The calendar has turned to October which means the spookiest season of the year has officially begun. While the kids are out trick-or-treating, treat yourself to some tricks of the cinema — gore effects and creepy lighting and spine-tingling soundtracks. Or keep the kids in and carve some pumpkins while watching some more feel-good Halloween fare. Whether its shocking scares or autumnal ambience on the agenda, these are the best films to get you into the seasonal spirit.
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019)
Image Credit: CBS Films / Everett Collection André Øvredal’s spooky adaptation of Alvin Schwartz’s beloved childrens book series begins on a fateful Halloween night in 1968 when three friends discover a cursed storybook. The days that follow are filled with terror as the children are haunted by stories that magically appear in the pages, with tales about a murderous scarecrow and a festering spider bite that erupts to unleash an army of creepy crawlers. Any horror fan wondering if adapting a children’s book series could pay off with actual thrills for adults gets their answer. The film has jump scares for kids and an atmospheric, surprisingly mature chill for older audiences. With Guillermo del Toro attached as a producer, the film is also home to a handful of horrifying monsters brought to life with practical effects. Just the sight of the Pale Lady and her clay-like flesh is terrifying. — Z.S.
Practical Magic (1998)
Image Credit: ©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection Griffin Dunne’s 1998 treasure is as intrinsic to Halloween as golden leaves and cider donuts. The film is centered around the Owens clan, a family of witches blessed with the gift of magic but cursed by their matriarch. Unfortunately for the Owens women, any man who dared to love them was doomed to die. Naturally, this made things difficult for future generations. Cut to the modern-day duo of sisters played by Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock. Just about everything in this film is picture-perfect from Alan Silverstri’s score to the spooky-old Owens house to the big book of spells the girls cobble their perfect partner from. But what really makes the film special is the mystical worldbuilding. The movie is laced with spiritual idioms and sayings (“Broom fell… company’s coming”) that make audiences feel like they’re right in the thick of it. — M.W.
Ginger Snaps (2000)
Image Credit: ©Unapix Entertainment/Courtesy Everett Collection One of the best-known feminist horror movies, the Canadian fright-fest revolves around a late-blooming teenage sisters Ginger and Brigitte, who decide to take revenge on one of the popular girls. But when one of them is attacked by a wild animal after she has her first period, she grows hair in strange places and discovers an alarming taste for boys and blood. As the gore starts to ratchet up, a drug dealers Halloween party provides a convenient cover for Gingers transformation into a bloodthirsty werewolf. The analogy to puberty is startlingly effective in this low-budget but skillfully executed lycanthrope story that puts a whole new spin on a familiar teen angst story. — P.S.
Night of the Demons (1988)
Image Credit: International Film Marketing Ushering audiences into the seasonal spirit with a kitschy animated opening, “Night of the Demons” is chock-full of costumes, pumpkins and frights. A Halloween party at a funeral parlor goes haywire once a séance conjures supernatural spookies, leaving the teens in attendance scrambling to escape. Retro in ways both fantastic (The dialogue! The costumes! The stock characters!) and horribly dated (seriously, has a film ever been more lecherous anytime a young woman comes onscreen?), “Demons” is a perfect representation of ‘80s horror that somehow hasn’t developed the following it deserves. — W.E.
Trick or Treat (1986)
Image Credit: ©De Laurentiis Group/Courtesy Everett Collection This indelible slice of cheese is a love letter to hard rock, as a high schooler teams up with the ghost of a metal singer to take on bullies. Sammi Curr, a teased-hair headbanger who looks like Gene Simmons put his finger into an electrical socket, is portrayed perfectly by Tony Fields as a mix of spooky and campy in a scenery-chewing turn. The soundtrack, special effects and acting are all catnip for horror fans who love the 80s. With a Halloween party finale that evokes “Carrie, there’s plenty of seasonal spirit. It’s a shame that Sammi Curr didn’t launch a Freddy Krueger-esque franchise. Bonus points for a great Ozzy Osbourne cameo as a televangelist. — W.E.
Scream VI (2023)
Image Credit: Paramount Pictures The Carpenter sisters (and their masked stalker) move to New York, a city so big that, according to the movie’s tagline, “no one hears you scream.” There, Sam (Melissa Barrera) and Tara (Jenna Ortega) link up with “Scream” vets Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) and Kirby Reed (Hayden Panettiere) to untangle the menacing Manhattan mystery and defeat Ghostface(s?). The bustling Big Apple serves as a refreshing backdrop for the “Scream” franchise and adds new thrills, like the franchise villain blending in on a crowded subway car full of people dressed in Halloween costumes, including a couple of Ghostfaces. The sixth Scream will change the way you view the spooky holiday in the big city. — E.S.
Ernest Scared Stupid (1991)
Image Credit: ©Buena Vista Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection A surprisingly scary kids comedy, Jim Varneys fourth film as Ernest P. Worrell finds the local yokel trying to protect area kids from an evil troll accidentally let loose on Halloween night. The creature design is adequately wet and putrid for preteens who love it when things get gross and Varneys physical humor plays to the rafters. The plot machinations owe plenty to the “Leprechaun” series, but it has a light touch and decidedly wacky tone. Come for the schoolyard one-liners (“How bout a bumper sandwich, Boogerlips?”), stay for the wild performance from Eartha Kitt as the flamethrower-wielding Old Lady Hackmore. — W.E.
Terrifier 2 (2022)
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection Damien Leone’s demented feature plays like he equivalent of making a Halloween costume out of spare parts but winning the Halloween costume contest anyway. The low-budget slasher was made for $250,000 and became such a viral sensation due to its unrelenting gore (reports surfaced of moviegoers fainting, vomiting and growing ill during screenings) that it grossed $15.4 million. And just like that, a new slasher icon was born. That would be Art the Clown, who sets out to kill a teenage girl and her younger brother over one long and horrifying Halloween night. Even without all the disgusting kills shown in graphic detail (and there are plenty, from acid being thrown in faces to limbs being dismembered), the mere sight of Art is enough to inspire weeks of nightmares. He wears a jester costume with pom-pom buttons and a white bald harlequin head cover, plus licorice-black teeth frozen into a grin. The only time he is happy is when he’s soaked in blood. And the blood never stops flowing in this in this sadistic two-hou-plus shock fest. — Z.S.
Casper (1995)
Image Credit: ©Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection This sweet film centers its biggest reveal around a tween Halloween party. A father and daughter (played by Bill Pullman and Christina Ricci) move into a haunted mansion to rid the pad of its poltergeist tenants (Casper and his three uncles, the Ghostly Trio). After lots of spirited capers and calamities, the true story behind Casper the friendly ghost is revealed. But the record scratch moment is truly when Casper is transformed into a human boy in the form of 90s Tiger Beat sensation, Devon Sawa. The new boy surprises Ricci at the party and whisks her into the air for a floating dance that ends with a kiss as the human boy then returns to his original ghostly shape. Its charming, its innocent and his presence scares all the other kids away. — M.W.
Idle Hands (1999)
Image Credit: ©Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection Devon Sawa plays a stoner teen whose hand has a murderous mind of its own in this late ‘90s cult classic. A bloody, twisted take on high school movies, Anton just wants to focus on hanging out with his loser buddies (Seth Green and Elden Henson) and getting with his dream girl (Jessica Alba). But, like Ash in “Evil Dead II,” his deadly hand is acting independently. With bizarre set pieces featuring druids, bongs, body horror and plenty of outrageous violence, “Idle Hands” is so creative and ambitious that it’s no wonder that it bombed, only to gain a loyal audience on VHS. The film’s highlight? A climactic Halloween dance that is so ‘90s the chaos begins when the lead singer of The Offspring is scalped by Anton’s then-disembodied hand. — W.E.
Sleepy Hollow (1999)
Image Credit: ©Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection / Everett Collection Tim Burton’s macabre adaptation of Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” is an under-appreciated Halloween movie. Starring Johnny Depp and Christina Ricci, the gothic supernatural horror film follows police constable Ichabod Crane (Depp) as he investigates a series of murders by the legendary apparition known as the Headless Horseman. While the film is not explicitly related to Halloween, it captures the spirit of the holiday through its eerie, decaying atmosphere and focus on urban legends. Burton’s reimagined (and bloodier) take on Irving’s classic tale combines horror, fantasy and romance into a truly haunting and suspenseful murder mystery. — M.Z.
The Karate Kid (1984)
Image Credit: ©Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection Even though it isnt a traditional Halloween movie, the 80s classic still scratches that nostalgic itch to sit around the couch with a bowl of popcorn (or candy) and hang in suspense as Daniel LaRusso squares up against Johnny Lawrence. And, hey, a pivotal scene does take place on Halloween! The full-body skeleton costumes that Johnny and his karate cronies wear are so iconic that the Cobra Kai sequel series had to recreate them. A good Halloween movie is all about gasping in horror at what terror comes next; Karate Kids suspenseful final tournament, where Daniel beats the odds and every opponent standing in his way, certainly fits the bill. — J.M.
House of 1000 Corpses (2003)
Image Credit: Lionsgate/Courtesy Everett Collection Four young people spend Halloween searching for the legendary roadside attraction Dr. Satan in Rob Zombie’s feature debut — and boy, do they find him. Setting the tone for his entire career, Zombie’s spin on backwoods horror like “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” is gruesome, dirty and captivating. With a great cast portraying both normal people (Rainn Wilson, Walton Goggins, Tom Towles) and murderous freakshows (Sid Haig, Bill Moseley, Sheri Moon Zombie), there’s real heart and menace in between the buckets of blood. Add inventive camerawork and sound design and, although Zombie would dilute his style by going to this well too many times, his first full-length feature is a low-budget classic. — W.E.
Donnie Darko (2001)
Image Credit: Everett Collection At the beginning of Richard Kelly’s 2001 indie sci-fi thriller, Donnie Darko (Jake Gyllenhaal) sleepwalks out of his house and meets a terrifying figure in a rabbit costume, who tells him the world will end in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes and 12 seconds — on Halloween. The rest of the film unfurls like a demented trip into Donnie’s troubled psyche as he experiences hallucinations of the monstrous bunny figure, who convinces him to do mysterious things while sleepwalking. It’s a time-traveling spin made even spookier by a goth rock soundtrack and Gary Jules’ eerie cover of “Mad World.” Plus, Donnie’s low-key skeleton get-up, as well as the masked Frank, have become cult-favorite Halloween costumes. — E.S.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Image Credit: ©Universal/courtesy Everett / Everett Collection The Steven Spielberg film that sparked the perfect minimum effort Halloween costume for generations. All you need is a little red hoodie, a bike and a white sheet and presto, youre the delightful boy Elliott (Henry Thomas) and his new friend E.T., the mysterious shaved-sloth looking alien who was stranded on Earth after a cosmic crew neglected to pick up their cutest member. After the sun sets on the children darting in and out of the homes looking for candy, Elliot and his crew have a much larger task at hand help E.T. phone home. A later autumnal evening climaxes in a cinematic bike ride into the sky, where E.T. uses his powers of telekinesis to fly Elliot up into the twilight. The shot is so iconic it would later become the logo for Amblin Entertainment, Spielbergs production company. — M.W.
Pumpkinhead (1988)
Image Credit: ©United Artists/Courtesy Everett Collection Nothing says Halloween like a murderous pumpkin beast. A creature feature staple since its 1989 release, “Pumpkinhead” was directed by Hollywood legend Stan Winston, whose monster work is all over “Jurassic Park,” “The Terminator,” “Aliens” and a whole lot more. Lance Henriksen plays a father who loses his little son after a gaggle of teens mortally injure him with their motorbikes. Bereft with grief, he beseeches the local hillbilly witch to bring his precious child back. Alas, the witch cannot resurrect the dead but instead she offers Ed revenge in the form of one giant Pumpkinhead monster. The father agrees and the massive, wrinkled beast arises ready to do Ed’s murderous work. — M.W.
Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)
Image Credit: ©Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection John Carpenter’s original vision for the “Halloween” series was that each film would be a different spooky story in an anthology format. Yet after the popularity of Michael Myers in the first two films, a slasher-free third chapter was destined to bomb. Luckily, “Witch” became a cult classic thanks to its outrageous plot: An evil company creates masks that kill children wearing them on Halloween night. Oh, and there are a bunch of androids. And Stonehenge is involved. While things don’t quite add up, it’s tons of fun, led by a rowdy Tom Atkins as a boozed-up doctor who is as equally concerned with getting laid as he is with unraveling the conspiracy. — W.E.
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Image Credit: Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures A Halloween movie? A Christmas movie? Regardless, the stop-motion animated musical is a visual delight that seamlessly combines the two holidays into one film. Directed by Henry Selick, the story follows Jack Skellington (voiced by Chris Sarandon), the Pumpkin King of Halloweentown, who has grown tired of the same routine of frightening people. After stumbling upon Christmastown, Jack devises a plan to take over the joyous holiday. A testament to producer Tim Burton’s whimsical yet sinister imagination, the film features memorable songs like “This Is Halloween” and “What’s This?” from composer Danny Elfman. — M.Z.
Trick 'r Treat (2007)
Image Credit: ©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection Anthology films tend to be a mixed bag, but this clever combo from writer-director Michael Dougherty (who would tackle another dark holiday with “Krampus”) features four very wicked and genuinely unsettling stories. The classics are covered, from poisoned candy to werewolves, while also introducing new lore with the character of Sam – a demon with a burlap mask hiding a skull-pumpkin hybrid head. The tales unfold in a non-linear but overlapping style that adds to the tension without distraction. Most of all, it’s the stellar cast – from Oscar-winner Anna Paquin to character greats Brian Cox and Dylan Baker – that elevate the Halloween tales. — J.R.
Hocus Pocus (1993)
Image Credit: ©Buena Vista Pictures/Courtesy Three words: the Sanderson sisters. While the Disney comedy features an amusing storyline on Halloween night in present-day Salem, Mass., home of the Salem Witch Trials, it’s truly Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker’s performances as the trio of diabolical witches that make the feature a Halloween cult classic. Who could forget Midler singing “I Put a Spell on You” as the buck-toothed Winifred Sanderson? From an immortal talking black cat to a zombie ex-boyfriend, “Hocus Pocus” proves that a film doesn’t have to be horrifying in order to capture the spooky aura of the Halloween season. — M.Z.
Halloween (1978)
Image Credit: Compass International Pictures/ Courtesy: Everett Collection The title says it all; this is by far the best movie to watch on Oct. 31. Watching silent, masked killer Michael Myers slash his victims to shreds while theyre dressed in costumes and trick-or-treating feels extra creepy on Halloween itself. John Carpenter created an instant classic that is terrifying year-round, but especially during spooky season. The Halloween franchise has withstood the test of time (and countless imitations), spawning more than 10 sequels, remakes and revivals, but the original still holds the creepy crown. Young Jamie Lee Curtis invented the scream queen moniker and Michael Myers still ranks as one of the most iconic villains in horror. — J.M.