Halloween is one of my absolute favorite holidays. When the air gets that first fall chill (it even happens down here in the South!), I automatically go into Halloween mode. I love the extravagance of Halloween – all of the costumes and decorations that allow the freaky and unusual to shine. I look forward to this time of year, every year. In order to prepare for the culmination of the Halloween season on the 31st, I love watching movies all month long that get me in the spirit.
This spooky season, settle down with some popcorn, candy, and one of these Halloween movies every night of October! The 31 nights of Halloween are here and I’m sharing movies, categorized by interest, to help you figure out what to watch.
Horror Halloween Movies
Halloween is the perfect time to get your heart racing with a movie that’s meant to keep you up at night. These horror movies primarily deal with the killer, stalker, or gore-focused stories but all vary a lot in their actual plots. If you want to try watching one of these but are not a big horror movie fan, watch with friends to make it less scary!
Scream
This is the classic “creepy phone call” scary movie that makes you laugh but can also make your blood run cold. With stars like Drew Barrymore and Courtney Cox, this 1996 movie remains a favorite and is a great option to watch with friends.
Available on Youtube for $2.99
Halloween
Funny story, I once attended a Halloween party where a very tall guy wore a Michael Myers mask the entire party and just sat on the couch – I still don’t know who it was! If you don’t instantly know the creepy mask I’m referring to, you need to watch this horror movie about Michael Myers, who after killing his sister at the age of six escapes from a mental institution 15 years later and returns to his hometown.
Available on Amazon Prime with a Premium subscription
A Nightmare on Elm Street
This is one of my personal favorites that I never get tired of watching. Freddy Kreuger, a disfigured murderer hunts and kills a group of teenagers in their dreams which kills them in reality as well in this 1980’s slasher film.
Midsommar
Starring the fantastic Florence Pugh, this folk horror movie about a Swedish midsummer festival turned violent pagan competition is loved by some and hated by others. At the very least, it offers a slightly different storyline than many of the horror movies we’re familiar with and is probably one of the more aesthetic horror films you’ll watch.
Carrie
We’ve all heard of the blood-covered dress prom scene, but have you actually seen it? The story is about a shy and outcast girl who starts to suspect she has supernatural powers, which culminates in a prom scene gone horribly wrong when she loses control. With this Stephen King novel adaptation, you have a choice between the original 1976 version or the 2013 version with Chloë Grace Moretz.
Available on Amazon Prime with a Premium subscription (1976 version)
Available on Youtube for $3.99 (2013 version)
Child’s Play
There’s something extra creepy about a doll, like the infamous Chucky in this film, that makes you want to check over your shoulder when you’re alone. This is a classic case of a killer or demon inhabiting a doll to fulfill its evil deeds.
Available on YouTube for $3.99
If You’re Into The Supernatural… Watch These Halloween Movies
I’m a huge fan of anything having to do with demons, spirits, or any other aspect of the “supernatural.” To me, these are the scariest kind of stories. These movies scare me more than most of the horror movies I listed above. There’s something about not being able to see or prove the existence (or non-existence) of what’s terrorizing you. Don’t watch these alone!
The Conjuring
I love this movie for the plotline and the actors – it’s just a well-made movie! Film majors, please don’t come for me. It follows a family of 7 who are being haunted after moving into a house with a dark history that they didn’t know about. If you’re into demons, exorcisms, and the ’70s, this is perfect for you.
Paranormal activity
Fair warning, these absolutely can be cheesy! My personal favorite is the fourth one, which is also the first scary movie I ever saw. These are not the scariest or best-made movies out there, but what gets you is the reality factor of it looking like it was all genuinely filmed on house cameras.
Available on Hulu – The 3rd (and best one)
Insidious
This movie has some of the same actors as The Conjuring (but not as the demon-hunters this time) – I’ll watch almost anything that they’re in! In the first movie of this series, a couple’s son goes into a coma and becomes a vessel for demons in this other dimension. The father has to enter this dimension mentally (spiritually?) to find him and retrieve him.
Halloween Movies for Fans of Physchological Thrillers…
If you want to try something on the scary side but are more interested in plot twists, mind games, and edge-of-your-seat anticipation, try one of these psychological thrillers. They’re still “horror” and can definitely give you chills, but they’re a little more cerebral and will have your heart jumping without relying on jump scares.
The Silence of the Lambs
While the scenes themselves are not incredibly gory, the subject matter is. This movie is about Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a psychologist who is also a violent murderer and cannibal. The story focuses on Jodie Foster’s character, a top student at the FBI’s training academy, who interviews him in an attempt to get information out of him about a case. You’ll be on the edge of your seat with this movie.
Available on Amazon Prime for $3.99
Us
When I first saw this movie, I was so disturbed by the plot – but in the best way. Haunted by a past traumatic experience, the main character is living with a constant fear that something bad is going to happen. Her worst fears become a reality when four masked strangers take over their house. When the masks come off, the family is horrified to learn that each attacker is one of them. This story is twisted and disturbing and incredibly well-portrayed by Lupita Nyong’o.
Available on Hulu with a Premium Subscription
The Sixth Sense
You’ve undoubtedly heard the infamous “I see dead people” quote from this movie. In the movie, Cole, a young child who is seeing ghosts is too afraid to tell anyone except the child psychologist, played by Bruce Willis. His attempt to help Cole ultimately ends in shocking plot twists that expose them to the unexplainable.
Available on YouTube for $3.99
Psycho
If you’ve seen the TV show Bates Motel, then you need to watch the 1960 movie it was adapted from. In Psycho, the main character is on the run after stealing 40,000 and ends up at the Bates Motel very late on a rain-soaked night. There, of course, she meets Norman Bates whose high-strung personality, interest in taxidermy, and difficult relationship with his mother are the foundation for his precarious mental state.
Available on Hulu with a Premium subscription
The Shining
Similarly, following the “horror hotel” trope, a man, Jack, and his wife and son are staying in a remote hotel for him to work on his writing. However, his son starts having psychic premonitions that only get stronger – ultimately leading to Jack discovering the disturbing secrets of the hotel.
Old School Halloween Movies You Must See
If you’re not really into actually being scared but want to delve into the horror genre, these classics will be a great start. These are perfect if you already love watching older movies. The Blob is one of my personal favorites – it’ll definitely give you a laugh!
Rosemary’s Baby
If the idea of elderly members of a satanic cult grooming a young Manhattan wife to use her baby in their rituals piques your interest, take a stab at this classic starring Mia Farrow. You’ll also finally understand Rory’s reference to Rosemary’s baby in Gilmore Girls when she meets Dean for the first time!
Available on Hulu with a Premium Subscription
The Blob
This is the classic drive-in horror movie that will likely leave you laughing more than it will scare you, but I think this is a fun one to watch! With scenes of 1950’s Betty’s and their soda pop boyfriends running from a monstrous, gelatinous blob, it’s entertaining at the very least.
Night of the Living Dead
Made about a decade after The Blob, this classic zombie movie is a must-see. It’s the only zombie movie on the list so all you Walking Dead fans should watch the origin of your favorite show!
Ghostbusters
If you’re into ghosts and the supernatural, but not in the mood to be scared, this comedy is for you. We all know the infamous song, but you probably haven’t actually seen the movie. Settle down for a laugh to make you feel better after watching one of the scarier options on the list!
Death Becomes Her
This early 1990’s film starring both Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn is not scary but deals with themes of death and immortality. Madeline, played by Meryl Streep, steals Helen (Goldie Hawn)’s husband only to have Helen return from a 7-year stay at a psychiatric stay looking amazing while Madeline’s life has turned to ruin. Helen has been drinking an immortality potion that Madeline also discovers, with both learning the price of immortality.
Available on YouTube for $3.99
Halloween Movies for Disney Fans
For those of you that are definitively NOT into horror, one of these lighthearted movies can still get you in the Halloween spirit. Some of these overlap with other categories (witchy and eccentric) but are in this category because they’re your safest bet to avoid being creeped out!
Halloweentown
Cheesy, childish, and a classic. If you didn’t grow up watching this series, you have some catching up to do! If you ever watched Harry Potter as a child and wished you had a place like the wizard world to escape to, this movie is the Halloween version. The main character discovers that her grandmother lives in Halloweentown and that she actually comes from a line of witches – every little girl’s dream!
Twitches
Another feel-good, throwback, twin witches come together to save their kingdom with their magic powers. This movie is undoubtedly not as good as you remember it being when you were seven, but worth a watch if you’re feeling nostalgic.
Hocus Pocus
Sarah Jessica Parker and Bette Midler, together in one movie, acting as ridiculous and confused witches? Yes, please! This is definitely cheesy, not scary, and still completely worth watching! I never let a Halloween go by without watching the Sanders sisters come back from the grave on Halloween night when a virgin blows out the magic candle. Plus, there’s a talking cat!
The Nightmare Before Christmas
A Tim Burton classic, this follows the story of the pumpkin king of Halloweentown, Jack Skellington, who has become bored with the traditions of scaring people in the real world on Halloween. Instead, after discovering Christmastown, he plots to kidnap Santa and take over Christmas.
Witchy Halloween Movies
If you’ve dressed up as a witch for Halloween on multiple occasion (*cough* me *cough*) and always secretly wished you were a witch, this category of movies will be perfect for you. While The Addams Family has the most “dark magic” vibes, Practical Magic has the best story that can be watched year-round, and The Witches of Eastwick offers the most comedic relief.
Practical Magic
Sandra Bullock is the witch sister you wish you always had in this story that features magic, love, and burying your ex in the garden. This is a perfect “fall vibes” kind of movie that you can watch any time of year, but especially at Halloween.
Available on YouTube for $3.99
The Witches of Eastwick
Three friends, played by Cher, Susan Sarandon, and Michelle Pfeiffer are each being courted by a new man in town, after losing the man in their lives. This man, Daryl Van Horne, who is played by Jack Nicholson tells them all that they’re witches and starts teaching them about their powers in his mansion. While not a subtle film, this dark comedy is sure to entertain.
The Addams Family
If you haven’t already seen this – run! This is the ultimate Halloween movie to me. While not truly featuring witches, it very much has dark magic and witchy vibes. The movie and its sequel follow the story of the Addams Family and their rediscovery of their long-lost brother and uncle, Fester Addams. You get to bear witness to all the bizarre and incredibly dark rituals that make up being “an Addams” while having a laugh. To be clear – I do NOT mean the animated version!
Available on YouTube for $2.99
Eccentric and Fun Halloween Movies
I love watching these kinds of movies during the Halloween season. While not all of these are Tim Burton creations, several of them are and I’m here for it. Tim Burton is the king of creating Halloween movies. If you’re into the freaky and creepy aspects of Halloween more so than the scary ones, this is a great category to bring your inner weirdo out.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Originally a play, which is still put on regularly, Rocky Horror is a parody tribute to science fiction and horror movies. It follows a young engaged couple whose car breaks down in the rain near a castle, which is occupied by strangers in elaborate costumes celebrating an annual convention. They discover the head of the house is Dr. Frank N. Furter, a mad scientist who actually is an alien transvestite. He creates a living muscle man named Rocky in his laboratory. Throughout the film, the couple is seduced separately by the mad scientist and eventually released by the servants who take control.
It’s tradition to draw a red “V” on your forehead the first time you see this (and it’s best to go to a midnight showing!).
Edward Scissorhands
Also directed by Tim Burton, this movie follows the human creation of a scientist who dies before he can finish. His creation, Edward, is left with a freakish appearance featuring scissor blades instead of hands. A suburban mom discovers him and takes him to her home, where he ends up falling in love with her daughter, played by Winona Ryder. It’s a beautiful and touching movie and is a great Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder moment to watch.
Available on YouTube for $3.99
Coraline
While this is not technically a Halloween movie, it follows a style similar to many of Tim Burton’s movies and is a claymation film. Coraline, bored with her life, finds a small door in her new house that leads to an alternate version of her life. There, she finds her Other Mother and Father who have buttons for eyes and allow her to do all the things her real parents say no to in the real world. However, Coraline soon finds out the sinister reality of this Other world that seemed so perfect at first glance.
Available on YouTube for $2.99
Beetlejuice
Another Tim Burton and Winona Ryder movie, this eccentric and wacky movie follows a couple who die in a car accident and are then stuck haunting their own house. When a new family moves in, their attempts to scare them off attract Beetlejuice, a wild and rambunctious spirit who turns things dangerous.
Available on YouTube for $3.99
The Corpse Bride
My personal favorite Tim Burton animation, The Corpse Bride is about a young man, Victor, who accidentally proposes to a corpse and is taken to the land of the dead. While trying to get back to his real bride in the land of the living, he learns his corpse bride’s tragic story of deceit and murder. If you’ve already seen The Nightmare Before Christmas, you’ll like this one too!
Whether or not you have big plans for Halloween, getting in the spirit with a few spooky movies can be so fun! I love hosting a Halloween movie night for my friends with a few themed cocktails and snacks. Whatever you choose to do this Halloween season, I hope this list of movies gets you excited and gives you some inspiration!
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