The Ultimate Halloween Movie Guide

With Halloween just around the corner, you might find yourself struggling to decide which spooky, gory, or just straight-up terrifying movies to watch in the lead-up to the big day. If that sounds familiar, then look no further, because I've put together the ultimate Halloween movie guide to help you find the perfect film, no matter what kind of vibe you're going for.

If You’re Feeling Witchy

Hocus Pocus

A 90s movie through and through, this is one of the first titles that comes to mind when thinking of Halloween classics. More than three decades after its release, Hocus Pocus is still so much fun. Directed by the same man who directed High School Musical, Hocus Pocus follows a comically villainous trio of witches who are accidentally resurrected by a teenage boy in Salem on Halloween night.

Practical Magic

This is such a cosy watch, especially with two of cinema’s favourite darlings, Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman, starring in it. The two play sisters who are descended from a long line of witches. After losing their parents to a family curse, the sisters are brought up by their aunts, who teach them how to use practical magic. As adults, they find themselves facing a much darker side of magic when they must put their powers to the test to stop the vengeful spirit of Gillian’s abusive boyfriend before it destroys them.

The Love Witch

Without a doubt, the most colourful and aesthetically pleasing movie on this list, The Love Witch has an almost dreamlike quality to it. Although released in 2016, it feels like a vintage classic from another era. The story centres on a modern-day witch who turns to spells and magic to make men fall for her, only for things to take a disastrous turn.

The Witches of Eastwick

It’s rare to see movies like this nowadays, with such a star-studded cast and a story that doesn’t take itself too seriously. The Witches of Eastwick is completely over the top, and that’s exactly what makes it such an entertaining watch. With Cher, Susan Sarandon and Michelle Pfeiffer leading the way, alongside Jack Nicholson, who gets plenty of room to show off his comedic talents, it’s hard not to enjoy every minute of it. The story centres on three close friends who have no idea they are witches or that their usual get-togethers have unknowingly turned them into a coven. When a mysterious man arrives in town and begins pursuing them, a game of back-and-forth between him and the three women begins.

The Craft

An absolute classic for any teenage girl who's ever had a goth, dark witchy phase. Despite not being particularly well received by critics at the time, The Craft quickly grew into a cult classic, a title it still holds to this day. The story follows a group of teenage outsiders at a Catholic high school in Los Angeles who turn to witchcraft to get what they want, only to find themselves facing the consequences of their actions.

For Your Inner Child

Casper

I have such vivid memories of watching this movie as a kid, it’s the kind of film that feels like a warm hug. The story follows Casper, a friendly ghost living in a manor who strikes up a friendship with Kat Harvey, the teenage daughter of Dr. James Harvey. When Kat and her father move into the mansion, where Dr. Harvey has been hired to get rid of its resident ghosts, they soon find themselves caught up in a plan by a spoiled heiress who hopes to uncover the hidden treasure inside.

Coraline

Although Coraline is technically a children's movie, it's surprisingly dark and genuinely creepy, which is probably why it's become such a beloved animated classic. It's one of those films that so many people grew up watching and still hold in such high regard as adults. The story follows a young girl named Coraline Jones, who discovers a seemingly perfect alternative world behind a secret door in her new home, but soon realises that things aren't quite as perfect as they seem.

The Addams Family

Are Morticia and Gomez Addams one of the best couples in movie and TV history? They’re definitely up there. There have been so many adaptations of The Addams Family over the years, but the 1991 film remains my favourite by far. With such a charming cast bringing these characters to life, the film follows the eccentric and macabre Addams family as they come face to face with a man they believe to be a long-lost member of the family: Gomez’s brother, Fester, whose sudden return turns their lives upside down.

Beetlejuice

You can't put together a Halloween movie list without including a Tim Burton film, the man best known for blending Gothic horror and dark fantasy aesthetics with whimsical and surreal elements. Beetlejuice is not only an iconic character but has also become a classic Halloween costume over the years, with his instantly recognisable look making him a popular choice every Halloween. After recently passing away, Adam and Barbara Maitland find themselves stuck haunting their own home, unable to leave even in death. When a new family moves in and takes over their house, the couple turns to Betelgeuse (pronounced "Beetlejuice"), a rather sleazy “bio-exorcist”, to help scare the new inhabitants away and reclaim their home.

Ghostbusters

"If there's somethin' strange in your neighborhood
Who you gon' call? (Ghostbusters!)
If there's somethin' weird, and it don't look good
Who you gon' call? (Ghostbusters!)"

Who doesn't know the famous song by heart? It's almost as iconic as the movie itself, which has remained a staple of both ghost movies and supernatural comedies over the years. It's another one of those films that has inspired countless group Halloween costumes over the last four decades and remains a popular choice to this day. What makes Ghostbusters so special is that it started as a passion project for Dan Aykroyd, inspired by his own fascination with spirituality and the supernatural. Although the original idea was very different from the film we know today, that personal interest is what brought the whole concept to life and helped turn it into such an iconic classic.

The Classics

Halloween

Really, how can you not watch a movie titled Halloween on Halloween? It almost feels mandatory. Directed by one of the masters of horror, John Carpenter, the original Halloween is widely considered one of the best horror movies ever made and went on to become the starting point for a franchise spanning thirteen films. After being locked away in a mental institution for murdering his teenage sister on Halloween night, Michael Myers manages to escape 15 years later and returns to his hometown. With his former psychiatrist desperately trying to track him down, Michael begins stalking a teenage babysitter and her friends, turning what should be an ordinary Halloween night into a terrifying fight for survival.

The Shining

I can't believe we got this far down the list before a Stephen King adaptation showed up. Stanley Kubrick's The Shining is a horror classic for a reason, with an atmosphere that gets under your skin and a performance from Jack Nicholson that's hard to forget. The film follows a family who move into an isolated hotel for the winter, where the father takes a job as the caretaker. As the months go by and the family become increasingly cut off from the outside world, strange things begin to happen, and the hotel slowly starts to bring out a much darker side of him.

A Nightmare On Elm Street

Imagine being scared to fall asleep because you know there's someone waiting for you in your dreams. That's the idea behind A Nightmare on Elm Street, and honestly, what makes it so terrifying is how it takes something we all do every night and turns it into something to fear. Released in 1984, the film introduced us to Freddy Krueger, who has since become one of the most recognisable faces in horror. With his burnt face, striped jumper and razor-gloved hand, he's not exactly someone you'd want showing up in your nightmares. The film is a must-watch for any horror fan, and it's easy to see why Freddy has remained such an iconic character all these years later.

The Exorcist

When The Exorcist was first released, people were reportedly fainting in cinemas. The movie has long been believed to be cursed, as production was plagued by cast and crew injuries, unusual accidents and between four and nine deaths associated with the project. Half a century later, it's a classic that still isn't an easy watch. It follows a mother who becomes increasingly desperate to understand what's happening to her young daughter, whose behaviour takes a terrifying turn and leaves doctors unable to explain what's wrong. Eventually, she turns to two priests, who come to believe that the girl is possessed by something far more sinister than anyone could have imagined.

Psycho

Describing this movie means reaching for all the superlatives. One of the most unnerving closing shots in cinema history, one of the most memorable performances by an actor in a horror film, one of the most shocking plot twists, and, of course, one of the most iconic scenes ever put to film: the shower scene. If you're watching this for the first time in 2026, you might find it a little underwhelming, even though it still holds up incredibly well. But you have to remember just how groundbreaking it was for its time, when audiences hadn't seen anything quite like it before. It completely changed the game for horror and paved the way for so many films that came after it.

Scream

There's a reason all of these movies fall into the "classics" category, and Scream is another one that became hugely influential for the way it not only defied the rules of horror but changed them. It constantly subverted audience expectations, starting with the decision to kill off the biggest-name actress in the opening scene, something that completely caught audiences off guard and turned the movie on its head before the story had even properly begun. And just as the film started with a shock, it ended with one too, revealing that there were actually two killers rather than one. Often credited with revitalising the slasher genre, Scream became a cultural touchstone and gave us one of the most iconic horror characters of all time: Ghostface.

The Modern Classics

IT

"We all float down here!"

This one has weirdly become a comfort watch for me. There's something about the fictional town of Derry, Maine, that feels so familiar and homely, and I find it oddly comforting, despite the story revolving around an evil entity that takes the form of Pennywise the clown and terrorises children. Whether you watch the 1990 miniseries or the 2017 film, you really can't go wrong with either one. There's just something about the whole atmosphere of these films that makes me want to revisit them every Halloween.

Smile & Smile 2

Smile 2 is one of my personal favourite releases of the last decade. The first one is a great introduction to the universe, but I think the second one is where things really come to life, in the best and creepiest way. Naomi Scott plays the lead role in Smile 2, and she absolutely knocks it out of the park. There's something about a creepy smile that's just so incredibly terrifying to me and gets me every single time.

Hereditary

There are two things that make Hereditary stand out for me. First, Toni Collette's performance, which is genuinely one of the best of the 21st century, not just in horror but in cinema as a whole. And then there's that scene. If you know, you know. The fact that Ari Aster actually had the guts to go through with it is a big part of what makes this movie so unforgettable, and why it's so highly regarded by both critics and audiences alike.

Unfriended and Unfriended Dark Web

Remember when Skype calls, Facebook messages and dodgy downloads were part of everyday life? Unfriended takes all those familiar things and turns them into something genuinely unsettling. The first film takes place entirely on a computer screen, following a group of friends who start receiving messages from the account of a classmate who died a year earlier. The sequel, Unfriended: Dark Web, takes things in a different direction, with a young man discovering disturbing files on a borrowed laptop. Personally, I find the second one even creepier because its premise feels a little too close to reality. Neither film is particularly sophisticated, but they're both great examples of how a simple idea can make for a genuinely unsettling horror movie.

The Descent

If you're claustrophobic, you should probably skip this one. And if you're not claustrophobic, there's a good chance you will be by the time the credits roll. The Descent follows a group of friends who head out to explore a cave system, only to find themselves trapped underground with something unknown lurking in the darkness alongside them. Everything about this film is terrifying: the darkness, the suffocating atmosphere, the very real possibility of being buried alive, and a group of creatures that absolutely should not exist. It's a great reminder that, sometimes, staying home really is the better option.

The Ring

This was my original childhood nightmare fuel. I watched it for the first time when I was far too young, and it left me afraid to sleep in the dark for the next eight years or so. There's something so cursed about this movie, from the whole vibe to the videotape itself and Samara climbing out of the television. As much as the movie has been turned into a meme over the years, I still think that if you put it on and turn the lights off, there's no way you won't get freaked out.

And there you have it, your Halloween watchlist is sorted. Now all that's left to do is grab some snacks, turn off the lights and decide which one you're brave enough to watch first.

Happy Halloween!