For year-round horror fans, Halloween is the greatest time of the year! As the spooky holiday approaches, there are many ways for you to get into the October spirit, one of which is watching horror/thriller/Halloween movies with your friends. For those that avoid scary movies, I’ve also included some Disney classics from the 90s and early 2000s. So tuck yourself into that cozy blanket, have some popcorn, and get ready to be entertained with a whole list of spine-chilling throwbacks!
Don’t worry, there are no spoilers here!
*Not ranked in any particular order*
- black swan (2010)
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An intense psychological thriller, Black Swan follows the story of a ballerina, Nina, who works in a New York City Ballet Company. The company’s director decides that for their next production, Swan Lake, Nina is his first choice for the prima ballerina. She will be playing the role of both the White Swan and the Black Swan. Although graceful, innocent, and perfect as the White Swan, Nina is unable to personify the Black Swan role. Due to this, her position as the prima ballerina is at risk, and her rival Lily does everything she can to take it from her. The movie progresses as the roles of both Swans consume her, spending her spiraling into a psychotic break and slowly transforming her into the Black Swan.
- Jennifer’s body (2009)
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An iconic movie featuring Megan Fox as Jennifer Check, Jennifer’s Body depicts a demon’s possession of a popular high school cheerleader. Throughout the movie, Jennifer has an insatiable appetite for male human flesh, which she satisfies by feasting on her unsuspecting schoolmates who are lured in by her looks. Upon finding out, her nerdy best friend, nicknamed Needy, vows to stop her once and for all.
- Monster House (2006)
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Monster House is an animated, comedy horror film that is PERFECT for October. With Halloween approaching, three children must prove to everyone that the house across the street—belonging to an old man who often chases them off his lawn and confiscates their belongings—is a harmful, evil living creature. The trio must find a way to destroy the house without meeting their ends, or else innocent trick-or-treaters will die.
- Twitches (2005)
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Twitches is a Disney classic about two twin witches, Alex and Camryn, who were separated at birth but reunited on their 21st birthday. The movie follows them as they discover that their powers strengthen when they work together. Get caught up in their drama as they use their magic to save the world, figure out their past identities, and fulfill their destiny!
- Scary Godmother: Halloween Spooktakular (2003)
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Based on the Scary Godmother series of books by Jill Thompson, this computer-animated movie follows a girl named Hannah, as she goes trick or treating with her cousin Jimmy and his friends. After being pranked by Jimmy and entering an abandoned house, Hannah meets a witch who refers to herself as the Scary Godmother and is introduced to a new world.
- Final Destination (2000)
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The Final Destination Series has 5 movies, which can be watched in the following order:
- Final Destination (2000)
- Final Destination 2 (2003)
- Final Destination 3 (2006)
- The Final Destination (2009)
- Final Destination 5 (2011)
With the sixth Final Destination movie in the works for release, it is imperative to watch the previous movies in the series to get a good grasp on the timeline and the general ideas of these movies. The beginning of the movies is all similar: the main character experiences intense premonitions of their deaths and always picks a different course to avoid said deaths. However, those who cheat fate will still ultimately meet their end in the most gruesome ways.
- Halloweentown (1998)
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The Disney Halloween classic Halloweentown follows Marnie and her siblings as they travel to Halloweentown, where creepy creatures get to live normal lives. Despite her mother’s wishes to live as a mortal, Marnie’s estranged grandmother makes a visit, causing the siblings to follow her back to her hometown. In Halloweentown, the supernatural is NATURAL, and they discover that they come from a family of witches. On her 13th birthday, Marnie discovers that, like her grandmother and mother, she is a witch. Follow Marnie as she overcomes the challenges of being a witch and tries to save Halloweentown (and the world) from the looming evil force!
- James and the Giant Peach (1996)
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James and the Giant Peach is a Disney film produced by Tim Burton and directed by famous stop motion director Henry Selick. It is a sinister adaption of a children’s tale from 1961. It tells the story of James, who after his parents passed away, ends up in the hands of his awful aunts, Spiker and Sponge, who make him work and scold him frequently. One day, a giant peach grows, and he hides inside, where he meets 6 insects. They take him on a journey where he learns to face his fears and escape his meaningless life as the peach rolls away towards New York City.
- Edward Scissorhands (1990)
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Featuring Johnny Depp as Edward, this movie is an October classic! Created and designed by a scientist, Edward Scissorhands is a gentle humanoid creation with a ghastly appearance along with noticeable scissor blades in place of human hands. After the scientist dies, he is taken in by a kind woman named Peg and falls in love with her daughter. However, despite being gentle, kind, and artistic in many ways, Edward struggles to be accepted by those around him due to his grotesque body.
October is the month of Halloween movie marathons, so I hope you take advantage of this list of iconic movies and enjoy your cozy sweater season!