It’s that time of year again where we can break out our popcorn and crave up some jack-o-lanterns while we watch spooky movies. October is definitely one of the best months of the year because it ends with one of the greatest holidays. I mean, what’s not to love? Dressing up, eating candy, scary movies — yes, please!
At the beginning of every October, I love to have my spooky movie lineup ready to go to get in the spirit since there are only so many days you can watch Halloween-themed movies. Here are just a few of the ones I’m trying to get to in 2021!
1. “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” (1966)
This is a Halloween classic. “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” is something I try to watch every single year. For those of you who don’t know, this TV movie follows Linus as he waits all night in a pumpkin patch for the Great Pumpkin to make its appearance. “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” gives the Halloween vibes you want without any of the scariness.
2. “Coraline” (2009)
“Coraline” is the movie many of today’s young adults point to as the one that traumatized them as a kid. I have to agree with that assessment, but I love this movie now that I’m an adult. “Coraline” is an animated film based on the children’s book of the same name by Neil Gaiman. After moving to a new home, Coraline (Dakota Fanning) finds a secret door that leads to an alternate world that seems just like her own, only better. However, this world is much more sinister than she ever expected, so Coraline has to find a way back to the real world before it’s too late.
3. “The Final Girls” (2015)
“The Final Girls” is such an underrated film with some pretty popular actors in it, like Alexander Ludwig and Nina Dobrev. This movie follows Max (Taissa Farmiga) as she attends a showing of a slasher film her mother starred in during the 80s on the anniversary of her mother’s death. When the theater is set on fire, Max and her friends find themselves inside the actual movie where they soon discover that they have to remember the rules of horror movies in order to make it out alive.
4. “The Babysitter” (2017)
“The Babysitter” has a similar vibe to “The Final Girls” as they are both cheesy slasher films. In “The Babysitter,” despite being 12 years old, Cole’s parents insist he still needs a babysitter. When his parents go out of town for the weekend, Cole’s babysitter (Samara Weaving) comes to watch him, and she brings along her murderous cult members too. Cole (Judah Lewis) witnesses their first sacrifice of the night and soon finds himself becoming their next victim if he can’t figure out how to stop them first.
5. “The Ring” (2002)
This is definitely one of my favorite horror movies. It’s got the right amount of jump scares and other spooky scenes without going overboard. Anyone who watches a particular videotape will die seven days later in “The Ring.” Rachel Keller (Naomi Watts) is a news reporter investigating this story. After she watches the videotape, she has seven days to avoid her fate.
6. “Scream” (1996)
“Scream” had been on my list for years to watch because it sounds like everything I love in a horror movie, and after watching it recently, I can say that I really enjoy this movie! Also, we can’t ignore the fact that Shaggy from the live-action “Scooby-Doo” movies stars in it. “Scream” is a clever, self-aware horror movie that adds something new to the genre. On the first anniversary of her mother’s death, Sidney (Neve Campbell) receives a series of terrifying phone calls, turning her and her friends into the next targets of a killer who is obsessed with horror movies.
Happy viewing this Halloween, collegiettes!