Spooky season is officially upon us! Therefore, I have achieved my final form: October Connor (C. J., if you’d like). As I can’t exactly act like I don’t consume horror year-round anymore, during the month of October I have been looking to watch more Halloween-themed films. While watching WNUF Halloween Special this week, it reminded me of my 31 Halloween Reads post (and even 31 Anthologies) from last year, and had me thinking, with all these lists lately, why not? And when I searched, most of what I found said they were Halloween movie lists, but then they just featured popular horror films, which is not what I had in mind.
Similar to my Zombie movies / shows, Slashers, Creature Features, and Shark Week recommendations, these will all be things I have seen before. I am in no way saying they are all good movies, but they are movies that can get you into the spooky mood. For this list, I will be including movies that are either Halloween-themed or are set around October/Halloween. It may broaden to include autumnal movies, but I’m not making any promises!
I will try to keep the more family-friendly stuff toward the top (well not the first two …), so that those looking for something a little safer can do so with ease. Always check the age ratings and warnings, though!
So, without further ado…
One Halloween List to Rule them All
Halloween (1978)
Fifteen years after murdering his sister on Halloween night 1963, Michael Myers escapes from a mental hospital and returns to the small town of Haddonfield, Illinois, to kill again.
*A King of kings, in my opinion. Great movie, great icon, great scream Queen. Name says it all for this list
Watch on AMC+ & Plex
WNUF Halloween Special
Fake news and commercials, filmed on old video cameras to make it look like a real VHS recording of a commercial television station’s Halloween special from 1987.
*Feels authentic with its grainy VHS quality and even fast forwarding–like you’re catching up on a cable recording after trick-or-treating! Found-footage madness with a slasher-esque finish.
Watch on AMC+
Halloweentown
When a young girl living with her secret witch mother learns she too is a witch, she must help her witch grandmother save Halloweentown from evil forces.
*An absolute classic (and banger) for us millennials. So campy and silly. A Disney Channel movie that landed Debbie Reynolds?
Watch on Disney+ & Hulu
Hocus Pocus
A teenage boy named Max and his little sister move to Salem, where he struggles to fit in before awakening a trio of diabolical witches that were executed in the 17th century.
*I absolutely adore everything about this movie and can’t believe it was a flop originally. Seeing it in theaters for the anniversary was so cool. BOOOOOOOK
Watch on Disney+
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Jack Skellington, king of Halloween Town, discovers Christmas Town, but his attempts to bring Christmas to his home causes confusion.
*A different Halloween town altogether, this one is kind of a jack-of-two-trades, the song says THIS IS HALLOWEEN, but then again, it’s also kind of a Christmas movie?
Watch on Disney+
It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
The Peanuts gang celebrates Halloween while Linus waits for the Great Pumpkin.
*A true classic that I cannot wait to watch with my nephew this year. Such a great art style.
Watch on Apple TV
Under Wraps
Three curious teenagers and one very confused mummy collaborate through some risky adventures, with a race against time to reunite the mummy with his lover from 4,500 years ago.
*Look, there was a time when Disney Channel Movies went on like a generational run. They even remade this! Somewhat above-average spooky family fun.
Watch on Prime
The Addams Family
Con artists plan to fleece an eccentric family using an accomplice who claims to be their long-lost uncle.
*Another classic I love. So much gothic, campy goodness. I wonder if they knew what they had going for them. MY BROTHER FESTER! The spooky fam gets trick-or-treaters!
Watch on Paramount+ & Pluto TV
Haul Out the Halloween
New, Halloween-obsessed neighbors inspire residents of Evergreen Lane to haul out their spookiest costumes and décor to become EverSCREAM Lane.
*Threw this on because the real-life couple who played Marnie & Kalabar in the sequel to Halloweentown is in it. It’s part of a series, I guess, but it’s fine if you like the style or want something seasonal and safe.
Watch on Hallmark+ (guess that’s a thing?)
Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween
Two young friends find a magic book that brings a ventriloquist’s dummy to life.
*Not to say this was bad, but it is pretty much a copy-and-paste of the original script. Still love the mixture of Stine stories. Still love entry horror. Halloween forever.
Watch on Netflix
Ernest Scared Stupid
Ernest accidentally unleashes an ugly troll that plots to transform children into wooden dolls in the town of Briarville, Missouri.
*I swear there’s an Ernest film for just about every occasion. This one just happens to be wacky and spooky and great for the whole family.
Rent on Prime
Halloweentown II: Kalabar’s Revenge
A young witch and her grandmother work together to foil the plans of a wicked warlock’s son before he can use powerful spells to create chaos in the world.
*Of course, the witchy crew is eternally attached to Halloweentown itself, but this one also opens on a banger of a Halloween party in the mortal world! I’ve never seen the other sequels, though.
Watch on Disney+ & Hulu
Casper (1995)
An afterlife therapist and his daughter meet a friendly young ghost when they move into a crumbling mansion in order to rid the premises of wicked spirits.
*Haven’t seen this one since probably the ’90s. Back-to-school season and a planned Halloween party? Right on the list.
Watch on Hulu & Peacock
Hubie Halloween
Despite his devotion to his hometown of Salem (and its Halloween celebration), Hubie Dubois is a figure of mockery for kids and adults alike. But this year, something is going bump in the night, and it’s up to Hubie to save Halloween.
*Aims for Sandler’s signature quirky, but just like many others in recent years, this misses the mark for me. Nice to have a silly Halloween watch, though.
Watch on Netflix
R.L. Stine’s Pumpkinhead
When his brother disappears and everyone forgets he existed, Sam must unravel the mystery before Finn is gone forever.
*I know ‘Tubi Original’ doesn’t instill much faith, but I quite enjoyed this. Felt along the lines of the Goosebumps of old. A more young adult film for the family? Entry-level horror is always a plus.
Watch on Tubi
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
Pennsylvania, 1968. After playing a joke on a school bully, Stella and her friends decide to sneak into a haunted house that once belonged to the powerful Bellows family, unleashing dark forces that they will be unable to control.
*Geared toward more of a young adult audience, this one still featured some super creepy imagery. I’m surprised it hasn’t gotten a follow-up.
Watch on Peacock
Hocus Pocus 2
Two young women accidentally bring back the Sanderson Sisters to modern day Salem and must figure out how to stop the child-hungry witches from wreaking havoc on the world.
*Not what I wanted, especially after the novel sequel that included the original cast, but I liked this for what it was. Wish Disney made something they trusted enough to go to theaters, cause this isn’t even near touching the original.
Watch on Disney+ & Hulu
The Munsters (2022)
Reboot of “The Munsters,” that followed a family of monsters who moves from Transylvania to an American suburb.
*Not explicitly Halloween, although there is one seasonal block party scene, it just inherently matches the vibe–you feel me?
Rent on Prime
Mad Monster Party?
On the Isle of Evil, Baron Boris von Frankenstein reveals his imminent retirement and that he has refined the secret of total destruction, only to be upset when the other monsters try to steal the secret and kill his nephew, Felix Flanken.
*Another that’s more of a Halloween vibe than literal, but a Rankin & Bass movie with all the classic monsters? Such a great art/movie style.
Watch on Plex
All Hallows’ Eve
While babysitting two children on Halloween, a babysitter finds a VHS tape in one of their candy bags. The tape contains three horror stories, linked by a killer clown. As the night progresses, strange things happen in the house.
*Introduces Art the Clown, but it wasn’t David Howard Thornton yet. Nothing special IMO, but Halloween.
Watch on AMC+, Pluto TV & Tubi
Trick ‘r Treat
Five Halloween stories: A principal has a secret life, a virgin is looking for her first time, a group of kids pull a prank, a woman who loathes Halloween does not respect the rules and a mean old man meets a demonic trick-or-treater.
*A Halloween anthology, and people really love Sam … and the name says it all, doesn’t it?
Watch on Netflix
A Haunting in Venice
In post-World War II Venice, Poirot, now retired and living in his own exile, reluctantly attends a seance. But when one of the guests is murdered, it is up to the former detective to once again uncover the killer.
*I feel like this movie is rated rather high for something I thought pretty savagely butchered Agatha Christie’s Hallowe’en Party.
Watch on Hulu
Totally Killer
When the infamous “Sweet Sixteen Killer” returns 35 years after his first murder spree to claim another victim, 17-year-old Jamie accidentally travels back in time to 1987, determined to stop the killer before he can start.
*Sci-fi Slasher? Are we time traveling now? I was a fan? Not Halloween-focused, but it does start there.
Watch on Prime
House of 1000 Corpses
Two young couples traveling across the backwoods of Texas searching for urban legends of murder end up as prisoners of a bizarre and sadistic backwater family of serial killers.
*While the splatter, gore-porn side of horror isn’t really my cup of tea, this slasher/torture film is set on Halloween night.
Watch on AMC+, Prime, Peacock, Plex, Pluto TV & Tubi
Scream 6
After surviving the latest Woodsboro murders, a group of teens move to New York City, hoping for a fresh start, only to find a new killer picking up where the last Ghostface killer left off.
*Ghostface hits NYC. People really seem to hate this movie. I just like the core four… and it’s set during the Halloween season.
Watch on Paramount+ & Netflix
Hell House LLC
Five years after an unexplained malfunction causes the death of 15 tour-goers and staff on the opening night of a Halloween haunted house tour, a documentary crew travels back to the scene of the tragedy to find out what really happened.
*I watched this when I was trying to get into more horror. I was alone … and I am afraid of clowns. It scared the shit out of me. A found-footage film with a well-managed lower budget.
Watch on Tubi, AMC+, Screambox, Pluto TV, Plex & Prime
Haunt Season
A masked maniac targets cast members at a suburban Halloween haunt attraction, turning their staged injuries into gruesome real-life horrors. As the terror escalates, the lines between performance and reality blur.
*Well made for an indie micro-budget. Halloween haunted house is a great setting.
Watch Plex, Pluto TV, Tubi & Prime
Sleepy Hollow
Ichabod Crane is sent to Sleepy Hollow to investigate the decapitations of three people; the culprit is legendary apparition The Headless Horseman.
*Wait, this movie is from 1999? I feel like I recall watching it when I was younger, but it was new? In ’99, I would have been 7, so that’s unlikely. Wow. Kind of just rides the coattails of spooky season this one …
Watch on Pluto TV & Paramount+
Tales of Halloween
Ten stories are woven together by their shared theme of Halloween night in an American suburb, where ghouls, imps, aliens and axe murderers appear for one night only to terrorize unsuspecting residents.
*A Halloween anthology. Features Alexandra Essoe, who is one of Flanagan’s regulars.
Watch on Tubi, Plex, Pluto TV & Prime
Cobweb
An eight-year-old boy tries to investigate the mysterious knocking sounds that are coming from inside the walls of his house, unveiling a dark secret that his sinister parents have kept hidden from him.
*A film during the Halloween season that released in the summer might have been a marketing miss, but I enjoyed this movie. It’s creepy.
Rent on Prime
Halloween at Aunt Ethel’s
Everyone in town knows the story of Old Aunt Ethel. It’s said she makes Halloween candy and pumpkin pie out of the kids that trick-or-treat at her house. This Halloween, the neighborhood teens are going to find out the truth.
*Low budget, low everything. Brainless Halloween watch
Watch on Plex & Tubi
Carved
A group of survivors finds themselves trapped in a historical reenactment village on Halloween, where they must unite to battle a sentient, vengeful pumpkin.
A killer pumpkin that goes after all those it saw carving pumpkins? But I carve pumpkins every year! Campy, corny, and just the right amount of stupid. The pumpkin design was actually gnarly. Moved and attacked like a spider-octopus, too.
Watch on Hulu
Terrifier
A maniac named Art the Clown terrorizes two friends on Halloween and everyone who gets in his way.
*While I like the mum Art the Clown as an icon, I’m not all in on the splatterpunk/gore-porn style
Watch on Peacock, Plex, Tubi & Prime
Zombie Town
When Amy and Mike uncover a centuries-old curse after watching an exclusive film reel, they must quickly track down an infamous filmmaker and navigate a town of hungry zombies before it’s too late to break the curse.
*Aykroyd and Chase, based on an R. L. Stine book w. the author attached, and yet this is somehow some real bottom-of-the-barrel stuff … cheesy acting, atrocious plot, zombies suck your soul out rather than bite. Set during the Halloween season, though!
Watch on Hulu/Rent on Prime
Satan’s Little Helper
A naive young boy unknowingly becomes the pawn of a serial killer.
*Threw this on for a Halloween watch because I thought the cover went hard as hell. The movie doesn’t. Seasonal though.
Watch on AMC+
Blood Fest
Fans flock to a festival celebrating the most iconic horror movies, only to discover that the charismatic showman behind the event has a diabolical agenda.
*Lots of tropes and horror styles, all at a huge seasonal horror festival.
Rent on Prime
Dark Harvest
In a small Midwestern town, a deadly annual ritual unfolds when the mythical nightmare, Sawtooth Jack, rises from the cornfields and challenges the town’s teenage boys in a bloody battle of survival.
*A supernatural slasher horror based on a book. Follows an annual Halloween ritual. It’s iight. The book’s cover captures the seasonal mood way better.
Watch on Tubi
Late Night with the Devil
A live television broadcast in 1977 goes horribly wrong, unleashing evil into the nation’s living rooms.
*Somewhat similar in idea to WNUF Halloween Special; however, this is much more focused as a film than actual cable television watching. Halloween night, 1977. I’m a big Dastmalchian fan.
Watch on Hulu & AMC+
The Jester
A malevolent being known as The Jester terrorizes the inhabitants of a small town on Halloween night, including two estranged sisters who must come together to find a way to defeat this evil entity.
*I kind of like the design, but it feels like the Joker wrapped up as Art the Clown. Not the best.
Watch on AMC+, Plex, Pluto TV & Tubi
Halloween III: Season of the Witch
Kids all over America want Silver Shamrock masks for Halloween. Doctor Daniel Challis seeks to uncover a plot by Silver Shamrock owner Conal Cochran.
*Didn’t particularly enjoy this during my franchise watch, but I think it needs a rewatch, keeping in mind that it’s its own thing—kind of a precursor to Goosebumps’ The Haunted Mask.
Watch on AMC+, Peacock & Prime
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
A troubled child summons the courage to help a friendly alien escape from Earth and return to his home planet.
*Though I am probably 20 years overdue for a rewatch of this movie, the hazmat scenes still haunt me to this day. Really shows how much of a scaredy-cat I used to be, as this isn’t even truly horror. It does feature a Halloween sequence, though, landing it right on this list!
Watch on Hulu & Starz
Terrifier 2
Resurrected by a sinister entity, Art the Clown returns to Miles County to terrorize a teenage girl and her younger brother on Halloween night.
*More mythical/supernatural, more gore-porn … but with a sword … and a huge uptick in budget.
Watch on Prime, Plex & Tubi
V/H/S/Halloween
A collection of Halloween-themed videotapes unleashes a series of twisted, blood-soaked tales, turning trick-or-treat into a struggle for survival.
*Believe it or not, this was actually my first watch in the VHS series. I absolutely love the style, and I thought these were good. I will be catching the next when as soon as it releases for sure.
Watch on AMC+
Halloween (2007)
After being committed for 15 years, Michael Myers, now a grown man and still very dangerous, escapes from the mental institution and immediately returns to Haddonfield to find his baby sister, Laurie.
*After the disaster that was the latest franchise film, we take a brief break for a Rob Zombie reboot. I liked it, but it was very Michael-focused. The actual slasher portion is on Halloween, just like the original.
Rent on Prime
Haunt
On Halloween, a group of friends encounter an “extreme” haunted house that promises to feed on their darkest fears. The night turns deadly as they come to the horrifying realization that some nightmares are real.
*A solid idea and a pretty okay execution. Reminded me of Haunt Season with a better budget. This movie has some killer masks … and the faces beneath them? WOOF.
Watch on AMC+, Plex & Tubi
The Jester 2
When teen magician Max crosses paths with the sinister Jester on Halloween night, she must outsmart a supernatural killer whose magic is all too real and whose tricks always end up in blood.
*Better than the first. Goes for a more full-on magician to separate from Art the Clown. Some good kills, and I enjoyed the teen counterpart. I wonder if they’ll do a third.
Watch on AMC+
Bonus
Spooktacular!
The story of Spooky World, and its founder, a PR-savvy mix of P. T. Barnum and Stephen King who parlayed his experience working in his father’s joke shop into creating the very first horror scream park of its kind, in 1991.
*A Documentary about the Scream Park that launched the haunted house boom, featuring some familiar horror faces. Not a movie, but a fitting watch to get into spooky season.
Watch on Prime, AMC+, Plex & Tubi
If you made it this far, as always, you’re a real one. Please let me know what your favorites are and which one I should tackle next!
Because this was a shorter list, I didn’t want to include all of the Halloween franchise films that actually take place on Halloween night. It’s like 10 or 11 of them in total; if you haven’t seen them, I do recommend at least one watch through.
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