The Best Halloween Movies Across All Genres

Best Halloween Movies Across All Genres

Watching scary movies has become a Halloween tradition and is one of the best ways to connect with all of the spookiness that the holiday represents. Movies with distinct Halloween themes or settings make the best titles to watch on Halloween night or at your Halloween party. So put on your favorite Halloween costume and get your popcorn and candy ready for the big night with one of these Halloween-themed favorites!

Family Films

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), Rated PG, 1 Hour 16 Minutes: Stop-motion animated movie about Jack Skellington, the king of Halloween Town, who stumbles across Christmas and plots to take over the holiday
Ernest Scared Stupid (1991), Rated PG, 1 Hour 32 Minutes: Comedy about lovable fool Ernest who accidentally unleashes an evil demon
Hocus Pocus (1993), Rated PG, 1 Hour 36 Minutes: Halloween favorite about a trio of 300-year-old witches who cast a spell to reclaim their youth
ParaNorman (2012), Rated PG, 1 Hour 32 Minutes: A young boy who can communicate with ghosts has to end a 300-year-old curse on his town.
The Dog Who Saved Halloween (2011), Rated PG, 1 Hour 25 Minutes: A talking dog finds a haunted house and creepy neighbors near his new home.
Spooky Buddies (2011), Rated G, 1 Hour 28 Minutes: Talking puppies investigate a spooky mansion haunted by the Halloween Hound.
Monster House (2006), Rated PG, 1 Hour 31 Minutes: Animated tale about three teens who discover a neighboring house is actually a monster
The Halloween Tree (1993), NR, 1 Hour 9 Minutes: Animated story of four children who learn the origins of Halloween customs
Casper (1995), PG, 1 Hour 41 Minutes: Supernatural fantasy comedy that takes place around Halloween
Pooh's Heffalump Halloween Movie (2005), Rated G, 1 Hour 7 Minutes: Animated Winnie the Pooh Halloween adventure appropriate for all ages
Hotel Transylvania (2012), Rated PG, 1 Hour 31 Minutes: Count Dracula runs the lavish resort Hotel Transylvania, where monsters go to party and no humans are allowed.
Halloween High (2004), NR, 1 Hour 22 Minutes: Two witches protect a group of students from the legendary Knights of the Iron Dagger.
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949), Rated G, 1 Hour 8 Minutes: Classic Disney animated versions of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and The Wind in the Willows
Happy Halloween, Scooby-Doo! (2020), NR, 1 Hour 20 Minutes: Animated adventure in which Scooby-Doo and the gang investigate a mystery to save Crystal Cove
Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983), Rated PG, 1 Hour 35 Minutes: Dark Disney fantasy set before Halloween about the ominous arrival of Dark's Pandemonium Carnival in a small town
Mostly Ghostly (2008), Rated PG, 1 Hour 38 Minutes: Based on the books by R.L. Stine about a boy who helps a pair of ghosts solve the mystery of their demise
Double, Double Toil and Trouble (1992), NR, 1 Hour 33 Minutes: The Olsen twins star in a Halloween adventure about two girls who try to save their parents from their greedy aunt.

Horror Films

Haunt (2019), Rated R, 1 Hour 32 Minutes: A group of friends visit an extreme haunted house and experience true horror.
Halloween (1978), Rated R, 1 Hour 31 Minutes: John Carpenter's classic story of Michael Myers, who stalks teenagers on Halloween night
Pumpkinhead (1988), Rated R, 1 Hour 26 Minutes: A man conjures a demon named Pumpkinhead to take vengeance on a group of teenagers.
Trick 'R Treat (2007), Rated R, 1 Hour 22 Minutes: Five interwoven stories that take place on Halloween in a small town
Dark Harvest (2023), Rated R, 1 Hour 36 Minutes: A legendary monster terrorizes a small town on Halloween.
Hell Fest (2018), Rated R, 1 Hour 29 Minutes: A masked serial killer stalks teens at a traveling carnival.
31 (2016), Rated R, 1 Hour 42 Minutes: Five carnival workers are kidnapped the night before Halloween and are forced to play a dangerous game called 31.
House of 1000 Corpses (2003), Rated R, 1 Hour 29 Minutes: A group of teenagers are imprisoned by a bizarre family on Halloween.
10/31 (2017), NR, 1 Hour 33 Minutes: Five Halloween-themed short stories
Late Night With the Devil (2023), Rated R, 1 Hour 33 Minutes: A live late-night TV broadcast on Halloween 1977 goes horribly wrong.
Terrifier (2016), NR, 1 Hour 25 Minutes: A terrifying clown stalks victims on Halloween night.
The Houses October Built (2014), NR, 1 Hour 31 Minutes: Found footage film about a group of friends who go on a road trip in search of the most extreme haunted houses
Tales of Halloween (2015), Rated R, 1 Hour 32 Minutes: Anthology of ten short stories that take place on Halloween night
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019), PG-13, 1 Hour 48 Minutes: A group of friends sneak into a haunted house and unleash dark forces.
Sleepy Hollow (1999), Rated R, 1 Hour 45 Minutes: When Ichabod Crane travels to Sleepy Hollow to investigate three murders, he discovers the culprit is the Headless Horseman.
Satan's Little Helper (2004), Rated R, 1 Hour 36 Minutes: Dark comedy/horror movie about a young boy who unknowingly becomes the pawn of a serial killer
Pay the Ghost (2015), NR, 1 Hour 34 Minutes: Haunted by eerie images and inexplicable messages, a man to tries to unravel the disappearance of his son on Halloween.
Lady in White (1988), Rated PG-13, 1 Hour 58 Minutes: On Halloween in 1962, a young boy becomes haunted after witnessing the murder of a little girl.
It's My Party and I'll Die if I Want To (2007), NR, 1 Hour 19 Minutes: A group of friends hold a surprise Halloween birthday party at a haunted mansion.
Hellions (2015), NR, 1 Hour 20 Minutes: A teenager must survive Halloween night when a group of malevolent trick-or-treaters come knocking at her door.
Hallow's End (2003), Rated R, 1 Hour 30 Minutes: Eight college students are trapped in a haunted house when a magic spell turns them into the Halloween costumes they are wearing.
Extremity (2018), Rated R, 1 Hour 38 Minutes: A troubled woman enters an extreme haunted house to heal her trauma.
Boo (2005), Rated R, 1 Hour 34 Minutes: A group of college students spend Halloween night in an abandoned haunted hospital.
The Barn (2016), NR, 1 Hour 28 Minutes: Homage to 1980s horror slasher films about a group of friends who awaken an evil force in an abandoned barn

Cult Classics

Night of the Demons (1988), Rated R, 1 Hour 30 Minutes: Teens partying at an abandoned funeral parlor on Halloween awaken an evil force.
Ghostwatch (1992), NR, 1 Hour 31 Minutes: Mockumentary about a BBC news crew investigating "the most haunted house in Britain" on Halloween
WNUF Halloween Special (2013), NR, 1 Hour 23 Minutes: Mockumentary about a cable news crew doing a live séance at a haunted house on Halloween
Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (2001), Rated R, 1 Hour 55 Minutes: Sci-fi anime that takes place on Halloween 2071
May (2002), Rated R, 1 Hour 33 Minutes: Cult classic comedy slasher that has a Halloween finale
Ginger Snaps (2000), Rated R, 1 Hour 48 Minutes: Werewolf story about two outcast sisters that escalates at a Halloween party
Donnie Darko (2001), Rated R, 1 Hour 53 Minutes: Set in October 1988 and culminating on Halloween night, the story of a troubled teenager who is plagued by visions of a figure in a sinister rabbit suit
Scary Movie (1991), NR, 1 Hour 27 Minutes: B-horror movie about a paranoid teenager who goes to a haunted house for the scariest night of his life
The Halloween That Almost Wasn't (1979), TV-PG, 30 Minutes: Retro cult classic Halloween TV special about Dracula trying to save Halloween
Mad Monster Party (1967), NR, 1 Hour 35 Minutes: Largely forgotten cult classic Rankin/Bass stop-motion Halloween project featuring the voice of Boris Karloff

Comedy Films

Idle Hands (1999), Rated R, 1 Hour 32 Minutes: Horror comedy about a teenager who wakes up on Halloween and discovers his right hand is possessed and murderous
Beetlejuice , (1988), Rated PG, 1 Hour 32 Minutes: Horror comedy about a deceased couple who hire a malicious spirit to drive out the obnoxious new family living in their home
The Monster Squad (1987), Rated PG13, 1 Hour 22 Minutes: Horror comedy about a group of young monster-obsessed misfits who must stop a gang of monsters from invading their town
The Addams Family (1991), Rated PG-13, 1 Hour 39 Minutes: Horror comedy about a creepy family that includes some Halloween fun
The Munsters (2022), Rated PG, 1 Hour 50 Minutes: Reboot of the Munsters TV show by Rob Zombie about a family of monsters who move from Transylvania to the American suburbs
Murder Party (2007), NR, 1 Hour 19 Minutes: Horror comedy about a man who unknowingly goes to a Halloween costume party held by deranged artists
Spaced Invaders (1990), Rated PG, 1 Hour 40 Minutes: Aliens invade a small town on Halloween when they intercept a radio transmission of War of the Worlds
Gravy (2015), NR, 1 Hour 35 Minutes: Adult dark comedy about a group of cannibals who take a group of Mexican restaurant employees hostage on Halloween night
Boo! A Madea Halloween (2016), Rated PG-13, 1 Hour 43 Minutes: Tyler Perry movie about Madea's Halloween adventure fending off killers, ghosts, ghouls, and zombies
Fun Size (2012), Rated PG-13, 1 Hour 27 Minutes: Dark teen comedy about a girl who has to find her little brother, who is lost on Halloween
Trick or Treat (1986), Rated R, 1 Hour 37 Minutes: A teenage boy must stop his recently deceased heavy metal idol from returning from the dead on Halloween in this horror comedy.