods and fun- but all of this love comes with a scary price to pay.
You can now also enjoy this movie on the big screen — select movie theaters are now showing the movie for a limited time only.
2. Scream
One of my personal favorites, Scream is a six-movie horror/slasher/murder-mystery/whatever-you-want-to-call-it franchise (I had to make sure I added every genre because people often debate how this series should be categorized).
These films usually focus on one protagonist female lead as she deals with a succession of murders from a Ghostface killer.
Even though the movie is filled with jump scares and fright, Scream also incorporates a little bit of comedic relief. To me, it’s the perfect balance of scary and not too blood-curdling.
3. Halloween
Halloween introduced the world to one of the most iconic villains in the horror movie universe: Michael Myers. In the Halloween movies (13 of them), Michael Myers breaks out of the mental hospital and goes after Laurie Strode, murdering anything in his path.
Although these movies can get repetitive, they’re horror classics. And, I mean, Halloween is in the name, so it’s a must-watch during Halloween season!
Another horror movie famous for its villain, A Nightmare on Elm Street is about a disfigured killer, Freddy Krueger, who preys on teenagers and murders them in their dreams. Just like Scream and Halloween, there are also a handful of A Nightmare on Elm Street movies you can binge watch all October long. But only if you like gore and terror….
5. Beetlejuice
The movie Beetlejuice (and I’m talking about the 1988 version because I unfortunately have not been able to see the recent adaptation quite yet) is about a couple who dies in a car accident and is now haunting their old house.
When new annoying tenants move into the house, the couple tries to do all the scaring they can do to get them out. When that doesn’t work, they call upon help from Beetlejuice to get the tenants out once and for all. But is Beetlejuice really helping- or does he just make everything worse?
Do you prefer funny movies over gore and horror? Well, Hubie Halloween is the perfect movie for you. Featuring Adam Sandler and a couple of other familiar faces- like Julie Bowen and Noah Schnapp- Hubie Halloween follows the character Hubie as he tries to solve multiple spooky mysteries in his town of Salem, Massachusetts on Halloween night.
This movie is full of laughs and will have you chuckling the whole time.
7. The Nightmare Before Christmas
Recently, I’ve been seeing a lot of debate on TikTok on whether this movie should be considered a Halloween movie or a Christmas movie. But I like to say you should watch it during both seasons.
After Pumpkin King Jack Skellington no longer desires his daily routine of frightening in Halloween Town, he decides to visit Christmas Town. He becomes intrigued with the other town’s lifestyle and wants to take it back to Halloween Town; but as you can imagine, this does not go too well.
8. Hocus Pocus
One of the most classic and loved Halloween films, Hocus Pocus revolves around three witches in Salem, Massachusetts who are accidentally set free by a teenager named Max after he, his sister, and a friend explore an abandoned house. After releasing the trio of witches, the kids must work together to stop them.
A classic Disney Channel original movie, Halloweentown is about a group of siblings that find out they are witches. When they travel to Halloweentown with their grandmother, they must figure out a way to protect the community from the evil forces trying to take over.
This is a perfect movie for family movie night.
10. Twitches
For me, the one thing Disney Channel always did right was Halloween! And that’s why a second Disney Channel original movie is on my list. Twitches is kind of like Parent Trap but with magic, witches, and different dimensions.
In the movie Twitches, twin sisters Camryn and Alex finally meet each other on their 21st birthday after being separated at birth. After they meet, they discover they have witchy powers and must come together to use their magic to defeat “The Darkness.”
This officially concludes my spooky season must-watch list. Hopefully you were able to find a couple films to add to your Halloween movie marathons!