By Samantha Cabeza
Hype Street Team
Spooky movies are everybody’s guilty pleasure. We all love to curl up with our blankets and popcorn and watch a good old horror flick. Although, most of the time I always end up scrolling too long on Netflix or Amazon Prime trying to pick a movie to watch.
October is always the hardest time to pick a movie because of all of the spooktacular movies listed on many different platforms. To end your mindless scrolling, I have put together a list of different Halloween/Spooky films for you, some more spooky than others.
I will be rating how scary a movie is using the Spooky Scale.
☠️ = very scary
🎃 = kind of scary
👻 = not so scary
The Corpse Bride
This Tim Burton classic released back in 2005 when most of us were too young to appreciate the greatness that is this movie. Emily, a deceased former bride, meets Victor on unlikely terms. This movie goes through the tragedy of love, death, and all that comes in between. There are spiders, skeletons and wedding cakes made of bones. This movie may be sweet, but there is the occasional bone-chilling jump scare. This is perfect if you are looking to watch a Halloween movie with a significant other or with a group of friends/roommates. I cannot give this a high rating on the spooky scale because it is more adorable than scary.
Spooky Scale Rating: 👻
Monster House
Have you ever had a freaky neighbor that just did not want anything to do with the rest of the neighborhood? This movie describes what actually goes on behind their closed front door. Monster House actually takes place on Halloween night, so it is the perfect movie to watch this week! This movie includes friendships, freaky houses, and my personal favorite, a Halloween romance. This movie is best intended to be watched in the dark for full effect.
Spooky Scale Rating: ☠️ due to the freaky, human-eating house
The Nightmare Before Christmas
The Nightmare Before Christmas is a horrifyingly beautiful film that I am sure we all know and love. This movie is so marvelous that you can watch it on two holidays: Christmas and Halloween. It is definitely freaky but every time I watch it, I get so excited for Christmas it is unreal. It also might give you an unnerving need to blow all of your savings on a spontaneous trip to Disneyland. The scariest part of this movie is Dr. Finkelstein.
Spooky Scale Rating: ☠️ because of evil Dr. Finkelstein
Hocus Pocus
A classic! I definitely recommend watching this movie with roommates or your siblings (if possible). It is one of the not-so-scary ones, but still gets you deep into the Halloween spirit. It is filled with black cats, witches brew and annoying sister banter. This movie takes you right back to those “late nights” as a child watching this movie, getting ready to go trick or treating in your Jessie from Toy Story costumes.
Spooky Scale Rating: 🎃
Hotel Transylvania
I might be biased, but this movie is probably a movie I can watch three thousand times and never get tired of it. Adam Sandler as Dracula was probably the best decision he ever made as an actor, and the rest of the cast of Grown Ups as other Halloween monsters deserves all of the awards. Seriously, I just want to personally thank the director and casting director of this movie because it has changed my life for the better. Even though this movie has nothing to do with Halloween itself (and can be watched any time of year), the spooky aspects of this movie are awesome and perfect for Halloween.
Spooky Scale Rating: 👻
Coraline
Ah yes, another creepy classic that scared us as children. One day I will be able to watch this without being scared of dolls and snow globes. I would watch this with company, as this movie will make you want to throw your childhood toys away and give your mommy a hug. Although, it is eerily beautiful and has many important lessons for us to learn about how to appreciate what we have, and to not go into weird out-of-place doors.
Spooky Scale Rating: ☠️
Paranorman
This stop motion animated film is normally looked past during Halloween Actually, always. Norman can see ghosts and eventually, the ghosts tell him zombies are going to come and invade Earth. So, he has to use his power to talk to dead people to get the zombies to go away. How is this not a Halloween movie?!
Spooky Scale Rating: 🎃
Frankenweenie
Dead dogs are a man’s best friend! That doesn’t sound right. Get ready to miss your dogs at home like crazy while watching this movie, another Tim Burton classic. This movie is awesome because it is all in black and white, and tells the story of Frankenstein between a boy and his wiener dog.
Spooky Scale Rating: 🎃
Beetlejuice
We all know and love this movie like the back of our hands. It is filled with humor, spookiness, and the lovely Winona Ryder. You might be quoting this movie for weeks after watching it.
Spooky Scale Rating: ☠️
The Addams Family
The Addams Family is a perfect example of the ideal family flick: a man who would do anything for his wife, a creepy (but cute) daughter, a dead butler and a crawling hand. Grab some popcorn for this film because the entertainment level in this one is at an all-time high.
Spooky Scale Rating: 🎃
I’m Samantha! I am a Digital Journalism major here at CWU. I love to watch movies, pet dogs and write. I am a Transfer Student from Pierce College Puyallup, and I was born and raised in South Florida. I also love to ski, wakeboard, and ride my bike around campus.
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