31 Nights of Halloween Movies

This post is all about the best Halloween movies to watch. 

One of the best ways to get into the Halloween spirit is watching scary movies. I’ve compiled a list for the 31 nights of October that will definitely have you sleeping with the lights on. Of course I’ve sprinkled in a few classic family-friendly movies that are yearly traditions.

This post is all about the best Halloween movies to keep you up at night.

Best Halloween Movies:

1. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

Watch the trailer here.

7.4/10 95%

In this horror classic, Nancy Thompson and her friends become targets of a serial killer in their dreams. The catch, if you die in your dream, you die in real life. An added bonus, it features Johnny Depp in his first major role.

2. A Quiet Place (2018)

Watch the trailer here.

7.5/10 96%

In this movie a family must live in silence to avoid monsters with super-sensitive hearing. John Krasinski co-wrote, directed, and starred in the movie along his wife Emily Blunt. The movie features pictures of their real life family in photos throughout the home. Follow it up with A Quiet Place Part II.

3. As Above So Below (2014)

Watch the trailer here.

6.2/10 27%

Don’t let the reviews scare you off of this one. This documentary style film follows a team of explorers through the Parisian catacombs. This was the first film given permission to access the off limit portions of the catacombs. There are 200 miles of tunnels, 5 stories underground, that hold the remains of 6 million bodies. Often the cast’s only light was from that of their headlamps.

4. Beetlejuice (1988)

Watch the trailer here.

7.5/10 85%

Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice is a paranormal comedy that follows two spirits as they try to get rid of a new family that moved into their house. They call upon Beetlejuice to drive them out. Originally meant to be a horror movie, Tim Burton changed it to a comedy when they cast Micheal Keaton. Who despite being the title character, only has 17 min of screen time and filmed his scenes in just 2 weeks.

5. Bird Box (2018)

Watch the trailer here.

6.6/10 64%

This list isn’t complete without a Sandra Bullock movie. In Bird Box, an unseen presence drives most of society to commit suicide.

6. Fear Street Part 1: 1994 (2021)

Watch the trailer here.

6.2/10 83%

Fear Street is a teenager slasher horror movie that takes place in Shadyside. The three movies dive into the evil that has plagued the town for 300 years. Continue the series with Fear Street Part Two: 1978 and Fear Street Part Three: 1666.

7. Get Out (2017)

Watch the trailer here.

7.7/10 98%

Get Out is Jordan Peele’s (from Key & Peele) debut feature. The film follows a young African American who goes to meet his girlfriends rich, white parents at their home. He senses that something about them is not quite right. In 2018, Jordan Peele won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for Get Out—making him the first African American filmmaker to win the award.

8. Halloween Ends (2022)

Watch the trailer here.

I had to put this as number 8 because my mind loves alphabetical lists, BUT it doesn’t release until Oct 14th, 2022. This film will be the final installment of the Halloween franchise. Who will be victorious, Laurie or Michael??

9. Halloweentown

Watch the trailer here.

6.6/10 80%

Halloween isn’t complete without a Halloweentown marathon. Fun fact, Kimberly J. Brown, who plays Marnie, and Daniel Kountz, who plays Kal in the second movie, are now engaged.

10. Happy Death Day (2017)

Watch the trailer here.

6.6/10 71%

This movie follows a college student as she seeks to discover the identity of her killer by living the day of her death over and over again.

11. Hellraiser (2022)

Watch the trailer here.

If you haven’t seen the original Hellraiser from 1987, I highly suggest starting there. The entire series is so interesting and full of demonic beings, called Cenobites, in a sadistic underworld. The 2022 Hellraiser releases on 10/7 and is said to pay homage to Clive Barker’s original Hellraiser while taking the concept to a new level.

12. Hereditary (2018)

Watch the trailer here.

7.3/10 90%

Hereditary is a psychological horror film that follows a grieving family. After Annie’s mother passes away, the family begins to experience tragic and disturbing occurrences.

13. Hocus Pocus (1993)

Watch the trailer here.

6.9/10 39%

Another Halloween classic, in Hocus Pocus the Sanderson Sisters return after their 17th century execution. They must absorb the life of a child before the sun rises after Halloween night. The 2022 sequel is released 9/30, where 3 girls accidentally bring back the Sanderson Sisters.

14. Hush (2016)

Watch the trailer here.

6.6/10 93%

Hush was a movie that surprised me, there are only 15 minutes of dialogue in the entire film, yet it ended up being a fantastic thriller movie. The movie follows a deaf and mute writer, Maddie, who lives secluded in the woods while she tries to fight off a masked killer.

15. Insidious (2010)

Watch the trailer here.

6.8/10 66%

Patrick Wilson and horror movies are a perfect pair. In this movie, a young boy named Dalton falls into a coma after an incident in the attic. The family calls on Josh Lambert (Patrick Wilson) to prevent spirits from trapping Dalton in The Further realm.

16. IT (2017)

Watch the trailer here.

7.3/10 86%

After 27 years, Pennywise returns to the town of Derry to prey on children. The “loser’s club” bands together to take on the shapeshifting monster.

Bill Skarsgård does a terrifying job of bringing Pennywise to life. He mastered the creepy smile, and he’s also able to move his eyes independently for Pennywise’s reverse cross-eyes. Skarsgård said he was haunted by the character in his dreams after wrapping with the first movie.

Don’t forget to watch It Chapter Two when you finish.

17. It Follows (2014)

Watch the trailer here.

6.8/10 95%

After a sexual encounter, a young woman is followed by a supernatural force with intent to kill her.

18. Monster House (2016)

Watch the trailer here.

6.6/10 75%

For a more family friendly Halloween movie night, and for a break in the nightmares, Monster House is a must watch. This PG movie follows a group of teens that discover their neighbors house is alive and must work together to conquer it.

19. Paranormal Activity (2007)

Watch the trailer here.

6.3/10 83%

Paranormal Activity is a mystery horror film that uses a documentary style to follow a couple as they experience a nightly demonic presence. The couple sets up home cameras to capture what’s happening to them. This film has building suspense as the presence becomes increasingly more aggressive.

If you like this one, there are a total of 7 movies in the franchise.

20. Scream (1996)

Watch the trailer here.

7.4/10 79%

Scream is a classic teannage slasher movie. The 1996 film follows a teenage girl that is terrorized by a killer just one year after the murder of her mother. Based off of the Gainsville Ripper that killed 5 students in 1990.

There is currently 5 movies in the franchise, with the 6th to be released in 2023.

21. Sinister (2012)

Watch the trailer here.

6.8/10 63%

This movie bothered me a lot, the identities of the murderers are unsettling. In this movie a true crime writer moves his family into the home of a recently murdered family to try and solve the mystery. He comes across home videos of horrible murders and watches to uncover the serial killer.

22. The Cabin in the Woods (2011)

Watch the trailer here.

7.0/10 92%

In this movie five friends take a trip to a remote cabin, but not everything is as it seems with the horrors that await them.

23. The Conjuring (2013)

Watch the trailer here.

7.5/10 86%

Another fantastic Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga movie. In The Conjuring Ed and Lorraine Warren work to help a family being terrorized by a dark presence.

Follow this one up with The Conjuring II and Annabelle Comes Home.

24. The Descent (2005)

Watch the trailer here.

7.2/10 86%

A group of thrill seeking friends enter a cave in the Appalachian Mountains, but once they descend the tunnel collapses behind them. As they search for an exit they are hunted by a strange predator.

25. The Exorcist (1973)

Watch the trailer here.

8.1/10 84%

At the time of its release The Exorcist was said to invoke fainting, vomiting, and heart attacks in movie goers. It was even banned in parts of the UK, making this a Halloween must-watch movie.

26. The Haunted Mansion (2003)

Watch the trailer here.

5.1/10 14%

A wonderful family movie featuring ghosts and mystery. In this movie Jim Evers (Eddie Murphy) drags his wife and children to a mansion in hopes of selling it. But the owner has ulterior motives for their visit.

27. The Ring (2002)

Watch the trailer here.

7.1/10 71%

A journalist must investigate a mysterious videotape which seems to cause the death of anyone one week to the day after they view it.

28. The Shining (1980)

Watch the trailer here.

8.4/10 82%

The Shining is still considered a masterpiece 40 years after its release. Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson), becomes the winter caretaker at an isolated hotel in Colorado. Jack’s sanity begins to deteriorate with the influence of a sinister presence. Meanwhile, his son has psychic premonitions of the past and the future.

29. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (2022)

Watch the trailer here.

4.8/10 31%

There are plenty of Texas Chainsaw Massacre movies to choose from, but I think the 2022 one is worth a watch. In this movie, a group of idealistic (entitled) entrepreneurs seek to start a like-minded community (*cult*) in a virtually abandoned town in Texas. It will have you yelling at your tv as the group continually misses their opportunities to flea Leatherface.

30. Trick R’ Treat (2007)

Watch the trailer here.

6.7/10 81%

Five interwoven stories that occur on Halloween night in Warren Valley, Ohio. One of my favorite Halloween movies, it has the best mix of horror and comedy. A perfect October 30th watch as a reminder that Sam may be lurking to enforce the Halloween rules and traditions.

31. Us (2019)

Watch the trailer here.

6.8/10 93%

Another amazing Jordan Peele horror movie. This movie jumps back and forth between present day and 1986. A family’s beach vacation is interrupted by a home invasion of doppelgangers.

This post was all about the best Halloween movies to watch. 

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