Seven Halloween flicks for the courageous and cowardly

Halloween is here. The days are growing colder, and the faint aroma of fall leaves lingers in the air. Students might spend hours carving pumpkins and trying to find the perfect costume, but what is Halloween without a few seasonal movies? And there is no need to track down the best ones on your own because I have compiled a list of Halloween movies to please everyone—from the faint of heart to the most daring horror enthusiasts.   

Anything but scary: “Halloweentown” (1998). Taking place in a cute, friendly town inhabited by a variety of monsters and ghouls, this G-rated Disney Halloween classic is perfect for those who do not appreciate being scared.

Might scare a baby: “Hocus Pocus” (1993). Another Disney classic, this movie about a family of wicked witches will send any ’90s kid on a nostalgic trip back to elementary school Halloween parties.

A little creepy: Tim Burton’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas” (1993). This unsettling stop-motion picture takes place in the fantasy world of Halloween Town, where Jack Skellington yearns for a life outside of Halloween.

Keep-the-lights-on scary: “Halloween” (1978). The first true “scary movie” of the list, this slasher film is a classic and an obvious choice as the movie’s events take place on and around Halloween. The murderous Michael Myers strikes fear into citizens of a small town as he hunts them down one by one. This film is sure to freak out some viewers.

Don’t-watch-alone scary: “Poltergeist” (1982). Though a remake of this classic was recently released, the original 1982 film withstands the test of time. When a family moves into a new home, spirits in the home begin to interact with them. At first, the family is convinced that the spirits are friendly, but soon the haunting is revealed to be much more twisted. Truly innovative for its time, this film still has the ability to make viewers uneasy when watching alone.   

Not-sleeping-tonight scary: “The Exorcist” (1973). This film makes every “scariest movies” list out there and with good reason. Despite being made in the ’70s, this movie still leaves viewers unable to fall asleep with its diabolical depiction of a young girl who is possessed by the devil himself.
Too scary for words: “The Babadook” (2014). This Australian film is the newest film on the list, and it easily takes the title of scariest. Both viewers and critics have regarded this film as one of the scariest films in history. Its twisted psychological horror story, which focuses on a seemingly innocent children’s book, can strike fear in even the “toughest” of viewers.