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Halloween is officially here! It's time to start planning your costume and sending invites to your Halloween party. After all, spooky season only comes around once a year. It's time to make the most of it! That's why we love Halloween movies—they're a low-effort way to get in the Halloween spirit, even if you're wearing your Halloween pajamas on your couch! Consider this your checklist of the best Halloween movies—plan ahead so you don't miss any this year!
Just as each costume is unique, so is each Halloween movie. Dressing up as a vampire this year? Interview With the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles is the movie for you. Zombie enthusiasts, here's your sign to queue up Zombieland. Whatever your spooky season aesthetic is this October, you'll find the perfect fit with this list. From seriously disturbing horror movies to goofy Halloween picks for kids and everything in between, the perfect Halloween movie for you is just one click away! Let the whole crew weigh in and get to streaming! After all spooky season won't last forever, and there are just too many great Halloween movies to waste any time. Before you know it Christmas movie season will be in full swing. So, break out the Halloween snacks (popcorn and candy required) and get ready to experience the greatest Halloween movies of all time!
Looking for even more Halloween movies? Check out these lists:
- Halloween Movies on Netflix
- Best Witch Movies
- Best Vampire Movies
- Best Werewolf Movies
- Top Ghost Movies
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Nothing has us more excited for Halloween than the remake of the classic Beetlejuice movie, especially because the original cast is returning! Justin Theroux and Jenna Ortega are joining for the sequel. The movie comes out on September 6, and, for now, will only be available to watch in theaters.
Related: Best Funny-Scary Movies
Monster Summer
A group of teenagers team up with a retired detective (Mel Gibson) to solve a mystery haunting their island. The new movie will be in theaters on October 4.
Salem's Lot
This vampire movie is based on one of Stephen King's most popular thrillers. Anyone who saw the 1979 miniseries is probably still losing sleep! It streams on Max on October 3.
It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
It doesn't matter how old you are—it's simply not Halloween until you've watched It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. There's only one way to stream it: on AppleTV+.
Hubie Halloween
Hubie Halloween is only a few years old, but it's already on our list of must-watch Halloween movies, thanks to a classic Adam Sandler performance.
Freaky
Vince Vaughn and Kathryn Newton star in this Freaky Friday-style slasher flick. Vaughn plays serial killer The Butcher who swaps places with a high school student.
When a Stranger Calls
This 1979 movie haunted babysitters everywhere with the phrase "Have you checked the children?" The psychological thriller starts with the terrifying "the call is coming from inside the house" premise.
The Purge
The Purge has spawned several sequels, but, for Halloween fright, we suggest throwing it back to the 2013 original. The premise is just so creepy.
When a Stranger Calls Back
The 1993 follow-up finds a woman tormented by someone moving items around in her house. It will have you checking under the bed before you go to sleep!
Halloweentown
This 1996 movie finds a family of witches fighting to save Halloweentown from mysterious forces. Debbie Reynolds stars in the Disney movie.
Casper
Bill Pullman and Christina Ricci star in this live-action movie about the friendly ghost.
The Babadook
After the tragic death of her husband, Amelia and her son Sam find a spooky pop-up book on their shelf. This one is not for the kids!
Scary Movie
This movie is a spoof on some of the more serious films in the genre. A group of teenagers accidentally killed a man, and a year later, they're paying the price in this parody of some of pop culture's most famous horror films.
Us (2019)
A family's beach vacation is interrupted by their nightmarish doppelgängers. Is it an invasion of alien impostors? Nope. Try again. What makes this eery flick by Jordan Peele a Halloween standout is that it makes you ponder the monster within.
Disney's Haunted Mansion (2023)
This update on the 2003 Eddie Murphy original stars LaKeith Stanfield, Tiffany Haddish, Owen Wilson, Danny DeVito, Rosario Dawson, Dan Levy, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Jared Leto. The new one is streaming exclusively on Disney+.
Related: More Halloween Movies on Disney+
Umma (2022)
Ignore your ancestors at your peril! In this newer pick from 2022's Halloween movie releases, a mother (Sandra Oh) is raising her daughter on a rural farm—a lifestyle that works for her physical aversion to electricity but not so well for her teen who is ready to leave for college. Things get spooky when her own estranged mother's ashes arrive from Korea.
Zombieland (2009)
If you need a little comic relief mixed into your scare-a-thon, try this zombie movie classic starring Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, and Emma Stone.
Coco (2017)
One for the kids! This animated Pixar classic is not about Halloween but the third day of the Hallowtide season: Día de los Muertos on November 2. Miguel (Anthony Gonzalez) is a young boy who dreams of becoming a great musician, but his family forbids music. He embarks on an adventure to the Land of the Dead to uncover the mysteries behind his ancestor's stories and traditions.
Related: Halloween Movies for Kids on Netflix
Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)
Twenty years after the original movie, Jamie Lee Curtis's Laurie Strode must battle the Shape once again and save her son.
Monster House (2006)
In this animated feature, that creepy house down the street turns out to be an actual monster. Spencer Locke, Steve Buscemi, and Catherine O'Hara lend their voices to this instant classic.
Amy Mitchell is the managing editor for VERANDA and Country Living, where she writes articles on a variety of topics—decorating and design, gardens, and holidays. Amy’s experience in the shelter magazine category spans more than 20 years, as she’s previously held positions at Coastal Living and Cottage Living. Her personal pursuits include cooking, gardening, and hunting her favorite tag sale spots for the next piece of Pyrex for her prized collection.
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