Spooktober’s Finest Cinema Selections

By: Anya Patri and Katherine Lamont

1. IT (2017)

We can talk a lot about horror remakes; they fail a lot. The 2017 revival of It, however, is one of (in our humble opinions) the best horror movies to date, managing to make a terrifying concept humorous without losing the outrageously terrifying feeling that accompanies a clown that stalks children. Although it’s certainly not for the faint of heart, a great screenplay coupled with Andres Muschietti’s brilliant directing lands It at the top of our list.

2. Nightmare before Christmas (1993)

The Nightmare Before Christmas, despite its title, is a classic Halloween movie by Tim Burton featuring a creative style of animation and engaging characters. This is definitely one of the best family-friendly Halloween movies which you should definitely try to catch!  

3. Corpse Bride (2005)

No matter what Tim Burton creates, it always seems to establish itself in its genre, and The Corpse Bride is no exception. The movie has become a Halloween classic, throwing itself into the spotlight by utilizing Burton’s ability to make something way too weird to be ignored.

4. Carrie (1976)

The horror/coming of age film Carrie (1976) is a cult classic that is definitely a great scary movie for Halloween. It follows a victim of bullying who takes revenge on her classmates and is still a fun film to watch despite the terrifying leading character. 

5. Ghostbusters (1984)

The original Ghostbusters movie came out in 1984 and quickly became a fan favorite, bringing about numerous sequels, remakes, and spinoffs. One of the best known horror-comedy movies, Ghostbusters wins in the comedy genre without fail.

6. The Sixth Sense (1999)

The Sixth Sense is a spooky supernatural horror film that, with its groundbreak twist at the end, continues to be an iconic film that makes you realize how creepy young children actually are. 

7. Annabelle (2014)

Although a haunted doll is nowhere near a new concept in horror, Annabelle has clawed its way to the top of the trope. The movie basically preys on the innate fears we have over trivial things- in this case a ghost- and rides that wave of terrifying all the way through.

8. Birdbox (2018)

Although it’s technically not a halloween movie, we thought Birdbox deserves an honorable mention. The film, starring Sandra Bullock, relies heavily on chilling psychological horror rather than the cliche jumpscares that seem to plague this genre. 

9. Casper (1995)

Casper is a fun children’s movie with creepy houses, ghosts, ghost hunters, and a lot of mysteries. It is definitely a great movie to watch with your family! 

10. Beetlejuice (1988)

Beetlejuice is an iconic horror and comedy movie that talks about ghosts and the haunting of houses. Though it is extremely offensive at times and it has not aged as well as some other Halloween movies, the movie has made its mark in our #10 spot.