There is no better time to hunker down for a cozy movie marathon than a chilly fall night. But the endless search for the perfect movie is always so time consuming. With the spooky season coming up, people are in need of some help to find a quality Halloween movie. So without further ado, here are five movies in separate categories, reviewed and carefully critiqued for your cinematic desires. 

Comfort Movie – It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966)

The classic 1996 film, It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, written by Charles M. Schulz, is a quintessential Halloween movie for a cozy fall night. The combination of the nostalgic cartoon quality, the cozy, familiar characters, and the fascinatingly riveting plot make it the perfect film for anyone looking to be immersed in autumn from the comfort of their couch. In the film, Charlie Brown and his crew go trick or treating, but Linus decides to wait out in the pumpkin patch to welcome “The Great Pumpkin.” Linus has full trust in the Great Pumpkin, who “rises out of the pumpkin patch he thinks is the most sincere.” Despite his friends’ mockery, Linus stays true to his belief in the Great Pumpkin, and convinces Sally, Charlie Brown’s sister,  to join in his wait. Meanwhile, arguably the greatest character in cinema, Snoopy, dresses up as a World War One flying ace. He boards his doghouse to fly through enemy fire and bravely sneaks across enemy lines, returning home a hero. The only downfall of this great piece of cinema is the slightly drawn out quality of the scenes that some may not quite have the attention span for. This short animated film is the perfect comfort movie, with a surprisingly interesting storyline. It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is a must watch, the perfect family movie to get into the Halloween spirit.

Horror Movie – IT (2017)

The well known and very highly praised Stephen King tale, IT, is one of the most uninspiring and lackluster horror films I have ever watched. This take will surely be controversial to most, but as somebody who takes horror movies seriously, there is no appeal to this movie in almost any way. The plot follows a friend group referred to as the “Losers Club” in a small town, when kids start going missing left and right. They eventually find out Pennywise, an evil clown, has been the one killing kids and causing disappearances, so they work together to overcome their fear of him and take him down as a group. Pennywise proves to be an unserious and completely laughable villain who isn’t actually all that scary. It seems that Pennywise is supposed to be slightly comical at times, but there were no scenes which actually caused any genuine fear. The different forms he takes do not serve much purpose in the story, some of them being much less scary than others. 

One of the film’s redeeming qualities is its likable characters such as Ben, and the rest of the “Loser” friend group with their heartwarming relationships, grit, and courage. The plot is weak and fairly boring especially as every jump scare has terrible CGI. Additionally, there are scenes with completely unnecessary levels of gore. In one scene, Losers Club member Beverly is in the bathroom, when the sink explodes in a fountain of blood, covering her and the entire bathroom in a disgusting and entirely superfluous display of gore. Pennywise’s role and behavior seems to be overly complicated, especially with his changing form. The jump scares also seem to be done almost the same every single time. 

The most satisfying part of the movie was the ending, which showed the Losers Club working together to take down Pennywise and ultimately succeeding, with Pennywise’s ominous last word “fear.” This film did not live up to its extremely abundant praise, but disregarding the high expectations I had, it would be an alright starting place for a beginner looking for their first horror movie.

Classic Movie – Beetlejuice (1988)

Beetlejuice, the classic 1988 Halloween film, follows recently deceased couple Adam and Barbara Maitland who haunt their old house, unable to leave. They then hire a “bio-exorcist,” Beetlegeuse, a ghostly pest who serves to aid in the removal of humans from homes of the deceased. Obviously, as a film from the late 20th century, good special effects quality were not expected, but the beyond numerous fantastical scenes were mediocre even for movies of that time. The scenes were somewhat humorous but overall it wasn’t a very captivating film. Additionally, the sets had an almost lazy quality, to the point where you could see foam, fake rock, and other unintentional props. Betelgeuse himself was very funny, but as a whole the movie became uninteresting after half an hour. 

Betelgeuse’s hilarious attempts at scaring the house’s inhabitants was the main redeeming quality of this movie, as the plot itself was somewhat boring for the standards of television nowadays. Surely when it came out, this movie would have been a hit, but placed in a time of such entertaining movie writing, its intense goofiness is really the only reason it would be worth watching. The terrible special effects quality seems to be almost satire and is entertaining in that manner. 

Overall, Beetlejuice is not worth the time for anyone born in the twenty-first century and is only glorified by adults who don’t want to admit that new age television is astronomically more entertaining than old slapstick films. If you feel a real need for a halloween classic, Hocus Pocus is another option with a similar silly and vintage quality.

Family Movie – The Addams Family (2019)

This animated remake of the original film surrounding a dark and supernatural family is a silly and charming movie. The Addams Family released in 2019 originally written by Charles Addams, is very much a children’s movie and although it may not have an entirely interesting plot, it is certainly a good movie to get into that creepy, spooky, Halloween mood. The film follows a paranormal family who live on the top of a hill, when a new housing establishment built by a reality show producer is built in the valley below. The housing creator generates rumors about the Addams family, leading the townspeople to revolt against them. When their mansion is violently attacked, the Addams’ valiantly defend their family house and the townspeople end up realizing the Addams are not actually monsters at all. The creator of the housing development gets exposed for her wrongdoings and gets her comeuppance when her reality show is canceled due to her misbehavior. The plot and dialogue is certainly slightly corny, but the various humorous characters make up for it, making the movie decently amusing. 

Overall Favorite – Halloween (1978)

Halloween is a well renowned classic horror movie about Michael Meyers, who murdered his sister when he was just six years old and went on a murderous rampage in his hometown after escaping jail 15 years later. Michael follows two teenage friends, Laurie and Annie, who each go to separate babysitting jobs, where Michael then kills Annie, her boyfriend, and then Laurie. This film proved to be shockingly entertaining for a movie made in the 70s. Michael was a great antagonist, as he was extremely mysterious and elusive throughout the whole movie. The jump scares were not too over the top, and they ended up working well. The acting was immensely impressive, to the point where it really did seem like they were genuinely terrified for their lives. Michael was very disconcerting and unsettling in his actions, and the build up of tension throughout the movie made for a very captivating hour and a half. If you enjoy horror movies, but don’t want to be traumatized, this movie is perfect, as it has the perfect combination of smart film making, good acting, and intense jump scares to make for a great watch.

For those that need a couple movies to get into the Halloween mood, It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, Halloween, and The Addams Family are the perfect autumnal films. Those who don’t want to be too scared, but want a thrill may be fond of IT, although any serious horror movie connoisseur will most likely find it boring. Finally, Beetlejuice should only be viewed by those who want an amazing 92 minute nap, or were born before the 90s. Halloween is a cozy and indubitably amazing time of year, and the best way to tap into the spooky season feeling is with a movie marathon of the best Halloween films. Get watching!