75 Best Halloween Movies of All Time - Classic Spooky Movies to Watch (2024)

Good news, friends! It's officially time to break out your best skeleton dance, carve up those pumpkins, and debate the merits of candy corn (ok, actually we don't have to do that last one, it's ok to like or dislike whatever candy you chose). The point is that spooky season is here at last! With Halloween on the way, now's the perfect time to brush up on your spooky, seasonal, and downright scary movies! But there's just so dang many to choose from, so to help you get your watchlist off to the right start, we put our heads together to come up with the ultimate list of the best Halloween movies of all time. From the classics to the new favorites, here are the 75 best spooky and scary movies we put on when we're in the mood for an All Hallows scream!

If you're looking for something to watchright now, you can head over to the Best Halloween Movies on Netflix and check out which spooky movies are streaming on Disney+ right here.

The Addams Family (1991)

Bringing big dark gothic energy to a film that plays so well for young children is a feat for which Barry Sonnenfeld definitely deserved Oscar consideration. The first film about a spooky family living its best life in modern-day America, featuring unforgettable performances by the perfectly-cast Raul Julia and Angelica Huston as well as a young Christina Ricci and the always wonderful Carol Kane and Christopher Lloyd... wait, is this entire cast perfect? Yes, yes it is. The only non-positive thing I have to say about The Addams Family is that its sequel is the rare example of a film that surpasses the original — which, is to be clear, a net positive. - Liz Shannon Miller

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949)

Technically only half of this svelte, 69-minute Disney package film will interest those celebratingHalloween. But the “Legend of Sleepy Hollow” section ofThe Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toadcontains some of the spookiest, most iconic imagery in Disney Animation and it’s still a totalHalloweentreat. Adapted from the classicWashington Irvingstory, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” follows hapless schoolteacher Ichabod Crane as he battles a potential supernatural evil in upstate New York. All of the notes from the original story are hit, exceptionally well, too – Crane crossing a creaky bridge while the Headless Horseman, Jack o’ lantern ablaze, is truly terrifying stuff. It’s a moment that has been recycled in countless Disney specials and one that was borrowed liberally forTim Burton’s live-action version of the tale. And if you haven’t watched it in a while (and, really, you should – it’s on Disney+), it’s probably a lot more fun than you remember (although, admittedly, it takes a little while to get going).Bing Crosby is great as the crooning narrator (who also provides some voices) and the animation is absolutely superb. It can’t be Halloween without this version of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” --Drew Taylor

Army of Darkness (1992)

The third installment in Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead trilogy sheds almost all of the genuine horror of the previous two films and steers completely into Three Stoogian slapstick absurdity. Endlessly quotable and inspiringly over-the-top, Bruce Campbell’s adventure battling hordes of the undead in medieval Europe is so gleefully unserious that it’s hard to believe a major studio put it in theaters. It feels a little strange recommending a horror movie that does not approach actually being scary for one second of its breezy runtime, but then I remember this is Army of Darkness we’re talking about. If for some mind-boggling reason you’re here reading this list about Halloween movies and you’ve never seen it, stop what you are doing and watch it now. It’s like a grotesque Looney Tunes cartoon in which a man outfits a Delta 88 with helicopter blades and it deserves your consideration and attention. --Tom Reimann

Beetlejuice (1988)

Before he hadJohnny Depp, directorTim Burton’s go-to guy was — checks notes — stand-up-comedian-turned-

serious-actorMichael Keaton. And oh, what a great odd couple it was. The team’s great collab is 1988’s Beetlejuice which sees Keaton transform into the thoroughly odious yet very charming (and possibly bangable??) “bio-exorcist” Betelgeuse. Ol’ Beetleboy offers his services to the recently-deceased Maitlands (Alec BaldwinandGeena Davis), who find their home is now occupied by the Deetzes — Charles (Jeffrey Jones), Delia (Catherine O’Hara), and goth icon Lydia (Winona Ryder). Lydia is a quick ally of the Maitlands and starts working to get her family to move out of the seemingly haunted house.Beetlejuiceis a pretty incredible early Burton entry if only because it so clearly establishes the director’s aesthetic and narrative interests early on, seeking to expose the grotesquerie of suburban life and the idiosyncrasies of the nuclear family through Gothic-leaning visuals. It’s also just a hella fun movie and, if you have any doubts about that, might I direct you to this scene. And this one.--Allie Gemmill

Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)

There are few horror films as lavishly produced and deeply romantic asFrancis Ford Coppola’s boldBram Stoker’s Dracula. The film, which kicked off a mini resurgence of big budget prestige horror movies likeWolf,Mary Shelley’s FrankensteinandMary Reilly, luxuriates in its opulence – from the incredible make-up effects, to the optical effects which Coppola wanted to achieve through old-school techniques, to the costumes byEiko Ishiokathat are still being ripped off today, to the brilliantly over-the-top score byWojciech Kilar. Everything is ornate and highly detailed and even if you know the story, you never have seen it presented in such a way, with a movie that is equal parts bloodbath and bodice-ripper. The cast, which includesGary Oldmanas the titular vampire andAnthony Hopkinsas Van Helsing, is uniformly excellent, with great performances byWinona Ryder(seemingly making up with Coppola after the debacle ofGodfather, Part III) and future RocketeerBilly Campbell. (Sadly,Keanu Reevesis a weird dud.) It’s hard to pick a favorite version of Bram Stoker’s immortal tale, but this one is a solid contender. It’s a bloody blast.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992)

I'm not going to sit here and argue that the 1992 film directed by Fran Rubel Kuzui is on the same level as what Joss Whedon would eventually transform his screenplay into for television. Those seven seasons are more than able to speak for themselves. However, to totally discount the film is to totally overlook Kristy Swanson's spirited performance as a teenager who also happens to slay vampires, the incredibly charming way in which Luke Perry leant into his role as, ultimately, a dude in distress, and Paul Reubens hamming it up as a vamp henchman. And that, quite frankly, is bogus. Also, baby Ben Affleck makes an appearance. Buffy the TV show, of course, better represents Joss Whedon's intentions for the original premise. But even in this rough form, the idea is wonderful and supported with some great performances. - Liz Shannon Miller

The Blair Witch Project (1999)

The modern wave of found-footage horror begins, arguably, withThe Blair Witch Project Looking at it now, it’s hard to believe a movie starring three unknowns at the time (Josh Leonardwould eventually breakout into bigger projects)would become one of the biggest movies of 1999, grossing nearly $140.5 million domestic on a $60,000 budget. But we don’t justrememberThe Blair Witch Projectfor its box office impact; we remember it for the way it profoundly changed the found-footage game. From the premise to the execution to the final gut-punching shot,The Blair Witch Projectknows how to worm its way deep into your psyche and prey on you. The story of three college students traveling to a rural Maryland town to document (and possibly experience) the local legend of the Blair Witch quickly transforms into a horrifying survival story. There are no special effects, no flashy gimmicks — just shaky camera footage of three grown adults slowly losing their minds as a 100-year-old witch preys on them in the dark. It’s easy to point toThe Blair Witch Project’s thoroughly affecting finale sequence as the reason the movie now lives in horror movie infamy. However, I’d also like to submit the consistent and insidious psychological torture the Blair Witch enacts on her prey as she keeps moving the landscape around to get the lost, leads one member of the group to destroy their map, and quickly assembles dozens of weird stick figures for the trio to discover in the daylight as some of the reasonsThe Blair Witch Projectjust keeps working and makes it a truly great Halloween movie. --Allie Gemmill

Candyman (1992)

One of the greatest modern gothic ghost stories, Candyman is often unfortunately mislabeled as a slasher movie. I love slasher movies, but that's not exactly giving the film credit for the literary nuance and well-implemented tradition it so richly deserves. Inspired by a story by Clive Barker and repurposed with a story rooted in America's great national sin of slavery, Candyman absolutely holds up as a still-relevant reinvention of a gothic tragedy. Trading the gothic mansion for the projects and embracing the gothic genre's focus on the vengeful oppressed, Candyman stars Tony Todd as the imposing, elegant spirit who returns from an unspeakable past to exact his justice and revenge. Candyman doesn't often get the credit it deserves as one of the all-time greats, carried by Todd's magnetic and commanding performance, and executed with classy precision, from Todd's regal poise to Philip Glass' hypnotic score. -- Haleigh Foutch

Casper (1995)

Casperwas telling tweens it was okay to think a ghost was cute boyfriend material long before Netflix’sJulie and the Phantoms.A blend of horror, drama, and comedy,Casper is the perfect movie to entertain kids with frothy Halloween thrills and thoroughly depress their Millennial parents with Casper’s grim backstory. What is that backstory? Well,Casperfollows Kat (Christina Ricci) and her dad, Dr. Harvey (Bill Pullman). The father-daughter duo finds themselves entwined with a spoiled heiress (Cathy Moriarty) who has inherited a decrepit manor inhabited by Casper (voiced byMalachi Pearson, embodied byDevon Sawa) and Casper’s three awful uncles (Joe Nipote,Joe Alaskey, andBrad Garrett). Casper — who is very much a dead child — and his uncles have been trapped in said mansion since their untimely demise and it is Dr. Harvey’s job to exorcise them from said mansion. And while Harvey is busy doing that, Kat and Casper become close friends and, uh, a couple. Kinda.Look,Casperis a total tripanda wonderful trip down memory lane. It’s the kind of throwback Halloween movie that’ll positively tickle Millennials and probably weird out Gen Z’ers. Then again, who cares!Casper the Friendly Ghost is #AnIcon and so isCasper the live-action movie. --Allie Gemmill

The Conjuring (2013)

Sometimes to go forward, you gotta go back. From its imposing “based on a true story” opening title crawl to its literal period setting, The Conjuring is here to tell you, in ways both subtly classy and muscly blunt, that our golden age of 1970s filmmaking has plenty of influential meat on the bones. James Wan, whose Saw is also a perennial favorite in my Halloween household (yes, I have a different household for Halloween; yes, I am doing poorly financially), directs the absolute hell out of this sucker, using long lens, long take, Steadicam-aided photography to absolutely play his audience like a damn fiddle. Combine these expertly rendered haunted house thrills with atypically emotional performances from folks like Patrick Wilson and Lili Taylor, and you’ve got a crowd-pleasing horror flick you’ll wanna revisit again and again. --Gregory Lawrence

Coraline (2009)

For my money, Coraline is the spookiest animated kids' movie out there. I was a full-grown adult when I saw it for the first time and those button-eyed folks from the Other realm still got all the way under my skin. Directed by The Nightmare Before Christmas helmer Henry Selick with the incredible artists at Laika providing groundbreaking stop-motion animation, Coraline is gorgeous and stylishly made, pulling from Neil Gaiman’s dark fantasy novella to build an immersive and unnerving parallel world. Dakota Fanning lends her voice as the title character, a young girl who discovers a door to another world, where she finds an idealized version of her life… almost. While Other Mother (Terri Hatcher) seems like a dream at first, there are sinister and strange overtones lingering in every frame, and when Coraline realizes she could get stuck there forever, she has to fight for the real family she took for granted. – Haleigh Foutch

The Craft (1996)

A newcomer’s arrival at a Catholic prep school leads her down some strange and wondrous roads in The Craft.‘90s iconsRobin Tunney,Fairuza Balk,Neve Campbell, andRachel Truemake up the awe-inspiring quartet of high schoolers at the center of this teen movie with a twist and live on as one of the most powerful groups of onscreen witches in recent memory.The Craftblendsa traditional high school-set story with its various teen dramas — a popular boy who turns out to be a snake, the pretty blonde who’s really a bully, the outsiders looking to reclaim their power — with the supernatural. The result is four young women who not only discover their magic but learn how to wield it both effectively and not-so-effectively when it comes to getting revenge on the people traumatizing them. WatchingThe Craftduring the Halloween season is an instant level-up. From the soundtrack to the performances — Balk is especially enjoyable because she truly gives no f*cks and lets it all hang out — to the ways in which the movie depicts magic,The Craftis eminently watchable and very much a product of the mid-90s. I mean, what’s not to love? --Allie Gemmill

The Crow (1994)

The Crow is technically the very first movie you should watch on Halloween, because it actually takes place the night before on Oct. 30 -- Devil's Night. I typically watch it every year on that night around 11 pm so it doesn't end until after midnight and I can start the holiday on a high note. Based on the violent yet poetic graphic novel byJames O'Barr, the gothic action film follows a musician who is murdered along with his fiancee, and is brought back to life one year later by a mystical crow to avenge their deaths and "put the wrong things right."Brandon Leewas tragically killed during filming, and that accident has hung like a dark cloud over The Crow's legacy, but the film itself is hugely influential, and I believe that Lee would be one of the biggest stars in the world today had he survived -- that's how charismatic he is as Eric Draven. DirectorAlex Proyasdoes a fantastic job behind the camera, and the supporting cast is incredibly memorable, fromDavid Patrick Kelly's T-Bird andMichael Massee's Fun Boy to their boss, Top Dollar, played by the greatMichael Wincott. The soundtrack is a standout of the '90s, with early tracks from Nine Inch Nails, Stone Temple Pilots and Rage Against the Machine, not to mention The Cure's epic song "Burn" and "Color Me Once" by Violent Femmes.The Crowhas endured as a vigilante superhero, and fans still paint their faces and throw on a black trench coat every Halloween in tribute to Lee's memory. The sad truth is that in real life, there are no mystical birds that resurrect the dead, but at least for one night, we're allowed to believe it's possible. Don't miss that opportunity this year. -Jeff Sneider

Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)

The Creature from the Black Lagoon is sometimes considered the ugly stepchild out of the classic Universal Monsters, seeing as how it debuted three decades after Phantom of the Opera and is, uh, literally about an extremely ugly fish monster who can’t say real human words. But you simply cannot throw a monster mash without inviting the Gill-Man, inarguably one of horror’s most iconic creatures. The film follows a team of scientists who board the steamship “Rita” for exploration deep into the Amazon jungle, hoping to discover the remains of a human/amphibian hybrid. Instead of a skeleton, the crew finds a whole-ass river-creature, who becomes horrifically infatuated with scientist Kay Lawrence (Julie Adams). Has time and technology dated the Gill-Man suit a bit? Sure, but there’s also something both timeless and inimitable about the creature design by Millicent Patrick, plus the underwater footage from cinematographer Ted Kent remains dreamlike and mesmerizing almost 70 years later.

(Note: Black Lagoon spawned a few sequels, but only one, The Creature Walks Among Us, features the Gill Man hilariously wearing a tracksuit.) -- Vinnie Mancuso

Creepshow (1982)

Directed by the great George Romero from an original screenplay by Stephen King himself (who also delivers one of his few film performances here), the 1982 horror anthology Creepshow is a campy, loving homage to the pulpy pages of EC Comics that's witty, weird, and willing to be very silly in all the best ways. Featuring a cast that includes Adrienne Barbeau, Hal Holbrook, and Leslie Nielsen, Creepshow features spot-on effects from Tom Savini and is easily one of the best horror anthology movies out there. The result is a film that feels like settling 'round the campfire for some spooky tales, topped off with an added flourish of cinematic showmanship. -- Haleigh Foutch

Dracula (1931)

If you’re curious to know what a “serve” is defined as, may I point you in the direction ofBela Lugosi’s performance in Dracula? Redefining romance with its February 14, 1931 release, Universal’sDraculais also responsible for making audiences fall in love with movie monsters. Dracula is one of the great daddies of horror movies, with Lugosi’s version in particular inspiring sequels, riffs, remakes, spinoffs, and dang near anything worthy of being through into theDraculacinematic canon. Lugosi’s performance as the immortal Transylvania bloodsucker may seem quaint nowadays, but he’s inspirational for generations of Drac’s who’s follow in his footsteps. The calm, cool, collected, dare I say sexy Dracula you see in the 1931 movie (the first of many great entries in Universal’s “Monsterverse”) is one of the biggest and best reasons to check out this Halloween classic ASAP. Yeah, you might not get a true fright by 1931 horror standards, but you will get a thrill. --Allie Gemmill

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

Did you forget that Steven Spielberg’s sci-fi classic E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is also a bona fide Halloween movie? Because it most certainly is. While this heartbreaking tale of a young boy befriending a stranded alien orphan is certainly science-fiction in nature, the action all takes place against the backdrop of fall in the Californian suburbs. The Halloween costumes, the leaves, the bike rides in costume – it’s all there, it just takes a backseat to the humor and emotional turmoil that are probably front of mind when you think of E.T. But truly this movie is a great Halloween watch if you want something more treats than tricks. The spook factor on E.T. is low, but it’s got that Halloween vibe all the same. It’s also, you know, one of the greatest movies ever made. – Adam Chitwood

The Evil Dead (1981)

Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell brought a bunch of their friends into a cabin in the Tennessee woods and emerged with a low-budget horror masterpiece. The Evil Dead is a jolt to the system, a gnarled, rotted, nasty piece of horror that unleashes a book of the dead and all its demons among a hapless group of teens (and one helluva chin). And yet, despite its noticeable nastiness, the first Evil Dead remains fun, audacious, and stuffed to the gills with bravura energy. It’s an ideal Halloween movie for the roller coaster it takes you on; you’ll be laughing uneasily one moment and earnestly shocked to your core the next. A horror classic that will cast its spell on anyone who watches it. --Gregory Lawrence

The Faculty (1998)

"We don't need no education!" Oh, but it seems some of youdo, as I learned during an alarming Slack exchange here at the virtual office this week. Apparently, there are people out there who don't likeThe Faculty!Are they hooked on scat or something? I don't really know the difference between a cult classic or a camp classic, but I suspect thatThe Facultyis actually both. Playing like a teenage take onInvasion of the Body Snatchershad it starred the kids fromThe Breakfast Club, this throwback film follows a bunch of high school outcasts who come to discover that their teachers are being controlled by parasites and trying to infect theentire student body.The FacultymadeJosh Hartnetta star, led toElijah Wood's role inSin City, and marked early turns fromJordan Brewster,Clea DuVall,Shawn HatosyandUsher Raymond. DirectorRobert Rodriguezhas always been a talent magnet, and teachers loungeis packed with stars ranging fromJon StewartandSalma HayektoRobert Patrick,Piper LaurieandBebe Neuwirth.The Facultymay get a little goofy in its third act, but it's mostly a blast, and the kind of fun sci-fi movie that studios just don't make anymore. Oh, and the soundtrack boasted major bands such as The Offspring, Creed, Oasis, Garbage, Sheryl Crow and Soul Asylum, but the best tracks are "Maybe Someday" by Flick and "It's Over Now" by Neve, and you'll just have to trust me on that. -Jeff Sneider

Frankenstein (1931)

Another prong in the legendary Universal “Monsterverse” is 1931’s Frankenstein. Given its early release and its impact on the horror genre, having spawned more sequels, spinoffs, riffs, homages, remakes, and more over the years,Frankensteinis one of the granddaddies of Halloween movie category. Adapted from the 1927Peggy Weblingplay which was, in turn, adapted fromMary Shelley’s 1818 novelFrankenstein; or The Modern Prometheus,Frankensteinis simply iconic. This is mostly thanks to Karloff’s legendary performance of the reanimated antihero made of spare parts sprung from the grave and made living thanks to the wonders of lightning and Dr. Victor Frankenstein’s (Clive) genius. It seems only rightFrankensteinwould be a trendsetter and gold standard for horror movies in the ensuing years; Shelley’s work was equally as impactful on the horror and science fiction genres upon release in the early 19th century. Seeking outFrankensteintoday means you’re seeking out horror history. Sure, you may not be scared in the way you’re used to, but you might be fascinated to see whatdidpass for a scary, even transgressive, movie nearly 90 years ago. --Allie Gemmill