80 Best Halloween Movies of All-Time
From the scariest classics to No. 1 faves to even a couple of kids' movies, watch these when you're in the mood for a fright.
Holidays are a time of traditions, and in that spirit, we love to do the same things year after year. For Halloween, that means scaring ourselves to death with a classic horror movie. And while there are so many great scary movies out there, when this time of year rolls around, we reach for the familiar. We want to spend time with our villains, be they Dracula, Michael Myers, Chucky or Freddy Krueger. We reach for those familiar directors, from old greats like James Whale or Stanley Kubrick to newer faves like Jordan Peele or James Wan. We want that oddly comforting feeling of walking around a darkened, spooky house, knowing that something is going to jump out at us at any minute.
When the mood strikes, these are the best Halloween movies of all time. Most of them have stood the test of time because they pick at a nagging anxiety, be it something small (like creepy dolls) or something larger (the looming dread that, no matter how hard you try, you'll never be able to keep your family totally safe). Others are newer favorites we know will stick around because they come from some of our favorite voices in horror. And still others combine the old and the new, putting in new entries (or reboots, or remakes) into long-running favorite franchises. They have some of our favorite horror elements — be they witches, vampires, haunted houses, ghosts or psychological scares — which is another reason why you'll want to reach for these every October. (And maybe throughout the year? Horror really has no season.)
Note: There are a couple of family-friendly picks on this list, but most of them are of the blood, guts and gore variety. If you're looking for something to watch with the younger ones, there are many more suggestions on our list of scary movies for kids.
Halloween (1978)
Given that this iconic film — featuring the unstoppable killing machine that is Michael Myers — shares a name with the year's spookiest holiday, it's just about as classic as they come. It's worth it for the atmospheric John Carpenter score alone. Recently, a new trilogy gave the tried-and-true series a refresh with its original star, Jamie Lee Curtis. In Halloween, Director David Gordon Green re-focused the series on the Strode women, and the way they react to the return of Michael Myers. A sequel, Halloween Kills, followed in 2021, and the trilogy came to a conclusion last year with Halloween Ends..
It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966)
For many, it's simply not Halloween season until the whole family has gathered on the couch to watch this animated special starring the Peanuts gang. Will the Great Pumpkin finally show up this year?
Rosemary's Baby (1968)
Mia Farrow is chilling as the pregnant young Rosemary, who must face the truth about the secret origins of the mysterious child she's carrying. It's a true, slow-burn terror.
Nosferatu (1929)
Can a horror movie from 1929 still hold up close to 100 years later? Take one look at F. W. Murnau's creature, embodied brilliantly by actor Max Schreck, and you'll say the answer is a resounding yes.
Poltergeist (1982)
Even now, if you say, "They're heeeere," in a creepy voice, people will shudder. It's all thanks to this story about a house possessed by angry spirits.
Psycho (1960)
Everything about Hitchcock's Psycho, from its string-filled score to its creepy twist ending is classic. And yet, when you watch it — whether it's for the first time or the hundredth — it still brings up feelings of dread.
Beetlejuice (1988)
A Tim Burton invention, Beetlejuice is a family-friendly horror film tracing a couple who find themselves stuck haunting their home in the afterlife. It's one of the few movies that puts you on the side of the ghosts haunting the house.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
Leatherface stands up there with the greats when you talk about horror-movie franchise icons. The first one is a grimy, seedy tale of five friends who pick up a hitchhiker, only to be drawn into a house where a chainsaw-wielding killer lurks. The film launched a host of sequels, reboots and sequels to the reboots, including 2022's Texas Chainsaw Massacre, a Netflix film that has Leatherface pitted against influencers seeking to gentrify his neighborhood.
Get Out (2017)
Jordan Peele's masterpiece, which uses horror as a vehicle to explore racism, is an absolute must-see. You'll be thinking about this one long after you turn the lights out.
Child's Play (1988)
Imagine Toy Story, but without, well, all the things that give it Disney's stamp of approval. Instead of Woody and Buzz, this movie follows a young boy who receives a doll that takes on a possessed life of its own. When you're finished with the film series, you can move on to the Chucky TV show that ran on SYFY recently (and now streams on Peacock).
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
It's up for debate whether this classic falls into the Halloween or Christmas category. Either way, Tim Burton's imaginary world is a sheer delight. (So maybe watch it once a week from October to December?)
Night of the Living Dead (1968)
George A. Romero has made his career directing the best zombie movies, usually using the undead as a stand-in to say something about mass culture at large. But even if the metaphors go over your head, just watching the flesh-eating creatures is scary enough on its own. There are six sequels: Dawn of the Dead (which is sadly not streaming, but the 2004 remake is), Day of the Dead, Land of the Dead, Diary of the Dead and Survival of the Dead.
M3GAN (2023)
The Model 3 Generative Android — that's M3GAN to you — was designed to relate to kids and protect them. But when the prototype is paired with a girl grieving her parents, she takes her directive too far in one of the most fun horror movie to come out in years.
Young Frankenstein (1974)
Heralded as one of the funniest movies of all time (full stop), the jokes in this hilarious Mel Brooks spoof still hold up. It's perfect for when you want to watch something in the Halloween spirit, but don't feel like being scared.
The Conjuring (2013)
When paranormal investigators are called to search an isolated farmhouse, they think they can handle the less-than-horrifying hauntings there. But, if we know anything from the horror movies of yore, it's that spirits should never be underestimated. The movie is based on the real-life exploits of paranormal researchers Ed and Lorraine Warren. If you like it, you can follow up with the sequels or the spin-offs, including the Annabelle and The Nun franchises.
The Shining (1980)
Easily one of the most recognizable entries on this list, The Shining features Jack Nicholson's breathtaking performance as the writer-turned-madman Jack Torrance. It's a Stephen King classic that director Stanley Kubrick truly makes his own.
X (2022)
A group of friends decide to rent a barn on the grounds of a farmhouse and try to surreptitiously film a dirty movie, which would chagrin the farm's elderly owners. When the aged Pearl catches wise to what the group is doing, she starts stalking the filmmakers, including young ingénue Maxine. Mia Goth plays a dual role as both Pearl and Maxine in a movie that has a lot on its mind about aging, art and how to make a legacy. After X debuted in spring 2022, a surprise sequel, Pearl, immediately followed before the end of the year. A third movie, MaXXXine, is also on the way.
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Even little kids who don't watch scary movies know who Freddy Krueger is. (And they kind of think he's cool?) But if you sing, "One, two, Freddy's coming for you," even the tough ones will run away.
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Trick 'r Treat (2007)
What happens when you don't follow the rules of Halloween traditions? The residents of a small Ohio town find out in this horror flick that weaves together four intertwining tales. While it had a small release, this movie has had a cult following — Trick 'r Treat Sam, the kid with the burlap mask and the orange PJs, is a surprisingly enduring kids' Halloween costume.
House on Haunted Hill (1959)
No doubt you've heard the premise before: A wealthy eccentric offers five guests a big cash prize if they can survive the night in a haunted house. Vincent Price plays the millionaire in this classic film by William Castle. When it was shown originally, Castle, who was known for his in-theater gimmicks, had a skeleton with red, glowing eyes float over the audience at the end of the movie. There was also an ill-regarded remake made in 1999.
Marisa (she/her) has covered all things parenting, from the postpartum period through the empty nest, for Good Housekeeping since 2018; she previously wrote about parents and families at Parents and Working Mother. She lives with her husband and daughter in Brooklyn, where she can be found dominating the audio round at her local bar trivia night or tweeting about movies.
Lauren Puckett-Pope is a staff culture writer at ELLE, where she primarily covers film, television and books. She was previously an associate editor at ELLE.
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