The 12 best Halloween movies to ring in spooky season

For some, autumn is the actual most wonderful time of the year. And it's never too soon to start decorating with pumpkins, perusing possible costumes online, or diving into the wide, ever-expanding world of seasonal films. In case you're stumped about where to start this year, we've selected 12 of the best Halloween movies to celebrate the season, from kid-friendly flicks to horror shows you do not want to watch with the lights off.

<i>An American Werewolf in London</I> (1981)

An American Werewolf in London was an early pioneer in horror comedy — which is not surprising, considering it was director John Landis' follow-up to the extremely successful films Animal House and The Blues Brothers. David Naughton (star of Dr. Pepper commercials in the '70s) is the doomed title character, also named David; he and his friend Jack (Griffin Dunne) are on a British walking tour when they get attacked by a werewolf. Jack is left mauled, which causes him to visit his buddy from the beyond in an increasing condition of deterioration, but it's David who has it worse, as he inherits the werewolf curse. Scary (watch out for those dream sequences), spooky, and surprisingly funny thanks to Dunne's performance, AAWIL may make you long for some English scenery and Halloween simultaneously.

Where to watch An American Werewolf in London: YouTube

<i>Arsenic and Old Lace</i> (1944)

You've likely seen the stage version of this Frank Capra classic at a high school auditorium near you, but the film version offers a special black and white treat this time of year. AAOL takes place during Halloween, after all, and features greats like Peter Lorre and Raymond Massey as characters right out of a Saturday matinee horror movie. Hollywood legend Cary Grant goes full-on slapstick as theater critic Mortimer Brewster, who discovers that his pair of sweet elderly aunts are actually serial killers who put lonely men out of their misery. Things only get worse for Mortimer when his long-lost brother Jonathan (Massey) shows up on the lam with his partner (Lorre), an evil, alcoholic doctor. And it's a comedy! Arsenic and Old Lace moves along at a breathless pace with our leading man's escalating horrific discoveries. Grant apparently wasn't a huge fan of the movie because it was clearly his most unhinged turn onscreen, but that's part of what makes it so great.

Where to watch Arsenic and Old Lace: Amazon Prime Video (to rent)

<i>Bell Book and Candle</i> (1958)

The same year that Vertigo was released, Kim Novak and Jimmy Stewart took their smoldering chemistry and switched it up. In Bell Book and Candle, Novak happens to be the one obsessed with her upstairs neighbor (Stewart); lucky for her, she has witchcraft to aid her in ensnaring her beloved's affections. Novak's Gillian is a chic, Greenwich Village witch in the beatnik era who owns an unusual art gallery and an extremely unusual black cat. Stewart decided (incorrectly!) after this movie that he was getting a little long in the tooth to play romantic leads, but at least he went out with this fun Halloween rom-com. And if all that's not enough for you, dig Jack Lemmon playing bongos as Gillian's hipster warlock brother.

Where to watch Bell Book and Candle: Tubi

<i>The Craft</i> (1996)

"We are the weirdos, mister." Instead of croquet games or slam books, the four teen girls of The Craft use spells to help get through their adolescent angst. The result is a deserved cult film that promotes feminism and features some bonafide scares. A new girl in town (Robin Tunney) falls in with the wrong (right?) outcast crowd, led by Fairuza Balk's demonic Nancy and completed by Rachel True's Rochelle and Neve Campbell's Bonnie. The four friends find that they have much more power when banded together, but what happens when they spend too much time on the dark side?

Where to watch The Craft: Hulu

<i>Halloween</i> (1978)

Of course, including the movie named after the holiday itself is a must for this list. Not seeing Halloween at some point this season would be like skipping It's A Wonderful Life in December. Yes, John Carpenter's saga is still being unfurled in various sequels, but why not journey back to the place where it all started: the eerie blank mask (based on the visage of William Shatner's Captain Kirk!), the multitude of jump scares, and Jamie Lee Curtis creating the greatest Scream Queen of all time in her film debut. Of course, today there are a multitude of slasher films to choose from, but there's something satisfyingly nostalgic about the numerous genre tropes set up in the 1978 trailblazer.

Where to watch Halloween: Plex

<i>Hocus Pocus</i> (1993)

We recently got a long-awaited sequel following up with the toe-eating Sanderson sisters and their quest for tasty children in Salem, but nothing can top the original work. Surpsiringly, this first film was considered a flop for Disney, until annual rewatches around this time of year helped turn Hocus Pocus into the cult classic it is today. There's a reason for that longevity: Not only are the three witches (Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker) both menacing and humorous, but their demise rests on a few very smart kids who have to figure out how to exorcise the devilish trio for good. Obviously, their success wasn't permanent, given Hocus Pocus 2 sees the villains return — but hey, almost 30 years of banishment is a pretty good run.

Where to watch Hocus Pocus: Disney+

<i>Kiki's Delivery Service</i> (1989)

Young trainee witch Kiki (Kirsten Dunst) heads off to make her way in the world in this animated film from the team behind My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away. Given the girl's broomstick proficiency, a delivery service appears to be the perfect route for her to make a living. But a few setbacks eventually have Kiki doubting her magical ability, until a time of crisis forces her into action and reveals her true strengths. Kiki's Delivery Service is not only a typically excellent Studio Ghibli release — full of detailed landscapes that envelop the viewer — it also offers younger kids a valuable life lesson while being one of the sunnier Halloween movies you could choose this time of year.

Where to watch Kiki's Delivery Service: Max

<i>Meet Me in St Louis</i> (1944)

Though not strictly a Halloween movie, Vincente Minnelli's Meet Me in St. Louis brings plenty of festive nostalgia to the season. The classic film traces a year in the life of the charming Smith family, highlighted by star siblings Judy Garland and Margaret O'Brien. While Judy singing "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" to Margaret gets the most play, don't miss out on the autumnal vignette, in which O'Brien's Tootie and her sister Agnes (Joan Caroll) attend a Halloween bonfire. The cinematic segment offers a now-rare throwback to the spooky holiday of old, featuring scares and pranks that were likely the highlight of an old-fashioned childhood.

Where to watch Meet Me in St. Louis: Amazon Prime Video (to rent)

<i>The Nightmare Before Christmas</i> (1993)

Sure, some people may make a case for Jack Skellington's saga to be classified as a Christmas movie, but let's not kid ourselves; Halloween Town has that name for a reason. In the enchantingly innovative Nightmare Before Christmas, longtime resident and Pumpkin King Jack becomes restless and stumbles into Christmas Town while searching for something new. He then unwisely decides that his world will take over the December holiday, devising a plan that involves kidnapping "Sandy Claws" and delivering terrifying presents under the tree. Henry Selick and Tim Burton's detailed stop-motion animation offers more fun details to catch every time you watch it, while Danny Elfman's score is truly magical — especially as Jack realizes the true meaning of Christmas and his true destiny.

Where to watch The Nightmare Before Christmas: Disney+

<i>The Ring</i> (2002)

Looking for a terrifying but non-gory entry in the horror genre? Check out The Ring… if you dare! (C'mon, 'tis the season.) In the American remake of the 1998 Japanese film Ringu, Naomi Watts plays a journalist trying to get to the bottom of why four people — including her own niece — died after watching a certain videotape. But what does this all have to do with a girl named Samara who was stuck in a well? We'd never rob you of the thrill of finding out, but suffice it to say that The Ring is steeped in enough suspense to give you literal goosebumps — and good luck being able to scrub Samara's scariest moment from your memory.

Where to watch The Ring: Amazon Prime Video

<i>Scream</i> (1996)

Here's another slashic still spawning sequels decades after its release. Actually, Halloween/Scream would be an excellent double feature, as you can see exactly what the latter movie is poking fun at. A horror movie that was actually funny and clever while paying meta homage to its own genre, Scream was so successful that it kicked off its own franchise. Why should you never say "I'll be right back?" Why is a virgin the safest thing to be in a scary movie? Why do potential victims run right up the stairs when they should be running out the front door? And what's with all the masks? Wes Craven's masterwork is a dizzying, witty display of what makes horror movies fun while being plenty scary in its own right. The opening sequence with Drew Barrymore still delivers chills, and let's give some credit to Neve Campbell for being a formidable Final Girl for the ages.

Where to watch Scream: Paramount+

<i>Young Frankenstein</i> (1974)

Mel Brooks provided his own inspired take on the classic monster in this horrifically funny parody film. His star-studded cast running around the classic creepy castle includes Gene Wilder as young Frankenstein (that's pronounced "Frahnk-en-STEEN"), Peter Boyle as the monster, Madeline Kahn as the monster's bride, Marty Feldman as Igor, Cloris Leachman as Frau Blücher, and Teri Garr as the ingenue. The rapid-fire comic interludes make Young Frankenstein a blast for even the youngest viewers, and it's totally understandable if you need to rewatch the "Put... the candle... back!" scene at least a few times.

Where to watch Young Frankenstein: Max

Related content:

• Every original Hocus Pocus reference in Hocus Pocus 2

• Jamie Lee Curtis wraps Halloween Ends and says a bittersweet 'goodbye' to the franchise

• The original Scream cast: Where are they now?