In honor of this spookiest of holidays, we’ve created a staff picks list of our favorite Halloween movies and tv shows. While some of these might not be explicitly related to Halloween, they all give off a generally creepy vibe– perfect for everyone’s favorite holiday.
Corpse Bride (DVD 13291)
I watch Corpse Bride every Halloween because it combines three of the spookiest things I know—the undead, murder, and emotionally repressed Victorians. – India
City of Lost Children (DVD 5637)
This isn’t a Halloween movie per se and it’s not even a horror movie. But it is creep-tastic and shouldn’t be missed. Everything about it puts you on edge – directors Marc Caro and Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s obsession with dampness, the odd looking cast of characters, and the whole stealing dreams from children plot. A movie that you enjoy watching but can give you disturbing dreams – I’m not saying I know this from experience – is right for the season. Plus Ron Perlman, so it’s a must. — Sean
Coraline (DVD 7449)
For Halloween I like to watch Coraline (DVD 7449). It gets creepier every year and makes for a good Halloween costume!! — Julia
Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas (DVD 4711)
I watch this movie at least twice a year, once in the fall and once for Christmas. It’s been a family tradition since as long as I can remember and I’m a sucker for a good claymation. — Rebekah
The Shining (DVD 2168)
A Stanley Kubrick take on a Stephen King novel, watch Jack Nicholson’s descent into insanity as he takes up a job as the winter caretaker of an abandoned hotel resort in order to have quiet time to finish his novel. A classic and a must watch—even for those not inclined to horror movies. — Justin
The Descent (3850)
Claustrophobes beware! An all-female cast is trapped in an unexplored cave system with something else lurking in the dark. This underground horror movie perfectly exudes that desperate desire to escape from the depths of the unknown. After watching, you’ll probably want to steer clear of any caves in the near future. — Justin
The Blair Witch Project (DVD 24)
In addition to being a watershed moment for the horror genre, The Blair Witch Project was a watershed moment for 15-year-old me–I was so profoundly terrified by the film it would be three years before I watched a horror movie again. — Jean-Luc
SpongeBob SquarePants Season 1, Episode 13 (DVD 14168)
Cartoons are not the first thing that comes to mind when you think Halloween, but that would be ignoring some of the best content out there! If you want to watch something short and fun, but also a little spooky, Spongebob is the obvious answer. Also the part where Spongebob’s costume came off at the end was terrifying as a kid (and even a little now). — Judy