Top 20 Best Halloween Movies of All Time

With October 31st fast approaching I figured I’d better get my butt in gear and put together my list of the best Halloween movies of all time. I am a huge movie buff, and horror in particular is a favorite genre of mine. However, though horror movies are the most popular at this time of year, I know that families also like to sit down together and watch a Halloween favorite or two once the kids have returned from pillaging the neighborhood for candy. With that in mind I’ve tried to balance my list with both classic terror films and family friendly films that kids can watch without having nightmares afterwards. Here are my picks of the greatest Halloween films ever made:

20 – Bride of Frankenstein - One of the most popular Halloween costumes of all time, the Frankenstein monster certainly deserves more than one spot on this list. Bride of Frankenstein is considered by many classic horror movie fans as the best movie made about the Frankenstein monster, and stars horror movie king Boris Karloff who delivers another powerfully chilling performance.

19 – Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit - Probably a lot of people reading this list haven’t even heard of this film, but despite its relative obscurity it is fully deserving of its high spot on this list. Though the absent-minded inventor and his dog previously starred in 4 short films this is the first full length movie featuring the duo. The movie is great fun for kids, and has plenty of laughs for adults as well, particularly those who appreciate British humor.

18 – Pooh’s Heffalump Halloween Movie - Any movie with the word Heffalump in it is guaranteed to be a kid’s movie. This one is purely for the kids (unless you are a closet Winnie the Pooh fan) and will keep them still instead of destroying the house under the influence of a super sugar buzz.

17 – Nosferatu - Max Schreck stars as Count Graf Orlok in this classic vampire tale based on the legend of Dracula. Despite the fact that this is a silent film it remains to this day, more than 80 years after its release, one of the creepiest movies ever made.

16 – An American Werewolf in London - We’ve had vampires, witches, ghosts, demons, and Frankenstein. It just wouldn’t be right to compile a list of the best Halloween movies ever and not include a werewolf movie. Sorry Teen Wolf fans, this one gets the nod as the best werewolf flick.

15 – Beetle Juice - Arguably Michael Keaton’s best comedic performance, this film was one of the best movies of the 80s. Tim Burton directs this live action film that resembles in parts his animated films like Corpse Bride and The Nightmare Before Christmas. This is a great family film that is good any time of year.

14 – The Omen - If I was making a list of the creepiest movie children then Damien from The Omen would merit a high spot. Any time religion is introduced in a horror movie plot the tension just seems to thicken that much more, and Damien, as a walking, talking Antichrist makes one of the most chilling, disturbing villains in horror film history.

13 – Friday the 13th - No surprise that my number 13 spot would be occupied by this particular film. This film franchise has spawned tons of sequels, and the hockey mask wearing killer Jason Voorhees is arguably the most famous horror movie villain of them all. However, in the original classic it is his mother doing the killing as she avenges her (once) dead son.

12 – Bedknobs and Broomsticks - Another timeless Disney classic starring Angela Lansbury Bedknobs and Broomsticks is a fantastic family film in the spirit of Mary Poppins that can be enjoyed by the whole family. This is definitely one of those rare films that becomes part of annual family Halloween traditions, much like It’s a Wonderful Life at Christmas time.

11 – A Nightmare on Elm Street - If anyone can give Jason Voorhees a run for his money as Hollywood’s most recognizable killer it is Freddy Krueger, the “burnt up like a weenie” sweater and hat wearing dream killer with metal claws. Definitely don’t let the kids watch this one or they won’t sleep for a month.

10 – Night of the Living Dead - As far as I’m concerned there couldn’t be a better choice to mark our entrance into the top 10 Halloween movies. As good as Dawn of the Dead is it is this 1968 low budget black and white zombie flick that is George A. Romero’s masterpiece. This film definitely should have a spot of honor in any horror fan’s DVD collection.

9 – The Thing - No other horror movie scared me more as a kid than John Carpenter’s 1982 thriller/horror The Thing. This time it is a shape shifting alien that is doling out the carnage, and it is doing so in particularly gruesome ways.

8 – The Nightmare Before Christmas - Tim Burton’s best work to date, in my opinion, this film can be watched at both Halloween and Christmas time. It is certainly quirky (what Tim Burton movie isn’t?) and might not be every adult’s cup of tea, but the kids will absolutely love it and will demand to watch it again and again.

7 – Rosemary’s Baby - Now we are getting to the seriously disturbing movies on the list. If your goal of Halloween horror movie watching is being scared, creeped out, or emotionally disturbed then this 41 year old film will more than meet your needs.

6 – The Shining - Stephen King and Jack Nicholson team up to deliver one of the most chilling films ever seen on screen. Written by the legendary horror novelist and starring one of the best actors of the past 40 years The Shining stands up as one of the true classics of the genre, and was an easy choice for a top 10 spot on this list.

5 – The Legend of Sleepy Hollow - Originally part of Disney’s The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad this 1958 short film is one of the legendary animation company’s scariest releases. Yes, it falls on the family side of the ledger on this list, but be prepared for a few nightmares after your kids watch this one.

4 – Psycho - Alfred Hitchcock’s horror masterpiece about a demented motel manager who kills his guests features the most famous murder scene in Hollywood history. Anthony Perkins is perfectly cast as killer Norman Bates. This movie has truly withstood the test of time and stands up well even today when much of society has become numb to the shock factor of horror movies.

3 – The Exorcist - No other movie on the list is as disturbing as this one. As I mentioned earlier horror movies just seem that much creepier when religion is the central theme. This film is not for the faint of heart, and many may find themselves feeling physically ill and/or severely emotionally disturbed at the content of this movie. To a guy that might sound like a ringing endorsement for the perfect Halloween movie, but be warned that your wife or girlfriend might be less than impressed.

2 – It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown - The best family Halloween film in my opinion. No, it is not a full length movie, but despite its short length it is fully deserving of its number 2 nod. This is definitely a short film that should be part of every family’s Halloween tradition, and is one of those rare animated shows, like The Grinch Who Stole Christmas that you can watch every year and never get tired of.

1 - Halloween - There was only one clear choice to take top spot on the list of the best Halloween movies of all time. Not only does its title share the same name as the trick or treating day, but it is also one of the scariest movies ever made, features the scariest music in a movie, and has a villain in Michael Myers that is one of the most terrifying ever created. If, for some reason, you’ve never seen this film and you are looking for a classic horror movie to scare yourself silly this October 31st then look no further. Horror films don’t get any better than this.