Angel Alvarado | Oct. 27, 2026
Image of scary movie posters on a wall in San Francisco, Calif. on October 29, 2016. (Flickr/Nicki Dugan Pogue)
After partaking in Halloween festivities, whether it's costume parties, trick-or-treating or the iconic corn mazes, one might find themselves tired or socially exhausted by the revelries. Still, the night is young, and there are more ghostly vibes to catch in the form of horror films.
What makes a Halloween movie different from a regular horror movie? Is it the season in which the film takes place? Or perhaps the intentional mention of Halloween? Regardless, what should people watch for Halloween? Fret not, for The Echo has answers!
First, let's look at the difference between the two types of films. To start, Halloween’s significance varies from person to person; most of us immediately associate Halloween with the fall season, trick-or-treating, costumes, pumpkin carving, baking – All of which are fun and lighthearted.
The horror genre is designed to make its viewer feel fear, whether it be by showing fictional monsters and possessions or threats that are a possibility in the real world, like loneliness and remoteness leading to madness. Some examples could be “The Shining” (1980) or “The Ritual” (2017), though these films would not traditionally fit into the friendly and fun atmosphere Halloween has around it.
Jack Harper, a filmmaker, screenwriter, novelist and contributor to Collider, a popular entertainment website that publishes movie and TV news along with reviews and streaming guides, describes horror movies as “films that are meant to do more than just scare the viewer. The aim is to leave audiences deeply unsettled and force them to confront the most daunting aspects of our nature as human beings,” while Halloween films like “Coraline” (2009) and “Hocus Pocus” (1993) are less scary and more family-friendly.
Emerson Hood, a junior with a passion for horror films, expressed her thoughts on the difference.
“In my opinion, every horror movie can be a Halloween movie, but some are more Halloween-ish than others,” Hood said. “For example, I think movies like ‘The Others,’ ‘Crimson Peak’ and of course the ‘Halloween’ movies are Halloween movies because they’ve got a fall aesthetic and feeling to them. But I do watch other horror movies around Halloween, because there’s something inherently Halloween-ish about horror in general.”
Hood recommended many movies to watch, ranging from gothic horror to traditional Halloween films.
First up, “Crimson Peak” (2015), a gothic romance horror directed by Guillermo del Toro, follows a story set in the 19th century of Edith Cushing (Mia Wasikowska), an aspiring author who meets a charming baronet, Sir Thomas Sharpe (Tom Hiddleston), and his sister, Lady Lucille (Jessica Chastain). Following the passing of Edith’s father, Carter Cushing (Jim Beaver), she marries and moves in with Sharpe at his remote ancestral mansion, where she begins to experience alarming visions and uncovers dark secrets about her husband and his sister.
“[Crimson Peak] is a gothic horror film that I highly recommend for fans of del Toro’s ‘Frankenstein,’” Hood said. “It’s got beautiful cinematography and costume design, and a gothic romance at the center of the plot. I rewatch it every fall.”
Hood also recommends “Trick 'r Treat” (2007), an American comedy horror anthology film directed by Michael Dougherty that follows four stories that occur on Halloween night in the fictional town of Warren Valley, Ohio. They are all tied together by Sam (Quinn Lord), a childlike trick-or-treater, who upholds and punishes the breaking of traditional Halloween rules. These rules are: always wear a costume, always hand out treats, never blow out a jack-o'-lantern before midnight, always check your candy, always respect the dead, never take down your decorations before November 1st and never hurt the innocent.
“This is the Halloween movie for me,” Hood said. “An anthology film about several interconnected Halloween stories that end up intersecting in unexpected ways. It plays very nicely on classic tropes.”
Torren Mazur, a sophomore, recommends “Secret Window” (2004), a horror/mystery psychological thriller film directed by David Koepp. The film is based on Stephen King's novel, “Secret Window, Secret Garden.” The story follows Mort Rainey (Johnny Depp), a successful writer who, while going through a sullen divorce from his wife, Amy (Maria Bello), stays in a remote cabin where he is confronted by an intimidating farmer named John Shooter (John Turturro), who accuses him of stealing his short story.
“It’s a very unknown Stephen King movie with Johnny Depp,” Mazur said. “Though it’s more of a psychological horror movie.”
Kylan Gaitonde, a junior, recommends “The Lair of the White Worm” (1988), a campy horror-comedy film directed by Ken Russell, vaguely based on the 1911 Bram Stoker novel with the same title. It follows the story of Scottish archaeologist Angus Flint (Peter Capaldi), who unearths an odd and ancient serpent skull in the English countryside. His discovery rouses an immortal pagan priestess named Lady Sylvia Marsh (Amanda Donohoe), who worships an ancient snake god and starts terrorizing the locals. Lord D'Ampton (Hugh Grant), whose ancestor slaughtered the mythical snake god, joins forces with Angus to stop her.
“It's not really that good unless you have a deep passion for (young) Hugh Grant and (young) Peter Capaldi like I do,” Gaitonde said. ”But there are very queer tones to it that I enjoy, and also Peter Capaldi starts fully playing the bagpipes in a kilt at one point and both men get really bloody and start flirting.”
Olivia Wamsley, a senior, recommends “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” a stop-motion, animated musical and dark fantasy film directed by Henry Selick. The film follows Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town (Chris Sarandon and Danny Elfman), as he grows bored of the repetitive routine every year and goes searching for something new. In his venture, he discovers Christmas Town and decides to take over the holiday, which gets complicated quickly as he becomes blinded by the enthusiasm of changing things around.
“The stop-motion animation is beautifully done, and it’s a timeless classic you could watch for Halloween or Christmas,” Wamsley said.
Regardless of what movie Halloween revelers watch or how a film may be labeled, it is important to just have fun, have a laugh or a scare with one’s loved ones, or, for truly brave readers, by oneself with the lights off! Perhaps watching something new could lead one to find new Halloween classics to add to their viewing list. Feel free to recommend any more films that everyone should be haunted by.