Filed under: Art, Entertainment, Humor, Movies, News of the Weird, Pop Culture | Tags: films, Halloween, Holidays, Movies
UPDATE: The list is finished and posted. Click here to check it out .
It’s that time of year!
The days are markedly shorter, the air is crisp and cool, leaves are turning color and littering our lawns, the pumpkins are piling up at the grocery store and we are getting ready to publish our second annual list of the best Halloween movies ever! …and we want your nominations!
But keep in mind, the theme of our list is a little different from the others you’ve seen out there.
We aren’t just looking for the scariest horror movies or the bloodiest gore. Yes, we want monster movies and horror flicks, so by all means, nominate them, but more than that, we are looking for the very Halloweeniest films of all! (Jaws is a very scary movie, for example, but there’s nothing particularly “Halloweeny” about sunny beaches and shark infested surf.)
Specifically, we’d like you to nominate the movies that best put you in the Halloween spirit. What evokes the holiday most to you? Crisp autumn days and eerie foggy nights? Full moons? Pumpkins? Candy? Monsters, Goblins, Ghost or Ghouls? Or perhaps it’s haunted houses or headless horsemen! You tell us.
Also, keep in mind the movies don’t necessarily have to be scary at all! We are looking for nominations from all genres — so there will be something on our list for everyone in the family. Yes, we want horror and monster movies, but we’re also looking for comedy, drama, adventure… last year we even had a musical and some Halloween chick flicks!
I think you get the idea.
So have at it! Retrieve your brains from the laboratory, shoo the bats from your belfry and tell us what you think are the very Halloweeniest movies of all time! And be sure to tell us why you think they belong on the list of Best Halloween Movies Ever! You can use the comments section below, or email us by clicking “contact” in the navigation menu in the sidebar to make your nominations.
And be sure to check back for the results! (But remember to bring your own popcorn!)
11 Comments so far
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American Elephants 
My favorite is Sleepy Hollow with Johnny Depp. Colonial New England in the fall. What could be more halloween than that? And then you throw in the legend on top of it.
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Comment by rachaelw October 7, 2008 @ 6:39 amFriday the 13th is the classic slasher flick. Thats always a good one.
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Comment by Manhattanwatch October 7, 2008 @ 6:47 amI was astounded to find that most of my friends that are around my age (24) hadn’t seen these suspense/Halloween classics:
Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
Bunny Lake Is Missing (1965)
The Innocents (1961)
Wait Until Dark (1967)
and a guilty Halloween pleasure:
Ernest Scared Stupid (I know, I know… but it’s kinda fun)
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Comment by james October 8, 2008 @ 10:26 amRachel and Manhattan, good nominations!
James, I’ll have to admit, I haven’t seen them either (although I think I actually have a copy of the Innocents) I have put them on the top of my Netlix Queue.
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Comment by American Elephant October 8, 2008 @ 10:38 amOur annual Halloween movie is Arsenic & Old Lace…
… Cary Grant, Peter Lorre, two sweet aunts and lots of dead bodies!! The Best!
We also enjoy Nightmare Before Christmas for both Halloween AND Christmas.
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Comment by L.W. October 10, 2008 @ 12:14 pmThats two votes for arsenic and old lace and I havent even seen it yet! I must correct that. But I love the Nightmare before Christmas. Very Halloweeny! It was on our list last year. Looks like it will be again.
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Comment by American Elephant October 10, 2008 @ 3:56 pmLittle Shop of Horrors- What Halloween is complete without a singing bloodthirsty plant and a sadistic dentist?
A Nightmare on Elm Street- fantastic horror with enough intrigue to involve non-horror fans.
Nosferatu- fascinating silent movie story of Dracula with intense music. Must-see classic that spawned many tales, including Dracula: Dead and Loving it– a great vampire story for the whole family.
Night Warriors (Darkstalkers)- a Japanese anime miniseries about all sorts of Halloweeny creatures.
Harvey- If you’re watching Arsenic and Old Lace, why not throw in the old classic about a giant rabbit?
Donnie Darko- speaking of giant rabbits… 🙂 Remember part of it takes place during Halloween.
Beetelgeuse, Little Nicky, and Monkey Bone- nothing like a crazy trip to the other world!
Casper- of course! (I’m thinking of the live-action one that came out a few years ago)
Ghostbusters- DUH!
Nightmare Before Christmas- good enoug to be mentioned again
Hocus Pocus- probably on TV right now.
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street– you know, the thing that really gets me in the mood is violent bloodshed put to song!
A Charlie Brown Halloween- watch it on your laptop while waiting for the Great Pumpkin. 🙂
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Comment by minetruly October 11, 2008 @ 7:02 pmI was thinking back and recalled exactly WHY “Gremlins” is not on my list. I have zero interest in seeing it, and I’ve realized that this is because I could NOT make it through to movie or the book.
The movie freaked me out when the gremlin got chopped up in the garbage disposal. To this day, I have zero interest in owning a garbage disposal or being in a kitchen that has a garbage disposal. I didn’t make it past that scene.
The book freaked me out when the death of the father was described. “Then they started to notice the smell…” Yeah, that did me in.
If you want to scare the spine out of a kid, show them Gremlins. Or give your favorite young bookworm the book. *shiver*
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Comment by minetruly October 11, 2008 @ 8:50 pmlol, good nominations, minetruly
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Comment by American Elephant October 12, 2008 @ 10:15 am“Arsenic and Old Lace” is the absolute best. But who didnt quake in their boots right along with Don Knotts when the organ started playing in “The Ghost and Mr. Chicken”.
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Comment by magicuserjade November 1, 2008 @ 3:00 amDRACULA 1931,FRANKENSTEIN 1931,THE WOLFMAN 1941 THE MUMMY ????
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Comment by Mad Bluebird May 3, 2009 @ 11:39 am