While the kids are out trick-or-treating, treat yourself to some tricks of the cinema — gore effects and creepy lighting and spine-tingling soundtracks. Or keep the kids in and carve some pumpkins while watching some more feel-good Halloween fare. These are the 10 best films to get you into the seasonal spirit tonight:
10. Sleepy Hollow (1999)
Tim Burton’s macabre adaptation of Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” is an under-appreciated Halloween movie. Starring Johnny Depp and Christina Ricci, the gothic supernatural horror film follows police constable Ichabod Crane (Depp) as he investigates a series of murders by the legendary apparition known as the Headless Horseman.
9. House of 1000 Corpses (2003)
Four young people spend Halloween searching for the legendary roadside attraction Dr. Satan in Rob Zombie’s feature debut — and boy, do they find him. Setting the tone for his entire career, Zombie’s spin on backwoods horror like “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” is gruesome, dirty and captivating.
8. Donnie Darko (2001)
At the beginning of Richard Kelly’s 2001 indie sci-fi thriller, Donnie Darko (Jake Gyllenhaal) sleepwalks out of his house and meets a terrifying figure in a rabbit costume, who tells him the world will end in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes and 12 seconds — on Halloween. The rest of the film unfurls like a demented trip into Donnie’s troubled psyche as he experiences hallucinations of the monstrous bunny figure, who convinces him to do mysterious things while sleepwalking.
7. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
The Steven Spielberg film that sparked the perfect “minimum effort” Halloween costume for generations. All you need is a little red hoodie, a bike and a white sheet and presto, you’re the delightful boy Elliott (Henry Thomas) and his new friend E.T., the mysterious shaved-sloth looking alien who was stranded on Earth after a cosmic crew neglected to pick up their cutest member.
6. Pumpkinhead (1988)
Nothing says Halloween like a murderous pumpkin beast. A creature feature staple since its 1989 release, “Pumpkinhead” was directed by Hollywood legend Stan Winston, whose monster work is all over “Jurassic Park,” “The Terminator,” “Aliens” and a whole lot more. Lance Henriksen plays a father who loses his little son after a gaggle of teens mortally injure him with their motorbikes.
5. Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)
John Carpenter’s original vision for the “Halloween” series was that each film would be a different spooky story in an anthology format. Yet after the popularity of Michael Myers in the first two films, a slasher-free third chapter was destined to bomb. Luckily, “Witch” became a cult classic thanks to its outrageous plot: An evil company creates masks that kill children wearing them on Halloween night. Oh, and there are a bunch of androids. And Stonehenge is involved.
4. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
A Halloween movie? A Christmas movie? Regardless, the stop-motion animated musical is a visual delight that seamlessly combines the two holidays into one film. Directed by Henry Selick, the story follows Jack Skellington (voiced by Chris Sarandon), the Pumpkin King of Halloweentown, who has grown tired of the same routine of frightening people. After stumbling upon Christmastown, Jack devises a plan to take over the joyous holiday.
3. Trick ‘r Treat (2007)
Anthology films tend to be a mixed bag, but this clever combo from writer-director Michael Dougherty (who would tackle another dark holiday with “Krampus”) features four very wicked and genuinely unsettling stories. The classics are covered, from poisoned candy to werewolves, while also introducing new lore with the character of Sam – a demon with a burlap mask hiding a skull-pumpkin hybrid head.
2. Hocus Pocus (1993)
Three words: the Sanderson sisters. While the Disney comedy features an amusing storyline on Halloween night in present-day Salem, Mass., home of the Salem Witch Trials, it’s truly Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker’s performances as the trio of diabolical witches that make the feature a Halloween cult classic.
- Halloween (1978)
The title says it all; this is by far the best movie to watch on Oct. 31. Watching silent, masked killer Michael Myers slash his victims to shreds while they’re dressed in costumes and trick-or-treating feels extra creepy on Halloween itself. John Carpenter created an instant classic that is terrifying year-round, but especially during spooky season. The “Halloween” franchise has withstood the test of time (and countless imitations), spawning more than 10 sequels, remakes and revivals, but the original still holds the creepy crown. Young Jamie Lee Curtis invented the scream queen moniker and Michael Myers still ranks as one of the most iconic villains in horror.
