10 iconic Halloween movies

CultureMovies

27 Oct 2020

by Marieke Oggel

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Babylon Radio

It’s likely your Halloween plans for 2020 look a little different from years before. However, while we might not be able to head out to celebrate, nothing’s stopping us from curling up on the couch to watch our favourite Halloween movies. From family favourites to horror classics, here are 10 of the most iconic Halloween movies to keep you busy.

1. The Addams Family (1991)

This film follows the macabre (but charming) antics of the famous Addams Family. The witty, dark humour has secured the movie as a Halloween favourite. It is available to watch on Netflix.

2. Coraline (2009)

This stop-motion film tells the story of Coraline, an adventurous girl who discovers a door in her house leading to an idealised parallel universe. We soon learn of the sinister secrets this world hides. This is technically a children’s film, but the button eyes of Coraline’s “Other” parents are enough to freak out anyone this Halloween.

3. Hocus Pocus (1993)

When it comes to iconic Halloween movies, the 90’s really were kind to us. In Hocus Pocus, three diabolical witch sisters are accidentally resurrected by a teenage boy in Salem, Massachusetts, following their execution 300 years prior.

4. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas follows Jack Skellington, the “Pumpkin King” and his encounter with “Christmas Town”. The Nightmare Before Christmas is a stop-motion musical, perhaps best known for the song “This is Halloween.”

5. It (2017)

It is the most recently released film on this list, and easily the scariest. Halloween 2020 might be the perfect time to pluck up the courage to rewatch the 2017 version of Stephen King’s It, which tells of a group of young teenagers and their battle against Pennywise, a terrifying, shape-shifting monster.

6. Scooby-Doo (2002)

In the first live-action film of the Scooby-Doo franchise, the Mystery Inc. gang reunite after a bitter break-up to investigate a sequence of paranormal events on “Spooky Island”. Featuring a balance of great casting and dumb jokes, the nostalgia-evoking film is a fun, easy watch.

7. Scream (1996)

Scream is another 90’s classic, telling of a series of murders by masked killer “Ghostface”. The film is known for being a clever, self-referential take on the horror genre. Its characters openly discuss horror and slasher tropes, allowing the film to deconstruct the horror genre within its narrative, before the audience can.

8. The Corpse Bride (2005)

The Corpse Bride is another stop-motion film by Tim Burton. Shy groom Victor practices his wedding vows in the woods, accidentally marrying himself to Emily (the titular Corpse Bride) and being sucked into the underworld. The film is available to watch on Netflix.

9. The Shining (1980)

The Shining is another Stephen King tale, this time a psychological horror starring Jack Nicholson as Jack Torrance, the new off-season caretaker of the isolated Overlook Hotel. The film is a horror classic and the range of strange, spooky characters make it perfect for Halloween.

10. The Witches (1990)

Based on the classic Roald Dahl book, The Witches tells of 9-year-old Luke and his encounter with a convention of child-hating witches. Like Coraline, this is supposedly a children’s film, but anyone who has seen it may agree that it might better be classified as a nightmare-inducing horror.

Bonus: The Witches (2020)

Not quite a Halloween classic just yet, the newest adaptation of Dahl’s story was released in Ireland this week. This version stars Anne Hathaway, Octavia Spencer and Chris Rock. and judging by the trailer, is just as creepy as its predecessor. It is available to rent on Premium Video on Demand (PVOD).