Halloween and fall movie essentials

It’s October, which means I’m officially in the Halloween spirit. What better way to embrace that spirit than to watch Halloween movies?

I have an extensive fall movie watchlist. Here are the highlights.

Disclaimer: I’m not a fan of horror movies, so this list is lacking in that genre.

Cult classics/Winona Ryder Hour

“The Rocky Horror Picture Show” (1975): In this musical, newly engaged Brad and Janet stumble upon an eerie mansion when their car breaks down, and they meet an array of interesting characters, including a mad scientist and his creation.

“The Craft” (1996): What could go wrong when four high school girls try their hand at witchcraft?

“Edward Scissorhands” (1990): A boy with a heart of gold and scissors for hands moves into the suburbs.

“Jennifer’s Body” (2009): Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried. What more do you need?

“Heathers” (1988): Your ’80s teen movie gets flipped on its head when Veronica accidentally murders her best friend and enemy, which according to her, is the “same difference.”

“Beetlejuice” (1988): A disgraced ghost helps a newly deceased couple and a goth teen haunt their house.

Cozy fall vibes

“Fantastic Mr. Fox” (2009): Against his wife’s wishes, Mr. Fox returns to his wild animal nature and plans a heist to steal from the meanest farmers in town. Perfect orange and yellow fall color scheme.

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“Twilight” (2008): The baseball scene is a cinematic masterpiece.

“It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” (1966): Charlie Brown has an unsuccessful Halloween, Linus sets out to meet the Great Pumpkin and Snoopy battles the Red Baron.

“Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” (2004): Arguably the best movie in the Harry Potter series.

Freeform’s “31 nights of Halloween”-core

“The Nightmare Before Christmas” (1993): The generally dark aesthetic makes it a Halloween, not a Christmas, movie.

“The Addams Family” (1991): Who wants to be the Gomez to my Morticia?

“Corpse Bride” (2005): Guy is supposed to marry girl. He accidentally proposes to another (dead) girl. She wants to get married. He wants to get back to his love before she marries another.

“Hocus Pocus” (1993): I’m sure you already knew this.

“Frankenweenie” (2012): Tim Burton’s oft overlooked movie about a boy who tries to bring his dog back to life.

Horror

“The Orphanage” (2007): A Spanish movie about a woman who believes spirits in her house can help her find her missing son.

“Coraline” (2009): Coraline, who resents her parents, discovers an alternate universe where everything is perfect, until it’s not.

“Scream” (1996): This reinvention of the slasher film traumatized me as a child.

“Monster House” (2006):What if your house wasn’t just haunted, but alive and tortured the whole neighborhood?

Nostalgic comedy/mysteries

“Scooby-Doo” (2002): The gang reunites to solve the mystery of Spooky Island. Best live-action casting.

“Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed” (2004): Even better than the first movie, in my opinion. All of the monsters the gang has unmasked come back to life, and they have to defeat them again. Featuring Alicia Silverstone.

“My Babysitter’s a Vampire” (2010): The only thing worse than having a babysitter in high school is having a babysitter who also happens to be a vampire. The show is also worth a watch.

@nwlexi

whitehan@miamioh.edu