Halloween Movies

It’s Halloween weekend! I hope you finished your prep and your costume and home are ready for the weekend. This weekend is a great time to watch some Halloween movies.

When planning this post, I asked some friends about their favorite scary/horror movies. To my surprise, some said they don’t watch scary movies. So I decided to change my topic from scary movies to Halloween movies.

I love and hate scary movies; they sometimes permeate my dreams and cause me to question eerie sounds. I watch them but sometimes cover my eyes while watching. Some movies are scary because they are based on actual events, some are scary because of the jump scare scenes, and some are just fun to watch and get lost in the frightening story. I also enjoy Halloween movies that aren’t too scary.

From Wikipedia, “Horror films have existed for more than a century. Early inspirations from before the development of film include folklore, religious beliefs and superstitions of different cultures, and the Gothic and horror literature of authors such as Edgar Allan Poe, Bram Stoker, and Mary Shelley.”

Two articles on why people enjoy watching scary movies:

How Horror Stories Help Us Cope With Real Life from the New York Times

Halloween is bad enough, so why torture ourselves with scary films? from the Guardian

Halloween movies can be scary and funny and fall into several categories. When I think of Halloween movies, I think of ghosts, witches, and monsters. When I think of scary movies or horror movies, I think of haunting, tormenting, torturing, chasing, and hiding. Therefore, I have created my categories based on Halloween, scary, and horror movies. I will include a few favorites and popular titles in each category and where to stream them. Most streaming services have a Halloween or horror category that makes it easy to find your favorite film.

Sources: The 81 Best Halloween Movies of All Time and The 78 Scariest Movies of All Time

Another good list of movies: 21 Great Movies Exploring the Unique Horror of Being a Woman

Here are the categories I’ve created (note- there are too many movies to include in this post, but I wanted to provide some classics and popular films):

Monsters and Witches

Monsters:

Poster for the 1977 revival of *Dracula*, with art by Edward Gorey

Dracula – “Dracula is a stage play written by the Irish actor and playwright Hamilton Deane in 1924, then revised by the American writer John L. Balderston in 1927. It was the first authorized adaptation of Bram Stoker‘s 1897 novel Dracula.” Wikipedia

From Collider, Best Dracula Movies Ranked From Funny Flop to Unsettling Classic. “In 2015, Guinness World Records named Count Dracula the most adapted literary character, with 538 productions making use of Bram Stoker’s legendary vampire in some way.”

When I think of Dracula movies, I think of Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992).

Frankenstein – “Frankenstein is a 1931 American pre-Code science fiction horror film directed by James Whale, produced by Carl Laemmle Jr., and adapted from a 1927 play by Peggy Webling, which in turn was based on Mary Shelley‘s 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus.” Wikipedia

Theatrical release poster by Karoly Grosz^[1

From the Guardian, The 20 best Frankenstein films – ranked!

Zippy comedy … Gene Wilder and Peter Boyle in Young Frankenstein. Photograph: 20th Century Fox/Allstar

Watch: Dracula and Frankenstein are available to stream on Peacock.

Other vampires:

The Lost Boys (1987) – rent or watch on Paramount+

The Mummy – “Back in 1932, Universal Studios started the long-running mummy franchise with The Mummy. The movies focused on the story of an ancient prince who was accidentally brought back to life after being buried alive many years earlier. The mummy haunts those under his curse including his forbidden lover.” The Hollywood Reporter