Ah, Fall. The varying shades of orange and red leaves, the refreshingly crisp air, pumpkin spice everything, and (I'm biased) my birthday. Of course, it's my favorite season (more on why I love it so much here), and with it, comes my absolute favorite holiday Halloween.
Nothing makes me more upset than when I go to my local craft store on September 1st expecting to see the cute little toothless grin of a jack-o-lantern and they have CHRISTMAS decorations out, but the cute little pumpkin friends are nowhere to be seen. Really?! But alas, there is hope. The one thing you can always count on is a good ol' spooky (or funny, whatever your cup of tea is) Halloween movie.
Here's a list of the best.
1. "Hocus Pocus" (1993)
GiphyWhat would Halloween be without this classic?! Not only is this my favorite Halloween movie, it's honestly one of my favorite movies of all time. Not all Halloween movies have to be scary - they can be funny and family friendly, too!
2. “The Nightmare Before Christmas” (1993)
GiphyIs this technically a Halloween movie, or a Christmas movie? Honestly, who knows. I always watch it for both holidays anyways.
3. “The Haunted Mansion” (2003)
Eddie Murphy? Hilarious. The Haunted Mansion? Halloween staple. Watch it. Right now. (P.S. - it's family friendly!).
4. “A Nightmare on Elm Street” (1984)
GiphyThe original. Never the remake. The remake is garbage, just like with any other remake. Sorry not sorry. The remake was also not directed by horror god, Wes Craven. That is all. Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.
8. “Happy Death Day” (2017)
GiphyI typically do not like newer movies, especially when it comes to this genre (if you couldn't tell by my list so far); but Happy Death Day is one of the best movies I have seen in a very long time. The movie is an emotional roller coaster full of suspense and plot twists that will leave you yelling at the TV.
9. “The Shining” (1980)
GiphyIf you don't think of Jack Nicholson's face peeking though a door and saying, "here's Johnny!" when you think of horror movies, you're thinking about horror movies wrong. Stanley Kubrick (my favorite director, EVER) absolutely killed this movie, which is based on the novel by Stephen King (my favorite author ever). I may be a little biased with this one, but The Shining is an absolute classic that everyone should watch this spooky szn.
10. “Psycho” (1960)
GiphyThis list would be n o t h i n g without Alfred Hitchcock's classic, Psycho. This movie has singlehandedly made me afraid to take showers with curtains you can't see through. No spoilers or anything.
11. “Friday the 13th” (1980)
GiphyThe first OG original. We've been over how I feel about remakes. Duh.
12. “The Exorcist” (1973)
GiphyBased on real-life happenings, The Exorcist is probably one of the most profitable and well-known horror movies of all time. Not to mention, there was some CRAZY shit happening to the people during and after filming, which you can read about online. Spooky shit, my friends, quite spooky indeed.
13. “Poltergeist” (1982)
GiphyNot only is this a scary ass movie, it also has a terrifying curse connected to it. Don't panic, though, it's not a curse that will impact you - however, it did take the lives of four of the people on set.
14. Literally the entire “Scary Movie” Franchise (2000-2013)
GiphyIf you wanna laugh your ass off, but also be a tiny bit creeped out, have a Scary Movie marathon. Even though they are most definitely horror movie parodies, I still had nightmares as a child because of Scary Movie 3. Not even going to lie.
16. “Beetlejuice” (1988)
GiphyThis movie isn't scary, let's be real. It is, however, spooky in nature and definitely perfect for Halloween.
17. “Don't Breathe” (2016)
GiphyI think I actually screamed out loud when I saw this movie in theaters. And if I did, you probably will too.
18. “Dawn of the Dead” (2004)
I know, I know; I said I didn't like remakes. But I don't really consider this to be a remake, since it's so far from the original. And quite honestly, it's the only relevant zombie movie (besides Zombieland).
19. “Zombieland” (2009)
GiphyIf there ever is a zombie apocalypse, this movie will definitely give you some tips.
20. “Donnie Darko” (2001)
GiphyWho doesn't love a psychological thriller with a gorgeous Jake Gyllenhaal to boot?
21. “Carrie” (1976)
GiphyAgain with the originals, not the remakes. Again with the movies based on Stephen King novels. Are you seeing a trend here?
22. “Jeepers Creepers” (2001)
Giphy"Jeepers, Creepers, where'd you get those peepers.. Jeepers, Creepers, where'd you get those eyes." If hearing that song doesn't send chills down your spine because of how creepy it is, well, you're brave my friend.
23. “Ernest Scared Stupid” (2002)
GiphyOkay but why does no one talk about this movie? I grew up watching it and I think it's so incredibly funny.
24. “Urban Legend” (1998)
Very underrated. Also, it has a young Jared Leto in it. Need I say more?
So, there it is folks. Watch these moves with your boo thang, your mom, your dog, your second cousin twice removed - whoever you want to watch them with. I love Halloween, and these movies will always get me in the spooky spirit.
