Special Report
The Best Halloween Movies for a Good Scare, According to Fans
Published:
‘Tis is the season for the tightness-in-the-stomach, scary feeling that only a Halloween movie can bring. There are many ways to properly celebrate the spooky holiday — including carving pumpkins and eating sour candy until your tongue starts to peel — but getting in the spirit of the ghoulish season starts with watching a classic Halloween movie.
To determine the best Halloween movies according to fans, 24/7 Tempo developed an index based on audience reception using data from the Internet Movie Database and Rotten Tomatoes. The index consists of each film’s average IMDb user rating and Rotten Tomatoes audience score, each measure weighted equally. Supplemental data on cast and crew information came from IMDb. Data was collected October 2021. Only movies whose plots revolve around Halloween, or whose mise-en-scène directly relate to Halloween themes, were considered.
The 50 movies on the list cover decades of horror involving supernatural forces and terrifying serial killers, as well as kid-friendly, albeit spooky, classics, and even a lesson about what happens when the rules of trick or treating are disobeyed.
A list of the best Halloween movies, especially one where the movies are ranked by viewers, will not be complete without a few cult favorites, including one about a troubled boy plagued with visions and another about a socially awkward vet assistant obsessed with perfect hands.
Unexpectedly for some, maybe, not all of the viewers’ favorite Halloween movies are horror films or even mildly scary ones. While the plots of several films on the list revolve around the holiday, the motion pictures are comedies. So if you want a list consisting only of films with a frightening impact, you need this list of the best horror movies ever made.
Click here to see the best Halloween movies for a good scare, according to fans
50. Casper (1995)
> IMDb user rating: 6.1/10 (126,809 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 49% (381,182 votes)
> Directed by: Brad Silberling
> Starring: Bill Pullman, Christina Ricci, Cathy Moriarty, Eric Idle
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49. Night of the Demons 2 (1994)
> IMDb user rating: 6.0/10 (5,374 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 51% (4,080 votes)
> Directed by: Brian Trenchard-Smith
> Starring: Cristi Harris, Darin Heames, Robert Jayne, Merle Kennedy
48. Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2010)
> IMDb user rating: 6.2/10 (45,848 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 49% (103,546 votes)
> Directed by: Thor Freudenthal
> Starring: Zachary Gordon, Robert Capron, Rachael Harris, Steve Zahn
47. Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988)
> IMDb user rating: 5.9/10 (46,262 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 53% (69,250 votes)
> Directed by: Dwight H. Little
> Starring: Donald Pleasence, Ellie Cornell, Danielle Harris, George P. Wilbur
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46. A Cinderella Story (2004)
> IMDb user rating: 5.9/10 (83,926 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 53% (31,659,732 votes)
> Directed by: Mark Rosman
> Starring: Hilary Duff, Chad Michael Murray, Jennifer Coolidge, Dan Byrd
45. The Amityville Horror (2005)
> IMDb user rating: 6.0/10 (108,725 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 52% (360,783 votes)
> Directed by: Andrew Douglas
> Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Melissa George, Jimmy Bennett, Jesse James
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44. Murder Party (2007)
> IMDb user rating: 5.8/10 (11,191 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 57% (3,398 votes)
> Directed by: Jeremy Saulnier
> Starring: Chris Sharp, Kate Porterfield, Tess Porterfield Lovell, Puff Snooty
43. The Amityville Horror (1979)
> IMDb user rating: 6.2/10 (37,250 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 52% (86,924 votes)
> Directed by: Stuart Rosenberg
> Starring: James Brolin, Margot Kidder, Rod Steiger, Don Stroud
42. Night of the Demons (1988)
> IMDb user rating: 6.2/10 (14,919 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 55% (12,803 votes)
> Directed by: Kevin Tenney
> Starring: Cathy Podewell, Alvin Alexis, Hal Havins, Allison Barron
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41. Halloween (2007)
> IMDb user rating: 6.1/10 (112,780 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 59% (361,066 votes)
> Directed by: Rob Zombie
> Starring: Scout Taylor-Compton, Malcolm McDowell, Tyler Mane, Brad Dourif
40. Idle Hands (1999)
> IMDb user rating: 6.2/10 (41,598 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 58% (55,856 votes)
> Directed by: Rodman Flender
> Starring: Devon Sawa, Seth Green, Elden Henson, Jessica Alba
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39. Trick or Treat (1986)
> IMDb user rating: 5.9/10 (6,380 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 62% (6,771 votes)
> Directed by: Charles Martin Smith
> Starring: Marc Price, Tony Fields, Lisa Orgolini, Doug Savant
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38. When We First Met (2018)
> IMDb user rating: 6.4/10 (45,549 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 57% (898 votes)
> Directed by: Ari Sandel
> Starring: Adam Devine, Alexandra Daddario, Shelley Hennig, Andrew Bachelor
37. Goosebumps (2015)
> IMDb user rating: 6.3/10 (84,292 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 62% (52,064 votes)
> Directed by: Rob Letterman
> Starring: Jack Black, Dylan Minnette, Odeya Rush, Ryan Lee
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36. House of 1000 Corpses (2003)
> IMDb user rating: 6.1/10 (81,656 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 65% (130,915 votes)
> Directed by: Rob Zombie
> Starring: Sid Haig, Karen Black, Bill Moseley, Sheri Moon Zombie
35. Flatliners (1990)
> IMDb user rating: 6.6/10 (83,367 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 59% (62,932 votes)
> Directed by: Joel Schumacher
> Starring: Kiefer Sutherland, Kevin Bacon, Julia Roberts, William Baldwin
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34. Pet Sematary (1989)
> IMDb user rating: 6.6/10 (98,344 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 59% (97,888 votes)
> Directed by: Mary Lambert
> Starring: Dale Midkiff, Denise Crosby, Fred Gwynne, Brad Greenquist
33. Halloween II (1981)
> IMDb user rating: 6.5/10 (79,397 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 63% (77,151 votes)
> Directed by: Rick Rosenthal
> Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Donald Pleasence, Charles Cyphers, Jeffrey Kramer
32. Monster House (2006)
> IMDb user rating: 6.6/10 (108,140 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 63% (199,701 votes)
> Directed by: Gil Kenan
> Starring: Mitchel Musso, Sam Lerner, Spencer Locke, Ryan Whitney
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31. Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015)
> IMDb user rating: 6.7/10 (115,469 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 63% (89,897 votes)
> Directed by: Genndy Tartakovsky
> Starring: Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, Kevin James
30. Haunt (2019)
> IMDb user rating: 6.3/10 (24,396 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 69% (48 votes)
> Directed by: Scott Beck & Bryan Woods
> Starring: Katie Stevens, Will Brittain, Lauryn Alisa McClain, Andrew Lewis Caldwell
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29. The Hollywood Knights (1980)
> IMDb user rating: 6.3/10 (4,484 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 70% (3,208 votes)
> Directed by: Floyd Mutrux
> Starring: Tony Danza, Michelle Pfeiffer, Julius Averitt, Steve Ballard
28. Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983)
> IMDb user rating: 6.8/10 (8,856 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 64% (9,321 votes)
> Directed by: Jack Clayton
> Starring: Jason Robards, Jonathan Pryce, Diane Ladd, Royal Dano
27. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019)
> IMDb user rating: 6.2/10 (67,787 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 72% (8,248 votes)
> Directed by: André Øvredal
> Starring: Zoe Margaret Colletti, Michael Garza, Gabriel Rush, Austin Abrams
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26. Halloween (2018)
> IMDb user rating: 6.5/10 (129,434 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 70% (10,209 votes)
> Directed by: David Gordon Green
> Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer, Andi Matichak, James Jude Courtney
25. Practical Magic (1998)
> IMDb user rating: 6.3/10 (76,176 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 73% (206,479 votes)
> Directed by: Griffin Dunne
> Starring: Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Stockard Channing, Dianne Wiest
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24. Hell House LLC (2015)
> IMDb user rating: 6.4/10 (12,133 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 72% (394 votes)
> Directed by: Stephen Cognetti
> Starring: Phil Hess, Gore Abrams, Alice Bahlke, Danny Bellini
23. Lady in White (1988)
> IMDb user rating: 6.7/10 (6,564 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 69% (5,757 votes)
> Directed by: Frank LaLoggia
> Starring: Lukas Haas, Len Cariou, Alex Rocco, Katherine Helmond
22. The Guest (2014)
> IMDb user rating: 6.7/10 (96,172 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 69% (23,177 votes)
> Directed by: Adam Wingard
> Starring: Dan Stevens, Sheila Kelley, Maika Monroe, Joel David Moore
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21. Creepshow (1982)
> IMDb user rating: 6.9/10 (44,794 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 68% (39,762 votes)
> Directed by: George A. Romero
> Starring: Hal Holbrook, Leslie Nielsen, Adrienne Barbeau, E.G. Marshall
20. Trick ‘r Treat (2007)
> IMDb user rating: 6.8/10 (84,732 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 71% (31,637 votes)
> Directed by: Michael Dougherty
> Starring: Anna Paquin, Brian Cox, Dylan Baker, Rochelle Aytes
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19. Frankenweenie (2012)
> IMDb user rating: 6.9/10 (102,021 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 70% (67,740 votes)
> Directed by: Tim Burton
> Starring: Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara, Martin Short, Martin Landau
18. Hocus Pocus (1993)
> IMDb user rating: 6.9/10 (107,645 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 71% (347,068 votes)
> Directed by: Kenny Ortega
> Starring: Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy, Omri Katz
17. May (2002)
> IMDb user rating: 6.6/10 (35,698 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 75% (30,163 votes)
> Directed by: Lucky McKee
> Starring: Angela Bettis, Jeremy Sisto, Anna Faris, James Duval
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16. Affliction (1997)
> IMDb user rating: 6.9/10 (16,487 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 72% (5,604 votes)
> Directed by: Paul Schrader
> Starring: Nick Nolte, Sissy Spacek, James Coburn, Brigid Tierney
15. The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949)
> IMDb user rating: 7.0/10 (14,357 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 71% (10,700 votes)
> Directed by: Jack Kinney, Clyde Geronimi, James Algar
> Starring: Bing Crosby, Basil Rathbone, Eric Blore, John McLeish
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14. ParaNorman (2012)
> IMDb user rating: 7.0/10 (97,791 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 72% (83,157 votes)
> Directed by: Chris Butler & Sam Fell
> Starring: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Anna Kendrick, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Tucker Albrizzi
13. Hotel Transylvania (2012)
> IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (236,453 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 72% (151,439 votes)
> Directed by: Genndy Tartakovsky
> Starring: Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez
12. The Monster Squad (1987)
> IMDb user rating: 7.0/10 (30,469 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 78% (35,813 votes)
> Directed by: Fred Dekker
> Starring: Andre Gower, Robby Kiger, Stephen Macht, Duncan Regehr
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11. The Book of Life (2014)
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (67,440 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 77% (49,476 votes)
> Directed by: Jorge R. Gutiérrez
> Starring: Diego Luna, Zoe Saldana, Channing Tatum, Ron Perlman
10. Corpse Bride (2005)
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (254,567 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 77% (553,528 votes)
> Directed by: Tim Burton & Mike Johnson
> Starring: Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Emily Watson, Tracey Ullman
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9. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
> IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (387,268 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 72% (32,314,349 votes)
> Directed by: Steven Spielberg
> Starring: Henry Thomas, Drew Barrymore, Peter Coyote, Dee Wallace
8. Sleepy Hollow (1999)
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (343,401 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 80% (607,212 votes)
> Directed by: Tim Burton
> Starring: Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, Miranda Richardson, Michael Gambon
7. Donnie Darko (2001)
> IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (763,860 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 80% (30,984,568 votes)
> Directed by: Richard Kelly
> Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, Mary McDonnell, Holmes Osborne
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6. Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)
> IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (22,263 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (37,079 votes)
> Directed by: Vincente Minnelli
> Starring: Judy Garland, Margaret O’Brien, Mary Astor, Lucille Bremer
5. The Crow (1994)
> IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (173,146 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (377,367 votes)
> Directed by: Alex Proyas
> Starring: Brandon Lee, Michael Wincott, Rochelle Davis, Ernie Hudson
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4. Halloween (1978)
> IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (244,066 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (303,558 votes)
> Directed by: John Carpenter
> Starring: Donald Pleasence, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tony Moran, Nancy Kyes
3. Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (2001)
> IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (45,153 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (52,295 votes)
> Directed by: Shin’ichirō Watanabe
> Starring: Beau Billingslea, Melissa Fahn, Nicholas Guest, Kōichi Yamadera
2. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
> IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (309,910 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (968,895 votes)
> Directed by: Henry Selick
> Starring: Danny Elfman, Chris Sarandon, Catherine O’Hara, William Hickey
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1. Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
> IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (68,452 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (45,566 votes)
> Directed by: Frank Capra
> Starring: Cary Grant, Priscilla Lane, Raymond Massey, Jack Carson
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