Halloween is approaching, Let's trick your treats right here with Ultimea, because we have a list of 12 best movies that are perfect to get you in the mood for Halloween.
Halloween Ends
The final movie in the Halloween franchise and the third in the reboot trilogy from David Gordon Green, Danny McBride, and others brings Michael Myers back AGAIN to terrorize Haddonfield with some very creative murders. The film promises to kill off Michael for realsies this time, but we've been hearing that for decades now, so find the biggest grain of salt you can. This is the big new horror film release of the month though, coming to theaters the same day it streams on Peacock. The second movie in the trilogy, Halloween Kills, is available on HBO Max, but the first, Halloween, is only available for rent or purchase. -Tim Surette [TRAILER]
Halloween (1978)
It's all right there in the title: Halloween movies don't get any more iconic than the original Halloween. Jamie Lee Curtis, following in her mother Janet Leigh's scream queen footsteps, makes her film debut as Laurie Strode, a high school student whose babysitting gig goes to hell when she's stalked by an escaped killer who murdered his sister 15 years earlier. From director John Carpenter's chillingly minimalist score to Michael Myers' haunting, expressionless mask, Halloween takes a straightforward slasher premise and makes it art. -Kelly Connolly [TRAILER]
Halloween Kills
Like Michael Myers, the Halloween franchise will not die. The film saw its biggest revival yet starting in 2018 when David Gordon Green, Danny McBride, and Scott Teems relaunched the series with Halloween and continued it in 2021 with Halloween Kills. Look, Halloween Kills isn't as good as Halloween, but it does feature a masked maniac lumbering through people's houses and killing them in inventive, brutal ways. Halloween (2018) isn't streaming for free, so you can watch this one instead before Halloween Ends, the "final" movie in the new trilogy, which is now out on Peacock. -Tim Surette [TRAILER]
The Black Phone
This adaptation of Joe Hill's short story has all the hallmarks of his dad Stephen King's books: a clear setting and place (Denver suburbs in the late 1970s), young kids coming of age who also have weird powers, and genuinely creepy vibes. In The Black Phone, a teen boy (Mason Thames) is abducted by a creep but is able to communicate with previous victims through a mysterious phone. Unlike the recent horror shlock that's been massively popular, The Black Phone doesn't rely on jump scares and gore to rile up its audience. Some good direction from Scott Derrickson and likable performances have made it one of the better-reviewed horror films in recent years. -Tim Surette [TRAILER]
Hocus Pocus (1993)
You can't go wrong with Hocus Pocus. The family-friendly comedy stars Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy star as three Salem, Massachusetts witches, resurrected just in time for Halloween. Thanks to the wonderful cast (specifically the Sanderson Sisters themselves), Hocus Pocus will long go down in history as a cult classic for Halloween enthusiasts. -Emi Grant [TRAILER]
The Addams Family (2019)
When it comes to the Addams Family movies–that’s right, not just the first but the second, too!–there’s a lot to love. Great jokes, campiness, and gothic style? Plus, Angelica Huston is a total vision as Morticia. Consider these perfect viewing for anyone who loves the Halloween mood, but could do without actual scares. [TRAILER]
Scream
The slasher movie to end all slasher movies, Wes Craven's self-aware '90s classic centers around a California high school being targeted by a masked killer. There are so many reasons this movie remains iconic -- that terrifying opening phone call scene, to name just one -- and if you enjoy it, there are three more movies in the series. [TRAILER]
The Shining (1980)
If you're looking for a good fright with a side of cinematic prowess, turn on The Shining. The Stanley Kubrick-directed film has become a horror classic, tracing an innkeeper who goes off the psychological deep end. [TRAILER]
Casper
One of the only sweet-hearted movies on this list, Casper is, of course, about the titular friendly ghost, who strikes up a friendship with the teen girl who's just moved into the house he haunts. [TRAILER]
Child's Play (1988)
A kid discovers his new doll has been possessed by the spirit of a serial killer named Chucky? Sure, why not. This movie introduced the infamous Chucky character, who will certainly make you look at children's toys in a different way. [TRAILER]
Get Out (2017)
This new-ish movie quickly became a horror classic. The Jordan Peele-written and directed feature follows a Black photographer going home with his white girlfriend for the first time. Shrouded by casual racism, the dynamics get eerier and eerier as the film progresses. [TRAILER]
The Craft (1996)
Four high schoolers discover witchcraft—what could possibly go wrong? The campy thriller explores the spiraling effects of the supernatural on a Los Angeles high school. [TRAILER]
