Halloween is right around the corner, and every streaming service, cinema, and TV station is pushing their horror films to the masses.
However, I, like a large majority of the population, hate horror films but still want to embrace the spooky season with an amazing movie. Here are the 10 best films to watch on Halloween if you hate the horror genre.
Beetlejuice
Tim Burton’s timeless dark comedy oozes Halloween vibes right from the start. After realising they have died and their house is about to be sold, Barbara and Adam enlist the help of necromantic lawyer Beetlejuice who aids them in scaring off the new property developers.
Casper
Another classic gothic family comedy, Casper‘s supernatural core makes it a perfect film for Halloween. When Carrigan Crittenden hires a paranormal expert to exorcise the ghosts from her mansion, her daughter’s friendship with a very friendly ghost named Casper drastically changes the situation for the whole family.
The Nightmare Before Christmas
You knew there’d be more than one Tim Burton film on this list, but is it a Halloween film, or is it a Christmas film? Who cares?! It’s both. When Jack Skellington, a respected figure of Halloween Town becomes enchanted with Christmas Town, his obsession comes to a head when he is led to abduct Santa Claus.
The Witches
Adapted from Roald Dhal’s beloved story, The Witches is another gothic children’s classic that features all the trappings of a great Halloween movie without the blood, guts, and jump scares. While on holiday at a seaside hotel, Luke stumbles across a convention of witches plotting to rid the world of children.
Coraline
Another name that is always associated with Halloween, Neil Gaiman’s Coraline is a go-to re-watch every year for many. Frustrated with her life at home and her parents, Coraline travels through a secret door in her their new house and finds an ‘other world’ with an ‘other house’ and an ‘other mum’ and ‘other dad,’ who do everything in their power to trap her there.
Shaun of the Dead
Moving away from the children’s films to one of the funniest “horror” films ever made. Directed by Edgar Wright and starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, Shaun of the Dead sees two layabout friends gather their closest family and make a desperate attempt to flee to their local pub to wait out the ongoing zombie apocalypse.
Ghostbusters
It’s a film that should need no introduction. With an incredible cast that includes Harold Ramis, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, and Sigourney Weaver, Ghostbusters is the definitive paranormal film for millions. When there’s something strange… in the neighborhood… three recently unemployed scientists start a new establishment called Ghostbusters and patrol New York City hunting the paranormal.
Labyrinth
It feels like David Bowie was born to fit the Halloween aesthetic. When Sarah’s baby brother Toby is abducted after she angrily wishes he would turn into a goblin, she must travel to a fantastical world ruled by the King of the Goblins before his transformation becomes permanent.
Young Frankenstein
A hilarious take on Mary Shelley’s timeless novel, Mel Brooks’s Young Frankenstein saw the famous director pair with Gene Wilder for the second time, following on from Blazing Saddles. Having already lived down his family’s reputation, Frankenstein inherits his grandfather’s castle, where he discovers his crazy experiments might not be as crazy as everyone thought.
The Lost Boys
Easily the darkest film on this list, The Lost Boys straddles the line between gothic and horror, with a healthy dose of rebellious teenage vampires for good measure… but definitely not the Twilight kind. After moving to a small town in California, two young brothers are sucked into the mysterious and dangerous world of bikers, vampires, and vampire hunters.
The 10 Best A24 Films According to Rotten Tomatoes
A24 has boomed these last few years, having produced and distributed some of the most acclaimed independent films all the way to Oscar’s success. With several new offerings this year, it’s a good time to look back at their best films to introduce you to this surreal production company. Here are the 10 best A24 films… according to Rotten Tomatoes.
10 Famous Movie Quotes You Actually Remember Wrong
A well-written line of dialogue can live on in the memories of fans long after the film has finished, and even long after the film fades from relevancy and popularity with these lines gaining a new life of their own, either within circles of friends or on the internet. However, much like a game of Telephone, the wording of these lines can sometimes change after several years, with the incorrect version becoming more popular.
Get Up and Dance: The 10 Best Concert Films Ever Made
Concert films are a strange genre. Almost every artist makes a film whilst on tour and releases it as a way to reach out to the fans who couldn’t get tickets, and the die-hard fans who thought seeing twelve live shows in a row just wasn’t enough. While a lot of them are basic recordings of the concert, occasionally a concert film will come along that pushes the genre forward and is more powerful than most Hollywood films being released today. Here are the ten best Concert Films ever made.
