It's finally spooky season. Where the leaves begin to fall and everything is pumpkin flavored. The eerie music is on the radio and you get to dress up as your favorite characters and monsters. One of the best things about Halloween are the movies. From horror, comedy, to family fun. Here is a list of 22 movies to watch for the spooky season and a little summary of each. It consists of classic family Halloween movies, a select few of horror and films that tie into the spooky aesthetic.
Hocus Pocus (1993)
The Sanderson sisters are summoned back from the dead after a couple of teens light a candle. Lead by a talking black cat, Max, his little sister Dani and Allison find a way to stop the evil witches from collecting children's souls again. This one is a classic Halloween movie that is perfect for a family watch night. The Sanderson Sisters are villains you will love.
Coraline (2009)
The Pink Palace is Coraline's new home but inside their place is a small door that leads to a different world. A place where her "other" parents have button eyes and create a better life than her reality. Coraline realizes that behind the wonders is something sinister and she has to find a way to get back to her real family and life. The visuals in this movie are fantastic and the story plot is intriguing.
ParaNorman (2012)
Norman lives his life with the ability to see the dead, making him the only one who can stop a witch's curse on his town. Zombies awaken, chaos hits his town and it's all betting on him reasoning with a young witch who wants revenge for being treated so poorly. This family movie adds a little bit of comedy and ends up having a deeper message than expected.
Sleepy Hollow (1999)
Ichabod Crane visits the town of Sleepy Hollow after hearing of multiple decapitations, only to find out it's more supernatural than he thought. The headless horseman is attacking the town. With the help of Katrina Van Tassel and his little assistant Jonathan, they track the similarities of the murders to find out the horseman's motive. This is the perfect spooky rendition of the classic tale, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. It adds a bit of comedy and romance to the mix.
Corpse Bride (2005)
A nervous soon to be husband, Victor, practices his wedding vows in the woods and accidentally asks for a corpse's hand in marriage. Emily, the corpse bride, takes him to the land of the dead. Victor must figure out how to return to the living to make amends but is torn because he doesn't want to hurt Emily. This Tim Burton classic is one of the most beautifully eerie claymations that has an interesting story plot.
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Jack Skellington is tired of living the same Halloween day and discovers Christmastown which is the polar opposite of his world. He becomes obsessed with finding a way to take over the role of Santa Clause but soon learns what his friend Sally fears: that it's best not to change the way things are because it'll only cause chaos. This film has an excellent film score and spooky visuals. It'll always be a spooky classic that can be watched for both Halloween and Christmas.
The Haunted Mansion (2003)
Jim Evers, Sarah Evers and their kids visit a mansion for the Evers' real estate job. They soon discover this strange mansion has a dark secret. It's haunted by Master Gracey and his Butler, who seems stranger than most. Jim and his kids look for help by a couple of eccentric ghosts and a fortune teller in a crystal ball, to break the curse that involves Sarah. This movie is a fun family Halloween watch because it has a mix of comedy, spookiness and an intriguing story.
The Love Witch (2016)
A young witch named Elaine is determined to find love and becomes obsessed with the idea. She creates love spells but learns they work too intensively and the men end up dead. This movie is very aesthetically pleasing and has an eerie beauty to it.
Carrie (2013)
Carrie White is a teenager that endures bullying and abuse from her mother. However, she has telepathic abilities that she begins testing. Things start looking up when she's asked to the prom but a cruel prank pushes her too far. Carrie uses her powers to take revenge on all who has harmed her. This is the 2013 remake of Carrie that has mixed reviews on the comparison of the original 1976 version. Both are excellent films, however, the 2013 rendition of Carrie's story is closer to Stephen King's novel. This horror film focuses on a girl who was pushed to the brink and became a villain.
Jennifer's Body (2009)
A young teen named Jennifer gets possessed by a demon that has an appetite for humans. Her best friend Needy seems to be the only one who knows and it's up to her to get Jennifer to stop eating the boys at her school. This comedy horror is a bloody, aesthetically pleasing movie that is perfectly spooky for Halloween.
The Addams Family (2019)
The Addams Family are getting ready for a family reunion but a TV personality lady realizes this may stop her from selling houses. Margaux Needler then schemes to take over the Addams Family mansion but learns that the family is not easy to take down. This rendition of the Addams Family is a perfect kid friendly film. It captures the Addams Family we all love in a cartoon setting.
Ready or Not (2019)
Grace marries a man who tells her a family tradition is to play a game the night of the wedding. Little does she know, the game is a hunting ground and she's the prey. Grace must survive the night from her new in-laws and possibly find revenge in the process. This was a bloody, edge of your seat thriller about survival. The best thing about this film is Grace's character, she survived a deadly game of hide and seek all in a wedding dress...that's badass.
Crawl (2019)
Haley ignores orders for a hurricane evacuation to grab her father. She finds him injured and they become trapped in their home with a bunch of huge alligators who have drifted in with the flood. Haley, being a swimmer, must survive the alligator attacks and care for her father at the same time. This is another edge of your seat thriller that has a couple of jump scares. Haley's badass character is all the more reason to watch this horror movie.
Edward Scissorhands (1990)
Edward Scissorhands is an unfinished science experiment who is taken in by a saleswoman. Her and her family try to fit Edward into their suburban life. However, no matter how kind Edward is, people only see his appearance and things go south. This movie has a spooky beauty to it and the connection between Edward and Kim is perfect.
Beetlejuice (1988)
Barbara and Adam are recently deceased ghosts who call on Beetlejuice, a spirit who claims he is there to help but ends up taking things too far. The couple works with the daughter of the new family in their home to stop Beetlejuice from harming the new residents. This is a classic Halloween movie that has Tim Burton's twists and amazing visuals.
Casper (1995)
James Harvey and his daughter enter a mansion to communicate with it's spirits. Casper the friendly ghost falls in love with the supernatural specialists daughter, Kat. However, the other ghosts aren't as friendly and Casper helps stop them from making more trouble. This is an adorable family friendly Halloween movie that has a spooky aesthetic to it.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
Brad and Janet are stuck in a storm with a flat tire and come across the mansion of Dr. Frank-N-Further. They meet a bunch of eccentric characters including Frank-N-Further's science experiment, Rocky. Amongst their stay they lose their innocence and possibly their sanity. This cult classic film has a killer soundtrack that'll make you want to sing along. It's unapologetic spooky aesthetic is what made it such a praised and beloved film. In fact, it it is still being performed in theaters everywhere.
The Craft (1996)
Sarah transfers to a school in Los Angeles and finds friendship with three witches who are seeking a fourth person. Sarah's gift adds power to their rituals and it leads to bad consequences. When the spells start working, the rest of the girls grow power hungry and Sarah realizes things have gone too far and it's up to her to stop it. This 90s witch film's aesthetic captures the 90s and also teaches a valuable lesson to not mess with the balance of nature.
Practical Magic (1998)
Sally and Gillian Owens were born into a witch family but decided to stray away from witchcraft until Gillian needs Sally's help to save her from an evil boyfriend but they end up accidentally killing him. After attempting a resurrection, his spirit becomes evil and haunts the family. This witch story is about the bond of family and how it can be the strongest thing against harm. The Owen sisters and their aunts create the perfect modern witch aesthetic.
The Witches of Eastwick (1987)
Three friends who have each lost a man in their life wish for someone new. After that a stranger, Daryl Van Horne comes into their life and teaches them that they are witches. They learn to enjoy their powers but start to learn that Daryl's intentions aren't actually good. This witch movie consists of the power of friendship, a lesson about consequences and the ability to fix ones mistakes.
Dark Shadows (2012)
Barnabas Collins wakes up two centuries later to see the witch whose heart he broke has taken over the town that used to belong to his family. He joins the dysfunctional family he has left and works to break the curse that causes his loves to die before it kills his new love, Victoria. This Tim Burton movie is a rendition of the show Dark Shadows. It has a dark vampire aesthetic with dry comedy and interesting background stories.
Zombieland (2009)
Two polar opposite guys work together to survive the Zombie apocalypse and pair up with two sisters who are trying to get to an amusement park. The four have to survive the zombie apocalypse and try to not forget the little things in life. This movie is a witty humor-filled, action packed movie that throws zombie's in the mix. It's a funny take on a zombie apocalypse.
That's it for the Halloween movie list. I hope you enjoyed this selection. Have a great Halloween! Stay Spooky.
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