The Best Halloween Films

The Addams Family tagline is simple and sums up the cult classic: "Creepy. Kooky. Spooky. Ooky." The story follows this weirdly fun family when a conman inserts into their midst as the long-lost brother of Gomez Addams (Raul Julia) and uncle to the family - uncle Fester (Christopher Lloyd). The question lingers: could this Fester be a fake, part of a diabolical scheme to raid the Addams fortune, or he finally found his way home? Other talented names involved in the film include Anjelica Huston and Christina Ricci. A sequel followed the film two years later, The Addams Family Values, if you’re interested in some more morbid fun. Deservingly, the Addams Family was nominated for an Oscar for the best costume design.

We believe the best of Halloween Films list is not just about the scary titles. Ghostbusters is a much beloved cult comedy you're never too old for watching. It has ghosts, ghouls and a few other monsters, a lot of slime - all ingredients for a good Halloween film. Evergreen cast includes Billy Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis and Ernie Hudson as the main cast, but it is complimented with other great names like Sigourney Weaver and Rick Moranis. DVD and Blu-ray editions are packed with interesting content including deleted scenes, Slimer mode ‘picture in picture’, multi-angle shots, commentaries and so much more.

Released from prison following his mother’s murder, Henry supplements his job as an exterminator with a series of violent, indiscriminate murders. Crazed drug dealer and fellow jailbird Otis provides Henry with a willing accomplice. As Henry begins to form a tentative bond with Otis sister Becky events spiral towards a chilling and violent conclusion. Henry’s character is loosely based on the real-life serial killer Henry Lee Lucas, who claims to have killed up to 3,000 people. It remains unverified, but he was at the centre of 11 murder cases. Also, he blamed being bullied as a child as part of the reason he became a killer (later recanted his statement for serial killings).

The belief in evil – and that evil can be cast out. From these two strands of faith, author William Peter Blatty and director William Friedkin wove The Exorcist, the frightening and realistic story of an innocent girl inhabited by a malevolent entity. Based on a book which is on the other hand based on real life of a boy named Roland Doe who was possessed by demons in 1949. Roland Doe’s exorcism was so terrifying that there have been books written on people who witnessed it. DVD and Blu-ray edition both come packed with abundance of special features you can enjoy, from Extended Director's Cut to The Fear Of God documentary.

Serial killers are often a topic flirting with the horror genre, and especially those more famous – perfect entry for the best Halloween Films list. Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer (Jeremy Renner) was vilified when authorities discovered he’d murdered, dismembered, and even tried to consume the bodies of 17 young men in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Inspired by true life events, it takes you into the demented world of this lonely factory worker and examines the ways his twisted personal pain led to the most self-destructive extremes of human cruelty. Exactly what you’d be looking for in a late night film screening, right?

Texas Chain Saw Massacre most certainly classifies under the horror classics, and the best Halloween Films list wouldn’t be complete without it. First released to a shocked public in 1974, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre has a deserved reputation as a compelling part of a new wave of American horror films. Terrifyingly dark and based on factual events, Tobe Hooper’s controversial and chillingly atmospheric film involves the tragedy that befell a group of five teenagers one summer afternoon. This film is loosely based on America’s infamous serial killer Ed Gein and nine human skin masks found in his possession at the time of his arrest.

True story may be the scariest ones, and that’s why another entry comes here way to the best Halloween Films list. Two young lovers are savagely beaten and tortured on a back-country road in Arkansas; three weeks later, two more people are killed in a similar way. When Deputy Norman Ramsey fears, a pattern is developing he calls upon the help of Texas Ranger J.D. Morales. A series of murders in the 1940s, called the Texarkana Moonlight Murders, were carried out by the so-called Phantom Killer. Over a ten-week period, the Phantom Killer murdered eight people… and the killer was never found.

On a black and unholy Halloween night years ago, little Michael Myers brutally slaughtered his sister in cold blood. But for the last fifteen years, town residents have rested easy, knowing he was safely locked away in a mental hospital - until tonight. Tonight, Michael returns to the same quiet neighbourhood to relive his grisly murder again... and again... and again. For this is a night of evil. Tonight is Halloween!

Films based on real people have an additional factor of scariness about them and that’s why there are few of them on the best Halloween Films list. Maybe it’s the fact that somebody out there actually committed these crimes. 30,000 people are reported missing in Australia every year. Most are found within a month. Some are never seen again. Three young backpackers – Liz, Kristy, and Ben – set out to explore Wolf Creek, a remote volcanic crater deep in the Australian outback. Miles from anywhere their car breaks down and, as night falls, the trio are forced to accept help from a passing stranger. This film is loosely based on two men, Ivan Milat and Bradley John Murdoch and their crimes.

The Girl Next Door-unfolds in a quiet suburban town in the summer of 1958 and is another perfect title for the best of Halloween Films list. 12-year old David Moran discovers that his neighbours have adopted two girls recently orphaned in a terrible car crash, leaving them in the care of their mentally unstable aunt Ruth. Aunt’s hostility towards the two girls soon escalates from verbal insults to physical abuse, involving her three young sons, the neighbourhood children. It’s loosely based on a real-life victim, Sylvia Likens, who was tortured and eventually killed by Gertrude Baniszewski in 1965. DVD edition comes with a special featurette that takes you further into this disturbing story

Welcome to the best Halloween Films entry based on a true story, or at least a legend. The Carter family are crossing the desert wastes of American heading for California when a group of savage cannibals attacks them. With the aid of their Alsatian dogs, the part of the Carter family start to turn the tables and revering to their own primitive instincts, they start to wipe out the cannibals. Wes Craven wrote the script after getting inspired by the legend of Alexander ‘Sawney’ Bean, the head of a 16th century clan of cave-dwellers. The legend is that they lived in the caves for 25 years, and ate estimated 1,000 people before they were found out.

Based on true events, The Conjuring tells the thrilling story of ghost hunters Lorraine and Ed Warren (Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson) – one of the ghost stories that deserve to be on the best Halloween Films list. The Warrens are helping a family terrorised by an evil spirit in their mysterious farmhouse. Ed and Lorraine Warren are real life paranormal investigators and they’re inspiration once again in The Conjuring 2, investigating the Enfield Haunting – the most documented case in paranormal history. DVD and Blu-ray editions are packed with excitement, including a special features called Scaring the "@$*%" Out of You: Director James Wan (Saw, Insidious), welcomes you into his world and gives an inside look at the secrets that scare the '@$*%' out of moviegoers time and time again. Perfect Halloween title, right?

The best horror films list is not just about monsters, serial killers, or ghosts. How can an ordinary profession like stomatology be scary? Well, think again. Dr Alan Feinstone (Corbin Bernsen) is a Beverly Hills dentist and is mad about perfection. Everything in his world, from his wardrobe to his marriage, must be as clean, neat, and orderly as a row of perfect teeth and when one fateful day things aren’t just so, the good doctor turns nasty… very, very nasty. The film is based on a dentist who turned out to be a serial killer. Not a nice thought for your next visit to the dentist?

Tucker and Dale vs. Evil deserve much more love than they’re getting, on screen and off, so this is certainly one of the best Halloween films to be on the list. We all know slasher stories what happens to teenagers when they go partying in the woods, but this satire turns the plot upside down. Tucker and Dale seem like regular hillbillies on vacation when they stumble upon a group of teenagers ready for camping in the nature. The story starts to evolve when accidental mishaps make them believe the hillbillies are murders. We highly recommend DVD or Blu-ray edition where you also can watch the insightful making of documentary.