Ah, movies, once the first production is a banger, they are remade repeatedly, only to get worse and worse, trying to produce the same effect. This happens in every genre, especially horror, and sometimes it is best to stop cringing over the bad and retrace back to the good ‘old masterworks! Here are, in no particular order, some of the top classical Halloween movies to watch this spooky season!

The first on this list is Pet Cemetery, which originally was a book by Stephen King. Suppose you want scary visuals and a dramatic plotline. Stephen King’s book was published in 1983, and the movie was released in 1989. This movie would be the first of many Steven King’s books to be put into the film. It is characterized as a supernatural horror film. The premise is that a father, who had lost his cat, takes advice from his new neighbor to bury it in the nearby cemetery. The movie is full of intense moments that will chill down your spine.

On a very different note, next up is The Nightmare Before Christmas. I say very different because this is more of a musical than a movie. Its stop-motion animation style is very artsy and has more of a story and much less of a scary one. The idea of this movie is that the King of this “Halloween Town” happens upon “Christmas Town.” He gets inspired by this town and wants to bring it to his people to lighten the mood, but this causes some issues. Overall, this movie, created by Tim Burton in 1993, is a beautiful film to watch that’ll put you in the Halloween spirit.

Last on this list, but certainly not least, the most original thriller of them all, The Shining. Now, if you haven’t watched this gem before, it is heavily suggested that you do so if you’re not faint of heart. This movie was also originally a book written by Stephen King in 1977, and it was put into motion and classified as a psychological horror film in 1980. The rundown of the movie starts during the winter with a family goes to stay in a hotel in the middle of nowhere. Now somehow, an evil spirit follows them and turns the father into a manic, but the son of the family, a psychic, foreshadows and flashbacks these events. This is a classic eerie thrasher, perfect for Halloween-themed slumber parties.

That concludes some of the few, but some of the best, classic horror movies that should be on your watch list this October. So, grab some friends and popcorn and enjoy these ghostly films this Halloween!