Best Movies to Watch On Halloween, Ranked

The union of Halloween haunts and youthful yearning make this a must-see on October 31st. The noticeable parallels the movie illustrates between Ginger’s transformation until the next full moon and the growing pains of teenage adolescence deliver effective satire. The themes are explored in two more movies, completing a trilogy of Ginger Snaps, containing the same two actors from the original.

5 Murder Party

Murder Party

A random invitation to a Halloween party leads a man into the hands of a rogue collective intent on murdering him for the sake of their art, sparking a bloodbath of mishap, mayhem and hilarity.

Director

Jeremy Saulnier

Genres

Horror, Comedy

The most unfamiliar movie on this list is the first feature, written, directed, and shot by Jeremy Saulnier, who has since made other movies such as Blue Ruin and Green Room. This 2007 dark comedy is any introvert’s nightmare about attending a Halloween party.

Starring three-time Saulnier collaborator Macon Blair, Murder Party is about a man who shows up alone to a Halloween party and discovers the other guests intend to murder him in the hopes of creating fine art. As Saulnier’s filmography has only improved, the early talent’s skills are prominent in this 79-minute debut. Besides capturing a perfect annoying Brooklyn hipster time capsule, Saulnier drafts an exciting twisted thriller with a score of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.

4 Donnie Darko

Donnie Darko

After narrowly escaping a bizarre accident, a troubled teenager is plagued by visions of a man in a large rabbit suit who manipulates him to commit a series of crimes.

Director

Richard Kelly

Cast

Jake Gyllenhaal, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, Drew Barrymore, Daveigh Chase, James Duval

The ending of Donnie Darko contains a Halloween costume party that helps provide some answers to a movie full of questions. The 2001 science fiction movie is a teen drama disguised as a dream-like psychological thriller. The chilling rendition of “Mad World” by Tears for Fears is only part of why this movie is a Halloween must-watch. A young Jake Gyllenhaal stars as a sleepwalking teenager with visions of a man in a rabbit costume who warns him about the incoming apocalypse.

A skill of all the great scary movies is their ability to turn something thought to be harmless or cute into an object of anguish. While not many viewers may realize, Donnie Darko accomplishes this with Frank’s rabbit costume, inspired by the titular character in the 1950 movie Harvey, starring James Stewart.

3 The Crow

The Crow

A man brutally murdered comes back to life as an undead avenger of his and his fiancée’s murder.

Director

Alex Proyas

Cast

Brandon Lee

Genres

superheroes, Supernatural

The Crow Reboot Teased as ‘Anti-Marvel Film’ by Producer

A movie only the 90s could produce, The Crow is about a musician returning on the anniversary of his death with the power of a mystic crow to seek vengeance on the thugs who killed his girlfriend. Other than the plot occurring on the day before Halloween, known as Devil’s Day, this movie is an absolute must-watch because it eternally captured the heart and soul of the late Brandon Lee in a single stunningly good performance.

The curse of the movie lends itself to the haunting realization that the viewer will never see Brandon Lee perform again, having died while making this movie. The Crow is one of the best supernatural revenge movies to generate a popular Halloween costume. A Halloween superhero revenge fantasy, this movie deserves to be shared with everyone before being stained by a doomed-to-fail reboot.

2 Scream 2

Scream 2

Two years after the first series of murders, as Sidney acclimates to college life, someone donning the Ghostface costume begins a new string of killings.

Director

Wes Craven

Cast

Courtney Cox, Neve Campbell, David Arquette, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jamie Kennedy, Laurie Metcalf, Timothy Olyphant

After a Drew Barrymore cameo in the first one, Scream 2 continues this trend while flexing its meta aptitude by depicting a movie screening based on the events in Scream in the opening scene featuring Omar Epps and Jada Pinket-Smith in the audience. This scene is a hilarious rewatch for any fan of the Scary Movie franchise.

After a copycat killer follows her to college, Sidney Prescott and those close to her become stalked by another Ghostface. What the original Scream did for teen slasher movies, the 1998 Wes Craven follow-up did for sequel movies. This movie brilliantly name-drops the best possible sequels and simultaneously earns its spot in the conversation. The sequel is so successful because it gives audiences more of the same in a unique way by developing the breadcrumbs of the story left in Scream.

1 Halloween

Halloween

Halloween is an American slasher franchise that centers on the serial killer Michael Myers and the terror he inflicts on the fictional town of Haddonfield, Illinois.

First Film

Halloween (1978)

Latest Film

Halloween Ends

Cast

Jamie Lee Curtis, George P. Wilbur, Andi Matichak, Donald Pleasence

The number one movie to watch on Halloween is also the obvious choice. Like viewing Die Hard on Christmas morning or gathering the family around for Rocky after Thanksgiving dinner, the original Halloween is a must-watch on October 31st for any cynical cinema lover. When insane asylum patient Michael Myers escapes after 15 years, he stalks and murders a group of teenagers from his hometown.

John Carpenter built off existing horror movies to define the model for the slasher genre. Elements of Halloween, like the final girl and point-of-view shots, are seen again in 80s slasher movies Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th and mimicked in Scream. The teen slasher starring 2023 Oscar-winner Jamie Lee Curtis spawned a franchise with over a dozen movies. The only aspect more iconic from the 1978 movie other than the Michael Myers mask is the movie’s music, scored by its director and co-writer, John Carpenter. The best way for any horror lover to understand its evolution is to start at the beginning with Halloween.