Now that we have officially entered the month of October, it is the time for many to celebrate the spirit of Halloween. While there are numerous ways to celebrate the holiday, a very common form to celebrate is to sit back and watch some seasonal spooky-themed media. Due to the almost endless library of media from streaming services, the selection of seasonal media is not hard to come by, however, there are some staples and underrated gems that help set the Halloween vibe.
Potentially the best and easiest way of seasonal entertainment has to be a sitcom. Most, if not all sitcoms have an episode surrounding every holiday under the sun. They provide comfort to so many people and are appropriate for just about anybody. One of the best sitcoms to pull off a Halloween episode has to be Modern Family. The award-winning show had six Halloween episodes throughout its eleven-season run. Season four’s Open House of Horrors and season eleven’s The Last Halloween specifically manage to show off the best of the show’s comedic and warm moments and combine them with the fun and mischief of trick-or-treating and having Halloween parties.
We also can’t forget the epitome of Halloween sitcom specials, and that is of course The Simpsons: Tree House of Horror episodes. The Tree House of Horror episodes have become a tradition for the series. Each episode is an anthology featuring the Simpson characters in horror movie-like scenarios, most of which being parodies of well-known horror movies and stories. Due to The Simpsons being one of the longest-running series on television, there is no short order of episodes at the viewers’ disposal.
However, if one does not want to watch singular episodes of TV, there are plenty of other one-off options to watch to set the festive mood. One such case is the king of seasonal media themselves, the Peanuts franchise. More specifically, Charles Schulz’s It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown. The Peanuts franchise is no stranger to TV specials. For every holiday there is most likely a Peanuts special for it. The story of the Great Pumpkin mainly focuses on the character Linus as he waits for the legendary Great Pumpkin to show up during Halloween. It also follows the rest of the Peanuts gang trick-or-treating. The short film is only around twenty-five minutes in length and it’s a sweet timeless story, and animation brings a sense of nostalgia to anyone who views it.
The last and most modern film in this list would have to be the 2019 film, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. The movie is an adaptation of Alvin Schwartz’s popular book series of the same name. Unlike the other entries on the list Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is a much darker piece of media that is a more conventional horror movie. The film manages to fit the eerie illustrations and monsters that made the original books so popular while mixing it with its own captivating story set during the 60s. Even with its much more terrifying aspects, the best aspect of the movie has to be how it manages to fit all of its contents within a PG-13 rating making it a great modern gateway horror film for younger teens.
Film and television are amazing mediums that manage to convey several messages and emotions through pictures to their audience. They help set the mood and provide comfort for many, and these autumnal movies and episodes of television are the perfect icing on the cake to properly get into the holiday spirit. Hopefully, this list can provide anyone looking for something to watch this month with a push into the right direction and find a new favorite movie or special to watch every Halloween.
