10. Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) – The king of Halloween grows tired of his mundane life of goblins and ghouls, seeking out a new holiday to bring him satisfaction. He is immediately entranced by Christmas and decides to adopt it as his own, along with putting his own special spin on it.
9. Beetlejuice (1988) – Own a home? Have useless humans living in it? Sounds like it’s time to hire the “bio-exorcist”… Beetlejuice. Taking a play on the modern Halloween movie with an all-star cast and an abundance of holiday-themed jokes, if Beetlejuice doesn’t leave you ready to go outside and steal some candy, then no film will. That is just a fact.
8. Addam’s Family (1991) – Based on the original series from the 60’s, this Halloween haunt will have the well-known theme song blaring through your mind for days. While director Barry Sonnenfeld’s creation is more comedy than horror, the ever-present theme of Halloween will be sure to put you in the trick-or-treat mood.
7. Exorcist (1973) – Don’t Ouija board alone. Ever. Some argue that The Exorcist is the scariest film ever made. Even though its 40th anniversary is coming up soon, the haunting images of the spider scene, six year old Linda Blair’s grizzly voice and the actual exorcism still pierce as though they were released yesterday.
6. The Shining (1980) – Estes Park isn’t just home to alpine slides and scenery. It’s also home to the Stanley Hotel, the historic set for Stanley Kubrick’s bone-shattering psycho-thriller, The Shining. Based on the novel by acclaimed horror author Stephen King, Jack Nicholson’s role as Jack Torrance has widely been referred to as one of the most horrifying characters of all time.
5. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) – The sleepy town of Springwood, Ohio is shaken by a madman, Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund), who murders 20 children. But when he is released because of a legal fluke, angered parents burn him alive. As revenge, Freddy returns and begins murdering the children of Elm Street in their dreams. Dare to wish for Nancy Thomson’s (Heather Langenkamp) survival, and whatever you do, don’t fall asleep.
4. Halloween (1978) – A six-year-old Michael Meyers(Will Sandin) murders his older sister on Halloween night in 1963 and is sent away to be mentally hospitalized for the rest of his life. Fifteen years later, however, he breaks out and returns to his hometown, thirsty for blood. Laurie Strode(Jamie Lee Curtis) begins seeing a mysterious figure in a white mask everywhere she goes, beginning on Halloween day, and soon realizes she is in a chase for her life. Never underestimate the horrors a psycho can conjure.
3. Halloweentown (1998) – Like grandmother like granddaughter, Marnie Piper(Kimberly Brown) discovers she has magical powers and is insistent on following her grandmother to Halloweentown. There, Marnie and her brother and sister explore the many wonders of the town, as well as being confronted by the dark forces of Halloween. When an evil begins to thrive in the town, many things begin to turn for the worse and Marnie is needed by her grandmother to help defeat it. A lighthearted side of Halloween is discovered as the residents of Halloweentown fight to save the innocence of their holiday.
2. It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966) –Charlie Brown is at it again, but this time, he’s failing at Halloween. He and the gang go out trick or treating for rocks and have a blast at their annual Halloween party. Except for Linus of course, who decides to wait in the pumpkin patch for the Great Pumpkin with a lovesick Sally. There is always something special to be found in a Charlie Brown holiday, and Halloween is surely no exception.
1. Scream (1996) – Nothing screams Halloween more than one of the most popular horror films of all time. In Scream, teenagers are picked off, one by one, by a death- loving psychopath. The question is… Who is he? The mystery and constant suspense puts the 1996 blockbuster Scream as Etched in Stone’s pick for the best Halloween movie of all time.
