With some stiff competition from Christmas, Halloween might just be the most spirit-driven holiday. There’s a strange magic to the last few weeks of October when pumpkins (and pumpkin flavored treats) pop up en masse, as do the haunted houses, corn mazes, and horror marathons as we all feel compelled to listen to Thriller too many times and watch the tried and true movies that get us into that Halloween mood.
To help usher in that spooky spirit, a few of us here on the Collider Staff have singled out our favorite movies that take place on or around Halloween, from family-friendly classics to chilling horror to campy B-Movie romps. If you’re more of a straight-up scary movie person, you can check out our list of thebest horror movies to watch on Halloweenthat aren’tHalloween(though Carpenter’s classic definitely gets some love on this list), but if you’re looking for a broader range of spooky, scary and silly films set to Halloween theme, check out our staff picks below.
Sleepy Hollow (1999)
Sleepy Hollowis one ofTim Burton’s most underrated efforts. The film was Burton’s follow-up to the much-deridedPlanet of the Apes, and materialized after the filmmaker had just come thisclose to makingSuperman Lives. After a lengthy stint with big budgets and studio interference, Sleepy Hollow was something of a return to form for the filmmaker, and the result is a horror mystery of the very best sort. ScreenwriterAndrew Kevin Walker(Se7en) crafts a wonderfully engaging spin on the Ichabod Crane tale that dips its toe into witchcraft, legend, and even early American politics—albeit all with a slight wink.Johnny Deppis in top form here, delivering a performance that’s humorous without the over-the-top mugging that permeates his work post-Pirates of the Caribbean, and the supporting cast is a swell ensemble full of esteemed actors. Visually, this was Burton’s one and only time working with Oscar-winning cinematographerEmmanuel Lubezki, and the partnership on this particular piece of material proves to be a match made in heaven.Sleepy Hollowis sumptuous, frightening, and darkly funny, and the Halloween setting makes it holiday-perfect. –Adam Chitwood
Casper (1995)
If you’re looking for a fun, family-friendly film to watch with the kids this Halloween, look no further than the 1995 live-action/computer-generated animation film,Casper. Based on the Harvey Comics character of Casper the Friendly Ghost, created bySeymore ReitandJoe Oriolo, this movie kept the character’s core conceit, but darkened up the tone considerably. It’s kid-friendly, but there are certainly still some scares to be found. The plot centers on a conceited heiress who wants to rid her inherited house of Casper and his obnoxious (and dangerous) uncles, the Ghostly Trio, so that she can get to the treasure hidden away within its walls. The treasure hunt is pretty goofy. The better story is the father-daughter dynamic that exists between Dr. Harvey (Bill Pullman) and Kat (ChristinaRicci), which is told in parallel to the young love story that develops between Kat and the title character. It’s still-impressive technical effects may show a little wear more than 20 years later, but its story remains a delight.– Dave Trumbore
Ginger Snaps (2000)
John Fawcett’s spin on the werewolf mythos should be considered a modern horror classic, but outside “horror circles” it too often goes unmentioned. A tale of coming-of-age through lycanthropy,Ginger Snapsis an intimate story about two deeply connected, death-obsessed, co-dependent sisters who are slowly torn apart when the older sibling is bitten by a werewolf. While using the werewolf transformation as a strikingly effective metaphor for female pubescence,Ginger Snapsis also a downright well-made horror film. The effects are on point, the characters are relatable and sympathetic (even those like the school mean girl, the local drug peddler, and the horny teenage boy are treated with a dose of empathy), and the actors all committed in their pulpy roles. Credit toKris Lemche, who turns what could have been the “cool guy” role into something much more honest and compelling, but most of all to the leading duoEmily Perkins(Brigitte) andKatharineIsabelle(Ginger) as the bonded but warring sisters dealing with two different sides of Ginger’s transformation. And it’s all set to the Halloween season, fallen leaves mulching under their feet as the bloody action unfolds, and a key scene set in a Halloween party that allows Ginger to stride through with her near-complete monstrous transformation celebrated as a great costume.Ginger Snapsis a brutal and unflinching, emotionally honest, all-around great horror film that has the added benefit of being a perfect Halloween watch. –Haleigh Foutch
May (2002)
Turning the final girl convention on its head beforeAll the Boys Love Mandy Lanedid the same a few years later,Lucky McKee’s stylish, mind-bending debutMayis a misandrist horror dream wrapped in a gory nightmare. Bearing the name of its central, tragically misfit protagonist, the film is easily carried by the brilliantAngela Bettis, whose stormy and mystifying temperament stands in stark relief with her character’s sunny name. Marked as an outcast early in her childhood thanks to a lazy eye, May grew up with little human contact beyond the pseudo-nurturing provided by a cold and unyielding porcelain doll. Now grown up, striving for normal at the veterinary hospital where she works and beset by rejection from both the boyishly handsome, darkly minded Adam (Jeremy Sisto) and the flirty, raven-haired receptionist (afascinatingAnna Faris), May’s sense of alienation continues to grow until her perceived displacement brings her wavering sanity to the edge. Desperate for a friend and tempted by the partial perfection she finds in her passing flings, May can’t help but take matters into her own hands, embarking on a gory mission to create her own friend – with the body parts of those who have rejected her. Tragic, a little funny, and deeply disturbing,Mayearns its gruesome horror stripes in the casual and convincing way it takes the “crazed killer’s” side. You might just find yourself doing the same. –Aubrey Page
Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)
Certainly one of the more demented Halloween movies ever made,Halloween III: Season of the Witchis probably best known for the intense negative reaction it received upon release. AfterHalloween II,John Carpenter(who produced the sequel) and other producers thought it would be fun to continueHalloweenas an anthology, with different stories set on the spooky holiday in each film. Audiences were none too pleased when they showed up forHalloween IIIand there was no Michael Myers to be found, but once you considerHalloween IIIas aspiritualsequel instead of a narrative continuation, it’s a hell of a lot of fun. This is a film in which the overarching villain plan is to sell Halloween masks implanted with microchips (derived from Stonehenge, natch), then “activate” their signals, resulting in a swarm of insects and snakes that emerge and kill the mask-wearer. This movie is insane in the most delightful of ways. –Adam Chitwood
The Guest (2014)
An action-horror hybrid of the highest order,The Guestis gleefully set during the Halloween season for seemingly no reason other than it can be. The whole film is a palette of black and orange, purple and green, with Jack-o-Lanterns, skulls, and autumn-turned leaves ever-present in the background.The Guesteven invites you to a few holiday parties along the way, with the climactic showdown set in a foggy, laser-lit Halloween party at the end of a good old-fashioned haunted house. Envisioned as a cross between Michael Myers and The Terminator, the titular houseguest turns a peaceful domicile into a war zone andDan Stevensis so charismatic in the role it should be illegal. The strongest collaboration between directorAdam Wingardand writerSimon Barrettto date (and yes, I’ve seenYou’re Next),The Guestsports a deeply sick sense of humor and a pulsing, Carpenter-inspired electronic score. The combination makes for a peculiar, but extremely entertaining Halloween film that lives at the exact spot where horror meets guns-a-blazing action. –Haleigh Foutch
Odds are you saw this delightful double feature at some point during your childhood, and probably in one or two classrooms during the Halloween season. Disney’s 1949 classic offers up two short adaptations of literary classics,Kenneth Grahame’s “The Wind in the Willows” (narrated byBasil Rathbone) andWashington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” (narrated byBing Crosby). While Mr. Toad’s portion is a spirited celebration of the kind of joie de vivre that defines the Halloween spirit, it’s nowhere near as dark as the famously twisted Disneyland ride it inspired (which sees Mr. Toad hit by a train and sent to hell), and the true Halloween goods come in Ichabod’s portion. It’s an iconic and definitive adaptation of Irving’s classic creepy tale, which follows the gangly schoolmaster Ichabod Crane through the dark streets of Sleepy Hollow as he’s tormented by the fiery figure of the Headless Horseman. After a lengthy story of courtship, Ichabod sets out on a Halloween night with visions of the frightful apparition, and the films previously bright aesthetic transitions into dark and spindly images that conjure an All Hallow’s Eve chill. It’s spooky in a charming, inoffensive manner that celebrates the inherently eerie nature of the holiday. –Haleigh Foutch
Halloweentown (1998)
If you grew up in the age of Disney Channel Original Movies, odds are you’re more than familiar withHalloweentown. This is quite possibly the silliest Halloween movie ever made, with silly performances and a very silly story, but sometimes silly does the trick. The film is something of an expansion of the idea inTheNightmare Before Christmasthat there exists an entire world where it’s Halloween every day, and so as far as escapism goes, it’s a terrifically fun watch. The production design isn’t too bad, and the world of Halloweentown feels just kitschy enough to work. The story is (surprise) incredibly silly, but if you watchedHalloweentownas a kid, there’s something irresistibly charming about it that you can’t really shake. –Adam Chitwood
Night of the Demons (1988)
A pure rollicking, raunchy 1980s B-Movie,Night of the Demonsmakes Halloween feel like a party, it’s just that the party has been overrun by the spirits of demons possessing the nubile flesh of the young rapscallions in attendance.Night of the Demonscenters on a group of lusty, drinking, dancing, thieving partiers who set out to celebrate Halloween night in an abandoned mortuary. But when they throw a party trick séance, they’re night spins into a living hell when they unleash the demons locked in the crypt. As a cult classic horror flick,Night of the Demonshas got the goods – palpable practical effects,Linnea Quigley, a genuinely fucked sense of humor, and a rousing, creepy four-minute dance sequence set toBauhaus' “Stigmata Martyr”. Equal parts camp, genuinely freaky, and downright bizarre,Night of the Demonssummons the threat behind that “anything goes” Halloween spirit and makes for a twisted, but consummately amusing watch. –Haleigh Foutch
Monster House (2006)
A family charmer that manages to be seriously frightening regardless of its PG-rating,Monster Houseis such a fully realized horror gem that it’s no surprise the film’s script sat for years without a solid project materializing, the creators (Dan Harmon, among them) waiting instead for the correct creative team and technology to bring it to life. Smartly evoking the child-oriented horror of the early ‘80s (I’m looking at you,Something Wicked This Way Comes) while playing on the Spielberg-tinged nostalgia that’s most recently been successfully aped byStranger Things,Gil Kenan’s directorial debut is blindly joyful while simultaneously unafraid to be chock full of scares, makingMonster Housea rare bird in the world of spooky child-oriented delights.
Featuring fantastic vocal performances fromSteve BuscemiandMaggie Gyllenhaal(and that’s not to mention the stellar teen cast), it’s an animated film that wastes very little of its slim 90-minute runtime, packing the screen with aesthetic goodies and smartly written dialogue. Even a decade on, the motion capture visuals shine, but it’s the loving references toAlfredHitchcockand classic gothic horror that have aged the best, asMonster Househappily wears its weirdling heart on its sleeve, despite its studio origination. Hollywood, take notes. –Aubrey Page
