Well, that time of the year as finally arrived: the Halloween season! The days are shorter, the nights are colder, and pumpkin spice everything is everywhere you go. It’s the best time of the year! And we here at Movie Issues HQ love the Halloween season so much that this year every week we’re gonna bring you some Halloween movie suggestions to make your spooky movie nights this year rock!
Hocus Pocus
Probably one of the most popular Halloween-themed movies ever. This 1993 Disney flick follows the story of Max, Dani (Max’s sister), and Allison (Max’s crush) as they go out for some Halloween fun. One thing leads to another, and Max lights a magical candle that brings back to life the Sanderson Sisters: Winifred (played by Bette Midler), Sarah (Sarah Jessica Parker), and Mary (Kathy Najimy). They are the most evil witches Salem has ever seen! The witches want to steal all the lives of the city’s children so they can live forever. Now it’s up to Max and friends to stop them forever before it’s too late. This is still one of the best Halloween movies to watch. It has top notch performances, great effects and make-up, fun music, and just good family Disney Halloween fun.
The Addams Family and Addams Family Values
Not a Halloween movie per se, but it does bring you a feeling of great macabre and spookiness that totally can be watched around this time of year to feel like you’ve gotten a Halloween vibe. Watch either part one or part two. Both will give all the fun creepy, kooky, mysterious and spooky feels for all your Halloween needs.
Monster Squad
For the slightly older kid, teenager, or for people in their mid-30’s. It’s all about watching a group of kids gather together and kick the butts of Dracula, Frankenstein, Wolf-Man, The Mummy, and The Creature, re-imagined versions of the Universal Monsters designed by the special effects master, Stan Winston. This small group of kids have to stop the forces of evil, lead by Count Dracula, who wants to plunge the world into darkness. The kids must say the magic words by midnight and open a hole to limbo and make sure all the monsters get sucked in and save the world. Yeah, It’s all kinds of 80’s awesome!
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
Just a great stop-motion animation flick from Nick Park, the main man behind the amazing English characters Wallace & Gromit. Wallace and his loyal dog Gromit set out to discover the mystery behind the garden sabotage that plagues their village and threatens the annual giant vegetable growing contest, and end up meeting a giant mutant rabbit! Thus comedy and good family fun ensues.
Ernest Scared Stupid
A simple story which follows the misadventures of Ernest P. Worrell who accidently unleashes a evil troll named Trantor, who needs to turn children into little wooden dolls which are needed to unleash more trolls onto the world. So Ernest must gather a group kids, his friends, and his dog Rimshot and stop Trantor before Halloween night is over. With fun, good jokes, gross humor, and stupidity, it’s a typical Ernest movie filled with all sorts of Halloween goodness.
ParaNorman
A poor misunderstood boy takes on ghosts, zombies, and grown-ups to save his town from a centuries-old curse. It’s pretty much everything a great Halloween movie needs! With amazing stop motion animation, incredible music, and wonderful voice cast. This is a new movie that becomes an instant classic.
The Witches
A young boy stumbles onto a witch convention and must stop them, even after he has been turned into a mouse. Another flick not really around Halloween, but totally has them creepy vibes you need this time a year. Includes amazing special effects and puppet work from the Jim Henson Company, mixed with some devilish witch make-up. This is a witch movie that stays in your nightmares. All worth watching just for Anjelica Huston as the Grand High Witch being all evil and fabulous.
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
This 1940 Disney Classic is still amazing. With amazing animation and wonderful voice talents of Bing Crosby. It follows the story of Ichabod Crane, who becomes a teacher in the small village of Sleepy Hollow. The town’s most popular girl, Katrina van Tassel, enchants him. But she already has a suitor in Brom Bones. Thus starts a little bit of drama between the guys for her hand in marriage. But at the van Tassel’s yearly Halloween Party, Ichabod hears the tale of the Headless Horseman through song, which scares him to the core of his soul. On his way home from the party Ichabod comes face to face with The Headless Horseman himself! It’s a fan favorite and still to this day plays yearly on The Disney Channel. It’s a keeper and worth watching every year.
Casper
The live action telling of Casper the friendly ghost. Dr. Harvey (played by Bill Pullman), a paranormal expert, and his daughter, Kat (Christina Ricci), move to a seaside town and bunk in an abandoned house populated by three mischievous ghosts and one friendly one. The evil Carrigan Crittenden (Cathy Moriarty) and Paul ‘Dibbs’ Plutzer (Eric Idle) need to find the treasure that’s rumored to be hidden within the house, but the ghosts are causing all kinds of issues. So they hire Dr. Harvey to get the ghosts out. Kat makes friends with Casper. They soon try to find the treasure and stop Carrigan Crittenden before it’s too late. This great Halloween family film has great special effects, fun jokes, ghost humor, and is full of heart.
Monster House
Three teens discover that their neighbor’s house is really a living, breathing, scary monster. What more could ya want? This movie has good effects, a wonderful story full of heart and good vibes, and some great voice talent. This was one really good flick and a surprise hit.
Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin
At this point I don’t think we need to mention this one, but how could you not? It’s is an American animated tradition that must be watched every year. Kids and kids at heart love it and always will. No Halloween is complete without a viewing.
Of course, you have your favorites that you watch with your family, but these are just a few worth either seeing for the first time or checking back in with. And we’re just getting started; check back next Monday for another awesome list of flicks for your entire Halloween movie needs!!