We are in total Halloween Vibes here at BKLS—it is the Spookiest time of the year, although for me when I say spookiest, I mean costumes, candy corn, a good bottle of Buttery Chardonnay, and a feel-good Halloween movie. Super Scary is not on the menu for me. So cozy up, and let us get into these feel-good Halloween Classic Movies—you are in for a treat.
Last year’s list was excellent, there was something for everyone, and people enjoyed it so much that we received a few requests for this year’s roundup.
The title of this article may be a bit misleading, but honestly, I am in no way trying to do a bait-and-switch here. When I think of classic Movies, I think of anything beyond the nineteen-seventies. But then again, classic means a film or a piece of music that I can use descriptive words like timeless, fabulously excellent performance, memorable, and iconic. It is a film or a piece of music I can watch repeatedly and appreciate each time without fail.
So maybe the title of this article is not the perfect fit, but I will watch these movies repeatedly. And each time, I will appreciate them even more. But to avoid being misleading, we will rename the article now.
Halloween Movies to watch now.
I am at a place in my life where I am embracing new things, including movies, so, on my list of movies, there are a few scary ones that I would like to attempt to watch. I may cover my eyes the entire time, but I promised myself I would try. So, grab a glass of wine and your favorite Halloween candy and enjoy a movie filled with a lot of good feelings, some laughter, just enough spookiness, and a bit of scariness.
Here are twenty-five Halloween Movies to watch now
1. Hocus Pocus 2
I wanted to like this and was excited about its release, but I could not get into it. It made the list because, come on; Hocus Pocus is a Classic. On the other hand, my daughter loved it—she said it explained tons of unexplained things from part one [no spoiler alert]; watch it.
And if you have not seen part one, it is a MUST-see, but here is a bit about what Hocus Pocus 2 is.
Hocus Pocus is a Halloween classic that a sequel was made for Disney+ nearly 30 years after its premiere. This return to Salem has Bette Midler [beloved aunt—the voice, the acting, and everything], Sarah Jessica Parker [my girl—had to watch], Kathy Najimy, and Doug Jones all reprising their roles alongside new characters played by Whitney Peak, Sam Richardson, Hannah Waddingham, and others.
2. Maleficent [2014]
Okay, so I loved this movie and will watch it for a few minutes here and there whenever I have the time, but it is worth the watch, and Angelina Jolie is magnificent.
And if you have not seen it, here is what it is about.
This film is the other side of the tale of Sleeping Beauty. The backstory on the allegedly evil fairy Maleficent, played by Angelina Jolie. But there is much more to her casting that sleeping spell than being envious of the young Aurora. We also learn of the heartbreaking betrayal the black-clad antihero endured.
3. Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (2019)
If you watched Maleficent, you might as well watch this one. Angelina Jolie returns with dark wings and those fabulous cheekbones.
Maleficent fight for the right to raise Aurora as her own, despite the wishes of Prince Phillip’s family.
4. Blackbeard’s Ghost [1968]
I watched this with my dear dad when I was a teenager. And rewatched it last year.
After accidentally reciting some magic words, track coach Steve Walker summons Captain Blackbeard. The spirit explains to Steve that his wife cursed him to roam the Earth until he performs one good deed.
5. Freaky Friday [2003]
Who did not love Jamie Lee Curtis growing up?
Mother and daughter drive each other crazy because they do not understand each other. After receiving cryptic fortunes at a Chinese restaurant, the two wake up the next day to discover that they have somehow switched bodies. Unable to switch back, they are forced to masquerade as one another until a solution can be found. In the process, they develop a new sense of respect and understanding for one another.
6. Doctor Strange [2016]
I love all of the Doctor Strange movies. I have seen five out of six—I have not watched the last premier, but it is purchased and in my prime video account. And I will be watching it this Friday.
Doctor Strange’s life changes after a car accident robbed him of the use of his hands. When traditional medicine fails him, he looks for healing, and hope, in a mysterious enclave. But, unfortunately, he quickly learns that the enclave is at the front line of a battle against unseen dark forces bent on destroying reality. Before long, Strange is forced to choose between his life of fortune and status or leave it all behind to defend the world as the most powerful sorcerer.
7. Bedknobs and Broomsticks [1971]
I will miss Angela Lansbury; I am sad she is gone—I still watch Murder She Wrote re-runs weekly. But if you would like to see her in a different light, then this is a MUST-watch.
During the Battle of Britain, Miss Eglantine Price, a cunning witch-in-traini,ng decides to use her supernatural powers to defeat the Nazi menace. She sets out to accomplish this task with the aid of three inventive children evacuated from the London Blitz.
8. Into the Woods [2014]
I have been into classic musicals later and stumbled upon this after watching something else. I liked it, and I love both Meryl Streep and Emily Blunt.
As the result of the curse of a once-beautiful witch, a baker and his wife are childless. So three days before the rise of a blue moon, they venture into the forest to find the ingredients that will reverse the spell and restore the witch’s beauty: a milk-white cow, hair as yellow as corn, a blood-red cape, and a slipper of gold. During their journey, they meet Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and Jack, each on a quest to fulfill a wish.
9. A Nightmare on Elm Street
Scary??? Can you believe I have never watched this movie? But in the name of trying new things—I plan to watch it soon. The trailer scared me, but who does not love Johnny Depp?
In Wes Craven’s classic slasher film, several Midwestern teenagers fall prey to Freddy Krueger, a disfigured midnight mangler. He preys on the teenagers in their dreams—which, in turn, kills thty. After investigating the phenomenon, Nancy begins to suspect that a dark secret kept by her and her friends’ parents may be the key to unraveling the mystery, but can Nancy and her boyfriend Glen solve the puzzle before it’s too late?
10. Return From Witch Mountain [1978]
Not scary but good.
Tia and Tony visit Los Angeles, but Tony is kidnapped by an evil scientist, leaving her to search for him desperately.
11. The Haunted Mansion
I am still an Eddie Murphy fan, so I watched this, and it was not bad; I liked it.
His wife Sara accuses Jim Eve,rs a workaholic real estate agent, of neglecting his son and daughter, so he takes the family on vacation. Along the way, the family stops off at a sinister mansion that Jim has been asked to sell, only to discover Master Gracey haunts it; his stern butler, Ramsley; and two other servants who need help breaking a curse.
12. Labyrinth
I loved this mo.vie I think it is about movie about empowerment, well, that is what I thought, and my friend Viv thought so as well.
Teenage Sarah journeys through a maze to recover her baby brother from a goblin king.
13. Double, Double, Toil and Trouble [1993]
Who did not watch everything about Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen? They were adorable.
Determined twins try to trick an evil aunt out of a magic moonstone and save their family home.
14. To Kill a Mockingbird
So okay, you got me this is not about Halloween but watch it anyway.
One of the most pivotal scenes centers around Halloween night, with Scout, stuck in a ham costume.
15. The Witch [2015]
So I have not watched this, but I plan to watch it.
In 1630 New England, panic and despair envelop a farmer, his wife, and their children when youngest son Samuel suddenly vanishes. The family blames Thomasin, the oldest daughter who was watching the boy at the time of his disappearance. With suspicion and paranoia mounting, twin siblings Mercy and Jonas suspect Thomasin of witchcraft, testing the clan’s faith, loyalty, and love for one another.
16. Dracula [1931]
My friend has been trying to get me to watch this for years, and it is on my list for next week.
The dashing, mysterious Count Dracula, after hypnotizing a British soldier, Renfield, into his mindless slave, travels to London and takes up residence in an old castle. Soon Dracula begins to wreak havoc, sucking the blood of young women and turning them into vampires. When he sets his sights on Mina, the daughter of a prominent doctor, vampire-hunter Van Helsing is enlisted to stop the count’s never-ending bloodlust.
17. Dracula Untold
It came highly recommended by my daughter but I have not watched it yet—but I plan to.
In 15th-century Transylvania, Vlad III, prince of Wallachia, is known as a just ruler. With his beloved wife, Mirena, Vlad brokered a prolonged period of peace and ensured that his people were protected, especially from the Ottoman Empire. However, when Sultan Mehmed II demands 1,000 of the country’s boys, including Vlad’s son, for his army, Vlad makes a deal with a monster that will enable him to defeat the Turks—but cost him his humanity.
18. Twitches [2005]
I loved watching it—it was lovely.
Reunited on their 21st birthday, twin sisters use their magic powers to save their kingdom from the forces of darkness.
19. The Sixth Sense
Total Bruce Willis fan—I believe I have watched everything he came in. So sad he is no longer acting, but here is one of my faves. I watched it with my eyes covered but watch it.
A dark secret haunts young Cole Sear [Haley Joel Osment]: he is visited by ghosts. Cole is frightened by visitations from those with unresolved problems who appear from the shadows. However, he is too afraid to tell anyone about his anguish except child psychologist Dr. Malcolm Crowe. As Dr. Crowe tries to uncover the truth about Cole’s supernatural abilities, the consequences for the client and therapist are a jolt that awakens them to something unexplainable.
I watched it on Hulu
20. Abbot + Costello Meet the Mummy
Funny, I watched this with my dear dad a long time ago but I watched it last year.
The bumbling comedians try to make a buck guarding a valuable mummy before they’re drawn into a plot by cult worshippers to steal a cursed medallion.
21. It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown [1966]
I have not watched it, but it came highly recommended.
Linus waits in the pumpkin patch for the elusive Halloween symbol to appear.
22. Halloweentown [1998]
I have not watched it, but it came highly recommended.
Marnie and her kids get shocked when they follow grandma home to Halloweentown – and find out they come from a family of witches. The town is the only place where supernatural beings can lead a `normal’ life, but the trouble is looming, and on her 13th birthday Marnie not only finds she is a witch, but that she and her family are involved in a fight against the evil that is threatening to take over the world.
23. The Craft [1996]
This is one of my favorite movies—there were some eyes covering but I liked it.
After transferring to a Los Angeles high school, Sarah finds that her telekinetic gift appeals to a group of three wannabe witches, who happen to be seeking a fourth member for their rituals. Bonnie, Rochelle, and Nancy, like Sarah herself, all have troubled backgrounds, which combined with their nascent powers lead to dangerous consequences. When a minor spell causes a fellow student to lose her hair, the girls grow power-mad.
24. Night of the Living Dead [1968]
This has been on my list for some time but I will be watching it this year.
A disparate group of individuals takes refuge in an abandoned house when corpses begin to leave the graveyard in search of fresh human bodies to devour. The pragmatic Ben does his best to control the situation, but when the reanimated bodies surround the house, the other survivors begin to panic. As any semblance of order within the group begins to dissipate, the zombies start to find ways inside — and one by one, the living humans become the prey of the deceased ones.
25. Huba Halloween
This one is on my list but it came highly recommended.
It’s October 31st in Salem, Massachusetts, and a town’s eccentric, devoted community volunteer and the good-natured object of his fellow citizen’s derision and meanest pranks, finds himself in the midst of a real investigation, for a real murderer.
Have fun Dahlings and enjoy these movies. Comment below and tell us about your favorite Halloween Movie.
