There are plenty of great things about Halloween. The candy, the costumes, the parties. However, my favorite part is the movies! In this thorough list, you can find 29 movie recommendations with synopsis, ratings, and broken down into categories. Get some popcorn, candy corn, some company and get ready for a spooky Halloween themed movie night!
The Nightmare Before Christmas (PG)
This childhood classic follows Jack Skellington, the king of Halloweentown, as he stumbles through the door to Christmas Town. Once Jack realizes that he likes the idea of happy people on Christmas, rather than scaring them. He attempts to take control of Christmas for the year! You can watch this fan-favorite on Disney Plus!
Hocus Pocus (PG)
This is a staple movie for Halloween time! In this movie, we follow Allison, Max, and his sister as they explore an abandoned house after moving to Salem, Massachusetts. When Allison tells them the story of this abandoned house Max doesn’t take it seriously. Soon after stuff begins to go haywire! You can watch this classic on Disney Plus!
Halloweentown (PG)
In the first installment of the Halloweentown series we follow Marnie Cromwell and her siblings as they follow their grandmother home and find out a family secret… she is a witch! This movie is a bit outdated, but is a super fun time to watch. It shows that the monsters under your bed have a life too! You can also watch these movies on Disney Plus.
Monster House (PG)
In this fan-favorite children’s movie, we watch as no adults believe three kids that their neighbor’s house is trying to eat them. Viewers follow their journey as they go on the harrowing adventure to understand and kill the Monster House. You can watch this movie on Amazon Prime.
In this Tim Burton classic, we follow Victor as he travels unwillingly to the underworld and falls in love with a Corpse Bride. Throughout this movie we have a fabulous, underrated soundtrack that even rivals one of our prior movies, The Nightmare Before Christmas. You can watch this movie on Amazon Prime for 3.99$.
Ghostbusters (PG)
In this 80s classic, we follow three scientists recently fired from New York University and decide to become Ghostbusters. In this process, they accidentally release evil in New York City. This movie is very fun but is a bit scary, it was made in the 80s after all! You can watch this movie on Amazon Prime for 2.99$.
Addams Family (PG-13)
Baddah Ba Dum *snap snap* Baddah Ba Dum *snap snap* here they come, The Addams Family! Follow this morbid family through their family fun adventures! This movie has been adapted multiple times, even to a Tony nominated musical! There are many Addams Family movies but you can watch this one on Netflix or Amazon Prime.
If you are a bit older, you may be looking for a scarier Halloween movie. The following flicks are quite scary and may have a higher rating. Our next movies are modern-day horror films that are either psychologically terrifying or have killer jump scares! Get a few friends together to watch these flicks!
The Ring (PG - 13)
A videotape filled with a young girl and nightmare inducing images, followed by an ominous phone call telling you, you will die in seven days. The Ring is true nightmare material! This movie is more of a psychological thriller, but is still very scary. You can watch this haunting movie on Hulu and Amazon Prime!
Babadook (Not Rated)
Even though the Babadook has become a LGBTQ+ icon in the past few years, it is a surprisingly scary movie. We set the scene with a single mother, living with the violent death of her husband. Her young son is scared of the monster in the dark. She doesn’t believe him until she starts to feel the strange presence herself. You can watch this movie on Amazon Prime and Sling TV!
The Blair Witch Project (R)
Ask your parents if they saw this, and they will probably say not all of it. This movie caused thousands of people to throw up in theaters because of the shaky filming of this ‘Mockumentary.’ If you aren’t easily motion sick, I suggest watching this movie. In this nausea-inducing film, we follow three film students who have traveled to a small town to make a documentary about their local killer, The Blair Witch. They gather interviews easily, but when they get lost in the woods things start to go haywire. You can watch this movie on Hulu or Sling TV.
Jigsaw (R)
“Do you want to play a game?” This question has been asked by John Kramer since the original Saw movie came out. This is the modern continuation of the Saw franchise where the police start to see the markings of the dead Saw killer on dead bodies all around. When they become enraptured in finding a dead killer, bad things begin to happen. Are they looking for a dead man, or are they looking for a copycat killer with his own tricks? Find out by watching this movie on Hulu or Sling TV.
Halloween (2018) (R)
If you haven’t seen the original Halloween (1978) I would recommend watching that classic slasher film first. This remake takes place 40 years later where Michael Myers escapes from a mental hospital and comes after his only survivor, Laurie Strode. Watch this terrifying, Rated R, film on Hulu this Halloween season.
Us (R)
When Adelaide Wilson returns to her childhood home she begins to become anxious something bad is going to happen. When four masked strangers descend upon the home Wilson is frightened to find that each takes resemblance to one of her family members. You can watch this haunting movie on Hulu, HBO Max, or Amazon Prime.
Get Out (R)
Get Out is a horror movie take on modern racism. In this movie, we follow Chris and Rose as they return to Rose’s home to meet her parents. In the beginning, Chris thinks that her family is being overly nice and anxious as a way of dealing with their interracial relationship, but as the weekend progresses he realizes the truth. You can watch this horrifying movie on Amazon Prime for 3.99$.
The Conjuring (R)
In this supernatural movie, we rewind to 1970 where we follow three demonologists that have been summoned to the haunted home of the Perrons. Once they discover the frightening history of their home, the hauntings become more powerful and increasingly more frightening. You can watch this paranormal movie on Amazon Prime for 3.99$ or Philo.
Insidious (PG -13)
This demonic movie has parents taking drastic measures when it seems as if their home is haunted. Meanwhile, their comatose son is possessed right under their noses. This movie debuted in 2010 and will scare your socks off! You can watch this movie on Sling TV, Philo, or Amazon Prime.
Do your parents always tell you about the good old days where there was less CGI and clichés were in the process of being made? Here are the movies of their days. In this section, you can find movies from as old as 1960 to the late 1980s! The ratings were a lot different back then, so beware. Have fun laughing at these horror movies, but be wary, they still are scary!
Poltergeist (PG)
The 1980s were a wild time, and this movie can attest to that! In 1982 the Freeling family begins to experience some strange happenings in their household. A ghost playfully talks to them through their TV set. These talks suddenly turn menacing, and their five-year-old disappears out of nowhere. The Freelings soon ask for help from a parapsychologist and exorcist. You can watch this spooky movie on Netflix!
The Nightmare On Elm Street (R)
In this classic horror movie, we follow several midwestern teenagers as they fall into the clutches of the infamous Freddy Krueger. This creature kills them in their dreams which subsequently kills them in reality. After investigating these happenings, Nancy begins to believe that there is a secret that her friends and their parents are hiding. Can she and her boyfriend figure this out? Find out by watching this movie on Amazon Prime fro 2.99$!
Saw (NC-17)
Saw is the humble beginning of the infamous SAW franchise. In this movie, two men wake up ties to poles at either end of a dirty bathroom. They eventually find out that they are trapped by infamous serial killer Jigsaw and must play his game. What they don’t know is their families are being forced to watch. Find out their fates by watching on Hulu or Amazon Prime.
Psycho (R)
Psycho is the father of slasher films. Alfred Hitchcock made this pinnacle of a movie for all horror movie enthusiasts. In this film, we follow Mariane Crane as she stops at a motel on her way home to her boyfriend with whom she is about to run away with. A fun fact about this classic flick is that all the blood you see in the infamous shower scene was actually chocolate syrup! You can watch this movie on Amazon Prime for 3.99$.
Exorcist (R)
Would you believe me if I said that the Exorcist was loosely based on true events? Well, it’s true! In this movie, we follow a worried mother as her child starts to do strange things. Young Regan is speaking in tongues and levitating. Her mother finds a priest who will perform an exorcism on her. You can watch this demonic movie on Amazon Prime, Sling TV, or Philo!
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (R)
This may be an old movie, but it is also based on true events. Old Leatherface is a true killer who’s real name was Edward Gein. In this movie, Sally and her group of friends set out to visit her childhood home when hearing her Grandfather’s grave was vandalized. When they arrive they discover their new crazy neighbors and are promptly attacked by Leatherface in a mask made of human skin. Will they make it out alive? Find out by watching this classic slasher film on Hulu, Sling TV, or Amazon Prime!
Carrie (R)
In this haunting adaptation of Stephen King’s horror novel Carrie, we follow teenager Carrie who is made fun of by her classmates and yelled at by her frantically religious mother. When she starts to experience strange happenings she believes she has supernatural powers. A pitying boy asks her to Prom, things seem to be looking up for Carrie. Will things turn out as we hope? Find out by watching this movie on Hulu, Sling TV, or Amazon Prime.
Alien (R)
In deep space the crew of the Nostromo finds themselves awakened from their cryo-sleep capsules to investigate a distress call from an alien spaceship. The horror begins when they enter the vessel and promptly discover a nest of eggs. One hatches, attaches itself to a member of the crew and he falls into a coma. Follow these space troopers as they attempt to navigate themselves through this situation. Watch this movie on HBO Max, Amazon Prime, or Hulu.
Children of The Corn (R)
While boyfriend and girlfriend traverse the midwest they come across a dead boy in the middle of the road. In an attempt to contact the police, they come across a town of only children and a young maniacal priest. Soon the couple attempts to flee the town. Will they make it out? Find out by watching this movie on Hulu!
Next time you got to reach for the popcorn and don't know what to watch, check this list out again! From children's movies, to retro horror this list is a spooky time. Have fun knocking your socks off with these spooky flicks!
Credits:
Created with an image by David Menidrey - "Pumpkin Twins"