The 10 Best Halloween Movies To Celebrate Spooky Season
Halloween is the best time of the year. There’s plenty of candy to go around, the days start to get colder, and everyone starts to plan which horror movies to watch to get into the spooky season. There’s no shortage of horror movies to choose from, and plenty of people will be satisfied just watching the scariest movies imaginable to get in the mood. But for some, Halloween is a vibe. It’s a state of mind, a way of life, and the time of year for horror movies that can be scary, but aren’t.
Trying to nail down a definition for a Halloween movie isn’t exactly easy, but if you were to ask me, it’s a horror movie you can watch with friends and have fun. People tend to forget that horror movies don’t have to be scary. A Halloween movie doesn’t have to terrify you in the same way that genre movies like Host or The Exorcist do. The tone tends to be lighter and, more often than not, they don’t take themselves seriously. Therefore, a Halloween movie is a movie that has horror imagery but can be enjoyed by both horror fans and those who don’t often watch them. So with that in mind, here are some of the best Halloween movies you can watch this year on Paramount+, Disney+, and more.
Half a century ago, The Rocky Horror Picture Show debuted to very little fanfare. Since then, it has become the centerpiece of midnight theater screenings and an unconventional fixture in both the theatre and film community. People who love ‘50s B-movies like The Blob (1958) and Forbidden Planet (1956) will feel right at home with The Rocky Horror Picture Show. It blends sci-fi and horror in a joyous package that aims to entertain.
What may put some people off is the fact that it’s a musical, and a pretty limited one at that. Not everyone likes musicals, hence its placement toward the bottom of the list. However, if you do, The Rocky Horror Picture Show can’t be beat. Despite being only 98 minutes long, the film is jam-packed with banger after banger, including songs like “Science Fiction/Double Feature,” “Rose Tint My World,” and the absolutely iconic “The Time Warp.” If you’re a fan of musicals like Little Shop of Horrors (1986) or low-budget B-movies, The Rocky Horror Picture Show is one of the best movies to get you into the Halloween season.
Slashers are a popular subgenre of horror for the Halloween season. Most slashers are somewhat tongue-in-cheek, and there’s a certain sense of glee you feel when the killer pops on screen and delivers an over-the-top kill. If you wanted to watch a slasher movie that pays respect and homage to the classics, Scream can’t be beat. There’s a deep appreciation not only for slashers in Scream, but horror movies in general. Matthew Lillard and Skeet Ulrich constantly espouse the glories of the genre, and it’s hard not to feel the passion they feel. Lovers of franchises like A Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th will feel right at home, but Scream doesn’t rest on just explaining why slashers are great. It adds its own twist to the slasher formula.
The film also functions as murder mystery, hooking viewers as they try to figure out the identity of the Ghostface Killer. Even when you know who the killer is, rewatching the film is rewarding as you see all the clues and enjoy the subtle nods and winks to their identity. And, of course, like any good slasher, it knows how to deliver solid kills. It may not exactly reach the same heights as its forefathers, but for a modern reinvention of the genre, it works shockingly well. For those looking for a good horror mystery, or even just a horror movie that loves being a horror movie, Scream delivers, and then some.
Halloween is, ultimately, a holiday for kids. There’s no denying adults use it as an excuse to revel in horror, but it’s a holiday where kids dress up and go around asking for candy. Very few horror movies capture that child-friendly atmosphere, but ParaNorman does.
It has everything that’s perfect for the Halloween season. There are plenty of ghosts, zombies, and witches, and like The Rocky Horror Picture Show, there’s a clear love for classic horror movies like Night of the Living Dead (1968). There’s also a certain artistry present with ParaNorman thanks to its use of stop motion. Fans of Henry Selick's movies like The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) and Coraline (2009) will feel right at home with ParaNorman. It’s a great Halloween movie for kids and adults, making it an easy choice for this list.
The Monster Squad may not be as polished as some other movies on this list, but what it lacks in polish, it more than makes up for with edge. This is a movie that screams ‘’80s in all the best ways, while also showcasing a love for classic monster movies of the ‘30s and ‘40s.
Channeling the same essence of childhood that The Goonies (1985) and The Sandlot (1993) did, The Monster Squad is a perfect movie for older kids or pre-teens. It’s not afraid to be crass, including the legendary scene where a kid kicks a werewolf where the moon doesn’t shine. It’s old-school in the best way possible, going the practical route of depicting its monsters and not trying to make modern pop culture references. That helps make The Monster Squad feel timeless. It can be seen as corny if you think Dracula, the Wolf Man, and Frankenstein are overused monsters, but if you’re looking for something that feels like a time capsule of ‘80s horror movies and want to discover a hidden gem, The Monster Squad is a diamond in the rough.
As far as slashers go, The Nightmare on Elm Street series is one of the all-time greats. The concept of a serial killer attacking people in their dreams is ripe with potential, made all the better by Robert Englund’s delicious portrayal of Freddy Kruger. While the first film is a classic horror film in so many different ways, Nightmare on Elm Street 3: The Dream Warriors is the better Halloween movie.
This entry comes at a point in the franchise where it was starting to transition Freddy from being a demonic figure to a campy threat. Because of that, The Dream Warriors has it both ways, depicting Freddy as this creepy figure who kills his victims in the campiest ways imaginable. The Dream Warriors has a demented sense of humor almost akin to Army of Darkness (1992), but when the film wants to be a horror movie, it still manages to deliver some good scares. It even expands upon the lore of the series in ways that feel meaningful and significant. It may be a bit too scary for some younger audience members, but if you have teenagers that are looking for something that’s both funny and dark, The Dream Warriors is by far the best Nightmare on Elm Street movie to watch this Halloween.
The Addams family has endured in the halls of pop culture for years. Each generation has their own iteration of the family to call their own, but for many millennials and Gen Xers, Addams Family Values is the best representation of the family. Dripping with a Gothic aesthetic, Addams Family Values has a blast lampooning the suburbia, juxtaposing the Addam’s brand of oddness with the mundanity of everyday life. It’s funny watching Uncle Fester fall in love with a woman who wants nothing more than to kill him, but everyone in the family thinks nothing of her murder attempts.
It carries a dark sense of humor that fans of Beetlejuice (1988) or Death Becomes Her (1992) will instantly recognize. Even after all these years, Christina Ricci is the perfect Wednesday Addams thanks to her stoic delivery coupled with the chaos she delivers upon Camp Chippewa. It’s a comedy that a person of any age can get behind, unlike the decidedly more mature Rocky Horror Picture Show or The Monster Squad, which helps make this 94-minute comedy one of the best Halloween movies for families.
Disney is probably the perfect company to deliver Halloween movies. As a company, it’s all about family-friendly entertainment, so delivering a Halloween movie that has spooky vibes but isn’t actually scary is as easy as pie. That said, if you were to call Hocus Pocus the perfect Halloween movie, not many people would disagree with you.
The main selling point of Hocus Pocus is the Sanderson sisters, played by Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy. These three witches are amazing together, bouncing off each other in funny ways, yet each of them retains their own distinct personality. Each scene also captures the essence of Halloween wonderfully. Whether it's the amount of candy on-screen or all the kids running around trick-or-treating, Hocus Pocus delivers on nostalgia. You really get a sense of just how much joy the cast and crew have for the holiday, much in the same way Halloweentown (1998) exudes love for it. While it may be a bit too silly and lighthearted for some, it’s a fan-favorite cult classic for a reason.
Both Hocus Pocus and The Nightmare Before Christmas capture the excitement and fun of Halloween, but between the two of them, The Nightmare Before Christmas is simply more memorable. A lot of this has to do with the music, composed by Danny Elfman. Each of the nine main musical numbers are all performed wonderfully, with vivid animation and creature design that present Halloween Town as a Gothic wonderland.
The Nightmare Before Christmas is only 74 minutes, but it imbues each second with a delightfully dark mood that proves why Tim Burton is the master at making creepy environments that are still welcoming and wholesome. If you loved Corpse Bride (2005) or Frankenweenie (2012) and you haven’t seen The Nightmare Before Christmas, you need to fix that immediately. Whether it's by listening to the amazing soundtrack or getting emotionally invested in Jack’s desire to spread Christmas cheer, you’ll have a smile on your face watching The Nightmare Before Christmas until the credits roll.
It’s by far the scariest movie on this list, but for a list about Halloween, you have to talk about the Halloween series. To talk about the best Halloween movies without mentioning the first Halloween would be a travesty, especially given how impactful it was in popularizing the slasher subgenre. Like the best horror movies, the premise of Halloween is simple. Michael Myers is a serial killer who escapes from an insane asylum and tries to kill people on Halloween night. You don’t need a more complicated premise than that, and Halloween, to this day, still delivers the thrills you would expect from a slasher.
Michael is such an imposing figure that whenever he appears in his spray painted William Shatner mask, your heart skips a beat. The fear he generates is palpable and fans of Jason from the Friday the 13th franchise will see flashes of him under Michael’s emotionless mask. Yes, the Ghostface Killer and Freddy Krueger may be iconic killers, but they’re not as good as Michael. If you could only choose one slasher to watch this Halloween, Halloween is the best answer.
There are Halloween movies, and then there’s Trick ‘r Treat. While other movies on this list are here due to their campy tone, creepy vibes, or mixture of comedy and horror, Trick ‘r Treat is here because everything about it centers on and around Halloween. As an anthology, each segment deals with a new cast of characters, but the one thing that ties them all together is the creepy little demon Sam. Sam will only appear whenever Halloween traditions are broken, which the film uses to perfectly explain why Halloween is such a magical holiday.
While Sam is a cute little monster, the film is anything but cute. Still, its violent imagery is softened somewhat by the love of the holiday and by how short each segment is. There’s a certain campiness in each story that feels reminiscent of old-school horror shows like Tales From the Crypt (1989). It’s an excellent gateway horror film for those who may not like the genre, but still want to get into the spooky mood, which is what Halloween is all about. Like some of the best Halloween movies, Trick ‘r Treat is considered a cult classic, so if you never knew about Sam and the punishments he dishes out to those who disrespect the holiday, rectify that mistake right away.
