This Halloween season, everyone is going to be watching the usual movies that they always do every October. People’s houses are always filled by the sound of Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, Disney’s Hocus Pocus, The Haunted Mansion, and let’s not forget all of the spooky 80s slashers films that haunt our dreams at night. This year, let’s shake it up a bit and break some of our favorite movie traditions by watching some underrated films that’ll fill your days with the Halloween spirit.
- Young Frankenstein (1974)
This film is a cult classic, written and directed by one of the best comedy directors of his time, Mel Brooks brings a darkly comedic twist to the classic monster story in his film Young Frankenstein. Gene Wilder plays Doctor Frederick Frankenstein who has spent most of his life trying to run away from his grandfather’s infamous reputation as a mad scientist, but when he is beckoned to Transylvania to acquire his late grandfather’s property, he slowly begins to understand the madness behind his family name, and his grandfather, Victor Frankenstein. This movie is hilariously spooky, dark, and a good time. For those who enjoy the extraordinary, this film is definitely for you.
- The Witches (1990)
Featuring Angela Huston (who also plays Morticia is The Addams Family movies), this film circulates around the folklore of witches in England. A young boy and his grandmother stay at a hotel in England, where the boy comes across a convention of witches, and find out that they plan on turning all of the children in Britain into rats. If you’re a fan of movies like The Princess Bride and Labyrinth, this movie is perfect for you. The movie makeup and special effects in this film scream 90s and if you’re a 90s kid, then you’ll feel extra nostalgic watching this movie. With a 100% on rotten tomatoes, I recommend this movie to anyone who likes a good witch’s tale.
- Practical Magic (1998)
This movie is one of the best witch movies I have ever seen in my life and is one of my all-time favorites. A tale about sisterhood and family, this is the perfect movie to watch with your friends or even your mom. Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock play the Owens Sister who was born into a magical family that just happens to be cursed. Due to a series of unfortunate events that take place, the Owens Sisters are brought back together during adulthood and have to fend off the evil spirits that threaten their family and the curse that plagues them. This movie is magically beautiful and shows us that love is the most powerful thing that anyone can ever wield.
- Corpse Bride (2005)
It’s hard to describe the mind of Tim Burton in only a few sentences because there is something so different and wonderful about his wacky world that it would take ages to explain. The Corpse Bride is a classic Tim Burton animation, right next to The Nightmare Before Christmas and James and the Giant Peach. This film is about a twisted one-way love story between a living man and a deceased bride that comes to the living world when the man mistakenly puts a wedding band on her finger while practicing his vows for his wedding. She takes him to the land of the dead and he becomes immersed in this new world. The man, whose name is Victor, learns about how the girl (Emily) was murdered on her wedding night years ago. Emily believes that when Victor was practicing his vows in the forest, that he was actually proposing to her. Victor plays along so that he can get back to the land of the living for his real wedding to the love of his life, Victoria. This movie is tragically beautiful in every way and is a perfect example of Tim Burton’s warped world.
- Monster House (2006)
This movie haunted me as a child. It’s an animation about a house that is possessed by a malevolent spirit who hold a grudge against children because of how they treated her before she died. Everything about this movie screams scary. The animation of the house makes things extra scary because they give the house human-like features like a uvula, eyes, teeth, and a long red carpet for a tongue. The house will eat anything that goes near it and it’s up to these three kids to stop the spirit before Halloween when innocent children will be swallowed whole if they go near the house. If you are already familiar with this movie than it’ll definitely be a trip down memory lane when you watch it again this season.
- Dark Shadows (2012)
Another Tim Burton movie, featuring Johnny Depp as Barnabas Collins, a man who was cursed to be a vampire and is buried alive for 200 years until a construction worker uncovers him in 1972 Maine. He returns to his mansion to find his descendants living there and he explains that he is a cousin that is visiting them for a while. Later on, Barnabas finds the witch who cursed him for centuries and plans to get his revenge, with the help of his new-found family, he gets the revenge he so seeks. This movie is really funny, and the set design is amazing, as well as the cast. Michelle Pfeifer, Helena Bonham Carter, Johnny Depp, and Chloe Grace Moretz all play alongside each other to bring you this “groovy” Halloween delight.
Some other underrated Halloween Films that might interest you are The Craft, Hotel Transylvania, The Addams Family, and Creepshow. Break out the Halloween Candy and get comfy this season, you have the whole month to binge watch these awesome movies that get you in the spooky mood.