FiXT Labs: Addie Brown’s Favorite List of Halloween Movies To Curl Up With
When the leaves start to turn, the air gets crisp, and the nights grow longer, there’s nothing better than curling up with a blanket, a warm drink, and a movie that brings just the right mix of chills, laughs, and autumnal magic. From classic spooky tales to heartwarming Halloween adventures, here is FiXT Social Media Manager Addie Brown’s list of films that make the season feel extra cozy—and maybe a little eerie and nostalgic.
Which old-school Halloween movie never fails to put you in the spooky mood?
The Addams Family Values
This one specifically because I love the scene where Wednesday takes over the Camp Chippewa Thanksgiving play. I also love that Fester is a main focus in this movie; he’s one of my favorite characters, and I’ll always approve of him getting more screen time. I think I started to love this movie even more after my senior year of high school, in which I played Morticia in our school musical, “The Addams Family”. After literally being a part of The Addams Family, I started to resonate with them even more.
Which Halloween movies are perfect for a cozy night?
Halloweentown marathon
The original Halloweentown is on top, of course, but really, the whole series is 10s across the board. This was a Disney Channel classic. My sisters and I would always sit down to watch this whenever it came on during the Halloween specials. The character Grandma Aggie is a huge comfort character for me, because she reminds me a lot of my late grandmother. She brings magic and joy with her wherever she goes, and she loves her grandchildren dearly! I’ve always wanted to transport myself to Halloweentown. Enjoying the crisp fall air, seeing the giant lit Pumpkin at the town’s center, being surrounded by different creatures, experimenting with magic, riding my broomstick alongside Marnie; it all just sounds like a total vibe!
Which movies are so delightfully over-the-top scary that you love watching them just for fun?
Beetlejuice
A classic, I’m sure all of us know. I love it for all the same reasons that everyone else does. It’s hilarious, it’s campy, and it’s corny. Not to mention one of Winona Ryder’s most iconic roles as Lydia Deetz. (I wanted to be her so bad…lowkey I still do) If you’re a fan of musicals, definitely check out Beetlejuice the musical. The soundtrack is fire.
Which movies mix a little scare with a lot of heart?
Edward Scissorhands
This movie is so cute; can it even be considered a Halloween movie? Edward is so innocent and pure that even I feel maternal towards him, and I don’t even want kids. I love that he never had a ‘villain arc’ or any moments of ‘evil-ness’. He was just a polite boy who happened to have scissors for hands. I think it’s interesting to analyze the way the neighbors demonize and manipulate him, even though his intentions were always pure, and he couldn’t help the way he was made. (Those neighbors better leave my baby alone!)
What animated or CGI movies are your Halloween favorites?
What can I say, I’m a sucker for ‘cartoons’. Just so this isn’t a full book, I’ll share a few of my favorites.
- Coraline: I can replay every second of this movie in my head. I never got to watch Coraline when I was little because I was scared of everything. Once I finally saw it in middle school, I realized what I had been missing out on. I think the movies that have kids going on some sort of dangerous mission were the ones that I was drawn to because all I wanted to do was go on adventures. This movie sparked my love for stop-motion animation. It’s extremely impressive, with all of the time and effort that goes into it.
- ParaNorman: This movie is packed with adult-ish jokes and has a modern-day storyline. I enjoy the present-day setting it’s in, because it makes it feel more relatable. My favorite character is Courtney, Norman’s older sister. She’s a classic early 2000s older sister; blond hair and a pink tracksuit, and she’s full of sass.
- Frankenweenie: This one kind of gets me in my feels. I don’t blame Victor for bringing his dog back to life; I would do the same thing. This is a spin on the classic Frankenstein story, but with a boy and his dog. It hits you with heartbreak in the beginning, redeems itself, then breaks your heart again. Why can’t our pets live forever? Not fair.
- Monster House: This movie treads the same vibes as ParaNorman. It also has that present-day setting, and it’s got some really funny scenes. I just always wondered, how did nobody see any of this happen? The house literally explodes at the end of the movie, and the town is just like, ok whatever.
- Over The Garden Wall: Not a movie, but one of the best shows ever. It seems cute and innocent, but it actually gets pretty dark. Many scenes are dark and unsettling, then there are scenes with fun songs and cute characters! It’s a rollercoaster of fear and joy. It sets the vibe for fall and Halloween perfectly. It also has many quotable moments, which I do use frequently. ‘That’s a rock fact!’
Which films have a darker, moodier Halloween vibe that you can curl up and get lost in?
Corpse Bride
I’m a big fan of Tim Burton’s dark aesthetic. The aesthetic in Corpse Bride, specifically, is quite beautiful to me. It has that old Gothic Victorian feel to it, which I love. Yes, it has songs in it, but this movie is dark. This man, who is practicing his vows for his arranged marriage, in the woods, literally gets dragged down into the underworld by an undead bride. The movie goes on and starts to feel more light-hearted. By the end, Victor has decided he might as well marry Emily (the undead bride) since Victoria (the live bride) is to be wed to some lord after Victor’s disappearance. He didn’t deserve either of them, but whatever. Emily has a self-revelation and gives up Victor to Victoria. Then she sees the man who left her for dead at the altar, lets him drink poison, then the ghosts of the underworld take him, and it’s implied that he is tortured for the rest of eternity, bringing it all back to a dark close.
What’s your “so bad it’s good” Halloween movie pick that you secretly love?
- The Babadook: I don’t remember the first time I watched this, but I do know I’ve always been super annoyed by the kid in this movie. Whenever the mom yells at him, I’m like, “Yeah, girl. I would too.” This movie is honestly so random and hard to understand. The Babadook is evil, but by the end, he’s a pet in a basement? I don’t know. Somehow, he became an icon in the LGBTQ+ community. I went to a Pride parade one year, and there was somebody dressed as a 7-foot-tall Babadook. Love that for him.
- Scary Godmother: This is the most nostalgic movie of my life. It always played on the Cartoon Network Channel during the Halloween season. The animation is jagged and chunky, but I love it. Scary Godmother is a witch lady who helps a little girl who is afraid of monsters. She takes her to her world, where there are creatures like werewolves, vampires, skeletons, and bug-a-boo! (an ‘under the bed’ monster) This is another one of those movies where I just wanted to be transported to their world. The Halloween party that Scary Godmother throws is where I want to be.
Which scary movies do you like to watch when you want genuine chills?
Sinister
This is the first movie that actually made my stomach turn. The tapes made me feel so uneasy, and the jump scares really got me. The scene from Sinister 2, ‘death by rats’, still lives rent-free in my head.
Any lesser-known Halloween films that deserve more love?
Not a film, but a show. Chilling Adventures of Sabrina on Netflix. This is one of the few Netflix originals that I like. I’ll admit, I was nervous about what kind of spin they were going to put on the classic Sabrina the Teenage Witch, but I loved the outcome. This series dives deep into Sabrina’s journey with the Dark Lord, and it explains the lore of her and her family. It’s a more serious, non-campy version of Sabrina, with dark storytelling and many twists and turns. If you’re into witchy-ness, I definitely recommend this series.
Is there a Halloween movie you always watch every year, no matter what?
Hocus Pocus
This is definitely a must-watch every year for many people. The Sanderson sisters are iconic throughout many households. This movie just brings that classic, nostalgic Halloween feeling. I wasn’t a huge fan of the second one that came out recently, but I did love the backstory we got for the Sanderson sisters! If they were to do a spinoff series showing the Sanderson sisters living in Salem, I would watch. Also, ‘I Put A Spell On You’ is a banger.
