Staying in for Halloween?
Here's your guide for what to watch
Editor's Note: We asked students to tell us what their favorite scary movies and TV shows are by ranking them on a 5-star scale. Then, we reviewed some of them to help you decide what to watch on Halloween.
Your top 5 TV shows
Stranger Things - 4 stars
American Horror Story - 4 stars
Supernatural - 3 stars
The Haunting of Bly Manor - 3 stars
Julie and the Phantoms - 2 stars
Your top 10 movies
The Nightmare Before Christmas - 4 stars
Hocus Pocus - 4 stars
Halloween (1978) - 4 stars
Hubie Halloween - 4 stars Casper- 3 stars
A Nightmare on Elm Street - 3 stars
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark - 3 stars
Us - 3 stars
The Babysitter - 3 stars
Winchester - 3 stars
Stranger Things
“This is an awesome show. The special effects are amazing, the storyline is really interesting and surprising at times, and it’s generally pretty creepy. I love that the balance between scary and fun are maintained throughout the show, and how normal and paranormal often collide and intersect. Characters are well developed throughout the show, and new characters are also skillfully integrated. Cliffhangers are not unusual to this series, but no need to balk- they’re certainly worth it. I would recommend this show tenfold to anyone looking for a good binge, and give it 5 stars.” Macey Cabral
American Horror Story
“Every season brings a new thrilling adventure, from the circus, to witches, even to the Lost Colony of Roanoke. I haven’t watched every season, but my top three would have to be Murder House, Asylum, and Coven. I recommend watching this series, but just know that the seasons are usually hit or miss. I would rate this 4 stars because for some reason (depending on the character or actor), the recasting of certain main characters playing different roles from season to season doesn’t sit right with me.” Kaylei Myers
Supernatural
“This is definitely a binge worthy show, though it will take longer than your average. I wouldn’t say it’s a scary show, but as the title suggests, it’s all about the supernatural. The first few seasons are more creepy, and they’re certainly the best. The later seasons, on the other hand, have much better special effects, but are angled toward more significant threats. The characters are really interesting, and each goes through many phases throughout the different seasons. I would highly recommend this show, but be warned- there are fifteen seasons, and once you start watching, you can’t stop. I would personally rate this one 4 stars.” Macey Cabral
The Haunting of Bly Manor
“A new nanny is hired at the Bly Manor to look after two siblings. After noticing strange behavior from the children, she soon realizes that the house is haunted. I would give it 5 stars because it took an unexpected turn for the better. It turned out to be a beautiful, emotional love story and did not end up being as scary as I had anticipated.” Kaylei Myers
Julie and the Phantoms
“This wasn’t exactly a Halloween-related show, or even a scary series for that matter, but it’s focused on a (literal) band of three ghosts that come back from the beyond to get over some unfinished business, so I felt it deserved a place on this list. It’s actually a cute show, there’s a lot of music, but also an annoying amount of clichés. It’s an easy binge though, sad at times, and I’d probably watch it again. I recommend it to those just looking for a quick low-key binge. I’d give it 3 stars. Macey Cabral
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
“This is yet another all time favorite Halloween movie. With its skillful stop-motion animation, this film tells the tale of how Jack Skellington, known as the ‘Pumpkin King’, brought Christmans to Halloween Town. It’s a creepy yet sweet movie that works for both Halloween and Christmas, which is perfect if you miss out on it for Halloween. It’s not actually scary, just a bit creepy, so it’s great to watch with younger kids. I’d give it 4 stars.” Macey Cabral
Hocus Pocus (1993)
“This is another classic Halloween movie. Set in Salem, Mass., it centers around three wicked witches from the 1600s that come back from the dead to wreak havoc and grow more powerful. It’s very funny, and ridiculous at times. I would recommend it to anyone going on a classic Halloween binge. I’ll rate it 5 stars.” Macey Cabral
Halloween (1978)
“After being locked away 15 years ago after killing his sister, Michael Myers escaped a detainment center for the criminally insane the night before Halloween. In search of his next victim, he starts to stalk a high school student who dropped a key off at Michael’s former house. I would rate this movie a 4 out of 5 stars because I felt like most scenes were kind of predictable, but I liked the old movie feel.” Kaylei Myers
Hubie Halloween (2020)
“This was a really funny Halloween film, starring a lot of famous comedians, and although it was pretty good, it did not live up to my expectations that culminated while watching the trailer. I was only slightly disappointed though, and would still recommend it to anyone wanting to watch a comedic Halloween movie. I would give it 4 stars, mainly because of the lack of action. Otherwise, it was good, and very suspenseful toward the end.” Macey Cabral
Casper (1995)
“If you haven’t seen this one before, you should watch it. This is a classic halloween movie set in Maine, it’s kid-friendly, and very funny. I’d give it 4 stars, and highly recommend it, especially if you haven’t seen it already.” Macey Cabral
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
“You’ve probably at least heard of Freddy Krueger by now (a burnt killer with a bladed leather glove) even if you haven’t watched this movie. Freddy Krueger is a character who invades people’s dreams. Basically, if you get killed by him in your dreams, you get killed in reality as well. The fear of being killed leads to insomnia for many people who have these dreams which makes them sleep longer or heavier when they do sleep. I give this movie 4 stars because it is one of those movies that really hits you psychologically. The night after I watched this movie, I was sort of hesitant to go to bed, to be honest.” Kaylei Myers
Scary Stories to Tell in The Dark (2019)
“This film follows a group of teenagers who go into a mansion on Halloween night and find Sarah Bellows, the book of a girl who used to live there, which is full of scary stories. The kids didn’t know what they had signed up for; when they opened this book full of scary stories, it spontaneously came to life. I give this movie a solid 4 stars because the graphics were splendid and the plot had me hooked almost right away.” Kaylei Myers
Us (2019)
“It all started when she went in the house of mirrors as a child. After revisiting the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk years later with her own children, not only hers, but her whole family’s doppelgangers appeared. The family’s mirror image, so to speak, followed the Wilsons’ home with the agenda of causing nothing but havoc. I would 100% recommend this movie if you enjoy suspenseful thrillers. The background music made this movie much scarier, and I also liked how a strong message was implied within the whole movie. I would give this movie 5 stars.” Kaylei Myers
The Babysitter (2017)
“This is one of the most hilarious movies I’ve seen- it’s really gruesome, and totally worth it. This one’s not super scary, but enough that I’d consider it a horror movie. I recommend it if you’re looking for something startling, but not nightmare-inducing. I’d give it 4 stars.”
Winchester (2018)
“Normally, I am not a fan of horror movies, but this was a spectacular scary movie. The ghosts made me very jumpy, and the whole storyline was also very interesting. This is inspired from the true story of Sarah Winchester, heiress to the Winchester fortune, and her obsession with building a maze-like house to supposedly trap the spirits that haunted it. I would definitely recommend this movie, though you probably shouldn’t watch it before going to sleep. Personally, I would give it 5 stars.” Macey Cabral
Your top 5 TV shows
Stranger Things - 4 stars
American Horror Story - 4 stars
Supernatural - 3 stars
The Haunting of Bly Manor - 3 stars
Julie and the Phantoms - 2 stars
Your top 10 movies
The Nightmare Before Christmas - 4 stars
Hocus Pocus - 4 stars
Halloween (1978) - 4 stars
Hubie Halloween - 4 stars Casper- 3 stars
A Nightmare on Elm Street - 3 stars
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark - 3 stars
Us - 3 stars
The Babysitter - 3 stars
Winchester - 3 stars
Stranger Things
“This is an awesome show. The special effects are amazing, the storyline is really interesting and surprising at times, and it’s generally pretty creepy. I love that the balance between scary and fun are maintained throughout the show, and how normal and paranormal often collide and intersect. Characters are well developed throughout the show, and new characters are also skillfully integrated. Cliffhangers are not unusual to this series, but no need to balk- they’re certainly worth it. I would recommend this show tenfold to anyone looking for a good binge, and give it 5 stars.” Macey Cabral
American Horror Story
“Every season brings a new thrilling adventure, from the circus, to witches, even to the Lost Colony of Roanoke. I haven’t watched every season, but my top three would have to be Murder House, Asylum, and Coven. I recommend watching this series, but just know that the seasons are usually hit or miss. I would rate this 4 stars because for some reason (depending on the character or actor), the recasting of certain main characters playing different roles from season to season doesn’t sit right with me.” Kaylei Myers
Supernatural
“This is definitely a binge worthy show, though it will take longer than your average. I wouldn’t say it’s a scary show, but as the title suggests, it’s all about the supernatural. The first few seasons are more creepy, and they’re certainly the best. The later seasons, on the other hand, have much better special effects, but are angled toward more significant threats. The characters are really interesting, and each goes through many phases throughout the different seasons. I would highly recommend this show, but be warned- there are fifteen seasons, and once you start watching, you can’t stop. I would personally rate this one 4 stars.” Macey Cabral
The Haunting of Bly Manor
“A new nanny is hired at the Bly Manor to look after two siblings. After noticing strange behavior from the children, she soon realizes that the house is haunted. I would give it 5 stars because it took an unexpected turn for the better. It turned out to be a beautiful, emotional love story and did not end up being as scary as I had anticipated.” Kaylei Myers
Julie and the Phantoms
“This wasn’t exactly a Halloween-related show, or even a scary series for that matter, but it’s focused on a (literal) band of three ghosts that come back from the beyond to get over some unfinished business, so I felt it deserved a place on this list. It’s actually a cute show, there’s a lot of music, but also an annoying amount of clichés. It’s an easy binge though, sad at times, and I’d probably watch it again. I recommend it to those just looking for a quick low-key binge. I’d give it 3 stars. Macey Cabral
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
“This is yet another all time favorite Halloween movie. With its skillful stop-motion animation, this film tells the tale of how Jack Skellington, known as the ‘Pumpkin King’, brought Christmans to Halloween Town. It’s a creepy yet sweet movie that works for both Halloween and Christmas, which is perfect if you miss out on it for Halloween. It’s not actually scary, just a bit creepy, so it’s great to watch with younger kids. I’d give it 4 stars.” Macey Cabral
Hocus Pocus (1993)
“This is another classic Halloween movie. Set in Salem, Mass., it centers around three wicked witches from the 1600s that come back from the dead to wreak havoc and grow more powerful. It’s very funny, and ridiculous at times. I would recommend it to anyone going on a classic Halloween binge. I’ll rate it 5 stars.” Macey Cabral
Halloween (1978)
“After being locked away 15 years ago after killing his sister, Michael Myers escaped a detainment center for the criminally insane the night before Halloween. In search of his next victim, he starts to stalk a high school student who dropped a key off at Michael’s former house. I would rate this movie a 4 out of 5 stars because I felt like most scenes were kind of predictable, but I liked the old movie feel.” Kaylei Myers
Hubie Halloween (2020)
“This was a really funny Halloween film, starring a lot of famous comedians, and although it was pretty good, it did not live up to my expectations that culminated while watching the trailer. I was only slightly disappointed though, and would still recommend it to anyone wanting to watch a comedic Halloween movie. I would give it 4 stars, mainly because of the lack of action. Otherwise, it was good, and very suspenseful toward the end.” Macey Cabral
Casper (1995)
“If you haven’t seen this one before, you should watch it. This is a classic halloween movie set in Maine, it’s kid-friendly, and very funny. I’d give it 4 stars, and highly recommend it, especially if you haven’t seen it already.” Macey Cabral
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
“You’ve probably at least heard of Freddy Krueger by now (a burnt killer with a bladed leather glove) even if you haven’t watched this movie. Freddy Krueger is a character who invades people’s dreams. Basically, if you get killed by him in your dreams, you get killed in reality as well. The fear of being killed leads to insomnia for many people who have these dreams which makes them sleep longer or heavier when they do sleep. I give this movie 4 stars because it is one of those movies that really hits you psychologically. The night after I watched this movie, I was sort of hesitant to go to bed, to be honest.” Kaylei Myers
Scary Stories to Tell in The Dark (2019)
“This film follows a group of teenagers who go into a mansion on Halloween night and find Sarah Bellows, the book of a girl who used to live there, which is full of scary stories. The kids didn’t know what they had signed up for; when they opened this book full of scary stories, it spontaneously came to life. I give this movie a solid 4 stars because the graphics were splendid and the plot had me hooked almost right away.” Kaylei Myers
Us (2019)
“It all started when she went in the house of mirrors as a child. After revisiting the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk years later with her own children, not only hers, but her whole family’s doppelgangers appeared. The family’s mirror image, so to speak, followed the Wilsons’ home with the agenda of causing nothing but havoc. I would 100% recommend this movie if you enjoy suspenseful thrillers. The background music made this movie much scarier, and I also liked how a strong message was implied within the whole movie. I would give this movie 5 stars.” Kaylei Myers
The Babysitter (2017)
“This is one of the most hilarious movies I’ve seen- it’s really gruesome, and totally worth it. This one’s not super scary, but enough that I’d consider it a horror movie. I recommend it if you’re looking for something startling, but not nightmare-inducing. I’d give it 4 stars.”
Winchester (2018)
“Normally, I am not a fan of horror movies, but this was a spectacular scary movie. The ghosts made me very jumpy, and the whole storyline was also very interesting. This is inspired from the true story of Sarah Winchester, heiress to the Winchester fortune, and her obsession with building a maze-like house to supposedly trap the spirits that haunted it. I would definitely recommend this movie, though you probably shouldn’t watch it before going to sleep. Personally, I would give it 5 stars.” Macey Cabral