As Halloween approaches, the spooky spirit is only growing more. Many people seem to love Fall for the apple orchard trips, pumpkin carvings, Fall Starbucks drinks, costumes, seasonal candles and more. But people seem to forget what single-handedly carries the season of fall: the Halloween movies. Here are the best Halloween movies to watch to put you in the fall spirit.
Starting off strong with the film, “Scream,” (1996) directed by Wes Craven and written by Kevin Williamson. This movie perfectly captures suspense and mystery in every scene. The film is known for its iconic opening scene, with Drew Barrymore playing the helpless Casey Becker as she’s home alone before “Ghostface” kills her. This scene has been called “one of the most famous scenes of all time.” The movie stars Neve Campbell as Sidney Prescott, a young girl who is one of the targeted characters by a psychotic killer who dresses like a ghost in a mask and black clothing. In the little town of Woodsboro, there’s a killer in their midst that sparks the question: who is Ghostface?
The critically acclaimed psychological horror film that seemed to gain accumulative attention in 2019 was “Us,” directed by Jordan Peele. Starring Lupita Nyong’o as Adelaide Wilson, a mother who returned to the beachfront home where she grew up with her family. When four strangers arrive at the house, she and her family fight to escape after discovering that the strangers are exact look-alikes of them. This movie has plot twists that have everyone on the edge of their seats the entire time. If you want to watch a thrilling and mind-altering film that perfectly captures an unpredicted plot with jumpscares around every corner, this is the movie for you. Though it doesn’t necessarily have a “Halloween-based” environment, it has an unsettling and spooky one that many people seem to associate with scary Halloween movies.
A popular fan favorite that is loved by kids and families is the movie “Hocus Pocus,” (1993) directed by Kenny Ortega. Starring Omri Katz as Max Dennison, a teenager who just moved to Salem, Massachusetts. Adjusting to his new life after moving from California, he notices how seriously people treat Halloween in Salem. He starts to crush on a girl in his class and is surprised that even she gets excited by Halloween, especially the superstitious tale about three witches living in their town from long ago. Max, his new crush, Allison, and his curious little sister, Dani, head to an abandoned house where the witches lived long ago. After Max accidentally frees the three witches from hiding, he and the others try to stop them as they are being chased. This movie is a perfect watch, as it includes jokes, mystery, and suspense that kids and families will enjoy. This is an amazing movie to watch during fall because of the setting in the town of Salem, which is known to be spooky and ominous during this specific season. The nostalgic “Hocus Pocus” is a film that you would want to see over and over, for years to come.
Speaking of nostalgia, the annual classic, “It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” (1966) is a must-watch during this season every year. This holiday special not only has a great message for children to learn, but it also includes what is known to be the most nostalgic music that even older generations still remember today. It’s about one of the Peanuts characters, Linus, and his belief that the Great Pumpkin will come on Halloween night and bring lots of candy for the children around the world. His older sister, Lucy, follows the archetype of the bossy older sister who doesn’t believe in such things. Instead of waiting in the pumpkin patch with Linus, she and the rest of the gang go trick-or-treating. Every time I watch this, I find it really relaxing and nostalgic because it reminds me of watching it when I was a kid. The awfully calming background music and hilarious Snoopy make this movie one of the best.
Last but not least, the animated film, “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” (1993) directed by Henry Selick, is another great classic to watch around Halloween. The movie is about Jack Skellington, Halloweentown’s pumpkin king, who is starting to have second thoughts about the annual routine of scaring people in the real world. Jack eventually comes across Christmastown and notices the happy colors and warm spirits. After he plans to kidnap Santa Claus and take his place in Christmastown, his plans seem to go downhill. Even though this film has a lot of Christmas features, it’s still a great watch around Halloween or even after.
These five movies are the best to watch during the fall. Whether there is horror, nostalgia, suspense or joyfulness in any of them, they continue to stick out among the many others and no October is fit without them.
