Top 10 Movies To Watch This Halloween Season

It's October, the best time of the year to dig into your movie cabinet and watch some scary movies. But there's undoubtedly a lot to choose from. So, to help slim down your selection, here are the Top 10 Movies To Watch This Halloween Season.

10. The Babadook (2014): This film follows a single mother as she is plauged by the violent death of her husband, while her young son becomes convinced there is a monster lurking in the house. This is a good choice if you’re looking for something that is driven not by jump-scares, but by nerve-racking tension and slow-burn suspense.

9. Beetlejuice (1988): This Tim Burton classic is still a fun watch even after 33 years. It may not be objectively scary but it’s still good for getting you into the Halloween spirit. Michael Keaton’s performance alone is worth the price of admission and, seriously, who doesn’t love Winona Ryder?

8. Ready or Not (2019): This film was honestly one of my favorites from 2019. It follows Grace, who just got married to the man of her dreams at his families luxurious mansion. But, as part of a sacred family tradition, she must play what at first seems like a very innocent game of hide and seek. It soon turns into something much more sinister as she learns that the family is actually trying to murder her. This movie blends horror and comedy perfectly and Samara Weaving delivers a wonderful performance. This is a good choice for those looking for more of a fun popcorn flick.

7. The Conjuring (2013): The first film in the Conjuring franchise follows paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren as they are summoned to a secluded farmhouse, home to the Perron Family, who believe their new home is haunted. Though the manifestations are benign at first, events soon escalate, and the Warrens find themselves in the midst of something truly evil. Any horror movie about the Supernatural scares the living daylights out of me so, if you’re the same, give this one a look. And while you’re at it, give the sequel a watch too.

6. Hocus Pocus (1993): Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy as three evil witches. What more could you want? This is a good selection for the whole family that won’t be too scary for the youngsters and will be more than enough to entertain adults.

5. The Lighthouse (2019): The second film from 2019 to make it onto the list involves Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe as lighthouse keepers who become stranded on an island after a storm prevents their ship from picking them up. This one is considered a bit more of an arthouse film, which is a turn off for some. But the performances from Pattinson and Dafoe are fantastic and keeps your eyes glued to the screen.

4. Monster House (2006): Another good pick for the whole family. Monster House follows three young kids who must prove to all of the adults in their town that the house across the street from them is a living creature that means them harm. This is a fun animated movie that brings me a lot of nostalgia from my own childhood.

3. A Quiet Place (2018): This box office smash is one of the best horror movies from the past decade. A family is forced to live in silence when mysterious creatures who hunt by sound invade Earth. It’s a brisk 90 minutes, which makes for a quick, but extremely suspenseful, viewing.

2. The Thing (1982): With breathtaking practical effects, a horrifying score by Ennio Morricone, and the one and only Kurt Russell, The Thing stands out as one of the greatest horror films of all time.

Before getting to #1, here are some honorable mentions: Zombieland (2009), Halloweentown (1998), The Shining (1980), The Witch (2014), and Get Out (2017). I’d like to give a special shoutout to Scary Godmother: Halloween Spooktakular. Nothing else has been burned into my subconscious more than that movie. Now, onto #1. Drum roll please……

1. Halloween (1978): This is my favorite slasher franchise of all time and with good reason. With a memorable score, a seriously creepy (and silent) serial killer, Jamie Lee Curtis in her breakout role, and the late great Donald Pleasence perfectly delivering every single one of his lines, there’s no better movie to get you into the Halloween spirit.

There you have it folks, my personal ranking of the Top 10 Movies To Watch This Halloween Season. As always, thanks for reading!