Oct 26

Oct 26 7 fun horror movies for Halloween 2023

The spooky season has begun, and I’m back with another horror movie list for Halloween! My last list was about two years ago, and it was 7 horror movies to watch counting down for a week to Halloween. This list is slightly different than my prior list…

Think… fun horror movies to watch anytime (especially Halloween). I have no real excuse for making this list besides simply being a film lover to an almost unhealthy degree (having taken many film studies courses; my years spent working at an indie movie theater; and my years working with a local film festival)

My reason for this list is simply for the fun of it, and for those “fun” horror movies to get their moment. I’m a horror fan, and right now is every horror fan’s time to shine. It’s Halloween, baybeee! So here I am, and here’s 7 fun horror movies to watch for Halloween 2023. Expect a little nuance here, because we’ve all seen the classics… you’ve… you’ve seen the classics, right?

Totally Killer (2023)

Imagine your mom is a literal final girl who survived her own slasher horror scenario. That's the general idea of this movie. The mother's daughter goes back in time to stop the murders of her mom's friends. I just have to say… bring back fun horror movies!

We used to watch horror movies for a little laugh and a scare! Think Scream, Happy Death Day, I Know What You Did Last Summer. Totally Killer is a whodunit and a slasher mixed with so many funny parts! For that reason, this movie is perfect fun horror, and lucky for you, it just came out this month!

Streaming on Prime Video.

The Craft (1996)

I may have watched this movie at a very formative time in my life, but I swear its still good outside of nostalgia. This film’s iconography is thanks to it’s dark academia aesthetic mixed with that 90s whimsy-goth witchiness. Its an aesthetic I aspire to to this day. I'm always punching for the fashion in this movie, and I rewatch it annually.

Let it be known, its only a horror movie… if you’re not a witch (hehehe).

Now as an adult watching it, it’s clearly trying to convince you that witchcraft can be good or evil, but I can say with full certainty that this afterschool special didn’t make witchcraft less cool, you know? And I have to confess, as a kid my cousins and I would play the game from the movie, “light as a feather, stiff as a board” for fun at sleepovers. It's a must-watch for Halloween every year.

streaming on Hulu

Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022)

This movie is like if every Tiktok influencer got trapped in a murder house. I often hear Gen X and older Millennials say this is a Gen Z film, but its aimed at the late twenties kids, almost parodying post-college grad cuspers.

This horror whodunit is perfect for anyone who still hate-hangs with their friends from college, which is a true horror, no movie necessary. If you’re looking for a laugh, or even a movie starring Pete Davidson, Bodies Bodies Bodies is perfect. It’s a great time, and everyone who likes to be scared but also confused should watch this, right now!

Streaming on Prime Video

Cobweb (2023)

Sorry everybody, this one’s actually scary! It’s fun though, because it messes with you. I think that movies based around the Halloween season are important to the genre! This film got a really limited release because it came out during Barbie (2023), and Oppenheimer (2023). Unfortunately, it was also a horror movie pinned against the filmmaking juggernauts, A24, with their latest blockbuster horror, Talk To Me (2023).

And well… This is gonna be problematic, but I enjoyed this one a little more than Talk To Me, and I think it deserves more hype, hence it made the list!

Finally, streaming on Hulu!

Practical Magic (1998)

This movie is perfect for the fall season, especially end of september or early october. My sister and I used to watch this movie all the time because we had it on VHS as kids. It just gives me nostalgia for a place I’ve never been.

Its set on an island on the east coast, and the two sisters are descendants of a witch who put a spell on her family to never fall in love, so naturally anytime any of the women in the family fall in love, their love dies. My favorite fact about the movie is that the house was just a set built for the filming. It's devastating, really, because its my dream to move into the Practical Magic house.

Anyway, its witchy, its sisters, its fall, and it has a Halloween scene at the end! Additionally, it's scary, but it leans more drama, so I think a kid could watch this and not have nightmares.

Now streaming on Max (aka, hbo max lol)

Elvira’s Haunted Hills (2001)

You have to watch a movie with horror’s leading lady. Elvira is an iconic woman, and I love how cool she is! This film is just a fun little haunted horror in a medieval castle. Elvira is obviously a babe, and I loved the cheeky humor throughout. If you’re looking for a laugh, not a scare, this one is definitely for you! (Also if you’ve gotten this far, here’s a little secret… I’m dressing as Elvira for Halloween 2023!)

Free to stream on Pluto TV, Youtube, Tubi, and Prime Video.

Mars Attacks! (1996)

This one is just very ridiculous, but I think that we’ve heard so much about aliens the last couple years, that its a good time to rejuvenate the alien horror genre! Mars Attacks is star-studded, and a quintessential 90s film. I personally love the 60s space babe aesthetic in parts of it. I love a good alien movie, but this one is borderline absurd, and its a cult classic. The martians grabbed camp by the throat. If you love space invaders, Roswell desert vibes, and beehive hairstyles, give it a watch!