My Spooky Season Movie Watchlist

Finally, it’s Spooky Season once again! I want to give kudos (and a whole pumpkin-shaped basket’s worth of mini candy bars and bags of Haribo) to whoever coined that phrase, because it really is a season and not a single day for a holiday.

Though September is a month to celebrate in its own right, with the delicious shivers of fall starting to creep in, my Halloween decorations don’t go up until October 1 to officially herald the beginning of the season.

And this means it’s also officially time to watch my roster of Halloween-ish movies, which in my case are only semi-spooky.

Spooky Season, like being a Swiftie, is a big tent situation! You horror fans can go watch your Hellraisers and your Poltergeists and your Saws and whatnot, and I can amuse myself with the mini-frights of Ghostbusters.

No, really. This is the most terrifying thing I can make myself watch, and honestly, it gives me a little bit of eeeps just to insert this gif here:

AAAHHH! So with my choices, I keep the scares to a minimum and revel in the cozy witchery and comedic vibes.

Herewith, the movies and TV episodes I’m watching while eating caramel popcorn and drinking apple cider for Spooky Season. (I don’t need to explain the plots of any of these to you, do I? You know them already, right?)

My Spooky Season Must-Watches

First and foremost: The Nightmare Before Christmas should be on every single person’s list for both Halloween and Christmas viewing. It’s an absolutely perfect gem of a film that is worth watching multiple times because it’s less than 90 minutes long!

Sometimes I watch it at the beginning of October, at the end of October, and again just after Thanksgiving as a little holiday transition.

This movie has been one of my All-Time Top Fives since it was first released, and I’m proud to say that this Xennial had the good fortune to see it twice in the theater back in 1993. Though I always knew it was pure gold in entertainment form, I never would have expected it to become so widely beloved 30 years later!

Aaaaand I’m basically using this section as an excuse to show you the Lego set that Dan surprised me with in 2024. It’s a family heirloom now!

For the rest of my October watch list:

Beetlejuice and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

What’s better than one film starring Catherine O’Hara (Nightmare’s Sally) and Glenn Shadix (The Mayor, my favorite Nightmare character)? TWO!

The original Beetlejuice is a surreal delight — sandworms, the underworld bureaucracy, freaking Delia Deetz’s artistic visions pulled off by Otho — also with an ideal 90-minute run time. It’s really a shining example of when Tim Burton and his team are firing on all creative cylinders.

The sequel is too long (sorry, we didn’t need Delores) and the Jenna Ortega ghost romance subplot feels a little tonally out of sync until they get into the underworld (I feel the Smallville/Wednesday influence of Alfred Gough and Miles Millar there), but it’s good to see the Deetz family back together again and the visuals are still A+. So I’ll throw it on every once in a while.

Oh, and look what I did up there — I said his name three times.

Ghostbusters

This is a benchmark film in the Casey Canon, loaded with classic New York locations that I’ve personally visited many time, and endlessly quotable. My personal favorite, though lesser-known, is: “I’ve worked in the private sector, they expect results.” Too true, Ray!

Sometimes I’ll watch the sequel if I have time in October — though I consider that one more of a Christmas-adjacent New Year’s movie because of the finale.

Here are a few fun Ghostbusters tidbits for y’all!

Hocus Pocus and Hocus Pocus 2

Because the Sanderson Sisters never get old. Or at least they try not to! As a housepanther mom, I can’t not love Thackery Binx the cat and also love that there are a million housepanthers out there named Binx in his honor.

Fun fact: Though actor Sean Murray played human Binx, his voice was dubbed by Jason Marsden, who also voiced Haku in Spirited Away. Maybe that should be on my annual re-watch list (and, speaking of amazingly voiced cats, Kiki’s Delivery Service should be too, RIP legend Phil Hartman, this sentence is getting way too long, no more commas)!

I’m pleasantly surprised that a few of these movies managed to spin out sequels that were not just enjoyable but truly rewatchable, and Hocus Pocus 2 is one of the best. Love that it ditches the hetero romance for witch empowerment, lets the legends cook, and also winkingly acknowledges that we all know, deep down, that Mary is the one we love the best:

Practical Magic

Try and tell me you’re not charmed by midnight margaritas! And that banger soundtrack! And every actress being completely delightful in their roles, and that perfect house, which was recreated painstakingly for the sequel. Here’s an Architectural Digest walkthrough so you can revel in the detail. I’m finally building a home apothecary inspired by this place.

But my enjoyment is somewhat marred this year, because I’m sad to report that seeing Practical Magic 2 just once was enough for me. As this essay astutely notes, “almost nothing that transpires in the first film matters in this one.” Please read, because it says everything you need to know about my mindset toward the sequel.

Muppets Haunted Mansion

Finally! A movie that combines my great love for The Muppets with my great love for the best Disney ride of all time. I said what I said. It’s a quick and cute little joke-fest and though Gonzo/Rizzo are always my dream team, I have nothing but love for Pepe the King Prawn (say “kiiing prawwwn” in Taraji P. Henson ghost bride voice)…

…especially in a blooper reel!

Related: Click that Disney link above to watch the Haunted Mansion ride-through videos that Disneyphiles have graciously put on the internet — another thing I like to watch this time of year!

Coco

I wait to cue this up until the very end of October for the grand Dia de los Muertos finish. It’s soooo visually sumptuous and satisfying to fall into the glowing world of the dead! I want my spirit to run through piles of glowing marigold petals too with my favorite cat alebrijes all around me!

And speaking of Disney rides, why haven’t they transformed the boat ride in EPCOT Mexico into a Coco-themed adventure yet? You read it here first and I want my finder’s fee if it happens.

Plus: My So-Called Life

Wait, what? Yep, I also watch the Halloween episode of My So-Called Life every year, because why not have an excuse to watch any episode of MSCL except the Juliana Hatfield angel one? (I’m sorry, Juliana, it’s just the one dud in the bunch.)

This episode strikes that delicate balance between moving the plot of the show along/giving us character development and Halloween silliness. Patty and Graham’s trope-tastic costumes, Rickie dressing up as Brian, Danielle dressing up as Angela — ”yeah, it’s like the shirt’s her only friend” — it’s all so good.

If you have a similar bent for watching a lot of stuff… sometimes, dare I say, too much stuff?… I have something for you:

The Stuff to Watch Notion Dashboard

This is the Notion dashboard I personally use daily (and seasonally) to take all the effort out of my brain when it comes to the TV shows I’m watching, all the movies and series I’ll get around to at some point, and my holiday faves.

Or, to break it down for you, this dashboard:

1. keeps track of all the shows and televised entertainment you’re currently watching — with an option to check that Quit? box and remove it from your queue if you are suddenly so over something in the middle of the season
2. lets you list all the stuff you definitely, really plan on watching… someday
3. has a separate Holiday Movies section to check off your own personal favorite holiday movies (both Halloween and Christmas… and New Year’s too?) that you watch each year

There’s much more detail to this extra helpful dashboard, so please check it out!