My Halloween Movie Watch list
It’s officially spooky season — and that means it’s time to lean into all things eerie, uncanny, and delightfully unsettling. Horror is my fav — but not the gore‑fest or torture porn variety (you can miss me with that Saw, Terrifier, anything like that). But the ghostly dread, the creeping dread in your bones, the stories that stay with you. I crave films that don’t just scare you, but make you feel — ones that explore grief, loss, existential dread, the shared fears we all carry. And hey, I’ll take a campy classic with a wink over pure horror any day — because sometimes horror doesn’t have to terrify to be brilliant.
But of course, Halloween isn’t just about scary – and let’s face it some people aren’t cut out for horror. One must appreciate the campy and silly movies that evokes nostalgia of Party City costumes and Trick-or-Treating with pillow cases. It’s bittersweet like dark chocolate.
Here’s a curated roster of my favorite spooky / horror / Halloween‑vibe films, with a few notes on what makes some of them special.
HORROR / SPOOKY
This 2023 Aussie supernatural horror (directed by Danny & Michael Philippou) revolves around a group of friends who discover a way to summon spirits using an embalmed hand — but one rule says: don’t “invite them in” for more than 90 seconds. The film weaves grief and guilt (especially in its protagonist, Mia, who’s grappling with her mother’s death) into its scares, delivering visceral supernatural terror without relying purely on gore.
I saw this movie for the first time on streaming and fell in love with it, especially this montage scene. And I had the pleasure of getting to see the film in IMAX at AMC Lincoln Center, the sound design went CRAZY. Anyways this film is frightening, but soooo worth the watch.
A modern classic for a reason. The film’s premise is deceptively simple — a supernatural entity relentlessly stalks its target, passed via intimate contact (like a haunted STD). It’s a horror film about inevitability and the weight of what’s passed between people (literal and figurative).
There’s this eeriness in the slowness of the stalking, there’s not many jumpscares, just creepiness from start to finish. It’s a great film for watching with your friends.
There’s something creepy in the way a smile can shift from comfort to threat. These films play on that — subverting a gesture we trust. They explore trauma, hidden pain, and the uncanny. The sequel pushes the mythology further while retaining that unsettling emotional core.
Smile 2 is definitely my favorite because it follows a pop star, which I think plays to the real issues of living under surveillance, capitalism, cancel culture, and the importance of mental health and support, especially when all eyes are on you. When you’re famous, people expect the world from you, you’re not allowed to make mistakes or have a bad day—much less be haunted.
Mia Goth. That’s it.
These are the bold, weird genre experiments from Ti West and Mia Goth — they explore obsession, identity, and the dark corners of ambition. X is the linchpin, with Pearl as its haunting prequel, and Maxxine carries forward that lineage with new angles.
X brought about a breakout role for Jenna Ortega who is known as this generation’s scream queen from Wednesday. Pearl was iconic, I mean we love a murderous diva that just wants to be a STAAAAAAARRRRRRRR. Maxxine is probably my favorite out of these, mainly because I LOVE the fashion and aesthetics of the early 80s Hollywood and they weave in the Satanic Panic aspect which is so fun to see.
A social‑horror / teen slasher hybrid: a group of friends in lockdown, one goes missing, paranoia sets in. It’s sharp, fast, and uses its horror elements (and isolation) to probe how relationships fracture under strain.
The whole film was lit by the actor’s iPhones and glow sticks — I mean SO COOL. And this is the first horror film I saw that successfully weaved in the Gen-Z TikTok of it all, without being cheesy. Also if you haven’t seen it you’ll be gagged by the end. It’s hilarious.
Margaret Qualley + Demi Moore ATE…
The twisted body‑horror / grotesque satirical thriller focuses on a television fitness star who is discarded by an ageist industry, turns to a black‑market drug that spawns a younger clone of herself (Margaret Qualley). But the deal comes with rules — one week in each body, no exceptions — and everyone knows that rule‑breaking has consequences.
The film’s wild, hyperreal visuals and practical effects make your skin crawl (in the best way). It doesn’t shy from grotesque transformation. Body horror is its language, but it also uses that shock to interrogate beauty standards, aging, and what we’ll do to stay “desirable.” And the repetitive soundtrack will haunt you.
Scream (series, especially 1, 3, 4)
A cult classic!
Wes Craven’s Scream plays a funny, self‑aware game with slasher tropes. It’s a meta commentary, a whodunit, and a fright ride. Scream 1 nails the blend of character + tension, 3 leans into franchise mythology, and 4 gives that sharp modern spin. The series reminds us horror can be smart, self‑referential, and still hit hard.
THE STRANGE BUT NOT REALLY HORROR
A father and daughter accidentally hit what they think is a unicorn — and then chaos ensues. Unicorn blood has curative properties, the rich want to exploit it, and magical beasts want vengeance. It feels part satire, part creature feature, part existential freakout. AND… the title credits song “DOA” by St. Vincent is EVERYTHING. I saw it in theaters before the song was released, and I was shazaming like a fool.
Tim Burton’s gothic soap opera adaptation (with Johnny Depp) is charmingly weird: vampires, curses, time travel, ghosts, and campy dramatics. It blends horror aesthetics with offbeat humor and melodrama, giving that haunted‑house feel with flair.
The Loneliest Boy in the World
A lonely kid conjures a companion using supernatural means. It’s eerie, bittersweet, and talks about grief and isolation in childlike spaces. The film uses horror tropes to explore what it means to feel utterly alone.
This one leans into internal horror: your own shadow, your own monster. It’s allegorical, intimate, and quietly unsettling. It’s the kind of horror where you’re not fighting outside demons — you’re confronting yourself.
Gothic sci‑fi / fantasy meets horror. In a luxurious “boarding school” for rebellious girls, not everything is what it seems. It’s lush, stylized, and steeped in weird symbolism — rebellion, identity, and control all wrapped in a beautiful nightmare.
This is more comedic / satire horror, examining vanity, dependency, and the dark side of fame. It’s disturbing, but in a way that forces you to laugh and recoil at the same time.
FAMILY‑FRIENDLY HALLOWEEN VIBES
The Nightmare Before Christmas — One of my favorite movies of all time
Corpse Bride - another spooky TIm Burton love story <3
Frankenweenie - Tim Burton’s take on two classics Pet Sematary and Frankenstein.
Edward Scissorhands — a beautiful, bittersweet gothic fantasy about being different and again we love the campiness.
Coraline — Another one of my all time favorite films, it's just so so good.
Practical Magic — witches, sisterhood, romance, and light dark magic.
Twitches / Twitches Too - Iconic twinssssss.
Scooby-Doo / Scooby-Doo: Monsters Unleashed - Shaggy with boobs, sexy velma, and sapphic vibes from Daphne are so important to me.
Scooby-Doo! And the Witch’s Ghost - The Hex Girls… I mean c’mon. One of my queer awakenings for sure.
Monster House - we love halloween in suburbia.
Halloweentown collection - another series of Disney Channel classics. HOT TAKE, but Return to Halloweentown is my fav for that campy, Y2K witches’ college energy.
Hocus Pocus - yes, the original will always be that girl, but Hocus Pocus 2 is cute.
Thanks for indulging me. Enjoy the flicks and Happy Halloween!
