Everyone’s favorite time of the year has finally arrived! Autumn! The time where the air turns crisp, or as crisp as it can get in Florida’s humid climate. When the leaves start to dry up and transform into brilliant shades of red, orange, and yellow. There’s a slight chill in the air and the seasonal flavors are back along with all the warm fuzzy clothes of the season. Florida is currently experiencing a more traditional fall compared to past ones. The recent weather has led me to get into a more festive mood and begin to watch all kinds of scary movies. In light of the chilly weather I’ve decided to compile a list of movies to get you into the spooky mood.
1. It(2017)
Based on the 1986 horror novel, It by Stephen King, which follows a group of outcast kids who are terrorized by a wicked entity in the small fictional town of Derry, Maine. This entity takes the form of Pennywise a clown who feeds off the fear of children and torments the Loser’s Club well into their adulthood. The themes portrayed throughout the novel of memory, friendship, and childhood trauma shine through the 2017 adaptation directed by Andrés Muschietti. This movie is more on the scarier side with various jump scares and visual effects that will cause you to jump right out of your seat! It’s a great movie to really tap into the spooky vibes of this festive season, but beware of the jump scares!
2. Scream(1996)
“What’s your favorite scary movie?”-The 1996 cult classic is everything you would expect in a regular slasher film, a mysterious killer rampages through a small town and claims the lives of irresponsible teens who don’t know how to not investigate that strange sound they heard from the garage. Filled with classic horror tropes such as the Final Girl and over exaggerated deaths with way too much fake blood. It’s a horror-comedy that fully leans into both genres equally with ridiculous characters who provide comic relief and tense scenes that have you covering your eyes with a popcorn bucket. It’s a good beginner movie to introduce yourself to the world of horror if you don’t wanna go full on in and it definitely will get you into that spooky mood.
3. A Nightmare on Elm Street(1984)
Another slasher film directed by Wes Craven, who also directed the first four Scream movies, follows teens who are plagued by Freddy Kruger in their dreams. The character of Freddy Kruger has been an iconic character in pop culture for many years and continues to be one with his signature claws and red-and-green stripped sweater. A Halloween classic to many due to its longevity and the overall terrifying premise of not being able to sleep for fear of meeting an untimely end. A movie that is sure to have you wishing you’d never sleep again is guaranteed to get you into a festive mood for the Halloween season. But remember… “Whatever you do… don’t fall asleep.”
4. The Nightmare Before Christmas(1993)
A highly debated topic is whether or not The Nightmare Before Christmas is a Halloween or Christmas movie. Despite this constant debate I’ve decided to include it in this list. I mean why wouldn’t I include this movie when the opening song is “This is Halloween”. The animated film has been nominated for various awards and was even the first animated film to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. The whimsical setting of Halloweentown filled with numerous Halloween classic figures such as vampires, werewolves, and witches makes this a superb addition to this list. A mix of imaginative animation style and musical numbers will be sure to complete your Halloween movie marathon.
5. Hocus Pocus(1993)
A Disney classic, this movie follows a group of kids that summon a coven of witches known as the Sanderson Sister’s and must prevent them from achieving immortality. The Sanderson Sister’s cackling laughter and humorous lines- “Why was I cursed with such idiot sisters?”– makes this movie a certified Halloween cult classic. It captures the spooky and all around Halloween spirit without being a scary movie. It’s a nostalgic fun-filled movie with many quotable lines- “It’s just a bunch of hocus pocus.”– that will have you flying off the handle of your broomstick.
6. Halloweentown(1998)
“Halloween is cool.”- Similar to Hocus Pocus, this movie is also an exemplary Halloween movie. It captures the wonders of Halloween through the eyes of the Piper children who follow their grandma home to Halloweentown, a town where supernatural beings may pursue normal lives. The movie follows as Marnie, the oldest of the Piper children, discovers she is a witch just like her grandmother, and must try to stop an evil threat from taking over the world with the help of her family. This movie is chalk-full of nostalgia and takes you down memory lane for old time’s sake.
Go on, get some candy, and cuddle up with your favorite blanket to watch some spooky films. Whether they’re scary, nostalgic, or just funny. Have a wonderful Halloween!
