Out of all of Freeform’s movie marathons throughout the year, the Halloween ones are arguably the best. This October, Freeform is putting on a spooktacular 31 Nights of Halloween rather than their usual thirteen, featuring many of the classics from The Nightmare Before Christmas to Monster House, but one beloved film is missing: Halloween Town. Now that boils down to the real question: what halloween movie is the best? We’ve compiled a list of some of the best which include, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Halloween Town, Hocus Pocus, and Monster House.
In Nightmare Before Christmas, Jack Skellington and the citizens of Halloweentown try and put on their own form of Christmas to satisfy Jack’s needs, but they fail drastically. After this disaster, Jack realizes that Halloween is his holiday and that he is the only one who has mastered it. Some people have a problem with Christmas being involved in a Halloween movie, but we think that Tim Burton and Disney excelled in blending the two holidays while placing the focus on Halloween. This blending of holidays is why The Nightmare Before Christmas makes our list.
Now let's move on to a movie that is most definitely a classic: Hocus Pocus. This Halloween staple will be played almost every day on Freeform during their marathon. The festive story connects the older sacred tradition of All Hallows Eve to the current day secular holiday of Halloween. The film starts with three witches casting a spell while they are being hanged. This spell lets them come back on Halloween night years later when a few high school age kids sneak back to the only place where the witches can come back: the Sanderson house. The rest of Halloween night for these teens is filled with a talking cat who helps the kids wrangle up these witches as they discover discover a modern Halloween. The kids learn to trust each other and work together to make the goofy witches go away for all of eternity. The placement of the story is in a modern Halloween setting with a twist on the All Hallows Eve of the past.
Lastly, Monster House makes the all time animated-family horror film. It centers around three kids and the old, run-down house of their neighbor, “Old Man Nebbercracker” (Steve Buscemi, the crankiest man in town who enjoys terrifying the neighborhood kids. Any toy that lands on his lawn will be snatched and taken in his hands forever. DJ (Mitchell Musso), Bones (Jason Lee), and Chowder (Sam Lerner) find out that Nebbercracker isn’t the only thing creepy about the house, but that it has a life on it’s own, which they found out when fighting to get back Chowder’s beloved football. A good Halloween movie doesn’t have to be about witches or skeletons when haunted house are a major Halloween festivity, something Monster House certainly proves.
Each of these Halloween movies not only hold nostalgia for the old-timers who grew up watching these classic movies but bring joy to children in the Halloween season. Although we have listed some of our favorites above, they may not necessarily be yours. While the ‘best’ Halloween movie is ultimately up to personal preference, this thrilling holiday tradition of family-friendly movies gives everyone the opportunity to celebrate halloween in the comfort of their own home.
By Ethan Rutter and Priscilla Thong
In Nightmare Before Christmas, Jack Skellington and the citizens of Halloweentown try and put on their own form of Christmas to satisfy Jack’s needs, but they fail drastically. After this disaster, Jack realizes that Halloween is his holiday and that he is the only one who has mastered it. Some people have a problem with Christmas being involved in a Halloween movie, but we think that Tim Burton and Disney excelled in blending the two holidays while placing the focus on Halloween. This blending of holidays is why The Nightmare Before Christmas makes our list.
Now let's move on to a movie that is most definitely a classic: Hocus Pocus. This Halloween staple will be played almost every day on Freeform during their marathon. The festive story connects the older sacred tradition of All Hallows Eve to the current day secular holiday of Halloween. The film starts with three witches casting a spell while they are being hanged. This spell lets them come back on Halloween night years later when a few high school age kids sneak back to the only place where the witches can come back: the Sanderson house. The rest of Halloween night for these teens is filled with a talking cat who helps the kids wrangle up these witches as they discover discover a modern Halloween. The kids learn to trust each other and work together to make the goofy witches go away for all of eternity. The placement of the story is in a modern Halloween setting with a twist on the All Hallows Eve of the past.
Lastly, Monster House makes the all time animated-family horror film. It centers around three kids and the old, run-down house of their neighbor, “Old Man Nebbercracker” (Steve Buscemi, the crankiest man in town who enjoys terrifying the neighborhood kids. Any toy that lands on his lawn will be snatched and taken in his hands forever. DJ (Mitchell Musso), Bones (Jason Lee), and Chowder (Sam Lerner) find out that Nebbercracker isn’t the only thing creepy about the house, but that it has a life on it’s own, which they found out when fighting to get back Chowder’s beloved football. A good Halloween movie doesn’t have to be about witches or skeletons when haunted house are a major Halloween festivity, something Monster House certainly proves.
Each of these Halloween movies not only hold nostalgia for the old-timers who grew up watching these classic movies but bring joy to children in the Halloween season. Although we have listed some of our favorites above, they may not necessarily be yours. While the ‘best’ Halloween movie is ultimately up to personal preference, this thrilling holiday tradition of family-friendly movies gives everyone the opportunity to celebrate halloween in the comfort of their own home.