Hooray! It’s that day again. Happy Halloween! To honor Spooky Season, I’d like to discuss my favorite movies to watch for Halloween. We all have our go-tos for holiday movies. What are some of your favorite Halloween movies? You may find some of your favorites among my list. With all that said, let me walk you through my favorite Halloween movies.

5) Coraline (2009)

While Coraline doesn’t take place during Spooky Season, the themes and tone are a perfect fit. This’ll be a common thread among many of my picks. I first saw Coraline as a kid with my family soon after it was released, and I didn’t fully understand it. In fact, my main takeaway was “Huh…that was weird.” Despite being a chronically terrified child (so much so, I couldn’t bear to look at horror movie DVD covers), Coraline didn’t scare me. Now that I’m older–and a very weird person–Coraline is one of my ideal Halloween movies. Given my love of stop-motion animation and the freakish imagery its creepy movement creates, Coraline remains a solid Spooky Season film.

4) Beetlejuice (1988)

I’m glad I didn’t have Beetlejuice growing up. Considering how impressionable I was as a kid and the adult content it contains, Beetlejuice would’ve rubbed off on me in all the wrong ways. I first watched it 3 years ago when I was feeling desperate to find a new classic Halloween film. As you can see, I found one. Beetlejuice scratched all the right itches, and now, I’m happy to say it’s joined the list of movies I watch during Halloween. Beetlejuice is a beautiful blend of contradictions. It doesn’t always make sense, but I forgive it since that’s part of the joke. While Beetlejuice is funny, it can also be dramatic, heartfelt, and creepy. Some of the effects are outstanding while others are laughably terrible, and I’d expect nothing less from Tim Burton.

3) The Thing (1982)

I love monster movies. Just check out my Halloween movie post from last year. I’m also a die-hard practical effects lover. Enter The Thing. The Thing is one of the quintessential monster films for any monster fan. It gives us outstanding scenes of ooey-gooey transformations, while not boring us with slow moments. Like other classic sci-fi monster flicks (like Alien), it’s the slow, quiet moments that add to the scare factor. The Thing is, first and foremost, a survival film. Each of the men at the Antarctic research base is well-qualified and competent, unlike several other horror film protagonists. You want to see them make it out alive. Unfortunately, they’re dealing with something that’s way beyond their understanding.

2) Trick ‘r Treat (1986)

Trick ‘r’ Treat is a favorite of mine, given how much it’s covered in Halloween. It has a lot of personality, but I enjoy how it respects Halloween. Despite being an adult film, Trick ‘r’ Treat manages to speak to my inner child with its aesthetic and emphasis on classic Halloween traditions. While watching Trick ‘r’ Treat, I can’t help but look back on the years I walked door-to-door in a costume and getting wasted on candy. Ah, those were the days. Also, the protagonist, Sam, reflects my attitude towards folks who don’t enjoy Halloween. You’d better watch out.

1) The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

Could any other movie claim the top spot? The Nightmare Before Christmas has long been my #1 Halloween movie. In fact, it’s the movie I always watch on Halloween itself. While I was lukewarm towards Nightmare Before Christmas as a kid, as I’ve gotten older, I absolutely love it. Nightmare Before Christmas was the movie that got me interested in the art of stop-motion and fascinated me with its fantastic yet relatable story and characters. By now, I’ve seen this movie so many times that I can practically recite it from memory. Sometimes I feel like Jack and am desperate to find a new Halloween movie to add to my Spooky Season tradition (like I mentioned earlier with Beetlejuice). But I’ll never stop watching The Nightmare Before Christmas around Halloween. It was and remains my #1 Spooky Season movie.

Those are my picks for Halloween movies. I hope you had as much fun as I did on this road of spooks, nostalgia, and holiday cheer. What are your favorite movies to watch around Spooky Season? I can’t wait to hear from y’all in the comments, and I hope you have a fabulous Halloween.