Happy Spooky Season, everyone! I know I haven’t been posting a lot lately, despite October being my favorite month of the year, but I’ve been busy with something scarier than any horror movie: grad school. I would face off with Freddy Krueger or Michael Myers over working on a group research project any day. Still, I can’t let the month pass without writing at least one Halloween post, so today I’ll be discussing my favorite horror movies to watch around my favorite holiday.

1 ) Urban Legend (1998)

I know when most people think of ’90s horror for the Halloween season, they think of Scream, which I also love, but Urban Legend just feels like a more appropriate seasonal watch. An autumnal, ivy-covered college campus is the perfect backdrop for a slasher whose murders mimic classic urban legends.

The main cast is excellent, especially Alicia Witt as final girl Natalie and Rebecca Gayheart as her bestie Brenda, but I especially love that there are horror movie icons sprinkled throughout, including A Nightmare on Elm Street’s Robert Englund as the mysterious folklore teacher Professor Wexler, the Halloween franchise’s Danielle Harris as Natalie’s inconsiderate roommate Tosh, and Child’s Play’s Brad Dourif as the creepy but well-meaning gas station attendant.

2 ) Night of the Demons (1988)

I will preface this by saying that this movie is gross. There are some gnarly practical effects. Linnea Quigley does something with a tube of lipstick that cannot be unseen. But it is such a fun, campy Halloween watch. The dialogue is hilarious, the acting is over-the-top, but the set and costume design, along with the gory special effects, make it a genuinely spooky, cringe-inducing experience. Amelia Kinkade’s Angela Franklin is an iconic but underrated horror movie villain; I kind of want to cosplay as her for Crypticon next year.

3 ) Hellraiser (1987)

This is one of my favorite horror movies in general, so I will watch it any day of the year, but there’s something special about watching it around Halloween. It has a haunting, gothic atmosphere, enhanced by a memorable score composed by Christopher Young.

It has disgustingly creative practical effects, especially Frank Cotton (Sean Chapman)’s bloody return from hell early in the movie. Lead cenobite Pinhead (Doug Bradley) is one of the most recognizable horror villains of all time. And because Clive Barker wrote the screenplay as well as the novella it’s based on, The Hellbound Heart, the movie is an excellent adaptation of the source material.

4 ) Thir13en Ghosts (2001)

Is this movie kind of cheesy? Yes. Is the title incomprehensible? Absolutely. Is cinematography a major product of its time? One hundred percent. But I still love it so much. The character design for each ghost is so distinct and terrifying (and if you had the DVD like I did, you know from the special features that each ghost has its own elaborate backstory).

Tony Shaloub and Matthew Lillard both give solid, memorable performances as Arthur and Rafkin. And as someone obsessed with William Castle’s cheesy movie gimmicks from the 50’s and 60s*, I especially appreciate the nod to the original film’s flimsy cardboard “ghost viewers” given to audiences in theaters with the inclusion of special glasses that allow the characters to see the ghosts.

*William Castle-related side note: I made my friends watch The Tingler at my thirteenth birthday sleepover, and my best friend still makes fun of me for it to this day.

5 ) Late Night with the Devil (2023)

Chelsea Rebecca of the horror podcast/YouTube channel Dead Meat described this movie as “cozy,” which I wholeheartedly agree with. There’s something very nostalgic about it that makes me think of sitting on the floor in front of the TV after a night of trick-or-treating, sorting my candy while I watch some classic Halloween special. It does a great job of capturing the late ’70s aesthetic, and it mostly feels like a real late-night talk show from that era (at least until the end, where it really goes off the rails tone-wise).

The cast is small but talented: David Dastmalchian is charismatic as the late-night talk show host Jack Delroy; Ingrid Torelli gives an eerie but sympathetic performance as possessed teen Lilly; and Rhys Auteri is so funny and likable as Jack’s poor, beleaguered sidekick Gus. While this movie made its wide release just last year, I am comfortable saying that this will absolutely be one of my annual Halloween watches.
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What are your favorite horror movies to watch around Halloween? Let me know in the comments! 

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