The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane (Nicholas Gessner, 1976)

13-year-old Rynn (Jodie Foster) lives alone in a secluded house and attempts to keep her dark secrets hidden from the nosy smalltown neighbours, especially the creepy Frank Hallet (Martin Sheen). The film begins on Halloween night, which also happens to be Rynn’s birthday.

Watch it by yourself—just make sure your cellar door is locked.

The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane is available to stream on Netflix.

 

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (Steven Spielberg, 1982)

An alien stranded on earth befriends a lonely young boy named Elliott (Henry Thomas), who enlists the help of his older brother, little sister, and his brother’s friends to protect the extra-terrestrial and get him home to his own planet. Elliott and his siblings dress E.T. up as a ghost on Halloween so they can sneak him out of the house.

Watch it with your family while eating trick-or-treat candy (Reese’s Pieces) or a takeaway pizza (with everything but the little fishies on it).

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is available to stream on Sky/NowTV.

 

Flatliners (Joel Schumacher, 1990)

Five medical students attempt to discover what lies beyond death by stopping their hearts for just long enough to see the afterlife, but playing with death results in the students being haunted by their past sins. One of the students takes their turn to visit the afterlife on Halloween night during a full moon, and another student shows up to the experiment in a skeleton costume.

Watch it in an abandoned church, lit only by the glow of the full moon—Joel Schumacher style.

 

Casper (Brad Silberling, 1995)

Kat (Christina Ricci) and her father move into an old mansion haunted by ghosts, but one of them turns out to be friendly and quickly falls in love with Kat. After finding out where she lives, Kat’s classmates decide to hold their Halloween party in her haunted mansion.

Watch it with the ghost who haunts your attic and makes bumps in the night—it’s his favourite film.

Casper is available to stream on Sky/NowTV.

 

The Skeleton Twins (Craig Johnson, 2014)

While it may sound like a horror, The Skeleton Twins is a comedy-drama about estranged twins Milo (Bill Hader) and Maggie (Kristen Wiig) attempting to reconnect after years apart. Milo and Maggie spend Halloween together, talking about their father’s death and connecting over their love of the holiday.

Watch it if you feel like having a good cry and a good laugh.

 

The Blair Witch Project (Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez, 1999)

Three film students venture into a Maryland forest to make a documentary about the legendary Blair Witch, but when they go missing all that can be found is their film footage showing the lead up to their disappearance. The film is set during the end of October rather than specifically on Halloween night, but the spooky, autumnal vibes make up for it.

Watch it with the lights turned off, late at night.

 

Donnie Darko (Richard Kelly, 2001)

Troubled teenager Donnie Darko (Jake Gyllenhaal) escapes death with the help of a giant rabbit named Frank, who tells him the world will end in just over 28 days. Donnie and his sister hold a Halloween party at their house, and Donnie spends much of the film dressed in a skeleton costume.

Watch it with someone who’s seen it before so they can explain the plot to you afterwards.

Donnie Darko is available to stream on Shudder.

 

The Karate Kid (John G. Avildsen, 1984)

The new kid in town, Daniel (Ralph Macchio), is the target of a group of bullies trained in a vicious form of karate. The handyman for Daniel’s apartment, Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita), agrees to teach him the art of karate to help him defend himself. Daniel gets severely beaten by the bullies on Halloween night after a school dance where he dressed up as a shower.

Watch it to remind yourself of the events of the original film before starting Cobra Kai.

The Karate Kid is available to stream on Netflix.