Top Five Halloween Films

After a certain age, many people see Halloween as a children’s holiday. In my opinion, you’re never too old to not take yourself seriously and put on a costume you probably paid too much for, but if you’re looking for other ways to celebrate, turning out the lights and popping in a scary movie always does the trick for me.

I wouldn’t exactly call myself an “expert” when it comes to scary movies and horror flicks, but here are a few favorites that always put me in the Halloween sprit.

1. Hocus Pocus (1993)
Starring Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy

In Salem, Massachusetts in the 1600s, three sister witches, Winifred, Sarah, and Mary Sanderson are accused of killing village children in order to cast a spell that allows them to stay alive forever. Just before they are hung, they conjure up a curse that will bring them back from the dead on Halloween if a virgin lights the black flame candle.

Three hundred years later, teenager Max Dennison moves to Salem with his parents and younger sister from California. While out trick-or-treating with his younger sister, he ventures off, finds the old Sanderson house and lights the candle. The sisters then come back from the dead and continue their mission to steal the souls of children and attain immortality.

Okay, before you completely dismiss this extremely underrated Disney movie, you should definitely consider giving it a chance. Although this film isn’t what you would call scary, it’s good for laugh when you’re looking to make light of the holiday.

Children of the ‘90s may be a little bit more familiar with this hilarious cult classic that has since been written off as a box-office failure, but the humor, which is delivered flawlessly by Midler, Jessica Parker, and Najimy is what really makes this film so entertaining.

2. The Strangers (2008)
Starring Liv Tyler and Speedman

There’s nothing scarier than seeing horrifying things happen on the screen that you know could easily happen in real life. The Strangers is terrifying for many reasons but mostly because of how realistic the situation is.

A young couple that is going through a rough patch after Liv Tyler’s character has just turned down her boyfriend’s marriage proposal goes out to a remote vacation home. Suddenly, in the middle of the night, someone knocks on the door but no one is there. From then on out, the couple is tortured and made to feel helpless by three masked people who we know absolutely nothing about besides the fact that they are intent on killing the couple.

Article Author: Courtney Lynn

My name is Courtney and I'm currently a journalism student. I enjoy writing particularly about pop culture, movies, and television - both reviewing and analyzing it.

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