Halloween Movies for All

Halloween, a time for scares, chills and more; but what are some movies the whole family can watch? And what are some that are really, adults only endeavors? Here are a couple of suggestions for you if you’ve got a party planned to keep everyone happy.

For the youngest kids

Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown – Everyone has to watch this at Halloween, right? It doesn’t matter how old you are, the Great Pumpkin doesn’t get old.

Casper (1995) with Christina Ricci, Bill Pullman – Sure it’s 15 years old, but it still is one of the more family friendly Halloween films around. Hey come on, he is a friendly ghost.

Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were Rabbit – This one is REALLY underrated. Great animation that will have kids of all ages enjoying the entire experience, it’s a must see eventually.

ET – Have you phoned home yet? E.T. the ride is still going strong at Universal Studios in Florida and you will enjoy this film. Can you believe that one of the most popular movies of all time still has a number of fans to be made with kids today.

PreTeen
Monster House – One of the more recent films on the list, I really love Monster House. A couple of scary sequences keep this from being perfect for even the youngest kids. I think most can handle this, but to be on the safe side, keep it to preteens. You all remember that house on the block that scared everyone; this movie takes a look at that house and everything surrounding it.

Coraline – I really like this film, in fact the biggest problem I thought when it came out was that who knows who will see it. It’s a bit dark but preteens through teens with enjoy this look at another world. My original review is here. (CORALINE review)

Ghostbusters – The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, The Keymaster, Who Ya Gonna Call? ‘Nuff Said!

Poltergeist – They’re here! Classic frights that might be on the edge of younger viewers liking, but most viewers of any age have had a chance to look at this, and let’s face it, this has got creepy past connections to the actual film, well worth checking out.

Aracnnophobia – Spiders, spiders everywhere. Are you afraid of spiders? You will be after you see this fun film.

Gremlins – Again – this is a classic. Gizmo, Stripe, and mayhem when you feed them after midnight.

Older Teen/Adult
Halloween – Really, the one that 16+ should enjoy on/around this time of year, Halloween is a blast to experience. Make sure you check out the original with Jamie Lee Curtis as that is really fun.

Friday the 13th (Original) – The original, the beginning of the legend of Jason. Before he stalked campers at Crystal Lake, he was a boy like any other. This goes through the origin of the story.

Adult
Witchboard – Ouija boards scare me. Witchboard deals with Ouija boards. Yeah, you put it together.

The Omen – What is it with the classics that makes all of them scare me more than most of today’s films.

Amityville Horror – I still remember freaking out at this as a kid, even reaching out to find everything I could read on the supposedly true story on which the film was based.

Saw – The original had a bit of the proper creep factor, after that…not so much.

The Shining – Classic Jack, another one of those that there is not much more needed to be said.

Alien – A Sci-fi / Horror film that will scare you silly! Lucky us it has a brand new (Crystal Clear) Blu Ray edition available. It’s worth going to the store to pick this one up. Turn off the lights, and turn up the volume and it will be creepy!

Best you probably don’t know about
The Descent – I saw this film a couple of years back in a small screening room and it’s stuck with me. There are very few “scary” movies that get shown to the press in advance of release. Not so with The Descent. If you are at all claustrophobic, this will have you scratching at the walls.

Frailty – If you believe in God and have a faith background this will have the skin on your arms standing on end! It’s a story about a man who is supposedly being told by god to kill bad people. Directed and starring Bill Paxton, this is one of those films that will shake everything inside of you. Is this real and is that what’s creepy? OR is this an excuse, and the man a psychopath?

Still the creepiest there is…
The Exorcist (and it is newly available in Blu Ray) – No question, I’ve seen this movie multiple times, and each time I do I get the same result (Major Goosebumps and hairs that stand on end)! Now, in its newest form, this one is the perfect film to watch in a darkened room if you really want to be scared. Hard to believe a film from the early 70s can hold up this well, but they found a way to scare you then – and it’s remains scary today.

Have a safe and fun Halloween everyone!