Best Halloween/Fall Movies To Watch Right Now

Looking for the best movies to watch this month? Not sure which is for you? Witches, ghosts, or serial killers in masks? Well, this is the place for you! Here are the best movies you should watch this month. 

On this list, you will find scary picks, spooky picks, plain old fun picks, and ones to watch with your family.

Scary and/or Blood-Curling Movies

Under this section, there are seven movies that you should watch if you’re looking for something to make you scream at jump scares or to hide under your blanket. These are the ones that you should watch with someone else during the day, not before you go to sleep. 

1. Hereditary (2018)

This one was an instant classic when it came out. A movie about a family that becomes deranged when they reveal the secrets of their family name after the passing of their (grand)mother, there is a lot that can happen. It’s supernatural and it becomes increasingly cryptic and terrifying as you continue to watch. Starring Toni Collette and Alex Wolff.  

2. Midsommer (2019)

Directed and written by the same man who did Hereditary, Midsommar is the counter opposite. But, despite its bright colours and pretty flowers, the movie is just as unsettling. When a couple on the brink of breaking up and their friends travel to Sweden, they become hypnotised by a cult. They get wrapped up in the midsummer rituals of the rural town and gradually, they become the centre of its disturbing nature. Starring Florence Pugh (Little Women, 2019I), William Jackson Harper (The Good Place), Will Poulter (The Maze Runner, Black Mirror Bandersnatch). 

3. The Exorcist (1973)

An actress notices drastic changes in her young daughter’s behaviour and physical features. On the other end of the spectrum, a priest begins to doubt his faith in God because his mother is suffering from a sickness. 

4. The Babadook (2014)

After the violent death of her husband, a single mother must grapple with her son’s fear of a monster in their house. Soon, she finds out that a sinister presence is, in fact, lurking behind every corner. Great to watch with friends late in the night with popcorn to fly into the air when you jump and scream.

5. The Invisible Man (2020)

This newer movie has come back with great reviews. It’s an original take on a classic story. When a doctor stages his own suicide, he uses his own power to become invisible and stalk/torture his ex-girlfriend. After going to the police with no luck, she takes the situation into her own hands. Starring Elizabeth Moss (Madmen, The Handmaid’s Tale), Storm Reid (A Wrinkle in Time, Euphoria), and Oliver Jackson-Cohen (The Haunting of Hill House). 

6. A Quiet Place

When most humans have been killed by dangerous, noise-sensitive creatures, a family of four must struggle their way through survival in complete silence. One sound will cause the entire family to be picked off, one-by-one. Starring John Krasinski (The Office, Tom Clancy’s Jake Ryan) and Emily Blunt (The Devil Wears Prada, Mary Poppins Returns, Girl on the train).

Family Spooky Season Movies:

Under this section, seven movies that are perfect to watch with your family are listed. They vary between Halloween movies and good-old autumn weathered films. Whether it’s just you and your parents, or your little or older cousins, these movies are insanely fun, not too scary, extremely funny, and easy to watch a million times. 

1. Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

Based on the book by the same name, Fantastic Mr. Fox is about a former con artist going on one last heist against his wife’s wishes. The biggest heist. However, when things go unexpectedly south, Mr. Fox must find a way to protect his family. A perfect movie that blends kids and adult subject matter to make an entertaining watch with everyone. 

2. Hubie Halloween (2020)

Whether you want to admit it or not, everyone falls in love with Adam Sandler movies once in a while so why not watch his newest one? Hubie Dobois is known for his constant pranks and never ending tricks. So when murders start occuring in the town Hubie finds himself a suspect in a real murder case. Starring Adam Sandler and Noah Schnapp (Stranger Things).

3. The Corpse Bride (2005)

One of the most iconic Tim Burton movies from the early 2000’s, The Corpse Bride is a chilling children’s movie that delivers some great laughs.  When Victor is practicing his wedding vows to a woman he just met, he accidentally marries himself to a skeleton woman named Emily. She drags him to the land of the dead in high spirits. Starring Johnny Depp (Pirates of the Caribbean, Edward ScissorHands, Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber on Fleet Street) as Victor and Helena Bonham Carter (Fight Club, Alice in Wonderland, Sweeny Todd: THe Demon on Fleet Street), this movie is consistently easy and fun to watch! 

4. ParaNorman (2012)

In this underrated family movie, Norman has the ability to talk to the dead. He often prefers their company over that of the living. But when his strange uncle gives him a call to tell him his town is under a threat from a century old witch curse, Norman is the only one who can stop it. He must push his paranormal powers and his courage to save his town. 

Funny October Watches:

Under here, you will find horror/halloween movies that can make you laugh, smile, or even just chuckle. Some may be more scary than funny but most are just comedies with a halloween backdrop. 

1. What We Do in the Shadows (2014) 

A mockumentary about a couple of vampire housemates and their lives as they try and cope with the changing modern times. Starring the writer and director Taika Watiti (Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Jojo Rabbit), this is one of the most underrated comedy movies that has ever been made! It’s filled with gags and laughs for the entire hour and a half. The run time is short but it’s a fun trip into this crazy take on the vampire tales.

2. Shaun of the Dead (2004)

Shaun has a very uneventful life, especially working as a TV salesman in the middle of England’s nowhere. However, his life takes a very much unexpected turn when he tries to save his friends and family from a global zombie outbreak. This movie stars Simon Pegg(Hot Fuzz, Mission Impossible, The World’s End) and Nick Frost(Hot Fuzz, The World’s End) as their charming comedic duo and it’s filled to the brim with clever jokes. It always gets better and better upon rewatch!

3. Get Out (2017)

A racially charged comedic horror movie, Get Out is exactly what you may think. Chris, a black man, decides to go visit his white girlfriend’s parents for a weekend vacation deep in the faraway depths of nowhere. Unfortunately, her parents aren’t as normal as they seem to be. They become stranger and scarier the longer he stays. 

4. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

In this cult classic that has seen student live shows and a broadway adaptation, Brad and Janet get a flat tyre on a stormy night. They seek shelter at a nearby, freaky castle that belongs to Frank-N-Furter. In this eccentric tv movie with a stellar soundtrack, Tim Curry (Clue, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York) stars as feminine Frank-N-Further and steals the show at that. 

5. Jennifer’s Body (2009)

Another cult classic written by the same woman behind Juno, Jennifer’s Body is a hilarious flick based around the dreaded teenage years. A take on femininity and female empowerment, it’s not the “sexy”  movie that it had been marketed as when it first came out. Preppy, cheerleader Jennifer becomes possessed and becomes a seductive demon woman after she is sacrificed to Satan. Anitina, Jennifer’s nerdy best friend, finds about the change and tries to stop the demon before she attacks her boyfriend Chip. Megan Fox (Transformers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, New Girl) and Amanda Seyfried (Mean Girls, Mama Mia!). 

The Classics:

Here, you’ll find movies that came out a while ago but still manage to be some of the most watched horror movies to this date. From the 60s to the 90s, these movies will never not be on go-to halloween movie lists. 

1. Psycho (1960)

Alfred Hitchcock’s best, Psycho tells the story of young Marion when she steals money from her employer to run away with the man she is deep in an affair with. However, on the way back, she rests at the mysterious — off the road — Bates Motel where she meets the ominous Norman Bates. Starring Anthony Perkins and Janet Leigh in their iconic roles as Marion and Norman. Get ready to witness some of the most iconic scenes that have ever crossed the silver screen!

2. Scream (1996)

A young teenagers mom was murdered a before more murders start to take place in the town. She begins to wonder if these killings can be linked. Her suspects list only gets longer. One of Courtney Cox’s (Friends) most well known roles and a Drew Barrymore (E.T, Blended, Charlie’s Angels), Scream easily became an instant classic in the first instalment to the series! It’s a fun watch and great to watch with parents or friends. 

3. Candyman (1992)

Soon coming out with a new adaptation directed by Nia Decosta (who is said to be directing the sequel to the next Captain Marvel movie) and co-written by her and Jordan Peele (Get Out, Us), Candyman is an instant epic. It’s a racially charged horror movie that is just as important as to when it came out. When Helen becomes hypnotized by local legends of a knife-wielding Candyman, she begins to investigate it all. To her ultimate horror, a string of murders start to take place.

4. The Shining (1980)

Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining is a loose adaptation of Stephen King’s Iconic novel under the same name. It’s a classic take on the haunted house trope in both horror fiction and movies. Jack Torrance becomes the caretaker at the Overlook Hotel during the winter. He hauls his wife and slightly strange only son up into the middle of nowhere where they are shut off from the rest of the world. When Jack begins to lose his sanity at the hands of the hotel, his wife and son must fend for themselves. Starring Jack Nicholson (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, The Departed, and A Few Good Men) as Jack Torrenance and Shelley Devull as Wendy Torrance, this movie builds up and delivers a terrifying final blow. 

5. Jaws (1975)

Steven Spielfberg invented summer blockbusters when Jaws was released in ‘75. This movie transcends its genre with its mind blowing creativity and beautiful writing and direction. An unlikely group of three (a marine scientist, a police chief, and a fisherman) band together to protect the island of Amity from a white shark. 

6. Night of the Living Dead (1968)

A cult classic and the first modern zombie movie, Night of the Living Dead follows a group of people after the radiation from a fallen statillate brings the recently deceased back to life. Except, they rose from the grave to eat the living for their next meal. The first of a six film movie franchise, this classic was the first to invent the zombie movie tropes as we know them.

So what are you still doing here! Go and have some fun and watch some of these movies in the warmth of your room, at your friend’s house, or in the living room with your family!

By: Zara Stewart