It’s officially spooky season, and that means it’s time to start the countdown to the funnest holiday of the year with some themed spooky movies. I myself am a huge fan of horror movies, but that’s not everyone’s cup of tea. You can still get in the spirit of Halloween if you don’t like scary stuff, because there’s some Halloween-themed movie out there for any mood.
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If you feel like getting spooked: Hush and Shutter Island
Like I said, I love horror movies. There aren’t too many people who love watching horror movies, but when you find a good group of people who do, watching one late at night in October is a fun and festive way to get in the spooky spirit. There are of course the classic ones, like The Conjuring series and the Chucky saga. But my personal favorites are ones that you may have heard of but never seen. Hush is definitely the scariest movie I’ve ever seen because the way they portray the point of view of the main character, who is deaf, is captivating. The movie takes place over one night, so it’s cool to see the events play out in real time. It’s a slasher movie, so if you’re not into that, check out my other favorite horror/thriller movie Shutter Island, starring Leonardo DiCaprio. This doesn’t fit the mold of most horror movies, but the plot twist at the end blew my mind and required a second watch.
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If you’re feeling like getting creeped out but not jump-scared: The Killing of a Sacred Deer and Coraline
Some people like scary movies, like psychothrillers, but not jumpscares. If you’re into movies like Silence of the Lambs, check out my new favorite movie The Killing of a Sacred Deer. There are no jump scares, but the filming and characterization of the movie is haunting. There’s also the classic creepy movie from our childhoods, Coraline.
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If you’re feeling nostalgic: Halloweentown, Hocus Pocus, The Witches
When I think of Halloween movies, I instantly think of my childhood Disney Channel favorites. No spooky season is complete without a rewatch of the Halloweentown series. Hocus Pocus is a definite necessity of the season too. My last recommendation, The Witches, may not seem as iconic, but I used to love reading Roald Dahl’s books as a kid, so even though I only watched the movie version recently, watching it always takes me back to reading The Witches during October in elementary school.
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If you want a feel-good movie: Beetlejuice
I actually never watched Beetlejuice until spooky season last year, and let me tell you, it was the weirdest movie I have ever seen. Half the time the movie made no sense, but it was a lot of fun to watch. The movie is just very wholesome and quirky, and it made me feel all warm and happy while still feeling Halloween-y.
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If you don’t want to watch a movie: The Office, Parks & Rec, Friends, Brooklyn Nine-Nine Halloween episodes
Sometimes you want to watch something Halloween-related, but don’t have the time or energy for a movie-long Halloween plot. There are fantastic Halloween episodes of The Office (S2E5, S5E5, S6E8, S7E6, S8E5, S9E5), Parks & Rec (S4E5, S5E), and Friends (S8E6). But Brooklyn Nine-Nine Halloween episodes take the cake. Halloween I-V, one Halloween-themed episode for each season, involves the gang taking part in an annual Halloween heist, with twists and turns and laughs every season. The Halloween episodes are a hallmark of the show, and definitely worth a binge every year.