Halloween this year happens to fall on a Sunday (with the clocks going back no less!), so what better way to celebrate this spooky day than rounding up a bunch of your mates with plenty of snacks and settling in for a frightening film fest? Whether you’re a horror-film fan or just watching something to nurse your hangover, we’ve put together some of our absolute favourite Halloween movies for you to enjoy this weekend after scaring ourselves silly (for research purposes, of course!). Get your blankets, popcorn, and cushions ready because you’re going to need something to hide behind…

The Shining

Kicking off with the 80’s cult classic that is this legendary piece of Stanley Kubrick, The Shining is a solid choice for achieving all the spooky vibes on Halloween night. The film follows Jack (a recovering alcoholic and aspiring writer) and his family as they hotel-sit throughout the off-season in Colorado. As you can imagine, their time at the hotel doesn’t quite go to plan, and as Jack explores some of the out-of-bounds rooms in the hotel whilst going slowly insane from the claustrophobic environment, constant snowstorms, and eerie visions, he begins to lose his mind. This film has stood the test of time for a reason, and you may only now understand the catchphrase ‘Here’s Johnny!’.

Hocus Pocus

An iconic fan-favourite around the spooky season is Hocus Pocus, which brought us the iconic wardrobe of Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy as the Sanderson Sisters. At the time of its release, the film was seen as a total flop, although it now has hundreds of thousands of loyal fans that resurrect it each Halloween season. To summarise, a young lad moves to Salem and unknowingly awakens the Sanderson Sisters, who happened to be witches that were executed 300 years prior. They have just one night to secure their immortal existence, and what a fun night it is!

Scream

If you’re after the most perfect teen slasher movie, then this horror/thriller is definitely the one for you. Featured in many remakes and parody films (we’re looking at you, Scary Movie…), this original is wholeheartedly one to watch if you’re looking to get in the spooky mood. The infamous Ghostface scream costume shrouds the film’s killer throughout, who seems to be working their way around a group of high school friends and their families causing havoc, so you’ll have to watch through your fingers to the end to find out who’s to blame, and maybe have a friend nearby if you get too scared.

Nightmare on Elm Street

Teenagers being stalked and murdered in their dreams, leading to their murders in real life? Sounds like the perfect Halloween film plotline, right? On top of that, add a crazed character with razors for hands, and you’ve got yourself a fantastic Halloween movie - which is why Nightmare on Elm Street secured its place in horror film history as one of the scariest. With those who watched it reportedly too frightened to go to sleep for days after, you may need to pull an all-nighter after watching this one.

Have you watched any of our top picks? Or can you recommend others that deserve a shout-out? Let’s chat on our social channels. We love to hear from you.