Having a spooky season movie checklist can enhance your Halloween experience in a number of ways. You can set the mood and curate the perfect atmosphere with a good spooky movie. Having the checklist will help create an ambiance of thrill and excitement, making your spooky season experience more immersive than just decorations and trick-or-treating. A checklist of spooky movies can create a sense of anticipation as you plan your movie nights. You can look forward to each film on the list, counting down the days until you get to watch your favorites.
A spooky season movie checklist gives you and your family a chance to explore the horror movie genre. Halloween is the perfect time to delve into the horror genre and discover new films. Watching spooky movies with friends or loved ones can be a great bonding experience. A checklist gives you a curated selection of movies to explore, allowing you to broaden your horizons and discover hidden gems with your family.
Many Halloween movies have become classics that bring back nostalgic memories for people. A movie checklist allows you to revisit beloved films from your childhood, making Halloween even more special. By creating an annual spooky movie checklist, you establish a tradition that can be passed down or shared with others. It becomes something you can look forward to each year and adds a sense of continuity to your Halloween celebrations.
I am going to introduce you to my self-made list I watch with my family every fall. You can use my list, or you can create your own! I will add a few adult movies at the end as well for a spooky date night. Don’t forget to make some spooky snacks.
1. Halloweentown
“Halloweentown” is a family-friendly movie about a girl named Marnie who discovers that her grandmother is a witch and that she comes from a family of magical beings. Marnie follows her grandmother to Halloweentown, a place where supernatural creatures live, and learns about her own magical potential. She and her siblings must help save Halloweentown from an evil force. The movie combines adventure, magic, and a touch of spooky fun, making it a popular choice for the spooky season, especially for kids.
There are four movies in this series. Just enough for an all-day movie marathon. In the last one, Return to Halloweentown, they changed the main character. Marnie ends up being played by Sarah Paxton.
2. Hocus Pocus
“Hocus Pocus” is a comedy-fantasy film that revolves around the misadventures of three witches who are resurrected in modern-day Salem, Massachusetts, on Halloween night. When a teenage boy named Max lights a black flame candle in the witches’ old house, he inadvertently brings them back to life. With the help of his younger sister Dani, his crush Allison, and an immortal cat named Thackery Binx, Max has to stop the witches from becoming immortal by stealing the life force of children in the town.
They made a sequel to this movie 29 YEARS after the original came out. which brings us to number 3.
3. Hocus Pocus 2
Back and more glorious than ever. After nearly 3 decades, Disney made the sequel, with the same witches! Most of the time, the second movie is never as good as the first one. I won’t go as far as to say that Hocus Pocus 2 is better than the original, but it comes close. It has much more emotion than the original and even more quirky comedy to tide it over. It will undoubtedly be your new family favorite.
4. Coraline
“Coraline” is a dark fantasy children’s novel written by Neil Gaiman, first published in 2002. It was later adapted into an animated film released in 2009. The story follows a young girl named Coraline Jones who moves into a new home with her parents. Coraline is a curious and adventurous girl who feels neglected by her busy parents. She discovers a secret door in her new home that leads to an alternate version of her reality. In this parallel world, everything seems almost perfect, and her “Other Mother” and “Other Father” are attentive and caring. However, Coraline soon realizes that this alternate world hides a sinister and dangerous truth.
While the movie is very kid-friendly, the book is a little more… creepy.
5. The Addams Family (1991)
This is a live-action film directed by Barry Sonnenfeld. It stars Anjelica Huston as Morticia Addams, Raul Julia as Gomez Addams, and Christopher Lloyd as Uncle Fester. The movie focuses on the Addams family as they face a con artist trying to steal their wealth. The film combines dark comedy and quirky characters, capturing the essence of the original cartoons.
6. Corpse Bride
Corpse Bride” is a stop-motion animated fantasy film directed by Tim Burton and Mike Johnson, released in 2005. The story is set in a Victorian-era European village and revolves around Victor Van Dort, a shy and nervous young man, who is accidentally betrothed to a deceased bride while practicing his wedding vows in the woods. The bride, Emily, is a lively and kind-hearted spirit who was murdered on her wedding day.
Victor finds himself transported to the Land of the Dead, where he becomes entangled in the affairs of the deceased and the living. As he navigates this strange and colorful world, he learns more about Emily’s tragic past and the circumstances that led her to her current state. Victor also grapples with his feelings for both Emily and Victoria, his living fiancée, creating a romantic and emotional dilemma.
7. Monster House
Three young friends, DJ, Chowder, and Jenny, become suspicious of their reclusive neighbor, Mr. Nebbercracker, and his creepy-looking house. They start to believe that the house is alive and possibly dangerous. As strange events continue to unfold, the trio discovers that the house is indeed alive and has a malevolent spirit within it. The house comes to life and terrorizes the neighborhood, leading DJ, Chowder, and Jenny on a quest to uncover the truth behind the house’s mysterious nature.
8. Casper (1995)
The film begins with a paranormal therapist named Dr. James Harvey and his daughter, Kat, moving into a mansion called Whipstaff Manor to help the ghosts residing there move on to the afterlife. Casper is a young ghost who lives in the mansion with his three prankster uncles, Stretch, Stinkie, and Fatso.
Kat befriends Casper and they develop a close bond. Meanwhile, Dr. Harvey struggles to communicate with the other ghosts. Casper reveals that he has no memory of his past life and the circumstances of his death. He also has a crush on Kat, making their friendship even more complex.
9. The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown
“The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown” is a classic animated television special based on the “Peanuts” comic strip by Charles M. Schulz. It first aired in 1966 and has since become a beloved Halloween tradition for many families.
The special follows the adventures of the “Peanuts” gang, with a focus on the main character, Charlie Brown, and his friends Linus, Lucy, Sally, and Snoopy. Linus becomes convinced that on Halloween night, the Great Pumpkin will rise out of the pumpkin patch and bring toys to all the good children. He plans to spend the night waiting for the Great Pumpkin in the pumpkin patch, even though his friends doubt the existence of such a being.
10. The Nightmare Before Christmas
The story is set in a fictional world called Halloween Town, where all things related to Halloween are celebrated year-round. The main character is Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town, who has grown weary of the same routine and is looking for something new and exciting. One day, he stumbles upon Christmas Town, a place filled with joy and holiday cheer, and becomes fascinated by the idea of bringing Christmas to his town.
Jack decides to take over Christmas and, with the help of the residents of Halloween Town, attempts to put his own dark and spooky twist on the holiday. However, his efforts to understand the spirit of Christmas and the joy it brings lead to unintended and chaotic consequences. His well-intentioned actions cause confusion and distress among both the residents of Halloween Town and the people of the real world.
11. The Haunted Mansion
The movie follows Jim Evers (played by Eddie Murphy), a workaholic real estate agent, who decides to take a family vacation with his wife Sara (Marsha Thomason) and their children to a remote mansion he’s been asked to sell. The mansion is rumored to be haunted, but Jim sees this as an opportunity to impress a potential client.
Upon arriving at the mansion, the Evers family quickly realizes that the rumors are true— the mansion is indeed haunted. The ghosts who reside in the mansion include a friendly butler named Ramsley, the mansion’s owner Master Gracey, and a variety of quirky spirits with their own unique stories.
12. Twitches
“Twitches” follows the story of two twin sisters, Alex and Camryn, who were separated at birth when their homeland of Coventry was threatened by an evil force. Each twin was adopted by different families and raised in the mortal world without knowledge of their magical heritage.
On their 21st birthday, Alex and Camryn (played by Tamera Mowry), discover their true identities as magical beings known as “Twitches” – twin witches with incredible powers. They also learn about their birthright as the only ones capable of defeating the darkness that once threatened Coventry.
13. Twitches Too
In “Twitches Too,” Alex and Camryn are adjusting to their new roles as princesses of Coventry after defeating the evil Thantos in the first movie. However, their magical abilities are still developing, and they find it challenging to balance their royal duties with their personal lives.
The twins begin to experience strange visions and discover that their father, Aron, is still alive and trapped in the Shadowlands—a dark and dangerous dimension. They also learn that their mother, Miranda, had been hiding the truth from them to protect them from the evil forces that threaten Coventry.
14. Mostly Ghostly (Who Let The Ghosts Out)
The movie follows the adventures of Max Doyle, a young boy who discovers that he can see and communicate with ghosts. Max befriends two friendly spirits, Nicky and Tara, who need his help to solve a mystery and find their parents. Together, they embark on a quest to unravel the secrets of their past and protect the world from a powerful evil ghost named Phears.
The film features a mix of humor, adventure, and mild scares suitable for its target audience of young viewers. It also introduces other quirky characters, including a mischievous ghost named Colin Doyle and Max’s skeptical younger brother, Colin, played by Luke Benward.
15. Goosebumps
The story follows a teenager named Zach Cooper, who moves with his mother to the small town of Madison, Delaware. Zach quickly becomes friends with his next-door neighbor, Hannah Stine. However, Hannah’s mysterious father, R.L. Stine, played by Jack Black, is reclusive and warns Zach to stay away from his family.
When Zach and his friend Champ break into the Stine residence, they discover a collection of locked “Goosebumps” manuscripts. Unbeknownst to them, opening the books releases the fictional monsters and creatures created by R.L. Stine’s imagination into the real world. Chaos ensues as the town is overrun by these menacing creatures.
16. Frankenweenie (2012)
“Frankenweenie” is a 2012 stop-motion animated film directed by Tim Burton. It is a feature-length adaptation of Burton’s 1984 short film of the same name. The movie combines elements of science fiction, horror, and comedy and is notable for its black-and-white, stop-motion animation style.
The story revolves around a young boy named Victor Frankenstein, who lives in the fictional town of New Holland. Victor is an introverted and creative child who has a deep bond with his dog, Sparky. Tragically, Sparky is hit by a car and killed, leaving Victor devastated. Inspired by his science teacher, Mr. Rzykruski (voiced by Martin Landau), who teaches about electricity and reanimation, Victor conducts a daring experiment. He harnesses the power of lightning to bring Sparky back to life, reanimating him as a patchwork, stitched-together dog.
17. Coco
The film is set in Mexico and follows the story of a young boy named Miguel Rivera, voiced by Anthony Gonzalez. Miguel has a deep passion for music, but his family, the Riveras, have banned music for generations due to a family tragedy involving Miguel’s great-great-grandfather, who abandoned his family to pursue a music career.
On Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), a Mexican holiday celebrating deceased loved ones, Miguel accidentally finds himself transported to the Land of the Dead. There, he encounters his deceased relatives and embarks on a quest to discover his family’s history and unlock the secrets surrounding their ban on music. Along the way, Miguel meets a charming trickster named Hector, and uncovers the truth about his great-great-grandfather, a musician.
18. Scooby-Doo (2002)
Mystery Inc. gang—Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and their talking Great Dane, Scooby-Doo—solving a case involving a fake ghost at a toy factory. However, tensions start to rise within the group as they argue about their respective roles and contributions to the team.
Soon, they are individually invited to the mysterious Spooky Island theme park, where they must investigate strange happenings and reunite to solve the case. The park is owned by Emile Mondavarious, who believes that something supernatural is affecting the visitors. The gang discovers that people are being turned into mindless, party-loving zombies and that there is a connection to a voodoo ritual.
As the group unravels the mystery, they encounter various classic Scooby-Doo villains, leading to a climax where they must confront an unexpected adversary and save the day.
19. Scary Godmother
Hannah Marie is invited to a Halloween party by her cousin, Jimmy. However, she is worried about encountering scary monsters. After the older kids at the party lock her in the basement, a strange woman shows up to save the day.
Her Scary Godmother is the guardian of the Fright Side, a world inhabited by various Halloween creatures, such as witches, vampires, werewolves, and more. She discovers that monsters aren’t very scary at all. With the help of her Scary Godmother and her monster friends, she discovers that Halloween is a time of fun, friendship, and magic.
20. Ghost Busters (1984)
The story centers around three eccentric parapsychologists who start a ghost-catching business in New York City. After losing their academic jobs, they decide to open “Ghostbusters,” a paranormal investigation and elimination service, to capitalize on the growing supernatural activity in the city. They develop unique equipment, including proton packs and the iconic Ecto-1 car, to capture and contain ghosts.
As they start their business, they soon find themselves facing a surge in paranormal occurrences, culminating in the discovery of a powerful ancient Sumerian deity known as Gozer the Gozerian. Gozer plans to return to the world and unleash destruction. The Ghostbusters must use their wit and proton packs to stop Gozer and save New York City from apocalyptic chaos.
21. Labyrinth
A teenage girl named Sarah Williams, frustrated by her responsibilities and the presence of her baby brother, Toby, wishes for him to be taken away by the Goblin King, Jareth, played by David Bowie. To her surprise, Jareth actually takes Toby to his labyrinthine realm.
Regretting her impulsive wish, Sarah enters the labyrinth to rescue her brother. She embarks on a journey filled with surreal creatures, puzzles, and challenges. Along the way, she befriends a group of fantastical characters, including Hoggle, a grumpy dwarf; Ludo, a gentle giant; and Sir Didymus, a chivalrous fox knight. They help her navigate the labyrinth and face Jareth’s obstacles.
22. IT (2017)
Based on the 1986 novel of the same name by Stephen King. The film was released in 2017 and serves as a remake of a 1990 miniseries adaptation of the novel.
The film is set in the fictional town of Derry, Maine, and follows a group of children who are terrorized by a shape-shifting entity that often takes the form of a clown named Pennywise (played by Bill Skarsgård). The entity emerges every 27 years to feed on the fears of children, often targeting the most vulnerable in the town.
The story revolves around a group of friends who call themselves the “Losers’ Club.” When a young boy named Georgie goes missing and his brother Bill is determined to find him, Bill and his friends begin to uncover the dark secrets of their town. As they delve deeper, they realize that an evil force is behind the disappearances of children in Derry.
23. Orphan
Kate and John Coleman, a married couple, decide to adopt a 9-year-old girl named Esther, after losing their own child. Kate and John are still grieving the loss of their baby, and they believe adopting Esther will help fill the void in their lives.
Esther, on the surface, appears to be a polite and talented child, which initially endears her to her new family. However, as time passes, a series of disturbing and violent events occur in their household, leading Kate to suspect that there is more to Esther than meets the eye. She begins to investigate Esther’s past, uncovering a dark and shocking secret.
24. House Of Wax
A group of young friends who become stranded in a small, isolated town after their car breaks down on a road trip to a college football game. While waiting for repairs, they explore the town and stumble upon a seemingly abandoned wax museum named “House of Wax.”
Inside the wax museum, they discover incredibly lifelike wax figures, each depicting a person in a moment of agony or terror. As they delve deeper into the museum, they realize that the wax figures are not sculptures but the preserved bodies of real people who have been coated in wax.
Soon, the group realizes that they are not alone in the town, and a masked psychopath is hunting them down. The friends must fight to survive and uncover the dark secrets behind the House of Wax and its twisted creator.
25. The Ring
The story centers around a cursed videotape that, when watched, brings about the viewer’s death within seven days. The film opens with two teenage girls discussing the urban legend surrounding this videotape. One of the girls reveals that she watched the tape a week earlier and is now terrified as her seven-day deadline approaches. True to the legend, she dies a gruesome death exactly one week after watching the tape.
The story then shifts to the character Rachel Keller, a journalist investigating the mysterious death of her niece. Rachel discovers that her niece and her friends all watched the same cursed videotape a week before their deaths. To uncover the truth behind the curse and save her own life, Rachel watches the tape herself.
Upon viewing the tape, Rachel experiences a series of bizarre and terrifying events, including eerie images, cryptic messages, and supernatural occurrences. Realizing that she has only seven days to live, she becomes consumed by the quest to unravel the mystery of the tape and its connection to a vengeful spirit named Samara.
26. Beetlejuice
The story centers around a recently deceased couple, Adam and Barbara Maitland. After a car accident claims their lives, they find themselves stuck in their own home as ghosts. Initially, they are content with their afterlife existence, but their peaceful afterlife takes a chaotic turn when a new family, the Deetzes, moves into their beloved home.
The Maitlands try to scare the Deetzes away, but their ghostly efforts are in vain. In desperation, the Maitlands seek the help of a mischievous and crude bio-exorcist ghost named Betelgeuse, often referred to as Beetlejuice. Beetlejuice agrees to assist them in haunting the Deetzes, but he quickly reveals his chaotic and destructive nature. Chaos ensues as Beetlejuice wreaks havoc in the Deetz household.
27. Practical Magic
The film follows the lives of Sally Owens and her younger sister Gillian Owens. The Owens family has a long history of witchcraft, and the sisters are no exception. However, they have been raised by their aunts, and Jet, after their parents’ untimely deaths. Sally and Gillian have led troubled lives due to their magical powers, including a family curse that causes any man who falls in love with an Owens woman to meet an untimely death. Sally has tried to suppress her powers and live a normal life, while Gillian embraces her abilities and a more carefree lifestyle.
When Gillian’s abusive boyfriend Jimmy threatens her life, the sisters accidentally kill him in self-defense. Desperate to cover up the crime, they resurrect him using a forbidden spell from a magical book called the “Book of Shadows.” However, Jimmy returns as a vengeful and malevolent spirit. As they try to deal with the consequences of their actions, the sisters must confront their past, their magical heritage, and the curse that has haunted their family
28. Conjuring
In the early 1970s and follows the story of the Perron family, who move into an old farmhouse in Harrisville, Rhode Island. Soon after settling in, they begin to experience increasingly disturbing and supernatural occurrences in their new home. Fearing for their safety, the Perron family reaches out to Ed and Lorraine Warren for help. The Warrens are experienced investigators of paranormal phenomena and specialize in demonic cases. They agree to investigate Perron’s home and quickly realize that the family is indeed facing a malevolent presence.
As the Warrens delve deeper into their investigation, they uncover the dark history of the house and the vengeful spirit that haunts it. The climax of the film involves a harrowing exorcism as the Warrens try to rid the house of the malevolent entity and save the Perron family from its clutches.
29. The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Newly engaged couple, Brad Majors and Janet Weiss, find themselves stranded on a rainy night when their car breaks down. They seek shelter at a nearby castle, where they are greeted by a strange and flamboyant group of characters.
The castle is home to the eccentric Dr. Frank-N-Furter, a transvestite scientist from the planet Transsexual in the galaxy of Transylvania. Frank-N-Furter has created a muscular and attractive creature named Rocky Horror as his ultimate creation. The couple quickly becomes embroiled in the bizarre and sexually liberated world of Frank-N-Furter and his eccentric servants.
30. Edward Scissorhands
The story is set in a pastel-colored suburban community, where a local Avon saleswoman named Peg Boggs, stumbles upon a mysterious mansion at the edge of town. In the mansion lives Edward, an unfinished artificial man created by an inventor, who passed away before he could give Edward hands. As a result, Edward has razor-sharp scissor blades in place of hands.
Peg brings Edward into her home, where he becomes a curiosity and a source of wonder to the neighborhood. Edward’s unique ability to create intricate and beautiful haircuts, topiaries, and sculptures with his scissors hands earns him acceptance from some, while others fear and ostracize him. Edward forms a close bond with Peg’s teenage daughter, Kim, and develops feelings for her. However, the idyllic suburban community gradually turns against him as misunderstandings and fear grow. Edward’s unusual appearance and inability to conform to societal norms lead to a tragic series of events that culminate in a dramatic and emotional climax.
31. Nightmare on Elm Street
Elm Street is a quiet suburban neighborhood haunted by a dark secret. A group of teenagers, including Nancy Thompson, starts experiencing terrifying nightmares involving a disfigured man with a glove adorned with razor-sharp knives – Freddy Krueger. The twist is that if Freddy kills them in their dreams, they die in real life.
As the teens struggle to stay awake, they uncover the truth about Freddy’s past and how he met his gruesome fate.
Watching spooky movies can be an exciting and thought-provoking experience that offers entertainment, catharsis, and a chance to explore fear and dark themes in a controlled setting. Whether you enjoy the adrenaline rush or appreciate the creativity of the genre, there are many reasons why people choose to watch spooky movies.
Remember, a spooky movie checklist is flexible and customizable. It can include old favorites, new releases, or even films recommended by others. The goal is to create an entertaining and memorable Halloween experience through the power of cinema.
Enjoy your spooky movie marathon! 🍿🎃
And don’t forget to check out my other blog posts!