Nolen Kelly, Editor

I am a wuss. I get scared really easily and I actively go out of my way to avoid being scared. Halloween is rapidly approaching and you know what that means — time to get spooky. If you are like me and dread the dead, but not in a cool way, then I have a simple solution for you: movies. If you came to read something from Nolen Kelly, I don’t know what you expected. Here is a list of five Halloween-themed movies that are fun enough to get you into the spooky feeling, but the horror and scaries are more like backseat elements to the movie. This list is designed to get slightly darker with each entry but nothing will be too bad. 

5. “Twitches”

Starting off, let’s look at Halloween movies that were made for younger audiences. I’m in college and I am recommending you, most likely an adult, movies to watch so if I say these movies hold up, you have no choice but to take my opinions to heart and listen to me. Halloween has always been a time that kids networks do themed holidays in style and the best example of this is Disney Channel. Maybe not as great as it once was when I was an active viewer as a small manlet, but there was still a mountain of great Halloween themed mini-movies the channel produced from the likes of “Halloweentown” and “Halloweentown 2: Kalabar’s Revenge.” While those are both great, I’m focusing on “Twitches.” Twin sisters, played by Tia and Tamera Mowery (“Sister Sister”) happen to be witches in this still fun and light adventure through a spooky world that may not have aged as well as all small people my age may remember, but nonetheless it is still a good movie to watch to get into the spooky mood.

4. “Hocus Pocus”

Moving on from there I want to get a little more mature and talk about a specific Halloween classic that would get me persecuted had I not included it. It is still Disney, I know, but when the subject is about a virgin being sacrificed or something, I think the audience for this movie deserves a bit more credit. “Hocus Pocus” is an all-timer for anyone with an inkling of appreciation for the Michael Myers month and there is a good reason why. Funny, charming, spooky and memorably weird, “Hocus Pocus” will always be known for that song, I’m not going to say it’s name because I’ll get it stuck in my head and yours, as well as performances from Sarah Jessica Parker (“Sex and the City) and Bette Midler (“Parental Guidance”), “Hocus Pocus” is a surefire way to get almost anyone excited for Halloween time.

3. “Monster House”

Going further into the darkness, let’s look at animation. It would be easy to put the “Citizen Kane” of movies on here, “Spookley the Square Pumpkin” but I think a better animated Halloween movie is my personal favorite Halloween movie, “Monster House.” Steve Buscemi (“Fargo,” “Reservoir Dogs”) is Mr. Nebbercracker, an old man who takes everything that lands on his lawn, and after his young neighbor, DJ, loses a basketball to Nebbercracker’s lawn, it is up to them to get it back. But, things are a bit more mysterious than they may seem when it looks like the house has some secrets of its own. Surprise: the house is a monster. It’s not an earth-shattering movie, nor is it the greatest animated Halloween movie of all time (that’s “It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown,”) but this is still a great movie that I think does the job of getting you into the freaky feeling. Stellar animation that may not have aged well, good casting, good writing and a solid third act make this movie a must watch.

2. “Harry Potter: Prisoner of Azkaban”

Let’s get a little more mature here but let’s also move away from the traditional Halloween setting. There are a handful of movies that can get you into the mood for some screams without even showing you a pumpkin. My pick for the fantastical Halloween slot goes to the “Harry Potter” franchise, specifically “The Prisoner of Azkaban.” Opening with a ghost bus ride that drives in between two double decker busses and a werewolf in the bushes spying on Harry, this movie starts off just right and fits in perfectly with the Hallowed-vibes from there. Werewolves, rats, Gary Oldman and ghosts are all here in this solid entry in not only the franchise but also in the Halloween mood.

1. “Hellboy” (2004)

Finally, talk about a man who practically re-invented Halloween monsters in the 2000’s, Guillermo Del Toro. Although he has dabbled in many actual monster horror movies, he also has a fine collection of just cool monster movies, namely my final entry on this list, “Hellboy.” Demons, Nazis, fish people and Selma Blaire with fire powers — which is awesome by the way — all set a perfectly spooky mood that while may be cheesy at times is another fun action adventure that happens to feature some impressive makeup, effects and overall visuals that will make this a must watch for your Halloween dinner party with your neighbors.

Like I said, I get scared pretty easily and actively go out of my way to avoid being scared, but when Halloween comes around I enjoy a nice spook every now and then. These are just a few easygoing spooky movies to watch this Halloween season.