Grab some popcorn and enjoy these Halloween classics

There’s a chill in the air, leaves on the ground, and pumpkin spice on the breath. Fall is here! My favourite season of the year has finally returned, and I’ve already started planning out my autumn-themed events for the next few months. Halloween is less than 30 days away, and other than carving pumpkins and decorating my house, my favourite October pastime is watching scary movies. With only four weeks until Hallow’s Eve, I plan to watch at least one horror, thriller, or spooky movie per week, so I’ve curated a list of my personal top five seasonal movies for you to watch along with me.

Halloweentown (1998)

Halloweentown was one of the first seasonal films that I saw as a young child, and have watched it every year since. When young Marnie (Kimberly J. Brown) discovers that she is a witch, she’s faced with the tough decision of living in the normal world as a regular girl, or with her wizard siblings and witch grandmother in another world full of magic and odd creatures, where everyday is Halloween.

Scream (1997)

If you’re wanting to watch a truly scary and entertaining horror film, then look no further. This murder mystery revolves around a psycho-killer who makes threats over the phone and hides their identity with a mask. The thriller effect sets in right from the very beginning, and of course it wouldn’t be a true horror film without a surprise ending. Scream is an all-time Halloween classic, and it stars a young Courteney Cox and Drew Barrymore, which is reason enough to watch it!

It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966)

The gang’s back together again in this short movie, with Charlie, Snoopy, Lucy and Linus, and many more. This classic animation tells the story of young kids going out for a night of trick-or-treating in town, while Linus stays behind to wait for “The Great Pumpkin,” a symbol that legend says will only arise on Halloween night. 

Beetlejuice (1988)

Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice follows a young ghost-couple as they try to scare away the new (living) residents of their home. When their fear tactics fail, help is brought in through the form of an annoying poltergeist named Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton). This movie is full of extravagant costumes, eerie characters, and dark humour, and is sure to get you in the Halloween spirit.

Hocus Pocus (1993)
Another classic Halloween movie, Hocus Pocus, tells the story of three 300-year old witches who return from the dead in modern day Salem, Massachusetts. When they attempt to get revenge on the town’s children during the night of Oct. 31, the new kid in town, Max (Omri Katz) is put in grave danger.