EEK! These movies will make you shriek!
Carter lists off some of the best movies for the spooky season
The season of the witch is finally here! October is the season of scents, scenery and most importantly, scares. One of the activities I love to do around this time is cuddle up with a big warm blanket, and watch my favorite Halloween movies.
If you're wondering what movies to watch (or start with), I have a list of my top 5 Halloween movies that I think you should watch this year. So grab a warm cup of apple cider and your favorite blanket as I take you through my list of frightful features!
‘Halloween’ (1978)
John Carpenter's ‘Halloween’ had to be somewhere on this list, but I bet most of you were expecting it to be at the top. Not on this list!
This movie is great for setting up a great fall atmosphere and Micheal Myers is a classic slasher villain, but other than that, we don’t get to see much of the holiday the movie is based on. The sequels do that a lot better, but unfortunately sacrifices an important part of the plot.
It still deserves a spot as this movie was defining for a generation and inspired most of the movies on this list, at least in some way.
‘Beetlejuice’ and ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’
Alright, I’ll admit I’m technically cheating with this one but I had to have both on the list because both movies offer great Halloween vibes, albeit different types.
The first ‘Beetlejuice’ offers great Halloween nostalgia as it perfectly captures a cool autumn day in the late 1980’s. However, the second movie offers modern day thrills and chills while still keeping its abnormal Tim Burton energy. They’re the perfect fit for a double feature fright night!
‘Scooby-Doo and The Witch’s Ghost’
Typical Scooby-Doo fans would call "Zombie Island" the best Scooby movie to watch during this season. Lucky for you, I’m not typical!
I would argue the second direct-to-DVD Scooby movie is the best. The film takes place during October in Salem, Massachusetts as Mystery Inc. visits Velma’s favorite horror writer, Ben Ravencroft.
He asks the gang for help because he is searching for a book to prove his sister’s innocence for being a witch. As the gang works to solve the mystery, they encounter ghosts, witches, living pumpkin creatures, and a giant man-eating turkey!
This film is always so much fun to watch during the witching hour, as it’s got scares, laughs and a whole lot of "scooby snacks" for you to enjoy! Rehehehehe!
‘Late Night With The Devil’
For a movie that just came out this year, it’s pretty high on the list. This found-footage film is about a desperate show host pushed to his limit with supernatural happenings and a possessed girl who has the power of telekinesis.
I wish this was in theaters near me because this movie was such a fun watch. It perfectly captures the feeling of Halloween while staying in a TV station the entire movie.
It’s an incredibly hard task to pull off but somehow does it with such ferocity and confidence. It completely won me over and became one of my staples for the spooky season.
'Trick R Treat'
Taking place on Halloween night in 2005, the film follows an anthology-like setup as it shifts from different perspectives of characters on the same, horrifying night.
I hold a lot of nostalgia for this movie as it premiered on Freeform on an early Halloween afternoon in 2010. I have a vivid memory of seeing this movie playing on the TV in my parents bedroom while I got into costume for trick-or-treating.
I had never heard of the movie until that day, and I can definitely say I got away with something I probably shouldn’t have been watching at the age of 9. This movie is filled with early 2000s nostalgia and pop culture references.
It perfectly captures the Halloween spirit with its display of ghosts, vampires, werewolves, serial killers and zombie children out for revenge on their murderous bus driver. This movie is a lot of fun to watch with a group of friends, especially on Halloween night.
Thank you everyone for reading my rotten rambling of these monstrous motion pictures. Happy Halloween!
Carter Salley is Central Michigan Life's resident film reviewer and co-host of the pop culture podcast "Raving Geeks." He is majoring in Media Arts.
