It’s the second of October and that means the spooky season is upon us again. In the words of Marnie Piper from Halloweentown, “Halloween is cool.” The only downside of Halloween is that it only lasts one night, which is why I wanted to write this post. Because I believe that Halloween shouldn’t just be celebrated for one night.
In today’s post I’m giving you movie, TV show, and activity recommendations as well as a spooky playist for you to enjoy and help you make the most out of the spooky season. While I’m not a fan of horror and gore, I do always enjoy watching something a little creepy or kooky every now and then. So let’s start with the movies . . .
Scooby Doo on Zombie Island
For me, Scooby Doo is nostalgic Fall/Halloween time television. Growing up I was a fan of the TV series and movies but my absolute favorite Scooby Movie is Scooby Doo on Zombie Island. It follows Scooby, Shaggy, and the gang as they travel to New Orleans, Louisiana to investigate whether or not a pepper plantation is haunted by the ghost of a mysterious sea captain. At first, the gang isn’t convinced, but the longer they stay at the plantation the more they realize that maybe just maybe this investigation could be real.
Hocus Pocus 1 & 2
If you’re not watching Hocus Pocus at least a hundred times in October are you even celebrating Halloween? The Sanderson Sisters are iconic for a reason. Just in case you don’t know, this movie’s about a boy named Max who moves from Los Angeles, California to Salem, Massachusetts just before Halloween. By sheer accident Max lights the black flame candle and awakens three witches who were killed hundreds of years ago and the adventure begins to stop them from eating the children of Salem. The second Hocus Pocus movie is now streaming on Disney Plus and I can honestly say, if you’re a fan of the first film, you’ll like it too.
Casper
It just wouldn’t be Halloween without Casper the friendly ghost and the first Casper movie is one of my favorites to watch at this time of year. It’s about a specialist and his daughter who move into a creepy old house in Maine that Casper and his fellow ghost uncles haunt. Casper falls in love with the daughter at first sight but finds that starting a relationship with a living girl might be more challenging than he thought.
The Addams Family
They’re creepy and they’re kooky . . . The Addams Family is not your typical family next door and that’s what makes me love them. They love all things dark and macabre and in the movie they’re reunited with a man claiming to be Uncle Fester who’s been missing in the Bermuda Triangle for 25 years. At first the family believes him, but the more they get to know him, the more they begin to question: is this really Uncle Fester?
Crimson Peak
If you’re looking for a spooky movie that won’t give you nightmares but will definitely creep you out, this is the movie for you. It’s about a girl named Edith who marries the mysterious Thomas Sharpe after her father is suddenly killed. When Edith moves to Thomas’s manor, Crimson Peak, she begins to see things and as she gets closer to the truth she realizes that maybe the real monsters are closer than she thinks.
The Village
In a strange village in the middle of the woods, an entire community is cut off from the rest of the world because of mysterious creatures who live in the forest that surrounds them. The only way to stay safe is to never go into the woods. And most of the villagers obey until one of the villager’s daughters gets sick and the boy who loves her must decide to travel to the next town for help or to stay out of the woods.
Halloweentown
When Marnie’s grandmother comes to visit on Halloween night, Marnie and her siblings are super excited. But when her mom and grandmother disagree and the grandmother leaves, they go after her – only to be transported into the quirky town of Halloweentown. Halloweentown is a place where monsters, ghosts, and witches can live safely together in harmony. But when something sinister begins to threaten Halloweentown, it’s up to Marnie and her family to save them all.
Twilight
Girl moves to Forks, Washington. Girl meets vampire. Girl falls in love with vampire. Now, girl is in danger. That’s basically the plot of Twilight in a nutshell. I know that this is not a spooky movie, technically, but the first Twilight film is just so dark, gray, and gloomy that I had to include it on this list. I highly recommend watching this movie when the sky’s all cloudy and it’s raining outside. It’ll totally give you cozy Halloween vibes.
Mom’s Got a Date with a Vampire
When the Hansen kids get grounded they get their mom a date so they can sneak out. Everything seems ok until the youngest brother begins to suspect that the man they set their mom up with is actually a vampire. Now it’s up to the kids to save their mom before it’s too late. Because this was a Disney Channel Original Movie, it’s definitely kind of cheesy, but it’s also really cute and perfect to watch on an October night.
Don’t Look Under the Bed
Frances is your average teenager who doesn’t believe in supernatural things like the boogeyman. But when destructive pranks begin happening around her and she begins getting the blame, she realizes that maybe the culprit is closer than she thinks. Maybe the culprit is hiding just under her bed.
R.L. Stine’s Haunting Hour: Don’t Think About It
This next film is another cheesy one, but it will totally get you in the Halloween mood. It’s about a gothic girl named Cassie whose family has just moved to a new town. Cassie loves all things scary including scaring people, especially her little brother. In an attempt to scare him, she reads him a strange book called The Evil Thing and awakens the monster inside the book. When the monster kidnaps her brother and the school bully, it’s up to Cassie and the school golden boy to save them. This movie will give you all the nostalgic, Halloween feels.
Edward Scissorhands
A weird scientist builds a gentle monster named Edward Scissorhands and then suddenly dies. Left alone, a saleswoman discovers Edward and brings him to live with her and her family in the suburbs. Although Edward is kind and gentle, he’s still considered a monster, but as Edward falls in love with the saleswoman’s daughter, he decides to embrace his new surroundings.
Van Helsing
This next film follows famous vampire hunter, Van Helsing, as he travels to Transylvania to track down and kill Dracula. While there he meets Anna, the last of an ancient Romanian family, and discovers that her brother (a newly transformed werewolf) is being held prisoner by Dracula for a sinister experiment that could destroy them all. The only ones who can stop him are Van Helsing and Anna, but can they stop him before it’s too late?
Monster House
This movie is about three friends who believe that a creepy house in their neighborhood is actually a living creature that wants to harm children. So on Halloween night, in an attempt to protect the trick-or-treaters, the friends hatch a plan to destroy the house – but can they destroy it before it destroys them?
Corpse Bride
In this movie Victor (who is engaged to be married) goes into the forest to practice his wedding vows. While there, a tree branch transforms into a hand and carries him to the land of the dead where he meets Emily, a bride who was murdered on her wedding day. Emily wants to marry Victor but all Victor wants is to get back to the land of the living and his own bride. Will he make it back to his bride-to-be or will he have to marry a corpse bride?
The Woman in Black
This movie is for all Harry Potter fans. It stars Daniel Radcliffe who plays a London solicitor who travels to a small town to sell a creepy old house located in a marsh. Once he arrives, he learns from the locals that the house is cursed – haunted by a lady in black who once she’s seen causes bad things to happen to the children in town. While working late, the solicitor sees the lady and the whole town is in danger. Can the woman in black be stopped before she claims another victim? You’ll just have to watch it to find out.
Winchester
This film is based on the story of Sarah Winchester, heiress to the Winchester gun manufacturer fortune. Sarah is plagued by ghosts in her San Jose, California mansion. In an attempt to get rid of the ghosts, she begins to add more and more rooms to the mansion with staircases that lead to nowhere and doors that open to brick walls. When the Winchester company hires a doctor to examine Sarah, he quickly realizes that maybe Sarah’s not crazy. Maybe her house is really haunted and maybe he’s the only one who can save her.
Hotel Transylvania
Out of all the movies on this list, this is one of the most fun ones to watch. It’s about Count Dracula and his daughter, Mavis, who run a hotel for monsters deep in the Transylvanian mountains. Everything seems to be going fine for Dracula until a human boy stumbles into his hotel – and falls for his daughter. Now, Dracula has to figure out how to keep his customers happy and how to keep the boy away from his daughter.
Now that we’ve gone through all the movies, let’s talk about TV shows . . .
Stranger Things
There’s no better time to watch or rewatch Stranger Things than during the spooky season. In case you’ve never seen it, it’s about a group of friends growing up in the 1980s who meet a mysterious girl named Eleven who has telekinetic powers. As they search for answers, the kids unravel a series of intriguing and sinister mysteries that have the potential to put them all in danger.
Goosebumps
This series is an OG spooky show because every millenial will remember watching it in the early 90s. Based on the books by author R. L. Stine, each episode tells a different scary story and while they’re not actually scary they’re the perfect creepy show to watch if you’re craving a bit of nostalgia. I highly recommend watching these episodes first: The Haunted Mask, The Werewolf of Fever Swamp, and The Night of the Living Dummy.
Riverdale
This next show is loosely based on the Archie Comics, but trust me, it’s better than it sounds. It begins with the murder of a high school student named Jason Blossom and continues with Archie and his friends trying to figure out who murdered him. This show is perfect to watch in October because it begins in the Fall and has the murder mystery aspect to keep you guessing. And you’ll never believe who actually killed Jason.
Wolfblood
Have you ever wondered if werewolves are real? This show will have you reconsidering if they are. It’s about a girl named Maddie Smith whose family is a pack of werewolves (or wolfbloods as they’re called on the show) trying to keep what they are secret in their small town. Maddie is able to fool everyone until a new boy named Rhydian arrives at her school and threatens her world. How? By being a wolfblood himself. Will everyone find out Maddie and Rhydian’s secrets.
Once Upon a Time
While this show is not exactly creepy or kooky, it’s definitely worth diving into at this time of the year. It follows the story of a little boy named Henry who believes that his adopted mother is the Evil Queen from the Snow White story. He also believes that everyone in his town (the town of Storybrooke) is actually a fairytale character who’s been cursed by the Evil Queen. In an attempt to save Storybrooke, Henry goes to find his birth mother, Emma, who just might be the only one who can save them all. But can he get her to believe him?
The Vampire Diaries
Halloween time is the best time to watch or rewatch The Vampire Diaries because the show has just the right amount of creepiness to hold your attention. It’s about a girl named Elena whose parents were killed in a car crash. As she goes back to school, she catches the attention of the new guy in town – the new guy with a lot of secrets, including the fact that he’s actually a vampire. Fans of Twilight will absolutely love this show because not only does it have multiple good-looking vampires, it has a love triangle that will keep you hooked.
Pretty Little Liars
When I was in high school this was the show everyone watched. It follows five best friends who love keeping secrets from everyone, including each other. When one of them disappears the girls begin receiving strange text messages from an anonymous “A” who threatens to expose all of their secrets. The closer the girls get to finding out who “A” is, the closer they also get to finding out what really happened to their friend, Allison, and to realizing that maybe Allison was never really their friend to begin with.
The Originals
The last show on the list is actually a spin-off of The Vampire Diaries. The Originals follows Klaus, a vampire/werewolf hybrid, who returns to New Orleans to investigate rumors about a plan to destroy him and his family. While there, he runs into his former protege, Marcel, who has taken over as leader of the vampires and who feels threatened by Klaus’s return. The show ultimately becomes a war between Klaus’s family and Marcel, forcing Klaus to form an alliance with witches. But will that be enough for him to reclaim the city?
Honorable Mention: Wednesday
I had to put an honorable mention show on the list – Wednesday. This show premieres on Netflix on November 23, 2022 and it follows Wednesday Addams as she navigates life at a new school, Nevermore Academy. While there, she tries to master her psychic powers and stop a town-wide killing spree. Tim Burton created this show so you know it’s going to have just the right amount of creepiness.
- Visit a haunted house
- Carve or paint a pumpkin
- Have a scary movie marathon weekend
- Paint your nails black
- Browse your local Halloween store
- Buy a new Halloween mug
- Make a spooky-themed charcuterie board
- Visit your local bookstore and find a scary book to read
- Find a Halloween dessert recipe on Pinterest and try to make it
- Decorate your house for Halloween
- Pick out a Halloween costume
- Go to or host a Halloween party
- Watch all the Harry Potter movies and eat some Halloween candy
- Wear a bed sheet with some glasses and have a ghost photoshoot
- “Freaking Me Out” by Ava Max
- “Monster Mash” by Bobby Pickett
- “Thriller” by Michael Jackson
- “Haunted” by Taylor Swift
- “I Put a Spell on You” by Bette Midler
- “Ghostbusters” by Ray Parker, Jr.
- “Superstition” by Stevie Wonder
- “Somebody’s Watching Me” by Rockwell
- “The Addams Family” theme song
- “Wolves” by Selena Gomez
- “Dark Horse” by Katy Perry
- “Monster” by Hurricane Bells
- “She Wolf” by Shakira
- “The Monster” by Eminem & Rihanna
- “Disturbia” by Rihanna
- “Heads Will Roll” by the Yeahs, Yeahs, Yeahs
- “Hungry Like a Wolf” by Duran Duran
- “Ghost” by Ella Henderson
If you like this post be sure to check out My Autumn Starter Pack and let me know how you celebrate Halloween.
Verse of the Day: Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock. – Matthew 7:24
