With Halloween and fall in full effect, the uncanny magic of the spooky season is charming. As a chronic autumn and comfort film lover, here are some of the best and most iconic films to watch in October, because nothing screams Halloween spirit more than an enjoyable movie.
5. “Nightmare Before Christmas”
This beloved Tim Burton classic entails a charismatic Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town, who grows tired of his town’s repetitive traditions and discovers a cheery Christmas town. He then desires to conquer Christmas Town by taking Santa Claus’ place. Throughout this film, Jack learns how to overcome his yearning to become somebody he is not and learns to stabilize his sense of self. The melancholy tone and beautiful stop-motion animation of this film capture the perfect addictive, unsettling atmosphere that most Halloween lovers would enjoy.
4. “Over the Garden Wall”
Though “Over the Garden Wall” is not a movie, it is a must-watch show for October. The show is a surprisingly profound and intense experience as its animation style and storyline focus solely on Halloween. This ten-episode show on Hulu begins with two brothers, Wirt and Greg, who journey across a mysterious forest to try and find their way back home. The unnerving storyline includes dry, dark humor and unnerving scenes that carry the viewer along Wirt and Greg’s exciting journey. Eventually, the show ends with a heart-wrenching lesson of unconditional love between siblings. This show appeals to those who appreciate complex character development and enjoy a good scare.
3. “Corpse Bride”
“Corpse Bride” is another delicately crafted Tim Burton animation featuring Victor, a man in an arranged marriage with a woman named Victoria. As Victor rehearses his vows in a forest, he places a ring on what appears to be a branch that belongs to the finger of a dead bride named Emily. Emily is then brought back to life under the notion that she will marry Victor. The Victorian aesthetics of this movie’s animation style amplifies the bewitching and strange storyline, with nuanced emotions of each character’s tragic perspectives. Those who enjoy mournful love stories will enjoy this movie.
2. “Spirited Away”
“Spirited Away” is a visually stunning animated film by Hayao Miyazaki that captures the supernatural journey of Chihiro, a girl who has just moved into a new town with her parents. When her father takes a shortcut route to their new house, they are blocked by a mysterious tunnel. Through the tunnel, what seems to be an abandoned town is a bathhouse for spirits. Chihiro finds her place in a world filled with powerful spirits and learns that her love can conquer even the most extraordinary curses. The art in this film is almost poetic in its dreaminess, but the attention to detail is truly implausible. “Spirited Away” possesses lesser fragments of Miyazaki’s signature gentleness in its art, as its outlandish and oddly disturbing scenes set it apart as a more chilling film than his other works. As a child watching this film, I never appreciated the tenderness of the plot’s message and was instead terrified of the spirits. However, this movie is universally appealing and its beauty is sublime.
1. “Coraline”
“Coraline” is a whimsical claymation film about a curious young girl named Coraline who moves into a new apartment. Upon discovering a secret door, she crawls inside and discovers an alternate reality in which her Other parents provide her with everything she dreams of. When Coraline decides that this reality is not as ideal as she would hope, she questions the intentions of her Other parents. Although this film is based on an incredible book, it adds complexities to worldbuilding and attention to detail that the book leaves open to an expansive interpretation. Anybody who would be interested in the overarching child-like wonder that this film emulates while also retaining its elements of horror would have a wonderful experience with “Coraline.”
