20 Halloween Flicks, Made for Tv Movies, and Cartoons

Sick of watching the same scary movies every year? I am.

A year ago, I made some recommendations for great movies to watch during the Autumn/Halloween season. And this year, I'm back with the scary! 2007's suggestions included, Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein, Clue, Hocus Pocus, Monster Squad, Evil Dead, Murder By Death, Nightmare Before Christmas, Sleepy Hollow, Secret Window, The Village, The Goonies, and The Shining.

This year, I've widened the scope of what kinds of movies you might enjoy during the season, and undoubtedly there's something here for everyone, including kids. One reason for the variety is that Halloween specific movies are really tough to find in rental stores this time of year. So I've even offered some YouTube suggestions if all else fails! So read on, laugh a few of these off, and let your interest be piqued by the others!

Classic Scares

The Wolfman (1941)
Admittedly, I had a crush on Lon Chaney Jr. as a kid, so this suggestion is a little biased. But this movie has all the atmosphere you could ask for in a spooky classic, and pretty much acts like a tutorial for anyone unfamiliar with classic werewolf movie myths.

Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
This is a MUST SEE. This movie is both side-splittingly funny and unsettling. And to top it all off, it all takes place on a windy October evening. It's Cary Grant how you've never seen him before in this Halloween classic.

House on Haunted Hill (1959)
The recent remake of this movie was rotten, so give the Vincent Price original a spin. Much of it is laughable, but the plot acts like a mystery, and there's at least one scare that REALLY got my heart racing, I'm embarrassed to say. And I'd bet money that it'll get you too.

The Haunting (1963)
This movie terrifies me. There are jump scares, creepy concepts, and some terrifying camera work. This movie was yet another victim of the rampant remake craze, but watch this one with the lights off late at night, and you just may be sorry. This is a perfect Halloween date movie.