There are some essential movies that everyone needs to watch to mark Halloween and here are a few to help kick off spook season.
The month of October marks the unofficial beginning of spook season. Even though Halloween is at the end of the month, those who are ambitious enough get in the spirit the minute the clock strikes twelve on September 30. It means it's okay to start pulling out the Halloween decor and making Starbucks runs for Pumpkin Spice Lattes. But nothing completes the feeling of Fall like watching a good Halloween flick tucked under warm, cozy blankets.
There are some essential movies that everyone needs to watch to mark Halloween. They can range from scary, horror, thriller movies, to spooky ones with the central theme of Halloween. Here are a few classic Halloween movie suggestions for this fall:
This Tim Burton classic is a quintessential Halloween watch. It is the story of when Jack Skellington, the pumpkin king of Halloween Town discovers Christmas Town and is fascinated by it. He decides to bring Christmas to Halloween Town and his obsession with Christmas soon takes a turn for the worse. This stop-motion animated musical is perfect for Halloween as well as Christmas.
Another Tim Burton classic that makes for a perfect Halloween watch. It is a 1988 comedy horror film about a deceased couple Adam (Alec Baldwin) and Barbara (Geena Davis) who are unsuccessful in scaring away a family that has moved into their old home. They recruit the help of a malicious spirit and bio-exorcist, Beetlejuice or Betelgeuse (Michael Keaton) to help them.
The Halloweentown movie series includes four movies: Halloweentown (1998), Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge (2001), Halloweentown High (2004), and Return to Halloweentown (2006.) It follows the story of how Marnie Piper (Kimberly J. Brown) and her younger siblings Dylan (Joey Zimmerman) and Sophie (Emily Roeske) discover the existence of an alternate universe where supernatural beings have come together to form their community called Halloweentown. The movie series follows the adventures between the mortal world and the supernatural world.
Hocus Pocus is another Halloween classic that has gained a cult following over the years. This comedy horror film follows the story of a teen who moves to Salem, where he ends up bringing back a trio of diabolical witch sisters, who escaped persecution in the 17th century, back to life. It stars Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy as the Sanderson sisters and since the events take place on Halloween, it makes a perfect watch. The sequel of the film is in the works as well if you needed another reason to watch it.
The 1995 film was based on the Harvey Comics cartoon character Casper the Friendly Ghost created by Seymour Reit and Joe Oriolo. It follows a ghost therapist and his daughter who move into a crumbling mansion to rid it off any wicked spirits. There they meet a friendly young ghost and his poltergeist uncles the Ghostly Trio. It was the first feature film to have a fully CGI character in the lead role at the time.
This stop-motion film is based on the Neil Gaiman book of the same name. It is a dark fantasy film about how an adventurous 11-year-old girl enters a strange door in her new home to find another world that is a strangely idealized version of her real home, where everyone has buttons for eyes and she is treated well. But it has sinister secrets and Coraline soon realizes the other world was only trying to trap her.
This film series combines black comedy and mystery with the violence of the slasher genre. It satirizes the clichés of the horror movie genres. The first film follows Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) who is being terrorized by a serial killer in a Halloween Ghostface costume. She and her friends get targeted by using horror films as part of a deadly game. The original film has four sequels and another one coming out next year.
Jennifer's Body is another dark comedy horror film that tanked at the time of release but went on to gain popularity over the years. It follows the story of Jennifer (Megan Fox) who becomes possessed after a sacrifice to Satan gone wrong. She starts terrorizing the locals after several high schoolers are found brutally murdered and her best friend Anita (Amanda Seyfried,) tries to stop her.
There are two Carrie films, the original from 1976 and the reboot from 2013. It is a supernatural horror film about a girl named Carrie who discovers she has telekinetic powers. After being repeatedly bullied at school and home, she unleashes all her powers after she is humiliated at school on prom night following a mean-spirited prank. It is based on Stephen King's novel by the same name.
The Conjuring is a supernatural horror film following paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren who help a family terrorized by a dark presence in their farmhouse. They discover that the whole area was steeped in a satanic haunting that was targeting the Perron family wherever they went.
This is a psychological horror film about the Graham family following the death of the matriarch. Strange events start occurring following her death and more tragedy strikes the family. Soon, terrifying secrets about the family's ancestry come to life and they learn the hard way about the sinister fate they have inherited. This was the directorial debut of Ari Aster.
This is Ari Aster's second feature film. It is a folk horror film about a young couple who decide to visit their friend's Swedish commune to witness the mid-summer festival and in an attempt to fix their relationship. But things take a dire turn at the remote rural settlement and change their lives forever.
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