The 6 Best Movies To Start The Halloween Season Off Right

It’s hard to believe it’s finally that time of year again – the time of seasonal Starbucks lattes, pop-up costume shops, and festive hayrides through lengthy corn mazes. That’s right, once again, it’s Halloween. As we lumber our way toward the ghoulish season with the grace of Frankenstein’s Monster, it might be difficult to register the fact that the holiday is only a few short weeks away.

To better prepare for Halloween arrival, here are six wondrous movies to help get you in the appropriate spirit, including vintage slashers, chilling horror anthologies, and family-friendly musical comedies.

Halloween (1978)

There’s a reason Michael Myers pops into most people’s minds whenever they’re challenged to think of knife-wielding serial killers at the center of most slasher films. The prototypical entry in the genre, John Carpenter set the standard for the entire slasher landscape with his monumental classic, Halloween. Establishing numerous genre tropes that became commonplace in the decades following its release, without Halloween, it’s highly unlikely audiences would have later franchises like Scream, A Nightmare on Elm Street, or Friday the 13th in the immediate years that followed. Watch Halloween on AMC+ and Shudder.

Trick ‘r Treat (2007)

Anthology films are a staple of the larger horror genre, whether looking at an earlier classic like 1945’s Dead of Night or a more recent example like 2007’s Trick ‘r Treat. In the case of the latter, director Michael Dougherty conjures up four eerie stories, each more unforgettably disturbing than the last. Employing a nonlinear presentation and various interweaving characters, Trick ‘r Treat is the ultimate love letter to Halloween’s mythology, featuring demons, werewolves, zombies, and ordinary school principals who moonlight as rampaging serial killers. Watch Trick ‘r Treat on Max.

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

Sure, we can argue non-stop whether The Nightmare Before Christmas is a Christmas movie or a Halloween film. At the end of the day, however, this fan-favorite dark fantasy film can be enjoyed at any point in the year (most especially on Halloween). Set against the macabre backdrop of Halloween Town, director Henry Selick brings the world of Tim Burton’s creative imagination to life with painstaking levels of detail in The Nightmare Before Christmas, ensuring a stop-motion animation as popular now as it ever was before. Watch The Nightmare Before Christmas on Disney+.

Coraline (2009)

Quite possibly the most beloved film from Laika yet, Coraline expertly expands its literary source material for the big screen, complete with Henry Selick’s characteristically luminous stop-motion animation. A film as gorgeous to look at as it is narratively unnerving, Coraline’s darker tone might not be suitable for a universal audience, but there’s a strange, otherworldly beauty behind this renowned dark fantasy film. Watch Coraline on Amazon Video.

Hocus Pocus (1993)

When it first hit theaters in 1993, most critics deemed Hocus Pocus a decent if somewhat unremarkable family comedy centered around the Halloween season. In the decades since its release, however, Hocus Pocus has become nothing less than a mass cultural institution, achieving the same avid acclaim as other light-hearted franchises like Beetlejuice or The Nightmare Before Christmas. Bolstered by Bette Midler’s bewitching performance and musical dance numbers, Hocus Pocus casts a spell on every viewer lucky enough to hit play. Watch Hocus Pocus on Disney+.

Late Night with the Devil (2024)

A relatively newer release, Late Night with the Devil is almost destined to become a cult classic in the very near future. An imaginative indie horror film that’s equal parts Johnny Carson as it is The Exorcist, Late Night with the Devil brilliantly recreates a ‘70s primetime talk show through its grainier found footage aesthetic. Dark, twisted, and unfailingly original, it’s among the finest horror movies we’ve seen in recent years, bar none. Watch Late Night With the Devil on AMC+ and Shudder.