Whether you’re looking for some family-friendly thrills or a truly-terrifying horror, you’ll find just the film you’re looking for in our countdown of the 7 greatest Halloween movies of all time.
# 6: Casper
We begin with some PG-rated spookiness from 1995. A much-loved Harvey Comics’ character makes his big screen debut in Casper, the film about a friendly ghost who can’t help but scaring people. It’s charming, funny and made movie history as the first live action film to have a CGI character in the starring role. Though not exactly scary, this flick will keep all the family happy.
Our Favourite Quote: ‘Uh. . . boo?’
# 5: Hocus Pocus
Another one for all the ‘90s kids, Hocus Pocus is a cult classic that sees Sarah Jessica Parker take to the big screen as one of a trio of witches. After being executed in Salem 300 years ago, the witches are now accidently awoken by unsuspecting teen Max Dennison. Cue some lol-worthy antics as Max tries to stop the witches from stealing the souls of Salem’s children. It’s Disney doing what Disney does best: making all the family laugh.
Our Favourite Quote: ‘You know I’ve always wanted a child. And now I think I’ll have one – on toast!’
# 4: Halloween
Far from the family-friendly thrills of Casper and Hocus Pocus, we have Halloween. Even though it’s getting old, this horror will still have you hiding behind your pillows and too afraid to sleep with the lights off. It tells the story of Michael Myers who, after killing his sister Judith on Halloween night 15 years ago, has now escaped from a mental hospital. Prepare to watch him to wreak havoc on the Midwestern town on Haddonfield, Illinois, once more.
Our Favourite Quote: ‘Death has come to your little town, Sheriff.’
# 3: Ghostbusters
We couldn’t mention Halloween films without mentioning Ghostbusters. This big ‘80s blockbuster is about the guys to call when something strange is in the neighbourhood. In recent years, it’s seen another massive spike in interest thanks to the release of a Ghostbusters Triple Slime online slots game (which, by the way, is pretty fun to play).
Our Favourite Quote: ‘Sorry, Venkman, I’m terrified beyond the capacity for rational thought.’
# 2: Shaun of the Dead
Though not technically a movie about Halloween, we think Shaun of the Dead has enough zombies in it to enter our countdown. It’s the tale of Simon Pegg trying to turn his life around during a zombie apocalypse in London. It stands as one of the most-loved British comedies of all time and proves not all horror parodies are flops (yes, we’re looking at you, Scary Movie).
Our Favourite Quote: ‘Take car. Go to Mum’s. Kill Phil – sorry. Grab Liz. Go to the Winchester, have a nice cold pint, and wait for all of this to blow over.’
# 1: The Exorcist
Claiming the number one spot in our countdown of the greatest Halloween movies is The Exorcist. This Academy-Award winning horror tells the story of a 12-year-old girl possessed by demons. It’s one of the scariest things to come out of the ‘70s, and even made Martin Scorsese’s personal list of the 11 scariest horror films of all time. But what makes this movie truly disturbing? The fact that it’s inspired by a real exorcism carried out on a young American boy in the late 1940s.
Our Favourite Quote: ‘What an excellent day for an exorcism.’
Now you know the greatest Halloween movies to watch, it’s time to grab the popcorn and press play. Oh, and we hope you have a dead good Halloween!
Categorised in: Horror Movies
This post was written by Nadia Vella