If I were to take it upon myself to state what makes the perfect movie to watch on Halloween I would say it needs to be equal parts scary and fun. Since the holiday is based on the idea of having some good scares while having a blast, it would stand to reason that the movie you watch that day should match. Below is a list of movies that are really fun to watch on All Hallows’ Eve. Just a note—there is no ranking to the list. It’s just a collection of movies I love to watch on October 31st.
13. Halloween
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Run from scary William Shatner!
John Carpenter’s Halloween brought the slasher film to the masses. In case you haven’t caught this 1978 classic, it tells the tale of psycho killer Michael Myers who goes on a murderous rampage while stalking his baby sister Laurie Strode. What makes this a fun movie to watch on Halloween is that it shares the same name as the holiday itself, and it is a solid suspense movie with some really fun kills in it. Plus the theme song makes for a great ringtone.
Complete your own Halloween movie costume with our realistic-looking Michael Myers Mask:
12. Trick ‘r Treat
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Always follow the rules!
Another movie that takes place on Halloween day is 2007’s "Trick ‘r Treat". This anthology film tells interweaving tales that deal with the rules people should follow when they venture out on Halloween. Sadly, this movie never made it to too many theaters, but it has since become a small cult classic based on its dark sense of humor and interesting storytelling. Fans of "True Blood" get a chance to see Sookie deal with the supernatural in a much different way. But for me, I love the story dealing with "Super Troopers"’ Brian Cox as the Ebenezer Scrooge of Halloween having to deal with some of his own evil sprites.
Carve pumpkins with your dear old dad while watching this fun Halloween movie using our pumpkin tool carving kit:
11. Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein
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All the classics in one movie!
Now I know some of you may scoff at the idea that a movie released in 1948 could be a fun movie to watch on Halloween—seeing that it is over 60-years-old—but give it a chance! It tells the story of Dracula reviving the Frankenstein monster but wanting to put the brain of a dimwitted railway station agent in his head. Larry Talbot shows up to help our two heroes to defeat Dracula’s plan, but he does have that werewolf curse causing trouble for him. Now this story may sound crazy, and certainly is, but it leaves room for some classic comedy from Bud Abbott and Lou Costello. This silly movie is perfect if you’re looking for a funny monster movie or if you have young kids and want to introduce them to the old school monsters.
Our Vintage Monster Costume is a great way to get into the classic movie night spirit:
10. The Monster Squad
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One-Eyed Willie seems like a cake walk now.
From one monster collection movie to another comes this 80s classic. The Monster Squad is about a group of young boys who have to put a stop Dracula’s plan to destroy the world with a magical amulet. This movie is what you get when you mix the "Monster Mash" with "The Goonies". All the stars are children who have to take on monsters based on the old Universal movie monsters of the 30s and 40s. Again, this is another movie perfect for those who are young, or young at heart, and want to see a movie with the greatest Wolfman scene ever.
Plan to destroy the world in our Transylvania Vampire Costume:
(Transylvania Vampire Costume)
9. The Lost Boys
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The Frog Brothers absolutely stole this movie.
This is the movie that made both vampires and shirtless, long-haired saxophone players sexy again. The story is about Michael and Sam moving to Santa Carla with their mother to start a new life while living with their grandpa, but there is just one problem… all the darn vampires. One can make the argument that if this wasn’t ever filmed we wouldn’t have "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", which would have robbed us of a great Halloween TV show. So if someone tries to suggest "Twilight" to watch this holiday, pop this movie in instead and enjoy a vampire classic.
Watch your favorite vampire movie while wearing these Vampire Fangs:
8. The Return of the Living Dead
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Send... more... paramedics.
The movie that gave birth to the idea that zombies are in fact craving brains when they attack the living. This 1985 movie is about a group of kids waiting for their friend to get done working at a medical supply warehouse in a cemetery, when suddenly a chemical gets into the ground and awakens the dead. Now for the picky zombie fan the zombies do talk, but they get a few choice lines that are as hilarious as the punk styles you see. Be sure to only watch this movie in the "Return of the Living Dead" series, because the rest will make you wish you were a member of the walking dead.
Scare up the living dead in our Adult Zombie Costume:
7. Shaun of the Dead
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Anyone up for a game of cricket?
Before "Shaun of the Dead" if someone were to ask me if I wanted to see to see a romantic comedy with zombies I would have said, “No, how would that even ever be good?” But then I was happily proven wrong with story about a man named Shaun trying to save his recently ex-girlfriend Liz with his lazy friend Ed. This British movie gets some solid jumps and laughs out of me each time I watch it, and if you are a fan of zombie movies, keep your eyes out for some undead Easter eggs. Here’s a freebie—Ed yells, “We’re coming to get you Barbra!” Which paraphrases a line from the George A. Romero classic "Night of the Living Dead".
Fend off some zombies this Halloween in our Shaun of the Dead tee:
(Shaun of the Dead Costume T-Shirt)
6. Hatchet
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You’ll have the same face while watching this movie!
Warning: This movie is not for those with weak stomachs. "Hatchet" has nothing to do with the Gary Paulsen book you read in grade school, but everything to do with showing the extremes of old school slasher horror. A teenage girl gets on a New Orleans bayou tour boat to try to find her father and brother who are missing in a swamp. What she finds instead is hideous hatchet-faced Victor Crowley, who does what any good movie monster would do with tourists. You may wonder why Victor Crowley is so good at dispatching people, but it’s because he is played by former Jason Voorhees actor Kane Hodder. Again, avoid if you don’t like gore, but if you’re okay with it please enjoy!
Defend yourself with our Deluxe Axe Accessory:
5. A Nightmare on Elm Street
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1… 2… Freddy’s coming for you!
How do you keep safe when the boogieman can kill you in your dreams? The original "A Nightmare on Elm Street" came out in an era when slasher movies were coming out left and right, but this one set itself apart by having a solid story with a highly creative villain. Now not only do you get to see Johnny Depp in his first movie, you get to see an actual grim, and terrifying Freddy Krueger before he became the dream prankster (although I do have to say the scariest Freddy is in Wes Craven’s New Nightmare). Just remember when you go to bed Halloween night, dreams can’t hurt you…
Terrify everyone on your block in our Freddy Krueger latex mask:
4. Scream
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The first and last time this mask was scary on film.
Scream is best known for having its characters know actual horror movie facts and use them to try to survive. The movie, like many slashers before it, is about the virginal female heroine. Here it’s Sidney Prescott, played by Neve Campbell, trying to survive a masked murderous stalker. But why this movie works is because it has fresh sounding dialog for the time, and horror master Wes Craven showing how to create suspense for teens. For me it’s really fun to watch and debate a horror movie that has people watching and debating horror movies.
3. Friday the 13th
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Finally, a movie poster tagline that gets to the point.
A movie series that helped define a genre and became a pop culture staple. But if you’ve only seen the newer "Friday the 13th" movies, you should do yourself a favor and see where the series started. Now the story in the first one is simple—a camp that had murders at it many years ago is reopened with some very frisky counselors who will wish they had chose a different summer job. If you’ve never seen this movie before you’ll be in for a great Halloween treat that I dare not spoil here. But I will say this— the movie contains no hockey masks, but makes up for it with Kevin Bacon.
Complete your Friday the 13th with this Jason Machete:
2. Evil Dead 2
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We all go a little mad sometimes…
For me this is a Halloween must watch each and every year. Some of you may ask if you need to see "The Evil Dead" before watching its sequel, and the answer is if you want. "The Evil Dead" is a much more serious movie and is also quite good, but "Evil Dead 2" does recap all the important parts of its predecessor in the opening. The opening does teach you an important lesson though— if you find a tape recorder in a cabin that isn’t your own, and it’s sitting next to a book with a crazy language and skeletons in it, you do not press play. If you do you will awaken evil forces that will attack you at all angles and make you pray that you survive the night. This movie has some wonderful classic horror elements as well as some laugh out loud scenes you’ll reference forever. It also contains the great weapon against evil I have ever seen on film.
Fend off zombies this Halloween using our Animated Chainsaw:
(Animated Chainsaw)
1. Cabin in the Woods
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I can say that this movie does have people in a cabin in the woods.
The last movie I put on this list is also the newest movie on here, having just recently been released on DVD. Though I have seen this movie at least 10 times, I don’t actually know what to say about it because this movie has some wonderful surprises that are best kept a secret. What I can say is that this movie takes a lot of elements from the movies listed above to create its own mythology that both comments and celebrates the horror genre. I can also say that it features Thor’s Chris Hemsworth and is directed by Joss Whedon, who gave us "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "The Avengers". So if you like horror and "The Avengers" you just might get a kick out of this new and perfect Halloween movie!
No horror movie is complete without fake blood. Lots of it:
Notable Runner Ups:
Hocus Pocus: A Disney move about witches that scared me as child, and I will never see again due to shock it put me in, but people do love it.
Ernest Scare Stupid: Hey Vern! It’s Ernest vs. Trolls.
An American Werewolf in London: A wonderful werewolf movie that is both scary and funny.
The Exorcist: One of the best horror movies ever made, but it is just too terrifying for this list.
Sleepy Hallow: If you want some Tim Burton flavor on All Hallows’ Eve.
