Halloween movies everyone should see

1. Hotel Transylvania

Hotel Transylvania is one of the most heartwarming movies I have ever seen. I still remember when I was little, watching the movie over and over again with my sister. We watched all the sequels as soon as they came out, even though we knew nothing would surpass the feeling of watching the first one. The excitement of watching the slow burn between Marvis and Johnny, seeing Steve (also known as Blobby) stumble his green jellied body onto the screen for the first time, and copying the way the toddler werewolf pups acted because we thought it was the funniest thing ever, are all memories that have stayed with me after all these years. 

This movie is the perfect combination of comedy and classic monsters, including Frankenstein, Dracula, Bigfoot, and many more, all blended into a world where the monsters have their own lives, problems, and families. One of the things that makes this movie so special is how it takes creatures that are traditionally scary and turns them into hilarious and lovable characters. Despite being animated, when I watch it today, I don’t feel like I am watching a kids’ movie. It’s one of those films that brings me right back to my childhood, and I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of watching it.   

2. The Addams Family

The Addams Family is especially important to me because Wednesday Addams was the first Halloween costume I remember picking out for myself. Getting dressed up in her iconic black button-up dress with the white collar and the two braids is one of my favorite Halloween memories. Along with the nostalgia, this movie is excellent at capturing the spooky and quirky side of Halloween. Its dark humor, eccentric characters, and eerie atmosphere make it such a good movie to rewatch every time October rolls around. Most importantly, who doesn’t love a movie that makes being creepy and weird look so cool?

3. The Conjuring

I’m not easily scared, but when I first watched this movie with my best friends at seventeen, I quickly learned it was on a different level. My friends had already watched it, and yet they were still audibly screaming and getting scared by every jump scare along with me. 

For me, what makes this movie so scary is how realistic the acting feels. The actors make every scene feel so genuine, which makes the supernatural events all the more disturbing. One scene that really stuck with me is when the spirit grabs Nancy by the hair and drags her around while everyone desperately tries to stop her from being thrown across the room again. Christine’s reaction when she wakes up in the middle of the night to something pulling her feet is another moment that makes the movie so unsettling. It’s not just the jump scares; it’s the feeling that lingers with the viewer throughout the movie that something terrible is happening. If you want a movie that will have everyone screaming, you’ll definitely want to watch The Conjuring. 

4. Psycho

For me, Psycho is the perfect blend of a classic movie and a psychological thriller. I remember watching it because my mom said it was the scariest movie she’d ever seen. I went in expecting to be terrified, but when I watched it, I didn’t find it scary in the way I expected. I don’t know if it’s because I’m not used to watching movies from that era or because modern horror films have influenced and altered what I consider frightening, but whatever the reason, I still think Psycho is one of the greatest movies ever made. The storytelling is on point, and the way Alfred Hitchcock builds suspense is incredible. Instead of relying too much on jump scares or overly gory scenes, the movie uses atmosphere, music, and lighting to keep the audience in a prolonged state of suspense. While it may not be scary by today’s standards, it’s absolutely worth watching.