The Mycenaean

Halloween is just around the corner and with that time of year comes spooky movies. Whether you’re throwing a Halloween party and inviting all your friends, or making popcorn and watching them on your own, these movies are perfect for any halloween themed lineup

Animated Halloween Movies

Coraline 

Coraline is a twisted stop motion by Lanikai Studios, the same people who created The Boxtrolls and Missing Link. The movie begins with Coraline, a teenage girl, moving into a new house with her family. In the new home, Coraline feels increasingly ignored and lonely until she discovers a hidden passage that acts as the entrance to another world. In this universe, she finds everything she was looking for, only to realize it was a lure to trap her there forever.  

With its groundbreaking stop motion animation and hair raising plot, this Halloween movie is a great addition to any marathon lineup. 

Halloween Movie Throwbacks

Beetlejuice (1988)

Beetlejuice is hilarious and anything but polite. Adam and Barbera Matiland are a couple living in a beautiful home– that is until they die. Now Lydia Deetz, her father, and new step mother are living in the house. The Matiland’s ghosts will do just about anything to get them out, even take advice from Beetleguese, the sleaziest poltergeist you’ll ever meet. 

Beetlejuice is a hilarious and oddly endearing story about family, belonging, and evil — or really incredibly rude — spirits. It’s a great movie to watch on your own or with your friends. 

Gremlins (1984)

Randy Pelzer is looking for a Christmas gift for his son. Searching through a junk shop, he finds a small creature called a mogwai and buys it. Before he leaves, the shop owner gives him three instructions: never get it wet, never expose it to sunlight, and most importantly never feed it after midnight. His son Billy falls in love with the monster and names it Gizmo, but needless to say some rules are broken, and Billy accidentally creates a gremlin infestation in his hometown.  

Gremlins is a film for the whole family. It’s witty, entertaining (I mean who doesn’t love old ladies on high speed chairlifts?) and a first rate choice for any Halloween movie marathon. 

Horror Movies

Veronica 

Based on a real life event, Veronica tells the story of a girl of the same name. After Veronica  hosts a séance with her friends during a solar eclipse, she begins experiencing paranormal activities. Now Veronica must protect herself and her siblings from the demons haunting her and find a way to banish them back to where they came from. 

While some other movies on this list are PG, this one is definitely not. Though it is not a slasher, Veronica is bloody and scared me even as a teenager. This film is a great choice to see with friends on halloween night, just be careful watching it alone. 

The Conjuring 

The Conjuring is a must watch for anyone who loves the horror genre. The movie takes place at the new home of Carolin and Roger Perron. The couple has just moved into an old farmhouse with their five daughters and their dog. The Perrons’ experiences in the house are odd at first, but soon spiral into a full blown haunting. Only Lorraine and Ed Warren, two paranormal investigators, can help them escape the ghouls. 

Of all the classic horror movies, The Conjuring is probably one of the best there is. This horror movie is great because it relies almost entirely on suspense to scare people instead of gore. The Conjuring also uses a classic idea of ghosts using things like excrocims to portray a haunting with logical and well known rules to it. 

Whether you binge them with friends, or watch them all on your own, these Halloween movies are great choices for the spooky season.