Favourite Halloween Movies

It’s that time of year again! Yes, October is finally here, which in our house means lighting candles, carving pumpkins, and watching as many Halloween movies as possible. It really is my favourite holiday (seconded only by Christmas)! I mean, what other time of year is it socially acceptable to eat sweets, dress up in a spooky costume and binge watch horror movies ’til your hearts content?… Please tell me I’m not the only one! 😅

Of course with my love of Halloween, it’s unsurprising that I’ve built up a large DVD collection of Halloween movies over the years, from spooky animated classics to gory horror flicks. And with streaming services such as Netflix as well, you really are spoilt for choice.

So, I’d like to share some my favourite movies to watch this October; Although I must admit it was very hard to narrow down the horror movies!

Favourite Halloween Movies

The Nightmare Before Christmas

There’s much debate as to whether The Nightmare Before Christmas is a Halloween or a Christmas movie? Well, in our house it’s both, and we’ve also been known to watch it over Valentine’s Day too (it does have a love story after all). It’s one of my favourite movies, the sound track plays loudly in my car this time of year and I love the unique characters.

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Read more: Halloween Playlist

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Practical Magic

If there’s one film that gets me in the mood for the Autumn season, it’s Practical Magic. The setting of the movie alone is enough to make me long for cooler weather, I love the quaint little town they live in, and it’s a very heartwarming storyline. Also it’s a film about witches so so great for Halloween too!

Scream

Written and directed by the late Wes Craven, the original Scream movie was my introduction to the slasher movie sub-genre. Ghostface was a great antagonist and the opening scene was shocking for it’s time; in that it was uncommon for the big actor or actress to die so early on. But what I loved most about the Scream franchise is how it poked fun at the scary movie genre.

Saw

If you’re looking for all out gore, then there is little gorier than the Saw franchise. If you can’t stomach all 9 of them, then try Saw or Saw III, as a great introduction to the movie franchise. What I enjoy most about these movies is the back story given to the Jigsaw Killer, John Kramer, who tries to teach people to value life. Although his methods are, questionable, to say the least!

The Addams Family

They’re creepy and they’re kooky, mysterious and spooky, which makes ‘The Addams Family’, the perfect family movie to watch this Halloween. The original is my favourite, which focuses on Gomez Addams’ search for his long lost brother Fester. It’s funny, heart warming and includes a great dance number!

However, there’s also something about watching Wednesday and Pugsly Addams causing havoc at Summer camp in the sequel that I enjoy too. Whichever one you choose they’re both perfect Halloween movies. I’m also planning to watch the animated version when it comes to cinemas at the end of this week!

Young Frankenstein

If you’re wanting something a little more light hearted than your traditional monster movie, then this one is for you. Young Frankenstein is a parody combination of Halloween classics Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein directed by the legendary Mel Brooks. It’s a very funny film, and if you’re not interested in getting the scare factor over Halloween then this film is a great alternative.

Child’s Play (or any of the sequels)

If there’s one creepy doll you should watch this Halloween season, it’s Chucky. The Child’s Play franchise is full of dark humour and witty one liners, while still offering some horrific kills, like acid melting someone’s face off. My favourite is The Bride of Chucky.

Casper

Halloween isn’t Halloween without watching everyone’s favourite friendly ghost, Casper. The movie is more than just a paranormal expert and his daughter, Kat, moving into an abandoned mansion to get rid of the ghosts who have been haunting it. The movie is also very heart warming, especially due to the beautiful friendship that blossoms between Kat and Casper, as they learn to deal with the tradegies they’ve both experienced.

The Nightmare on Elm Street Part 1 and 3

If you’re not familiar with Freddy Kruger and his razor glove then these two movies are a great introduction to the franchise. Both focus on the protagonist Nancy who works to save herself and the people around her from the child killer, Freddy Kruger, once a man but now an entity who uses the dream world to stalk (and kill) his victims. One of the best things about the Nightmare on Elm Street movies is how comedic Robert Englund’s portrayal of Freddy is.

Shaun Of The Dead

For something light hearted that still has some great zombie death scenes, try Simon Pegg and Nick Frost’s zombie movie, Shaun of the Dead. The movie follows Shaun (Simon Pegg) and his best friend Ed (Nick Frost) as he trys to win the respect of ex-girlfriend Liz. But, it’s not until the zombie apocalypse that he finally proves himself. The movie has some heart warming scenes of friendship mixed with farfetched ways of killing zombies, like throwing vinyl records at them. 😅

Friday 13th franchise

For a classic Horror film to watch during Halloween try one of the Friday 13th movies. The movie’s main antagonist, the serial killer, Jason Voorhees is an unstoppable force who wants to avenge his mother’s death by killing those he believes murdered her. And anyone who gets in his way.

Zombieland

Similar to Shaun of the Dead, Zombieland is a horror comedy, full of witty dialogue, tips for surviving the zombie apocalypse, and a great scene involving Bill Murray. It’s the perfect mix of comedy and horror. I’d recommend it for those that aren’t looking for much gore, but still want to feel a little scared this Halloween. And once you’ve watched the original make sure to check out the sequel; Double Tap, which has recently been released in cinemas (I’m hoping to see it next week 💞).

Rob Zombie’s Halloween

It wouldn’t be Halloween without watching Michael Myers come home for the holidays. 🖤 Yes, the Jamie Lee Curtis version is a classic, and I highly recommend you watch it. But there’s something so much darker about Rob Zombie’s remake that I enjoy watching, especially the back story he’s given to the serial killer Michael Myers. As for the sequel, it was weird, and not in a good way (sorry Rob)! There are far better Halloween sequels to try such as Halloween H20 and 2018s Halloween.

Ghostbusters 👻

Any of the three Ghostbusters movies are definitely some must-watch films for Halloween! They have some creepy, funny ghosts in them and some great comedic scenes – like going for a dip in a river of slime. And they’ve got a very catchy theme song too, which is usually our go-to duet at our local’s karaoke night!

Hellraiser

Last but certainly not least is one of my favourite horror movie franchises, Hellraiser. The first three are probably tied as my favourite horror movies to be honest, and for good reason. The original storyline was unique and the cenobites are classic, creepy horror movie monsters. Pinhead (the main cenobite) has some great one liners and I think Doug Bradley plays him superbly.

What films will you be watching this Halloween? Have I mentioned any of your favourites? Let me know in the comments.