Ten for All Hallow’s Eve, or just for the scare of it

By Savannah Chaboty | Manor Ink

It’s officially spooky season again, and everyone loves that cozy feeling you get when you curl up under a blanket with some hot chocolate and you watch a fun Halloween movie. Sometimes you don’t want to have to scroll through lists of movies to find the perfect one, and I get that, so here is a list of the top ten Halloween movies to watch this fall, in no particular order.

“Corpse Bride”
A 2005, PG-rated movie about Victor and Victoria, who are to be wed in a marriage arranged by their parents. They are definitely in love, but Victor is nervous, so he practices his vows in the forest where he accidentally summons a dead woman named Emily. Emily was murdered after eloping with her first love, but she quickly becomes fond of Victor and wants to marry him. But Victor needs to find his way out of the land of the dead and make it to his wedding on time.

“Coraline”
“Coraline” is a 2009 horror film where a young girl discovers a secret door behind which is a whole other world which seems to be identical to her own. This other world, however, seems to have certain aspects which are better than those of Coraline’s actual world, and she is happy in this other world until her Other Mother and the rest of her other family attempt to keep her there forever. She then has to fight to make it back to her true family and life.

“The Nightmare Before Christmas”
This is an older film which follows Jack Skellington, who is Halloween’s beloved “pumpkin king.” Bored with the same old Trick-or-Treat shenanigans, he accidentally stumbles upon Christmastown which is full of joy. He plans to take over Christmas by kidnapping Santa Claus and assuming his role. Eventually, though, he realizes the struggles that come along with his newfound position and the troubles he took to get there are upsetting the natural order of things, and he decides to set things right.

“Scream”
As the first movie of six, “Scream” is truly a scary, thrilling experience. A masked knife-wielding maniac stalks high schoolers with a terrifying plan in mind. A classic that nearly everyone has heard of, I highly recommend “Scream” purely based on the good reputation it has.

“Hocus Pocus”
“Hocus Pocus” is a family classic which recently had a sequel made. The story follows a teenager who recently moved to Salem, Massachusetts, a town well known for its witchy history. The boy explores an abandoned house with his sister and their new friend, and they accidentally free three evil Salem witches. The kids must steal the witches’ book of spells to prevent them from becoming immortal and all-powerful.

“Beetlejuice”
This is another classic which recently had a sequel made, based on how popular and well-loved the first film was. After Barbara and Adam Maitland die in a car accident, they find themselves haunting their countryside house, unable to leave. When a new, unbearable family buys the home, the Maitlands attempt to scare the new family away, but sadly fail. These efforts attract Beetlejuice, who is an energetic spirit whose “help” quickly becomes a danger for everyone.

“It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown”
Yet another classic that is perfect for the whole family to watch. Linus waits in the pumpkin patch for the first sign of Halloween – the Great Pumpkin – to appear. A short film, being about thirty minutes in length, it is still exciting and puts you in a Halloween mood.

“The Conjuring”
This is a favorite movie of mine, one which follows famous paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. They are called to the new residence of the Perrons, a family of seven, who have recently been experiencing what they believe to be paranormal activity. Everything seems to be subtle at first, but things quickly get crazy and it’s a race against time to prevent the evil spirit from taking the lives of the Perrons.

“IT”
This is another newer movie which quickly became very popular, and even inspired an outbreak of strange clown activity around the world. “IT” follows seven children who are unlucky enough to stumble upon a shape-shifting evil being that emerges from the sewers every 27 years to prey on the town’s young children. The kids need to overcome their fears to be able to work together and bring down the murderous clown known as “Pennywise.”

“The Shining”
A very popular movie from 1980 which tells the story of Jack Torrance, who is the new winter caretaker at the isolated Overlook Hotel in Colorado. He gets comfortable with his wife and his son, who has recently been affected by psychic premonitions. Jack is facing writer’s block and he is seeming to be getting nowhere, while his son’s visions become creepier. Jack discovers all of the hotel’s secrets and begins to learn about a psycho murderer who is determined to hurt his family.