Ok, we admit that trying to put together an objective list of best Halloween movies is impossible. We think ours is pretty good though.
Before you get upset about a film we left out, please bear in mind the following considerations:
1. The best Halloween films do not necessarily mean the scariest. Certainly, the list includes some nail biters, but we also tried to include films that capture the fun — and quite frankly ridiculousness — of All Hallows’ Eve.
2. Classic horror films usually don’t age well. This is just an unfortunate truth about the genre. Yes, we know “Night of the Living Dead” is a must-see for any film buff, but do all its special effects and plot twists really hold up well to modern audiences? The same can be said about classic slasher films like “Child’s Play” and “Nightmare on Elm Street.”
3. True Halloween movies must involve the supernatural. This seems like a no-brainer, but it disqualifies legitimately scary films like “The Silence of the Lambs.” Even films about aliens, wizards and fantastical creatures are a little outside the scope of this list.
This film is a spooky, supernatural thriller in its own right, but the fact that the story takes place during Halloween earns it a nod on our list.
Beetlejuice | IMDb score: 7.5
Tim Burton's original masterpiece, it’s endlessly rewatchable around Halloween time.
The scariest movie of all time, period. Other movies might give you a fright or stick in your head for a short period after you leave the theater, but “The Exorcist” will stay with you in the back of your brain for a long time.
It’s not easy to create a fresh take in the well-trodden mystery/thriller genre, but director Jordan Peele managed to do just that.
This movie has the lowest IMDb score of any movie on our list. Anyone who knows anything though understands that this movie is terrifying for anyone under the age of 12 and delightfully campy for anyone older than that.
This is not a Christmas movie, it's a Halloween movie — and a darn good one at that.
In the crowded field of horror films that prioritize shock value and twisty plots, “Saw” somehow manages to stand out.
While every other horror franchise seems to drop off precipitously after the first film, Evil Dead managed to go strong for an entire trilogy. Try to name another horror film series that you can say the same thing about.