The 25 Best Halloween Movies of All Time

This movie's inclusion on any and all Halloween lists is a no-brainer. Not only does it namecheck the holiday in the very title, but it's a standard bearer in the horror genre. Directed by auteur John Carpenter, Halloween tells the story of child psychopath Michael Myers, who is locked away after murdering his 15-year-old sister at the age of 6. He breaks out 15 years later, hell-bent on murdering his other sister, Laurie, played by preeminent scream queen Jamie Lee Curtis.

Waiting until Halloween to make another trip up to the lab with this camp classic may make you shiver with antici...

...pation.

A staple of midnight screenings the world over, the film focuses on Janet (Susan Sarandon) and Brad (Barry Bostwick), a repressed couple who stumble upon Dr. Frank-N-Furter's sexy, scary castle on a dark and stormy night. Come for the B-movie thrills and laughs; stay for Tim Curry's impeccable eye shadow game.

This Oscar-winning possession parable still chills. Directed by William Friedkin, this thriller about a young mother (Ellen Burstyn) who tries to exorcise her young daughter (Linda Blair), is brimming with old-fashioned scare shots and a highly quotable script, plus kitschy practical effects that still manage to rival some of today's CGI.

Into sentiment over scares? This holiday version of the beloved Peanuts comic strip is the one for you. Blanket-bearing Linus waits up for the mythical Great Pumpkin while Charlie Brown frets about going to a Halloween party. Spoiler alert: Everything turns out just fine for everyone.

A trio of high-school girls at a Catholic prep school who dabble in witchcraft welcome a new girl with actual powers (Robin Tunney) in this film. Think of it as Heathers with spells. Featuring a pitch-perfect, sinister performance by Fairuza Balk as Nancy, The Craft easily scores as the scariest of the high-school-outcast tales.

Is this a Halloween movie or a Christmas movie? Unclear. So why not watch it from October to December, just in case? Tim Burton's at times gentle, at times sinister stop-motion musical focuses on Jack Skellington, the king of Halloween Town, whose efforts to bring Christmas Town home produce disastrous results.

Three words: buttons for eyes. This stop-motion masterpiece is a cautionary tale for anyone who has ever thought the grass might be greener (through the hidden door in the bricked-up passageway). Coraline, voiced by Dakota Fanning, feels neglected by her parents and stumbles upon an idealized version of her world where everyone has, yes, buttons for eyes and treats her nicely. But, just like in Hotel California, you can check out any time you want—but Other Mother (Teri Hatcher) will make sure you never leave.

Here's a campy–scary kids' stalwart that holds up surprisingly well. Anjelica Huston is in top form as Ms. Eva Ernst, the powerful Grand High Witch, who turns a boy into a mouse. This film, based on the Roald Dahl book, is probably the only scary movie to ever be set at a witches' convention.

Offering perhaps the best reason for never befriending your neighbors, this psychological horror classic focuses on a newlywed (Mia Farrow) who becomes mysteriously pregnant and begins to suspect that her neighbors have designs on her baby. Featuring a deliciously creepy turn by Ruth Gordon, this movie is a Halloween must-watch.

A Nightmare on Elm Street is Wes Craven's still-scary '80s tale of Freddy Krueger, a knife-gloved serial killer who murders people in their dreams. Watch this one if you never want to get a good night's sleep ever again.

Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy play comedic divas (fine, they're also 300-year-old witches) who spend the entire length of the film chasing a teenage virgin (fine, who has stolen their spell book) in this totally improbable cult favorite from the director of High School Musical. What's not to love?

This ribald 2012 comedy didn't get much love in theaters but if you're looking for a Halloween-themed, teen-centered answer to The Hangover, this is your best bet. Featuring Victoria Justice as a girl who loses her little brother while trick-or-treating, Fun Size is light on frights but makes up for it with a surplus of dirty jokes, gross-out gags, and other "adult themes."

This is as close to a Halloween-themed rom-com as you're likely to get. Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock play the last in their family's line of witches, who battle the disapproving members of their small town and a curse that dooms any man they fall in love with. Come for the two iconic actresses, who are clearly having a ball; stay for the even more iconic Dianne Wiest and Stockard Channing, who steal every scene as Nicole and Sandra's witchy aunts.

A legit terrifying spin on Hitchcock's creepy Rear Window, Disturbia features an actually excellent turn by Shia LeBeouf as a teen on house arrest who suspects his neighbor is a serial killer. Combing tech-fueled paranoia with old-fashioned thrills, this movie delivers scares right up to the last minute.

This franchise won't die, and neither will Laurie Strode. Jamie Lee Curtis returns to the series as the perpetual target of brother Michael Myers' murderous pursuit. Laurie faked her death and assumed a new name but Myers, who apparently dabbles as a private detective when not on murderous rampages, has tracked her down. Featuring a scream queen turn by future Oscar nominee Michelle Williams, Halloween H20 is a fun-scary modern addition to the genre.

The rare all-out Halloween comedy on the list, this Wayans Brothers film spoofs/spooks the Scream series and I Know What You Did Last Summer most directly, but leaves no horror mark unscorched. Featuring Regina Hall and Anna Faris, Scary Movie is laugh-out-loud funny, even if you've forgotten half of the movies it skewers.

This Halloween-set surreal masterpiece is about much broader themes than your standard scary movie. Disaffected teenager Donnie (a brilliant Jake Gyllenhaal) is plagued by visions of a man in a large rabbit suit. We spend the movie unsure if the strange world that Donnie inhabits—one in which he narrowly escapes death and is manipulated into committing crimes—is a product of something awry in his mind or a larger, more world-threatening event. Definitely the most cerebral Halloween pick, Donnie Darko will leave you pondering some of life's big mysteries.

Three words: Naked Jeff Goldblum.

The eccentric performer plays a nebbish of a scientist who accidentally fuses his DNA with that of a fly, as you do. Also featuring the always excellent Geena Davis, The Fly is strange and gross and perfect.

Many horror movies are about the terrible consequences of having sex, but none makes it more explicit than It Follows, an indie offering that tracks a deadly, supernatural, sexually transmitted force. Perhaps the only entry ever in the STD horror genre, this movie transcends its premise to produce consistent gory chills.

Long before The Babadook became an unlikely gay icon, it was the subject of a creepy Australian thriller. After Amelia's (Essie Davis) husband dies, she must raise their son alone. When the boy (Noah Wiseman) begins complaining of a monster under his bed, the family begins a terrifying journey with a sinister supernatural force. A movie that works on a practical as well as a metaphorical level, The Babadook is perfect for thinkpiece-themed Halloween parties.