With Halloween falling on a Monday this year, that means that most of us don’t have the luxury of partying the night away and rolling out of bed the next day in a costume. For most people, they’ll be heading back to work on November 1st after handing out some candy or trick or treating with their kids. For me, I’ll be handing out candy, carving some Jack O’Lanterns, and watching movies.

There’s something magical about Halloween night, no matter the weather, the time, or the people. Even in 2020 when trick-or-treaters were at an all-time low around my neighborhood, the magic was still there. So when you’re hanging out at home for Halloween, you’ve gotta have a kickass lineup of movies to watch. There’s an incredibly easy choice to make for at least one of the movies, especially if you’ve looked at my Halloween Movie Marathon lists from 2022, 2021, and 2020. John Carpenter‘s Halloween makes for the ultimate Halloween watch for a variety of reasons. It’s still terrifying, it follows a Halloween night, and is perfect to keep pausing and restarting because of trick-or-treaters.

That one is a given, but the real question comes with what movies go before Halloween, or after. In years past, I’ve always watched Halloween II right after Halloween, however, with the release of Halloween (2018), there’s a new route. Since that movie (and the following two movies) reset the timeline once again, that adds a different marathon finish. Then again, with Halloween, you can pick whatever you want because the movies always fall on that holiday.

Other Solid Options For Frights, Family, And Entertainment

What about if you have kids around? What’re your options then? Maybe you’ve got Trick-or-treaters coming around and hanging out, and then going out? Scooby-Doo On Zombie Island is a fantastic way to get kids into all things spooky. The movie is scarier than the average Scooby-Doo story and features some fantastic performances from Adrienne Barbeau, Frank Welker, and even Mark Hamill. For adults, it’s got humor, some nice scares, and an inventive plot with werewolves, ghosts, and quicksand. Throwing this one on isn’t like your normal “kiddie” Halloween movie.

For everyone out there, Halloween is always a good choice. When the sun goes down and depending on where you live, the fog rolls in, the sound of trick-or-treaters fills the air, while the movie is slow in the beginning, the costumes keep coming, candy gets handed out, then things pick up. As the trick-or-treaters trickle down as the night gets later, Michael Myers and the movie pick up.

For even greater effect, keep the lights off and just have Jack O’lanterns lighting the room. By the time Halloween is over, you’ll be ready for your choice: Halloween II, Halloween (2018), or something else?

What’s your choice for Halloween night? What movies are you going to watch?

For more on Horror, make sure to check out Fright-A-Thon, the 61-day Halloween content marathon.

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