Who doesn’t love the month of October? Summer has long given way to cooler temperatures and your Netflix account has been over-saturated with (mostly horrendous) horror films.
I’m going to save everyone a lot of trouble this season and provide you with a definitive list of Halloween-themed movies that you should be watching as All Hallows Eve approaches.
2. Hocus Pocus (1993). So ridiculously nostalgic that I can’t conceive of an October ever going by without watching this magical film. This may be a children’s movie, but the spirit of Halloween is alive and well in this holiday gem. Sarah Jessica Parker and Bette Midler really help make the film memorable and as a kid, you always love to see films where children are in danger while no adult seems to be able to help or believe them.
3. Trick or Treat (1986). Let’s see, Gene Simmons and Ozzy Osbourne both make appearances in this and 80’s metal band Fastway provides the soundtrack. What could go wrong? Ok so the movie itself has a few flaws but as a fan of cheesy 80’s horror, this has become a must-watch around Halloween time. In “Trick or Treat” the spirit of a deceased rock star returns to…You know, the plot is not really all that important the more I think about it.
4. Trick ‘R Treat (2007). Not to be confused with “Trick or Treat” as listed above, this film is an anthology featuring four Halloween-based tales that are equally scary and original. The movie also contains some wonderful seasonal cinematography as well as copious amounts of dark humor that is sure to get you in the mood for the season.
5. Ernest Scared Stupid (1991). Ernest P. Worrell has unwillingly unleashed an army of trolls on a quiet Missouri town on Halloween and is joined by local children in his fight to save the town from further troll devastation. Again, this has a wonderfully nostalgic feel to it and it is always a treat to see Ernest in action.
6. House of 1,000 Corpses (2003). Rob Zombie’s bombastic nod to old-school horror films, “Hose of 1,000 Corpses” is an over-the-top Halloween thrill-ride that never let’s up until the final credits roll. The movie takes place in the 1970’s and a group of unsuspecting teens wind up in a web of terror as they encounter the sadistic Firefly family on Halloween.
7. Night of the Demonds (1988). I’ve always said; every great horror movie should always start with unwitting teens conducting a seance as a party game. Thank goodness for 1988’s “Night of the Demons” because we have a group of high schoolers unleashing evil in an abandoned mortuary on Halloween Night. This film has great atmosphere as well as ridiculous and unabashed gore.. Also check out the 2009 remake which does a tremendous job capturing the spirit of the original.
8. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993). Is this a Christmas or a Halloween movie? Well…it’s both. Tim Burton’s 1993 stop-motion classic is always in heavy rotation in both October and December. It still contains tremendous nostalgic value and the animation still holds up today.
9. Halloween 2 (1981). Perhaps I am cheating a little with this pick, but “Halloween 2” was a very note-worthy sequel to the 1978 horror classic “Halloween.” This one picks up right where part one left off as Michael Myers continues to terrorize the town of Haddonfield, IL.
10. The Halloween Tree (1993). Based on the 1972 fantasy novel by Ray Bradbury, “The Halloween Tree” is an enchanting animated film that takes a group of young trick- or- treaters on a journey throughout history as they learn about the history of Halloween and attempt to save their friend across time and space.
