10 Halloween Film Recommendations For The Spooky Season

It is that time of year yet again. An autumnal breeze has infiltrated the bustling streets of Oxford; crisp, orange leaves are starting to scatter the streets as summer creeps away. With this gradual transition of the seasons comes something else. A festival of the dead is upon us. A night where children, clad in ghoulish attire, run from door-to-door hunting for treats and hiding from trickery. Pumpkins are carved with wicked and woeful faces, illuminated by dancing candlelight. It is soon to be the night of Halloween.

For those of you who are looking for something to do this spooky season, I have cultivated a list of Halloween movies fit for a freaky film night. Whether you are looking for a film that will leave you on edge or something more light-hearted, this is the list for you.

The Addams Family (1991)

To start this list off strong, we have director Barry Sonnenfeld’s dark comedy The Addams Family. Despite being a commercial success upon release, the film has recently risen in popularity once again after the release of the bildungsroman supernatural comedy series Wednesday, featuring the character of Wednesday Addams. The original 1991 film follows Gomez Addams and his peculiar family as an imposter pretending to be Gomez’s lost brother, Fester, who infiltrates their home in an attempt to steal from the family’s vault of riches. Almost the entire main cast went on to feature in the sequel Addams Family Values which received considerably higher reviews from critics than the first.

Hubie Halloween (2020)

If you enjoy gut-wrenching comedy films, then you will love Hubie Halloween. Famous comedy actor Adam Sandler takes the starring role in this mystery-based production, playing the character of Hubie Dubois. Simple-minded Dubois, a delicatessen employee, is often the target of his fellow citizens’ cruellest antics. Yet on the night of Halloween in Salem, Massachusetts, he is caught in the middle of a very real police investigation which is made all the more overwhelming due to his propensity for being afraid. This is an undoubtedly easygoing and cheerful watch, rather unlike some of the more blood-curdling films on this list.

The Shining (1980)

Speaking of spine-chilling films, Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, based on Stephen King’s 1977 novel, is a sinister cinematic masterpiece. One of the most popular horror films of all time, Kubrick manipulated the fictional horror genre to explore the horrors of reality, such as murder and child abuse, effectively reinventing the genre. The Steadicam mount captured the spiralling of Jack Torrance into a vicious insanity, and the consequences this has for his closest family. If you are not a horror fanatic, then you might not wish to watch this one alone.

Shaun of the Dead (2004)

Not traditionally associated with ‘Halloween’, but a horror film nonetheless, Shaun of the Dead is a zombie comedy following Shaun, a man with a menial life, as he unexpectantly finds himself amidst a hoard of zombies in Northern London. Zombies are a staple monster of Halloween, and a common dress-up theme among Trick-or-treaters. Director Edgar Wright’s Shaun of the Dead is one of many zombie-based films and if you like this one, then you may also enjoy Zombieland (2009) or Night of the Living Dead (1988).

Trick ‘r Treat (2007)

Set in Warren Valley, Ohio, on the menacing night of Hallow’s Eve, the harmless practice of trick-or-treating takes a harrowing turn in this nonlinear narrative following several characters. What connects the different plot lines is trick-or-treater Sam who goes after individuals who break the rules of Halloween. There are four rules: a costume is compulsory, sweets must be handed out, never blow a jack-o-lantern out before midnight, and always respect the deceased. Riddled with jump scares and blunt horror, this film makes for a truly thrilling Halloween experience.

Scream (1996)

Not all horror films are purely inspired by myth and fiction. This slasher movie Inspired by the Gainesville Ripper, Scream follows a group of friends who are stalked by a menacing masked figure. Produced at a time when the horror genre was on a decline, director Wes Craven reinvigorated the genre. Rather than playing around with the supernatural, the murderer Ghostface is human,making his character all the more real, and all the more frightening as a result. Scream might be slower than other films, but it’s still a brilliant watch if you are looking for a classic.

ParaNorman (2012)

As the only animated film on this list, ParaNorman is rather unique in the horror genre, particularly because it is the first stop-motion film to use a 3D printer to generate the character’s faces. It follows Norman Babcock, a young boy with the ability to talk to ghosts, who must help prevent his town from becoming overrun with zombies. Not only is it an enchanting and unparalleled piece of artwork, but it featured the first homosexual character ever in an animated film which director Chris Butler did to overturn negative stereotypes on the subject. Butler commented in an interview, “You think you know that a zombie is going to want to eat your brain, you think that this dumb jock is straight. Actually, you don’t know everything just by looking at them. That was important to me.”

It (2017)

A fantastic adaption of the 1990 Mini Series, It swept the box office floor upon its release, becoming the third highest-grossing R-rated film at the time. Evil, supernatural, child-killing clown Pennywise terrorises the town of Derry in Maine, leaving a group of teenagers looking for revenge. While the film is essentially a gory horror film, there are many sub-plots throughout. For instance, the abuse between Beverly and her father is explored implicitly. It is a haunting tale of loss, vengeance, and friendship.

Final Destination (2000)

Before watching this film, I had never come across the concept of a ‘premonition’. School student Alex has a premonition that the plane he is on will crash shortly after take-off. After demanding to be let off the plane, along with several other students troubled by his panicked outburst, the plane takes-off without them and his premonition comes to pass. But Alex’s life only gets worse when Death comes after him as well as the other students who followed him off the plane. This creepy, supernatural horror is one of my all-time favourites and a must-watch this Halloween.

Halloween (1978)

This list would not be complete without the cult-classic slasher film Halloween directed by John Carpenter. Set on the night of Halloween, killer Michael Meyers escapes a mental hospital and initiates a murderous rampage throughout his hometown of Haddonfield, Illinois. The ominous piano melody that is heard several times throughout adds an air of suspense and dread that Carpenter hoped to create. It was a catalyst for the now popular slasher genre, influencing the creation of other horror films, such as A Nightmare on Elm Street. Since its release, twelve subsequent films have been released, so if you are in the mood for a horror-filled movie marathon, then this franchise may be your ideal match.

I hope something on this list takes your fancy. I would strongly recommend looking up the trigger warnings before watching any of these films. Happy Halloween!