7 Great Halloween Movies Nobody Talks About

Each Halloween, people who love horror movies look for something frightening to watch, but the same films get suggested over and over. Although classics like Halloween and popular collections like Trick ’r Treat are great, recommending them constantly means many excellent, lesser-known horror movies get overlooked by those truly seeking a scare.

Great Halloween movies do more than just frighten you – they truly capture the feeling of the holiday. From genuinely scary stories about Halloween night to clever films that poke fun at how commercialized the holiday has become, there are actually a lot of fantastic Halloween movies that don’t get the attention they deserve.

Hack-O-Lantern (1988)

Known as Hack-O-Lantern, Halloween Night, or The Damning, this overlooked slasher film is a hidden gem for Halloween horror fans. The movie follows Tommy, who saw his grandfather – the leader of a satanic cult – kill his father on Halloween. Despite its low budget, it’s sure to deliver plenty of scares for those who think they’ve seen every horror movie out there.

As a huge fan of 80s horror, I had a blast with Hack-O-Lantern. It’s got that classic, over-the-top 80s look, a really quirky sense of humor, and yes, plenty of gore! The best part? Watching a killer grandpa hunt people down while delivering ridiculously funny lines in a thick southern accent. It might not be a top-tier slasher, but trust me, it’s a really fun ride.

Bride Of Boogedy (1987)

Bride of Boogedy is a Halloween movie made for families that originally aired as part of Disney’s Sunday Movie series on April 12, 1987. It’s a follow-up to the popular Mr. Boogedy and continues the story of the Davis family as they deal with a scary, 300-year-old ghost in the New England town of Lucifer Falls.

Despite being largely unknown for decades, Bride of Boogedy is a funny movie that delves into the history of the characters in Lucifer Falls. Now that it’s streaming on Disney+, viewers can easily discover—or rediscover—this forgotten gem just in time for Halloween.

Night Of The Demons (1988)

A group of high school students intended a typical Halloween party, but things took a terrifying turn in Night of the Demons. Their party, held in an abandoned funeral home, unintentionally unleashed a demon from the crematorium, which began to possess them one by one.

Though a bit of a classic from the 80s, Night of the Demons does contain outdated and offensive stereotypes. If you can look past those, it’s a fun horror film. It’s popular enough to have spawned two sequels and a 2009 remake, making it perfect for a horror movie marathon!

Sleepy Hollow (1999)

Tim Burton is known for Halloween favorites like Edward Scissorhands and The Nightmare Before Christmas. But a lesser-known gem in his collection is Sleepy Hollow, a visually stunning take on the classic Washington Irving tale.

Featuring memorable performances from Johnny Depp and Christina Ricci, Sleepy Hollow is a visually stunning horror film inspired by the classic 1820 tale of the Headless Horseman and a string of mysterious murders. The movie demonstrated a more sophisticated style from director Tim Burton.

Slime City (1988)

Just in time for Halloween, the movie Slime City follows a couple who move into a new apartment on October 30th. Things take a turn when the man accepts a drink from their neighbors, and he soon begins to experience bizarre changes. He quickly transforms into a shapeshifting slime monster, and chaos ensues.

Despite its low budget and creepy vibe, Slime City has become a beloved cult classic and a great choice for a unique Halloween movie. Horror fans might enjoy pairing it with its 2010 sequel, Slime City Massacre, for a double feature.

The Frighteners (1996)

Before Peter Jackson directed the famous Lord of the Rings films, he was making inventive horror movies, including The Frighteners. The film stars Michael J. Fox as a grieving man who can actually see ghosts, and this special ability leads him into solving a mysterious, supernatural murder.

Driven by fast-paced action and lots of gruesome effects, The Frighteners shares a similar wild, over-the-top style with earlier films by director Peter Jackson, such as Meet the Feebles and Braindead. Despite being made by a hugely successful filmmaker, it’s surprisingly often overlooked – it’s a truly underrated horror comedy.

Blending dark humor, scary supernatural elements, and heartfelt emotion, The Frighteners feels surprisingly modern and paved the way for later comedies like Shaun of the Dead and Tucker and Dale vs. Evil. The special effects, especially the ghosts, were also remarkably good for 1996 and showed off Peter Jackson’s talent for visual storytelling.

Halloween III: Season Of The Witch (1982)

The Halloween movies were mainly known for featuring the masked killer Michael Myers, but one film took a very different approach. Halloween III: Season of the Witch tried to change the series into a collection of standalone stories, all happening on Halloween night. Unfortunately, poor reviews led filmmakers to abandon this idea and return to the original focus on Michael Myers.

Despite often being forgotten when people talk about the Halloween movies, Season of the Witch is actually a fascinating film. It’s unique for its critical look at big businesses and consumer culture, offering a pointed commentary on how America – and even the Halloween holiday – has become overly focused on commercialism.

If audiences had liked Season of the Witch more, it could have launched the Halloween series in a fresh, exciting direction. Instead, Michael Myers kept being brought back, and the franchise repeatedly tried – and failed – to find new life through endless reboots and remakes.

2025-10-24 17:10