51 My Favorite Fall Movies for Halloween
Not all of these movies are horror, they might be comedy, spoof, thriller, sci-fi, anime or even kids movies. They may not even be timed for "Autumn", but the colors in the movie fit better for this time of year. Enjoy! They are in no particular order.
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- DirectorGeorge A. RomeroStarsDuane JonesJudith O'DeaKarl HardmanA ragtag group of Pennsylvanians barricade themselves in an old farmhouse to remain safe from a horde of flesh-eating ghouls that are ravaging the Northeast of the United States.I scream at the police not to shoot at the end every time. The original will always be the best of this constantly remade film.
- DirectorNeil JordanStarsBrad PittTom CruiseAntonio BanderasA vampire tells his epic life story: love, betrayal, loneliness, and hunger.
- DirectorStephen SommersStarsBrendan FraserRachel WeiszJohn HannahAt an archaeological dig in the ancient city of Hamunaptra, an American serving in the French Foreign Legion accidentally awakens a mummy who begins to wreak havoc as he searches for the reincarnation of his long-lost love.
- DirectorGore VerbinskiStarsJohnny DeppGeoffrey RushOrlando BloomBlacksmith Will Turner teams up with eccentric pirate "Captain" Jack Sparrow to save his love, the governor's daughter, from Jack's former pirate allies, who are now undead.Again, the first film is always the best.
- DirectorJoel SchumacherStarsJason PatricCorey HaimDianne WiestAfter moving to a new town, two brothers discover that the area is a haven for vampires.
- DirectorJoe DanteStarsZach GalliganPhoebe CatesHoyt AxtonA young man inadvertently breaks three important rules concerning his new pet and unleashes a horde of malevolently mischievous monsters on a small town.Despite the setting is Christmas, this movie does better for the scare around Halloween time. Keep nuking those Gremlins with a little side of popcorn!
- DirectorSam RaimiStarsBruce CampbellEllen SandweissRichard DeManincorFive friends travel to a cabin in the woods, where they unknowingly release flesh-possessing demons.Army of Darkness has nothing on the original two movies that are simply demented. This is what this series was all about.
- DirectorSam RaimiStarsBruce CampbellSarah BerryDan HicksAsh Williams, the lone survivor of an earlier onslaught of flesh-possessing spirits, holes up in a cabin with a group of strangers while the demons continue their attack.More of the same. The beginning of an incredilble "Boom stick" era.
- DirectorDon CoscarelliStarsA. Michael BaldwinBill ThornburyReggie BannisterA teenage boy and his friends face off against a mysterious grave robber, known only as the Tall Man, who employs a lethal arsenal of unearthly weapons.Has more suspense and and overall since of creepiness than simply gore or a scare factor. The whole series was pretty good. Something about the original just... ...grabs you and stays with you.
- DirectorDean DeBloisChris SandersStarsJay BaruchelGerard ButlerChristopher Mintz-PlasseA hapless young Viking who aspires to hunt dragons becomes the unlikely friend of a young dragon himself, and learns there may be more to the creatures than he assumed.Black dragon. Forest scenes... OK, I admit it! Forest scenes make me think of Fall and Autumn! I can't help it! Stilll a great movie.
- DirectorDon CoscarelliStarsJames Le GrosReggie BannisterAngus ScrimmMike, now released from a psychiatric hospital, meets with Reggie, and discover his dreams (the events of the original film) are real, and they both journey to find and stop the evil Tall Man from his grim work.More balls, need I say more?
- DirectorJim WynorskiStarsRobert VaughnTeri CopleySteve AltmanThe nephew of a librarian must go collect a 200 year old book, "The Book of Ulthar." that should have never been checked out by the Evil Count Orlock cause one of the spells in it could bring about the end of the world. During his trip to the castle, he meets Marissa, a gorgeous rock star and heir to the castle's fortune. There they must confront the only other heir to the fortune and the book, Uncle Byron; and Uncle Byron and his 3 adopted nieces all have very, very, very broad smiles.What no picture? Funny movie that spoof many popular horror movies, with Angus Scrimm cast! Silly, silly antics keep the pace going on this one. You'll either laugh, or slap yourself in face wondering why you're watching it!
- DirectorSteve MinerStarsWilliam KattKay LenzGeorge WendtA troubled writer moves into a haunted house after inheriting it from his aunt.Original is the creepiest.
- DirectorPeter JacksonStarsMichael J. FoxTrini AlvaradoPeter DobsonAfter a tragic car accident that kills his wife, a man discovers he can communicate with the dead, and he uses that gift to con people. However, when a demonic spirit appears, he may be the only one who can stop it from killing the living and the dead.First half is a comedy, the second half is an awesome thriller mystery!
- DirectorPeter YatesStarsKen MarshallLysette AnthonyFreddie JonesA prince and a fellowship of companions set out to rescue his bride from a fortress of alien invaders who have arrived on their home planet, Krull.Campy movie, still love it after all these years.
- DirectorClive BarkerStarsAndrew RobinsonClare HigginsAshley LaurenceA woman discovers the newly resurrected, partially formed, body of her brother-in-law and lover. She starts killing for him to revitalize his body and escape the demonic beings that are pursuing him after he escaped their underworld.
- DirectorRidley ScottStarsSigourney WeaverTom SkerrittJohn HurtThe crew of a commercial spacecraft encounters a deadly lifeform after investigating a mysterious transmission of unknown origin.The first movie that had me run out of the room when I was probably EIGHT.
- DirectorLang ElliottStarsTim ConwayDon KnottsTrisha NobleScotland Yard sends a goofy pair to check on foul play at a mansion outside 1920s London.Campy movie with Don Knotts and Tim Conway as they solve a mystery that doesn't really need solving! Fun to the end. Commentary is great too!
- DirectorJonathan LynnStarsEileen BrennanTim CurryMadeline KahnSix guests are anonymously invited to a strange mansion for dinner, but after their host is killed, they must cooperate with the staff to identify the murderer as the bodies pile up.Think we need more background thunder and lightning in this movie...
Watch with all three endings. Another dark silly mystery movie from the 1980's where more hidden sub-plots pile up than the dead bodies! - DirectorTim BurtonStarsJohnny DeppChristina RicciMiranda RichardsonIchabod Crane is sent to Sleepy Hollow to investigate the decapitations of three people; the culprit is legendary apparition The Headless Horseman.Great twist to the old American folktale!
- DirectorTim BurtonStarsJohnny DeppFreddie HighmoreDavid KellyCharlie, a young boy from an impoverished family, and four other kids win a tour of an amazing chocolate factory run by an imaginative chocolatier, Willy Wonka, and his staff of Oompa-Loompas.I know I'm nearly alone in loving this movie, but there IS a Halloween scene in this movie too. Plenty of spoofs to add to the already known plot. If it was any closer to the book, Wonka would have been jumping up and down in the speeding boat and we'd have seen square candies that look round... No mention of losing an Oompa Loompa to the fizzy lifting drinks who was too polite to belch! Oh well. A great adaptation in my eyes anyway.
- DirectorChuck RussellStarsShawnee SmithKevin DillonDonovan Leitch Jr.A deadly entity from space crash-lands near a small town and begins consuming everyone in its path. Panic ensues as shady government scientists try to contain the horrific creature.An update to the original film, but with a different twist. It did have a few campy moments.
- DirectorIrvin S. Yeaworth Jr.Russell S. Doughten Jr.StarsSteve McQueenAneta CorsautEarl RoweAn alien lifeform consumes everything in its path as it grows and grows.The first "horror" movie that really scared me... when I was 5!
- DirectorDavid YatesStarsDaniel RadcliffeEmma WatsonRupert GrintAs Harry Potter begins his sixth year at Hogwarts, he discovers an old book marked as "the property of the Half-Blood Prince" and begins to learn more about Lord Voldemort's dark past.Yeah, it ends on a sad note, but the whole cavern with the water, the undead and the boat is just so "Castlevania" is too cool to NOT have in this list.
- DirectorTim BurtonMike JohnsonStarsJohnny DeppHelena Bonham CarterEmily WatsonWhen a shy groom practices his wedding vows in the inadvertent presence of a deceased young woman, she rises from the grave assuming he has married her.
- DirectorTim BurtonStarsAlec BaldwinGeena DavisMichael KeatonThe spirits of a deceased couple are harassed by an unbearable family that has moved into their home, and hire a malicious spirit to drive them out.My favorite movie ever. Period. I once played the "Day-O" song from my cell phone (in my shirt pocket) at the dinner table once and my wife and I had the kids looking at use like we were nuts singing along!
- DirectorHenry SelickStarsDanny ElfmanChris SarandonCatherine O'HaraJack Skellington, king of Halloween Town, discovers Christmas Town, but his attempts to bring Christmas to his home causes confusion.Can you tell I like Burton's style?
- DirectorTim BurtonStarsMichael KeatonJack NicholsonKim BasingerThe Dark Knight of Gotham City begins his war on crime with his first major enemy being Jack Napier, a criminal who becomes the clownishly homicidal Joker.No not really scary, but the scenes where the bat-mobile speeds through the forest of tall skinny trees with leaves scattered along the path just really sets the timing for this favorite Batman movie.
- DirectorMike MitchellStarsMike MyersCameron DiazEddie MurphyRumpelstiltskin tricks a mid-life crisis burdened Shrek into allowing himself to be erased from existence and cast in a dark alternate timeline where Rumpelstiltskin rules supreme.Witches.... witches... and MORE witches! YES!!! The only time we really see an army of witches in the Shrek series with a real vengence. I almost mentioned Shrek 3...in the list, but 4 outdoes 3 by a long shot. (as far as my list is concerned)
- DirectorTim BurtonStarsMia WasikowskaJohnny DeppHelena Bonham CarterNineteen-year-old Alice returns to the magical world from her childhood adventure, where she reunites with her old friends and learns of her true destiny: to end the Red Queen's reign of terror.
- DirectorJames AlgarClyde GeronimiJack KinneyStarsBing CrosbyBasil RathboneEric BloreAn animated adaptation of "The Wind in the Willows" followed by an adaptation of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow".It's Obvious. Though "We'll be going to nowhere in particular" has an addictive jingle to it...
- DirectorGene WilderStarsGene WilderGilda RadnerDom DeLuiseTwo radio voice actors are getting married. Larry has fits of fear. A shrink needs 36 hours to scare him to death and cure him - during a family reunion at a scary family castle.Silly, but already a classic.
- DirectorWolfgang ReithermanClyde GeronimiDavid HandStarsRickie SorensenSebastian CabotKarl SwensonA poor boy named Arthur learns the power of love, kindness, knowledge and bravery with the help of a wizard called Merlin in the path to become one of the most beloved kings in English history.
- DirectorTed BermanRichard RichStarsGrant BardsleyFreddie JonesSusan SheridanA young boy and a group of misfit friends embark on a quest to find a dark magic item of ultimate power before a diabolical tyrant can.
- DirectorTim JohnsonKarey KirkpatrickStarsBruce WillisGarry ShandlingSteve CarellA scheming raccoon fools a mismatched family of forest creatures into helping him repay a debt of food, by invading the new suburban sprawl that popped up while they were hibernating...and learns a lesson about family himself.Yeah, it's themed a summer movie, but with the grilling and the forest scenes...and all the animals... and raccoon versus the bear. Almost seems it could fit during the college football season. Plus the villian reminds me too much of my own mother in a few ways...
- DirectorPeter JacksonStarsElijah WoodIan McKellenOrlando BloomA meek Hobbit from the Shire and eight companions set out on a journey to destroy the powerful One Ring and save Middle-earth from the Dark Lord Sauron.(Sigh)... yeah, all the forest fight scenes by the river, plus the Ringwraiths really help set a forbidding mood - despite the book being much more upbeat overall. Hate we missed the Willow Tree fight. Oh well.
- DirectorRalph BakshiStarsChristopher GuardWilliam SquireMichael ScholesThe Fellowship of the Ring embark on a journey to destroy the One Ring and end Sauron's reign over Middle-earth.
- DirectorMartin RosenJohn HubleyStarsJohn HurtRichard BriersRalph RichardsonHoping to escape destruction by human developers and save their community, a colony of rabbits, led by Hazel and Fiver, seek out a safe place to set up a new warren.The first cartoon movie to really "scare" or unnerve me. Guess it was the blood on the animals when they fought each other...and one or two of the rabbits die. Still a wild movie even after all these years.
- DirectorBrad SilberlingStarsBill PullmanChristina RicciCathy MoriartyAn afterlife therapist and his daughter meet a friendly young ghost when they move into a crumbling mansion in order to rid the premises of wicked spirits.
- DirectorBarry SonnenfeldStarsAnjelica HustonRaul JuliaChristopher LloydCon artists plan to fleece an eccentric family using an accomplice who claims to be their long-lost uncle.
- DirectorPete DocterDavid SilvermanLee UnkrichStarsBilly CrystalJohn GoodmanMary GibbsIn order to power the city, monsters have to scare children so that they scream. However, the children are toxic to the monsters, and after a child gets through, two monsters realize things may not be what they think.Monsters, check. CGI, check. Famous voice actors? Check. They do scare Boo... once. Great for the whole family.
- DirectorRob ReinerStarsCary ElwesMandy PatinkinRobin WrightA bedridden boy's grandfather reads him the story of a farmboy-turned-pirate who encounters numerous obstacles, enemies and allies in his quest to be reunited with his true love."I'm not left handed!" - but I think my son is going to be... another famous Billy Crystal cameo. Ya know, the novel wasn't as humorous as the movie... but a good read.
- DirectorToyoo AshidaStarsKaneto ShiozawaMichie TomizawaSeizô KatôWhen Doris Lang is chosen as the next bride for the vampire Count Magnus Lee, she will hire a mysterious vampire hunter known only as D in an attempt to escape her ill-gotten fate.
- DirectorIsao TakahataStarsShinchô KokonteiMakoto NonomuraYuriko IshidaA community of magical shape-shifting raccoon dogs struggle to prevent their forest home from being destroyed by urban development.I LOVE raccoons, but this definitely a movie best watched around Halloween. You'll understand once you see it! It is a bit long, and moves along more like a documentary as told by the raccoon themselves. Great obscure older Ghibli film!
- DirectorPaul W.S. AndersonStarsChristopher LambertRobin ShouLinden AshbyThree unknowing martial artists are summoned to a mysterious island to compete in a tournament whose outcome will decide the fate of the world.Very dark, a little campy, and very predictable. Probably the best game to movie rendition we've ever had. "GET OVER HERE!"
- DirectorHayao MiyazakiStarsDaveigh ChaseSuzanne PleshetteMiyu IrinoDuring her family's move to the suburbs, a sullen 10-year-old girl wanders into a world ruled by gods, witches and spirits, and where humans are changed into beasts.My kids love this movie. Ghosts and all. Another unpredictable Ghibli film where you wonder how it's going to end!
- DirectorSteve BoxNick ParkStarsPeter SallisHelena Bonham CarterRalph FiennesWallace and his loyal dog, Gromit, set out to discover the mystery behind the garden sabotage that plagues their village and threatens the annual giant vegetable growing contest.Spoof city! Funny and wonderfully made movie! There's not a member of the family that doesn't like this one! "Beware... the MOON!" Plenty of British humor that's not lost in the heart of Dixie!
- DirectorBill MelendezStarsPeter RobbinsChristopher SheaSally DryerThe Peanuts gang celebrates Halloween while Linus waits for the Great Pumpkin.
- DirectorIvan ReitmanStarsBill MurrayDan AykroydSigourney WeaverThree parapsychologists forced out of their university funding set up shop as a unique ghost removal service in New York City, attracting frightened yet skeptical customers.Yeah, more a summer movie, but bustin' ghosts is better around Halloween, right?
- DirectorPeter MedakStarsGeorge C. ScottTrish Van DevereMelvyn DouglasAfter the death of his wife and daughter in a car crash, a music professor staying at a long-vacant Seattle mansion is dragged into a decades-old mystery by an inexplicable presence in the mansion's attic.The perfect movie to watch at night curled up with someone else. Yeah, it's a haunted house, but this movie has completely different twist than you'd expect.
- StarsSteve BlumWendee LeeKotono MitsuishiThe adventures of an eccentric ghostbusting company.No it's not a movie... A too short-lived Japanese series with unusual characters fend off monsters, vampires and ghouls in a Ghostbuster-like fashion! Hate it ended. Only 4 episodes.