These 12 classic movies have filled television in October as early as 1966 with It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. As kids, we had to watch these movies every October or else we weren’t squeezing the most out of our Halloween celebration. Halloween movies from the ’80s to the early 2000s covered everything from ghosts and witches to haunted houses and evil demon creatures who walk among the living. Nevertheless, here are 12 of the best Halloween-themed movies from growing up that you should watch every Halloween.
1. Beetlejuice (1988) – This Tim Burton movie highlighted a couple of recently deceased ghosts who desperately want to get rid of the new people who moved into their house. They employ the help of Beetlejuice to help scare off the new owners. To find out what happens next, I highly suggest you check your TV’s guide, or even go as far as picking the movie up when you’re out shopping next because you don’t want to miss out on this hilarious movie.
2. Casper (1995) – The ghosts in this next movie are a little bit friendlier. Casper, a young ghost, and his three obnoxious uncles (The Ghostly Trio) inhabit the house in which Casper used to live. The owner of the house, Carrigan, wishes to seek the treasure which is hidden in the house, but soon finds out that it is haunted. After Carrigan attempts to get rid of Casper and The Ghostly Trio, Casper goes on a mission to bring a paranormal therapist to the house. The therapist, Dr. Harvey, comes to visit the house with his daughter, Kat who befriends Casper. The rest of this story is an interesting tale that I highly encourage you to watch this Halloween, either for the first time, or for the thousandth time.
3. Ernest Scared Stupid (1991) – In this Disney movie, Old Lady Hackmore, a local superstitious hermit, tells the tale of a demonic troll who turns children into tiny wooden statues to Ernest, a middle school student in the town of Briarville. Elders trapped the troll long ago and it can only be released on the night before Halloween. Ernest tells his friends and accidentally releases the troll. After two victims, the kids figure out how to defeat this troll, but can they get there in time? Sit down with your friends, kids, or just by yourself to figure out if Ernest and his friends can save the day in this comedy. Trust me; it’s totally worth it.
4. Ghostbusters (1984) – Three parapsychologists are called to the New York Public Library where they find the ghost of a dead librarian who soon turns into a horrific monster. The three men establish a service called the “Ghostbusters” and eventually become famous after catching their first ghost in a hotel. What happens next for these three men is something you’re going to want to be in on. This Halloween you should spruce up your video splurge with this classic movie.
5. Halloweentown (1998) – Disney created this movie with the thought of children/preteens in mind. The main character, Marnie, is the typical soon-to-be 13 year old girl who wants nothing more than to go to a Halloween party. She overhears her mother and grandmother talking about how she’s destined to be a witch. Marnie gets in a stick situation with a demon. To find out what happens to Marnie, you should definitely check out this Disney Channel Original Movie.
6. Halloweentown II: Kalabar’s Revenge (2001) – Of course, Disney couldn’t leave Marnie’s story with just one movie. In this sequel, Marnie and her grandmother travel to Halloweentown because they sense something is wrong. When they try to fix what happened, they end up getting trapped in Halloweentown. Can Marnie and her grandmother return to the human world before Kalabar takes over? Sit down this Halloween to see how Marnie solves her situation.
7. Halloweentown High (2004) – Next on her agenda, Marnie convinces the council of Halloweentown to try and be more open with the human world, and thus proposes to let a group of Halloween students come to her mortal school. Marnie accidentally bets all her family’s magic that her plan will work. Find out if Marnie’s family loses their magic in this comedic tale of teenage chaos.
8. Return to Halloweentown (2006) – The last of the series shows Marnie at Halloweentown University. Instead of learning about how to use her magic, like Marnie had hoped, witches and warlocks cannot use their magic at this school. A magical box with “S. Cromwell” appeared in the school and the students thought Marnie conjured the box, which would go against the school’s policies. Find out what’s in the box and if Marnie manages to convince the teachers that the box wasn’t her doing in this last installment of the Halloweentown saga.
9. Hocus Pocus (1993) – As another Disney movie about witches, Hocus Pocus tells the tale of the three Sanderson sister witches from Salem who have a rude habit of taking little girls hostage on Halloween. Max, a teenager who just moved to Los Angeles from Salem, has to take his little sister, Dani, trick-or-treating with his new crush, Allison, a girl from his new school. While out, Dani becomes interested in the Sanderson sisters and brings them up. To prove his sister false, Max tries to resurrect the sisters who then try and take Dani hostage. Can Max get Dani and Allison away to safety? This comedic, horror movie is a great catch that will leave you sitting on the edge of your seat, should you choose to watch it this Halloween.
10. It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown (1966) – This timeless classic is a movie that has been around since our parents were kids. It’s a family tradition in almost all households to sit down each Halloween and watch Charlie and his gang realize the actual existence of the Great Pumpkin. While Charlie, Lucy, Snoopy, and Patty do not believe in it, Linus writes a letter to the Great Pumpkin to prove them wrong. After putting his letter in the mailbox, the gang decides to go trick-or-treating. Is Linus correct? Will the Great Pumpkin show up to prove his point? Sit down with your friends or family and learn the truth about this old tale.
11. The Haunted Mansion (2003) – Eddie Murphy stars as Jim Evers in this Disney family horror comedy. Jim, a real estate who works too much, misses his anniversary with his wife and promises to take the family on a vacation. But when he gets a call about a mansion that he cannot pass up, he drags his wife, Sara, and their two kids, Megan and Michael, out to the mansion with him. The family finds out the inhabitants of the house are all ghosts who are cursed at the house until the two original owners, Gracey and Elizabeth are reunited. Gracey, who actually committed suicide because he believes that Elizabeth did the night before their wedding, thinks that Sara, the wife, is actually Elizabeth back from the dead. Will the Evers find out the truth in the situation? Will Gracey be reunited with Elizabeth? Watch this spooky movie to find out if these ghosts get a chance to move on into the afterlife.
12. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) – And lastly, this Tim Burton film which is widely popular not only during Halloween, but also at Christmas time, tells the story of Halloween Town which is filled with ghosts, monster, goblins, werewolves, vampires, and witches. Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King, encourages them to organize the annual Halloween holiday. But Jack reveals he is tired of the same tradition every year. He stumbles across seven holiday doors and ends up in Christmas Town which is under the guidance of Santa Claus. Jack returns to Halloween town and tries to take the celebration of Christmas and use it for Halloween. When the town’s people do not grasp his idea, he decides they will take over Christmas. I highly suggest you find out what happens next in this extremely exciting film that should be on everyone’s list for this Halloween season.