For many people, the fall season includes Pumpkin Spice & everything nice. For others, nothing says Halloween more than Haunted Houses and Scary Films.
With Halloween being on October 31st, there is plenty of time to catch a movie fitting to the season. If you’re looking for one to watch this Halloween season, be sure to check out one of the 6 featured below!
- The Nightmare Before Christmas
“Suffering from an identity crisis of sorts (Is it a Halloween movie, or is it a Christmas one?), this 1993 stop-motion animated musical classic is co-written by Tim Burton and directed by Henry Selick (James and the Giant Peach). It features the iconic character of Jack Skellington — the Pumpkin King of Halloweentown, who accidentally stumbles across the concept of Christmas. He becomes so obsessed, he kidnaps Santa Claus and attempts to take over the holiday of Christmas entirely.”
- Hocus Pocus or Hocus Pocus 2
“This Halloween-themed fantasy-comedy stars Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy as the Sanderson sisters — the malevolent spirits of three 17th-century Salem witches (complete with pointy hats, brooms, warts and all) that were burned at the stake and accidentally resurrected by a group of kids, who in turn attempt to kill the children as a show of gratitude. Eating children? Rather dark for a Disney-produced children’s flick, wouldn’t you say? The cult classic is followed up by 2022 sequel that features a few new faces and a return of the Sanderson Sisters to Salem.”
- Ghostbusters
“Who you gonna call? Apparently, four paunchy, middle-aged scientists, as Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis and Ernie Hudson teamed up with late director Ivan Reitman to fight ghosts and hold off the apocalypse in this 1984 comedy classic. It also spawned three more movies, a Saturday morning cartoon and a series of video games, not to mention that infectiously catchy theme song by Ray Parker Jr.”
- Hotel Transylvania
“Cult animator Genndy Tartakovsky (Samurai Jack, Dexter’s Laboratory) directed this cartoon romp that depicts Dracula (voiced by Adam Sandler) as the owner of an inn for weary, wayward, traveling monsters, whose 118-year-old daughter Mavis (Selena Gomez) falls for a human (Andy Samberg) who accidentally wanders in as a guest. It spawned three sequels and features a spooktacular supporting cast, with Kevin James, Keegan-Michael Key, Steve Buscemi, Molly Shannon, Kathryn Hahn, Mel Brooks, Cee Lo Green and others voicing some monstrous characters.”
- Hubie Halloween
“Adam Sandler stars as Hubie Dubois, Salem’s dimwitted delicatessen employee, who spends Oct. 31 night monitoring the streets as the town’s official Halloween Helper, making him a figure of mockery for kids and adults alike. But when something actually goes bump in the night one Halloween and nobody seems to believe Hubie, it’s up to him to save the holiday. The film also stars Kevin James, Noah Schnapp, Kenan Thompson, Julie Bowen and more.”
Lastly, if you’re looking for a family-friendly classic, be sure to check out:
- It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
If you’re anything like me, your GEN X Dad made you watch this more than once every October growing up. In this cartoon, “Charlie Brown is excited to be invited to Violet’s Halloween party–his first-ever party. Before the party, the Peanuts gang plans to go trick-or-treating; meanwhile, Snoopy, dressed as the WWI flying ace, takes his Halloween persona to extremes. Linus won’t be joining them for trick-or-treating or the party: he will be waiting in the local pumpkin patch for the arrival of the Great Pumpkin. Linus believes that the Great Pumpkin rises out of the most sincere pumpkin patch–one more sincere than his own local one–flies into the air, and delivers presents to all the boys and girls around the world. Because of his belief, Linus is the laughingstock among his friends. Sally is torn between going trick-or-treating for the first time and attending Violet’s sure-fire fun Halloween party, or following her love Linus and waiting for the Great Pumpkin’s arrival with him.”
That’s all for now. Be sure to check any of the ones above, and tune back in later this semester for more movies you won’t want to miss!
Sources:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060550/plotsummary/
