Given the fright of these times, staying home indoors and pulling out all the treats and scare-your-socks-off movies seem like the perfect match. Here’s a list of some of my favorite tv shows and movies that relate to this Halloween season and spooky times.
- The Craft (1996)
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A classic, absolute classic with some empowered women. Also, apparently a sequel just arrived, The Craft: Legacy.
- Rebecca (2020)
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I recently watched this on Netflix and really enjoyed it. It’s been getting a lot of mixed reviews due to the original film, Alfred Hitchcock’s Rebecca (1940), but I quite loved Armie Hammer and Lily James in this film. Also, you can always check out the book by Daphne du Marurier, which both movies are loosely based on; a thrilling, can’t-put-down novel.
- Hocus Pocus (1993)
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I mean this is one of everyone’s favorite Halloween movies too, isn’t it? I love this movie and got to see it on Halloween night a few years ago in Boston and have to say, a fantastic way to start the night. And to get to watch it on Blue Moon! I mean, you can’t say no.
- The Witch (2015)
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This is a really dark, spooky movie to watch on Halloween night if you’re ready for a classic take on Puritan society and witchcraft but through a feminist lens. Quite a thrilling film to watch with some eerie music throughout that’ll keep you on the edge of your seat.
- Hannibal (2013-2015) and True Detective (2014-)
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Seek out the three seasons of Hannibal on Netflix and immediately cleanse yourself and seek a therapist afterward. This show is beyond fascinating, compelling, and brilliantly made, but it is dramatically, gruesomely, and disgustingly dark. If you love true crime, psychologically channeling characters, or to study the mind, or just love Hugh Darcy, and don’t mind the occasional gore and are hopefully not a vegetarian (as you will be grossed out), you may survive this show. Nonetheless, I highly recommend it and I hate gore.
True Detective Season 1 is also a highly recommended true crime thriller show to watch that has similar psychological trauma and mystique as that of Hannibal; that and I’m just fascinated with the main character, Rust.
- Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (2018-) and The Discovery of Witches (2018-)
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Sabrina is really great and does get quite darker as the seasons progress, and the diversity in the show’s cast is fantastic. Would recommend bingeing the three seasons on Netflix before the final season drops at the end of this year!
As for The Discovery of Witches, no words. Just watch. It is bloody fantastic, and so are the books. Plus, season two is coming to Sundance this January 2021, so catch up now!
- The Haunting of Hill House (2018) and The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020)
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I really enjoyed watching The Haunting of Hill House back in 2018. It is quite…intense and ambiguous. Definitely a lot of supernatural and psychological tension, eerie settings, and some intense themes. I’ve yet to get around to The Haunting of Bly Manor, but have heard great things about it and if anyone loves or is fascinated by Henry James’s “The Turn of the Screw” I’m sure will enjoy this show.
- The Scary and Gore
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Want to be really creeped, grossed out, maybe see some gore–or a lot? You got the Saw movies (I personally do not like), Suspiria (2018)–absolutely love this film– and its original (1977), The Ritual (2017) on Netflix, Hereditary (2018)–probably one of the best horror movies of this decade– and Midsommar (2019)–kisses kisses to this film, it is also fantastic.
- The Suspense, The Thriller Actions, The Serious Topics and the Murder Mysteries
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I was quite on edge of my seat watching Netflix’s The Devil All The Time, as well as the movie Hush (2016)–another really great addition to the horror/thriller genre. More include The Quiet Place (2018) and Anna (2019), which is a cool, suspenseful spy thriller movie. Related are the John Wick movies. I mean, no one says no to watching Keanu Reeves, so speaking of him, you also got Constantine (2005). Black Swan (2010) is a classic, Carrie (1976), the Scream films, What Lies Beneath (2000), Gone Girl (2014) and the eerie doc-style film Haxan (1922).
Jordan Peele is a god in the film industry and Get Out (2017) and Us (2019) are something you need to see if you haven’t already. Antebellum (2020) and Lovecraft Country (2020) are also a must.
Knives Out (2019) is quite a lovable murder mystery film. The sweater!!!! The show Lore (2017-) and its podcast are fascinating too as well as the Zodiac (2007) that follows the mystery of the Zodiac Killer and his crimes. I would also say The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2011) is quite a serious horror, mystery film with a brilliant plot but some intense, trigger warning scenes. Sherlock Holmes, the show and movies, are classic murder mysterious, Seven (1995) is great and an oldie, Rear Window (1954).
- Additional and Some Halloween Films for the Light-Hearted
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Some of my additional favorites or once guilty pleasure movies are Blood and Chocolate (it’s not great but I love it), Sleepy Hollow, Halloweentown, The Rocky Picture Horror Show, The Invisible Man, Edward Scissorhands, The Mummy, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, The Haunted Mansion, Crimson Peak, The Prestige, Gone, Phantom of the Opera. Some animated ones to watch are the Hotel Transylvania movies–love love love– Monster House, Nightmare Before Christmas, Corpse Bride, Scooby Doo, Coraline or Goosebumps (they freaked me out though so maybe not haha). Of course too you have the classics from the 60s into the 80s and horror films by Alfred Hitchcock or films based on Stephen King’s infamous books, but in truth, I’ve seen few of these so perhaps start there!
Hope you al find something you perhaps haven’t seen before or find a new favotire tv show or movie. Make some candy apples and dig into a large bowl of popcorn and your $20 bag of halloween candy (or wait until Nov. 1st when they’re all on sale ;). Hey and also, to make the rest of the year and the next four not scary and out of a horror movie, go out and VOTE!