The best Halloween films to watch this weekend as chosen by the Skiddle team

No matter what your plans are this weekend, you should definitely find the time to dial into that spooky holiday mood by watching at least one cult classic Halloween film. Be it a blood-curdling slasher, a spine-tingling horror, or even a belly-aching Halloween comedy, there's no shortage of features to be found, with many of the major streaming platforms fighting for your attention over the next few days.

Planning on heading out to a Halloween-themed party, fake blood, gruesome prosthetics and all? Chances are you'll need some entertainment whilst nursing a sore head the following afternoon. Or perhaps you're staying put this weekend, looking instead to bunker down and hide from the elements as the days grow colder and darker.

If either of the aforementioned circumstances relates to you, grab a pen and paper now. You're going to want to make a note of the films we're about to list here, in our best Halloween films roundup - as chosen by the Skiddle team. 

 

 

Hocus Pocus 

Chosen by: Pippa, our Social Media expert

Suitable for: Children aged 8 years and over (PG)

Available on: Streaming - Disney plus | Rent/buy - Amazon, Google, YouTube, Apple TV, Sky Store

Home Alone is to Christmas what Hocus Pocus is to Halloween (Oops, we said the C word...). No other film quite captures the spooky season in all its frightful glory quite like this Disney classic. 

Starring Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy as the Sanderson Sisters, a trio of centuries-old witches, this spooktacular film details the story of 'new kid on the block', Max Dennison (played by Omri Katz), his sister Dani (played by Thora Birch) and new friend, Allison (played by Vinessa Shaw) who inadvertently resurrect the gaggle of sorceresses by igniting the cursed Black Flame Candle.

With the help of an immortal boy-turned-black cat named Binx, the kids must stop the witches from using the book of spells to suck out the souls of the children of Salem in an attempt to achieve eternal life.

Expect musical numbers, dark humour and plenty of slapstick comedy.

 

Here's what Pippa had to say about the film...

"The film reminds me of being little and being so scared of the witches. It was nice watching it back and seeing the funny side, although the fears haven't gone away completely."

 

(Find tickets for screenings of Hocus Pocus, taking place this weekend - here)

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Hereditary 

Chosen by: Terry, our Search Engine Optimisation guru

Suitable for: Those aged 15 years and over (PG-15)

Available on: Streaming - Netflix | Rent/buy - Amazon, Google, YouTube, Apple TV

Referred to by critics and fans alike as 'The Exorcist of our generation', Hereditary will have even the hardiest of horror fans hiding behind cushions or whatever's to hand to cover their faces. 

Award-winning actress, Toni Collette plays a wealthy model maker, a wife to Steve (played by Gabriel Byrne), and a mother to their disturbed kids, Charlie and Peter, all of whom start the film mourning the passing of their mentally unstable matriarch. 

Visions, premonitions and evil spirits begin to terrorise all four family members as the recently deceased's dark ancestral history comes to light. Are sin and evil both rooted deep in the families bloodlines? Will sacrifices be made to appease demons or will the family escape the clutches of the spirits that seek their bodies and souls? You'll have to see for yourself...

 

Here's what Terry had to say about the film...

"Unnerving, uncomfortable and absolutely terrifying. One of the best horror films of the past ten years, without a doubt. After watching this film, you'll never stick your head out of a car window again."

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Midsommar 

Chosen By: Matty, our specialist content creator

Suitable for: Those aged 18 years and over (PG-18)

Available on: Streaming - Netflix | Rent/buy - Amazon, Google, YouTube, Apple TV

A real head scrambler of a film, this trippy and psychological motion picture increases your level of confusion and anxiety tenfold as its plays out. 

Following the story of Dani, a young American student suffering from PTSD, and her part-time partner Christian, both of whom begin the film embarking on a journey to a friend's rural Swedish home town in the hopes that it will save their deteriorating relationship. Arriving at the remote settlement and after sampling local hallucinogenics, things very quickly start to go awry. Very, very awry. 

Grisly scenes of self-sacrifice and hideous rituals ensue. Add a sharp, sensory topping sprinkling of piercing strings, making up some sort of resemblance of a soundtrack, and you've got yourself one seriously mind-altering horror/thriller... whatever it is. 

 

Here's what Matty had to say about the film...

"What starts out as a lovely film about the serene surroundings of Sweden quickly turns into a gory cult flick, where the stakes keep on getting higher and higher, and weirder and weirder. An uneasy watch but stick with it! Florence Pugh's crying scene is one that particularly stands out."

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Addams Family Values 

Chosen By: Harry, our extremely talented graphic designer 

Suitable for: Those aged 15 years and over (PG-13)

Available on: Streaming - Netflix | Rent/buy - Amazon, Google, YouTube, Apple TV

A lighter and much more family-friendly Halloween spectacle rounds off our limited list. The sequel to Barry Sonnenfeld's hit movie - Addams Family Values (You're probably going to need to watch this straight after the previous entries. Trust us).

The storyline of this supernatural, dark comedy sees the returning members of the peculiar family unit, Gomez Addams (played by Raul Julia), his wife, Morticia (played by Anjelica Huston) and their children, Wednesday (Christina Ricci) and Pugsley (Jimmy Workman), all celebrating the birth of a new Addams member. A newborn baby boy. Or so it would seem...

Angered by the arrival of their new sibling, Wednesday and Pugsley begin scheming and planning methods to get rid of their tiny infant brother. Step in Joan Cusack as the family's new nanny, Debbie Jelinsky, who's brought in to keep the peace and gets the kids back in line. But the peace is far from kept as the plot takes an unexpected turn...

What? We're not going to tell you the whole plot, are we! You'll have to watch it yourself to see what happens! Jeez.

 

Here's what Harry had to say about the film...

"The sequel that is 1000% better than the original. So camp, so funny and is quoted in my house on a daily basis all year round. Joan Cusack steals the show as Debbie, the sweet as pie gold digger serial killer."

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Discover screenings of even more Halloween flicks at Drive-In venues across the UK, by clicking or tapping - here