Don’t be a basic witch and get into the Halloween spirit.
The leaves are starting to fall, sweater weather is almost upon us, and pumpkin spice is flavoring all of our coffees. Whether straight up horror is your jam or you prefer movies with sprinkles of Halloween goodness, you should definitely take the time to watch one of these ~*spooky*~ movies this month. Boo Felicia! 
Marissa DiBartolo: Hocus Pocus (1993)
In my house, this movie is literally on repeat every single day from October 1 to October 31. I can basically recite every line start to finish, and I know I am in good company. Hocus Pocus is a Disney Halloween classic that tells the spooky tale of three witches in Salem who come back from the dead and terrorize unsuspecting kids in an effort to attain eternal youth and beauty. The film features all the best things about Halloween: candy, costumes, debauchery, zombies, witches, black cats, spell books, and oh so much more. Not to mention, Bette Midler and Sarah Jessica Parker star as sisters who… don’t exactly get along. If you can get past the many, many plot holes, (Winifred doesn’t know what a paved road is, but knows you need a driver’s license to drive on one? C’mon.) and believe me—there are many—you’ll love this fun and whimsical tale about the power of family.
Fun fact: Did you know the hot big brother/cat who can’t die is actually named “Thackery Binx” and not “Zachary Binx?” This fact truly rocked my world.
WATCH IT NOW: Rent on Amazon, YouTube, Google Play, iTunes | Buy on Amazon, YouTube, Google Play, iTunes
Pro tip: Watch it fo’ free on Freeform this month. Click here for the full schedule!
Ali Mierzejewski: The Addams’ Family Values (1993)
Wednesday Addams is an icon. She burns down her summer camp during a play about Thanksgiving. Joan Cusack as a gold digging serial killer Debbie is a dark comedy delight. I’ll say it: This movie was better than its predecessor. I love the whole Addams family so much. I love that the kids hate the new Addams baby. I love Grandmama. Morticia and Gomez are #relationshipgoals. Morticia basically writes me new Twitter bio when she says: “I’m just like any modern woman trying to have it all. Loving husband, a family. It’s just, I wish I had more time to seek out the dark forces and join their hellish crusade.”
WATCH IT NOW: Stream on STARZ | Rent on Amazon, YouTube, Google Play iTunes | Buy on Amazon, YouTube, Google Play, iTunes
Maddie Michalik (It Me): Halloweentown (1998)
This is hands-down one of the best Disney Channel Original Movies of all time. Can you imagine what it must have felt like to find out you’re a witch when you turned 13 years old? My favorite part of the mystical world of Halloweentown is that everything from the witches, vampires, and werewolves looked so fun—and looking at it now makes it just feel so damn nostalgic. The sequel, Halloweentown II: Kalabar’s Revenge, is also just as good, but we don’t talk about the third movie because they tried to recast Marnie and hoped nobody would notice. WE NOTICED.
WATCH HALLOWEENTOWN II: KALABAR’S REVENGE NOW: Buy on YouTube, Google Play
Jackie Cucco: Beetlejuice (1988)
You can’t have a list like this and not include Beetlejuice, the dark comedy about a recently deceased couple who hires a dead exorcist to scare away the new family that moves into their house. It’s full of all the horrors that make people squirm—graveyards, ghouls, and insufferable neighbors. It’s creepy and dark, but at the same time it’s quirky and endearing, which pretty much sums up every Tim Burton film since. It has a main character who you’re not sure if you should love or hate, but he keeps you on your toes. And it has some iconic moments, like the dinner party scene that we’re still talking about 30 years later (recently recreated by Gigi and Bella Hadid). Daylight come and me wanna go home.
WATCH IT NOW: Rent on Amazon, YouTube, Google Play, iTunes | Buy on Amazon, YouTube, Google Play, iTunes
Joe Ibraham: Don’t Breathe (2016)
Don’t Breathe, the 2016 horror film starring Dylan Minnette, is a fantastic flick. It follows three delinquents from Detroit who attempt to rob a blind man of the supposed $300,000 stashed away in his house. A brief plot summary might give you the hint that things won’t go as planned, but the way the plot unfolds is truly unimaginable. I’m a sucker for unique camera work, a solid screenplay, and a great cast that isn’t necessarily full of Hollywood A-listers. Don’t Breathe checks off all of these boxes. Watch it with the lights off, and if you’re going to breathe—breathe quietly.
WATCH IT NOW: Rent on YouTube, Google Play, iTunes | Buy on Amazon, YouTube, Google Play, iTunes
Madeleine Buckley: The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
It may not be a traditional “Halloween movie,” but I’d argue that anything starring a cannibalistic, psychopathic, serial killer counts as spooky. The perfect mix of a crime drama and a horror film, The Silence of the Lambs follows young FBI recruit Clarice Starling as she finds herself hunting a seriously disturbed serial killer, Buffalo Bill. Her biggest breaks in the case come from the unlikeliest source—the infamous Hannibal the Cannibal. With successful plot twists, interesting character development, and Anthony Hopkins’ piercing stare (which WILL make you want to sleep with the lights on), this thriller is perfect for anyone who wants to watch a high-quality movie that’ll also give you chills.
WATCH IT NOW: Stream on HBO |Rent on Amazon, YouTube, Google Play, iTunes | Buy on Amazon, YouTube, Google Play, iTunes
Miranda Siwak: It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966)
No matter how old I get, my go-to movie to watch around Halloween every year has to be It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. The holiday special was classic Peanuts with the gang gearing up to attend a Halloween party. Lucy and Linus pick the perfect pumpkin, Charlie dresses as a ghost with too many eye holes and only gets rocks instead of treats (still sad when he reveals, “a rock” at every house.), and who could forget Linus (and Sally) waiting all night for the Great Pumpkin to arrive. Oh, then there’s the subplot when Snoopy goes off on his own for some psychedelic adventures. A true Halloween classic.
WATCH IT NOW: Buy on Amazon
