What are the best Halloween movies of all time? We ranked 20, mixing the horror classics with the comedies and family favorites that people rewatch every October. Each entry has its rating, so you can tell at a glance which movies are for Halloween night with friends and which are fine with the kids around.
This guide contains Amazon links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
How We Ranked the Best Halloween Movies
Three things decided the order: how much the movie feels like Halloween itself (costumes, autumn, trick-or-treating), how well it holds up on a rewatch, and how many different kinds of viewers it works for. Pure gore did not make the cut.
The 20 Best Halloween Movies, Ranked
1. Halloween (1978)
Rated: R. The movie that made October 31 a horror holiday. Simple, quiet and still tense almost 50 years later.
Shop Halloween (1978) on Blu-ray and DVD
2. Hocus Pocus (1993)
Rated: PG. Witches, a talking cat and Salem on Halloween night. The comfort rewatch for anyone who grew up in the 90s.
Shop Hocus Pocus (1993) on Blu-ray and DVD
3. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Rated: PG. The king of Halloween Town discovers Christmas. Stop-motion style that never gets old.
Shop The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) on Blu-ray and DVD
4. Beetlejuice (1988)
Rated: PG. A dead couple hire the worst possible ghost to scare the new owners out of their house. Weird, funny and endlessly quotable.
Shop Beetlejuice (1988) on Blu-ray and DVD
5. Trick 'r Treat (2007)
Rated: R. Four linked stories on one Halloween night, each one breaking a Halloween rule. Made for this exact day.
Shop Trick 'r Treat (2007) on Blu-ray and DVD
6. Scream (1996)
Rated: R. A killer who knows horror movie rules stalks a small town. Clever, scary and funny in the same scene.
Shop Scream (1996) on Blu-ray and DVD
7. Ghostbusters (1984)
Rated: PG. Three scientists start a ghost-catching business in New York. A horror-comedy almost everyone loves.
Shop Ghostbusters (1984) on Blu-ray and DVD
8. The Shining (1980)
Rated: R. A winter caretaker slowly loses his mind in an empty hotel. Not set on Halloween, but the creepiest atmosphere on the list.
Shop The Shining (1980) on Blu-ray and DVD
9. Coraline (2009)
Rated: PG. A secret door leads to a perfect home with something very wrong in it. Family-friendly but genuinely unsettling.
Shop Coraline (2009) on Blu-ray and DVD
10. The Addams Family (1991)
Rated: PG-13. The creepy, kooky family in their best live-action version. Dark jokes, big heart.
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11. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Rated: R. A killer who attacks in your dreams, so you cannot sleep. A true 80s horror icon.
Shop A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) on Blu-ray and DVD
12. Practical Magic (1998)
Rated: PG-13. Two witch sisters deal with love, a curse and a very bad boyfriend. The cozy pick for October evenings.
Shop Practical Magic (1998) on Blu-ray and DVD
13. The Conjuring (2013)
Rated: R. Paranormal investigators help a family in a haunted farmhouse. Old-school haunted house scares done well.
Shop The Conjuring (2013) on Blu-ray and DVD
14. Shaun of the Dead (2004)
Rated: R. A man with no plan tries to survive a zombie outbreak from his local pub. The best horror comedy for a group.
Shop Shaun of the Dead (2004) on Blu-ray and DVD
15. Sleepy Hollow (1999)
Rated: R. A city detective investigates headless murders in a foggy village. Gothic autumn mood in every frame.
Shop Sleepy Hollow (1999) on Blu-ray and DVD
16. Gremlins (1984)
Rated: PG. Three rules for a cute pet, all broken in one night. Set at Christmas, watched at Halloween.
Shop Gremlins (1984) on Blu-ray and DVD
17. Poltergeist (1982)
Rated: PG. A suburban house turns against the family living in it. Rated PG, but it scared a generation of kids.
Shop Poltergeist (1982) on Blu-ray and DVD
18. Get Out (2017)
Rated: R. A weekend visit to meet the girlfriend's parents turns into something much darker. Smart modern horror.
Shop Get Out (2017) on Blu-ray and DVD
19. It (2017)
Rated: R. A group of kids take on a shape-shifting clown in their small town. Big, scary and full of heart.
Shop It (2017) on Blu-ray and DVD
20. Casper (1995)
Rated: PG. The friendliest ghost there is. Our pick to end the night with the younger crowd.
Shop Casper (1995) on Blu-ray and DVD
Best Halloween Movies by Mood
- Real scares: Halloween, The Shining, The Conjuring
- Laughs and scares: Scream, Shaun of the Dead, Ghostbusters
- Cozy and witchy: Hocus Pocus, Practical Magic
- With the kids: Casper, Coraline, The Nightmare Before Christmas
Make It a Halloween Movie Night
Turn the overhead lights off and let flameless LED candles, orange string lights and a few JOYIN light-up pumpkins do the work. A warm white LED strip behind the TV reduces eye strain in a dark room, and the Presto hot air popcorn popper keeps the popcorn coming between films. See our Halloween movie marathon setup for a full plan.
Where to Watch the Best Halloween Movies
Streaming libraries change every month, so check a free tracker like JustWatch before movie night to see which app has each film right now. Most of these titles can also be rented for a few dollars, and the Amazon links above take you to the Blu-ray or DVD if you want to own them.
If you would rather have one place for films and live channels, Ovello TV and ScreenHouse are two streaming services we partner with. Both work on Fire TV, smart TVs, Apple TV and Android, and you can message them before you sign up. No smart apps on the TV? An Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max plugs into any HDMI port.
More Halloween Movie Lists
- 15 best Halloween movies for kids, by age
- 31 Halloween movies for October
- Halloween horror movies for adults
- Every Tim Burton movie, ranked
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