Must-See Spooky Movies For Your Halloween Viewing
The nightmare before christmas- 1993
A Halloween classic, The Nightmare Before Christmas is one of Tim Burton’s most well known films. The movie follows the inner turmoil of Jack Skellington, the king of Halloween, as he becomes increasingly dissatisfied with the routine of preparing for Halloween year after year. After stumbling upon the cheery and colourful town of Christmas, Jack creates a scheme to capture Santa Claus and take his place. If you’re looking for a light-hearted, spooky, musical classic, this is one of the best.
Genre: Fantasy, Musical
Where to watch: iTunes, Amazon, YouTube
MPAA Rating: PG
Rotten Tomatoes: 95%
Get out- 2017
With 139 awards (including the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay) and 190 nominations (including the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture), Get Out is a must see. The film follows the seemingly well-intentioned vacation of an interracial couple, Chris and Rose, to meet Rose’s alarmingly white family for the first time. It goes downhill from there. Combining horror and mystery with comedy and social commentary, Get Out is essential viewing for any time of year, but especially Halloween.
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Comedy
Where to watch: Amazon, iTunes, CINEMAX Subscription
MPAA Rating: R
Rotten Tomatoes: 99%
halloween- 1978
A classic slasher, this movie is (obviously) perfect for the season. The Halloween franchise has several sequels, including one that will be released this October, right in time for Halloween. The movie follows killer Michael Myers, who on October 31st of 1963, at age six, murdered his sister. On Halloween of 1978, at age 21, Michael Myers escapes his 15-year imprisonment, and hunts for his next victims. Spooky and definitely gruesome, please don’t watch this movie alone. I haven’t slept in like three years ://
Genre: Mystery, Slasher
Where to watch: Amazon, iTunes
MPAA Rating: R
Rotten Tomatoes: 93%
Coraline- 2009
Tim Burton is well-known for his “dark, gothic, and eccentric” films, and Coraline fits this description perfectly. Animated in a beautiful stop-motion style, the movie follows the story of a young girl named Caroline, who discovers a small hidden door in her new house. Behind the door, Coraline is brought into seemingly perfect alternate world, but quickly realizes it is far from what it seems. Eerie and exciting for children and adults alike, Coraline is just spooky enough that you could probably watch it alone (with the lights on).
Genre: Fantasy, Thriller
Where to watch: Netflix, Amazon, iTunes, Google Play, YouTube
MPAA Rating: PG
Rotten Tomatoes: 90%
beetlejuice- 1988
As soon as Barbara and Adam Maitland move into their new country home to get a fresh start, their lives are abruptly ended in a tragic car accident. Trapped in their house as invisible spirits, the couple is forced to watch in horror as an insufferable family moves into their home. With the “help” of the devious ghost Beetlejuice, the couple befriends the family’s only daughter, Lydia, and attempts to scare the family out of the house. Beetlejuice is undeniably a charmingly strange movie that will not disappoint.
Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Comedy
Where to watch: Amazon, iTunes, Google Play, YouTube, Vudu
MPAA Rating: PG
Rotten Tomatoes: 83%
The shining- 1980
Based on the novel by Stephen King and directed by the acclaimed Stanley Kubrick, The Shining is as eerily horrifying as it is cinematically genius. The movie follows the Torrance family, as Jack Torrance, his wife Wendy, and their troubled child Danny move into the Overlook Hotel, where the family plans to reside as caretakers for the winter season, hoping Jack will recover from his writers block in the solitude. As the weeks pass, Danny’s already troubling visions intensify, and begin to indicate a significant darkness in the hotel and his family. Kubrick weaves a chilling story of the horrors of isolation and the human psyche, making this movie one of the most popular Halloween thrillers.
Genre: Mystery, Psychological horror
Where to watch: Amazon, iTunes, Google Play, YouTube, Vudu
MPAA Rating: R
Rotten Tomatoes: 86%
American horror story- 2012-present
If you’re looking for something to watch throughout the Halloween season, American Horror Story is an exceptionally spooky option. As an anthology, each season is completely unrelated to the previous one, featuring a different theme every year. For Halloween, I recommend the first season, Murder House, the third, Coven, and the fifth, Hotel. If you want to catch the newest season, Apocolypse, you can find it on FX cable TV every Wednesday at 9 pm central. It’s gonna be spooky.
Genre: Horror, Occult Drama, Anthology
Where to watch: Netflix, YouTube, Amazon
MPAA Rating: TV-MA
Rotten Tomatoes: 77%
Rosemary’s baby- 1968
One my personal favorite thrillers of all time, Rosemary’s Baby is undoubtedly a chilling, disturbing film. Rosemary and her husband, Guy, move into their New York and encounter some very strange neighbors, along with finding out that Rosemary is pregnant. Throughout her pregnancy, Rosemary becomes more and more isolated, and increasingly paranoid about her friends, her doctor, her husband, and her child. The movie intensifies exponentially throughout the film, confusing the viewer’s trust of all the characters right along with Rosemary. Based on the iconic postmodern unreliable narrative, Rosemary’s Baby will have you questioning if you’re the crazy one.
Genre: Drama, Mystery
Where to watch: Amazon, YouTube, STARZ Subscription
MPAA Rating: R
Rotten Tomatoes: 99%
It- 2017
A recreation of the 1990 film based on Stephen King’s notorious novel, It is the perfect scary-clown movie. The film follows the journey of a group of children as they investigate their town’s mysterious history of disappearing children, and come to encounter a number of completely scream-worthy discoveries. Be . prepared to never go to the circus again.
Genre: Drama, Mystery
Where to Watch: Amazon, HBO Now, YouTube, Google Play
MPAA Rating: R
Rotten Tomatoes: 85%
Simpsons treehouse of horror- 1990-2017 (28 episodes)
If you’re looking for a short, timeless Halloween classic, any one of the Simpsons Treehouse of Horror episodes will satisfy your search. Known for being particularly more gruesome than your average Simpsons episode, their 28 token Halloween episodes always take place in some science fiction or supernatural setting different from the normal episodes. Amusing and bloody, Treehouse of Horror has been airing since 1990 and continues to entertain and spook its audiences.
Genre: Cartoon, Satire
Where to Watch: Amazon, YouTube, iTunes
MPAA Rating: PG
Rotten Tomatoes (rating of entire show): 84%
Honorable mentions
Corpse Bride - 2005
Genre: Fantasy, Drama
Where to Watch: Amazon, HBO Now, iTunes, Vudu
MPAA Rating: PG
Rotten Tomatoes: 84%
The Exorcist - 1973
Genre: Mystery, Horror
Where to Watch: YouTube, Google Play, CINEMAX Subscription, Amazon, Vudu
MPAA Rating: R
Rotten Tomatoes: 83%
Hereditary - 2018
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Where to Watch: Amazon, YouTube, Google play
MPAA Rating: R
Rotten Tomatoes: 89%
The Twilight Zone - 1960-1964
Genre: Psychological Thriller, Fantasy
Where to Watch: Netflix, CBS, Amazon
MPAA Rating: PG
Rotten Tomatoes: 79%
The Witch - 2015
Genre: Mystery, Horror
Where to Watch: Netflix, iTunes, Amazon, Vudu, Google Play
MPAA Rating: R
Rotten Tomatoes: 91%