As we inch closer and closer to Halloween, it is go-time for cramming in the last-minute movies for the season before everything becomes centered around Thanksgiving and Christmas. So, here are some movies—scary and non-scary—to watch during the Halloween season. First, the scary movies.

“Halloween” (1978) is a classic slasher movie that most people are likely familiar with, even if they have not sat down to watch the movie. The film follows high school student Laurie as she tries to escape the killer Michael Meyers with the two kids she is babysitting. 

There are so many sequels and remakes of this movie with vastly varying reviews, however, one of my personal favorites is “Halloween: Resurrection” (2002). It is not particularly good—and was not received well critically or by general audiences—but it is one of those movies that is so bad that it’s still fun to watch. 

The movie, painfully trying to modernize the original film, follows a group of college students who are spending the night in Michael Meyers’s childhood home for an internet live show. The best part of the movie, in my personal opinion, is the inclusion of Busta Rhymes and Tyra Banks as the main characters in the movie. Though they do not play themselves, their presence adds even more absurdity to an already absurd premise, which I think makes the movie a fun, even if bad, slasher film.

“Paranormal Activity” (2007) is a suspense/thriller movie filmed in the style of a mockumentary. The film works with its relatively low budget by having the entire movie filmed through security and home cameras following a couple as increasingly strange and horrifying things happen to them. The overall quality of the movie is debated, often because of the amount of time that it takes for the movie to build. It is an extremely slow movie, but I always find that, by the end, I appreciate it. 

“Hush” (2016) is the last scary movie on this list and is a psychological thriller. The movie follows Maddie, a deaf-mute horror author as she is hunted by a killer in her own home. The movie was written and directed by Mike Flanagan, who is also known for his Netflix horror shows “The Haunting of Bly Manor” (2020), “Midnight Mass” (2021), “The Fall of the House of Usher” (2023) and more. I am not one who is often overtaken by horror movies, but this one kept me on my toes, even after the movie ended. 

However, for the readers who simply do not vibe with scary movies, there are still movies to watch for the spooky season. Most of these movies do tend to be children’s movies, but I am of the opinion that a movie being made for kids does not necessarily mean it is low quality.

“Halloweentown” (1998) is often considered a classic by many who grew up in the nineties and aughts. A Disney Channel original movie following a group of three siblings as they discover their mother and grandmother are witches and from the fantastical (and titular) Halloweentown, which is being taken over by an evil wizard. With its charmingly low-budget effects, “Halloweentown” is a fun and nostalgic watch. 

“Hotel Transylvania” (2012) is another kid’s movie—this time animated—though it is actually quite good. The movie is about Dracula, who runs a hotel for the typical movie monsters and their families, as he prepares for his daughter’s 118th birthday while she is falling in love with a human who accidentally ends up at the hotel. I rewatched the film over the summer, and I was reminded that the movie is actually a very sweet story about a father and daughter as they navigate their relationship.

As is often the case these days, these movies are scattered across several streaming platforms and it is likely a toss-up that you have the needed service. So, here is an option that is completely free on YouTube. 

“Nerdy Prudes Must Die” is a full-length, professionally filmed, horror comedy musical by theatre company Starkid. It is the third and most recent release in a trilogy of horror comedy musicals, though the prior films are not necessary as each is their own story. 

This musical is in the style of a typical slasher and follows a group of nerdy high schoolers who decide to defeat their bully for the last time, and accidentally end up killing him, only for his ghost to return to seek revenge. 

There are, of course, many more movies out there, but these are some of my personal favorites. Whichever movie you favor, happy watching!