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In honor of the spirit of Halloween, my colleague Bryant Steele and I have curated a list of movies to cozy up to or that will give you absolute night terrors.

Pick your poison as you set out to enjoy the festivities that this year’s spooky season will bring!

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) 

You can never go wrong with a timeless Tim Burton classic! This film follows the story of Jack Skellington (Chris Sarandon), who is depicted as “the King of Halloween Town.” After he gets bored with the constant routine of frightening people in the “real world,” he stumbles upon Christmas Town, filled with bright colors and festive spirits. Jack is amazed by this discovery and schemes to take over the holiday by plotting to kidnap Santa Claus! Will he succeed? If you’ve seen this movie before, then you know how it unfolds. If you haven’t, watch to follow the misadventures of Jack and his friends as they try to grasp the true meaning of Christmas, while not forgetting the essence of Halloween.

(PG/Amazon Prime Video)

Halloweentown (1998)

Life is turned upside down for Marnie Piper (Kimberly J. Brown) and her siblings when they visit their grandmother Aggie (Debbie Reynolds) in Halloweentown. Halloweentown is the only place where supernatural creatures can experience a normal life. When Marnie learns that she is a witch on her 13th birthday, she must help her mother and grandmother save the magical community from an evil force that is plotting to take over. Will this family of powerful witches save the town from the dark entity in time? Feast your eyes upon this widely popular DCOM (Disney Channel Original Movie) to find out.

(TV-PG/Disney+)

Jigsaw (2017)

Jigsaw is the eighth installment in the iconic Saw franchise. The film follows a series of murders that all bear the markings of the infamous Jigsaw killer, John Kramer (Tobin Bell). Kramer was notoriously known for forcing his victims to play a sadistic game of life and death. After a long battle with terminal brain cancer, he was presumed to be dead for over a decade; however, law enforcement officials have traced him to the latest murders. They later find themselves involved in one of Kramer’s twisted games. This leads to the question of: is Kramer truly back from the dead, or is there another copycat killer on the loose—wanting to finish what Kramer started?

(R/Hulu)

Us (2019)

Is it “them” or “us”? If you have never seen a film written by the enigma Jordan Peele, you must make Us a priority to watch this Halloween. The story follows Adelaide Wilson (Lupita Nyong’o), accompanied by her husband and kids, as she returns to her childhood home. Adelaide is haunted by a traumatizing experience from her past, making her fearful that something terrible is going to happen. Her darkest fears become a reality when four masked intruders invade the house, driving the Wilson family to fight against all odds to survive. When the intruders unveil their identities, the family is terrified to learn that each attacker bears a resemblance to all of them. It is advised to proceed with caution when watching this type of film, as Peele doesn’t shy away from gory content.

(R/Hulu)

Scream (1996)

What’s your favorite scary movie? If Scream isn’t considered, you definitely need to check it out. This classic horror film defined the genre upon its release and changed the scary movie game forever. The first in a franchise of six (soon to be seven) movies, the original Scream was one of the first flicks to have a meta take on horror movies. The story follows the friend group of Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) on the anniversary of her mother’s murder, as the Ghostface serial killer is stalking them. This movie defies expectations from the very beginning. The twists and turns will keep viewers on their toes right until the very end. Travel to the fictional town of Woodsboro, California, this Hallo-weekend and see if you can predict what happens next!

(R/Pluto TV or Hulu)

Scooby-Doo (2002)

Need a spooky comedy full of fun for the whole family? Kick back with Scooby-Doo and the Mystery Gang as they solve the secrets of the tropical “Spooky Island” resort. Released in 2002, the first of two live-action Scooby-Doo movies actually manages to provide an entertaining adaptation of the beloved Hanna-Barbera characters. Although it’s chock full of horrible CGI, it adds a certain kind of charm to the film. It is the kind of movie that’s so bad, it’s good. It has gained a cult following over the years, endearing itself to many young outcasts in the early aughts and onward. Speaking of OutKast, the iconic hip-hop duo actually produced a song for this film. It stays stuck in the heads of viewers, even past the credits. If you have never seen this time capsule to the start of the millennium, do yourself a favor and indulge in it this year; you will not regret it. Zoinks!

(PG/HBO Max)

Friday the 13th: Part III (1982)

This classic film takes its viewers back to the early 80s. Friday the 13th: Part III is, in my opinion, the quintessential Friday the 13th chapter. This is mostly because the timeless killer Jason Voorhees (Richard Brooker) gets his iconic hockey mask in this movie. Although it follows the same format as the first two films, it still manages to stand out. One of the reasons it’s so memorable is that it was created during the period in Hollywood when 3-D had a massive spike in popularity. It also has some of the best kills in the franchise. Being an older movie, its shocking scenes can be played for laughs instead of scares. It’s worth checking out for those who wish to see the proving grounds for horror’s most iconic killer.

(R/Peacock)

Halloween (1978)

Debuting in 1978, the original Halloween film follows Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) as she fights for her life against her eternal stalker, Michael Myers (Tony Moran). The Shape, as he’s called, is the unstoppable force that haunts the entire Halloween franchise. Although this classic is almost five decades old, it still holds up today. The scenes are still just as striking, if not more so, with the legendary score by John Carpenter, which strikes a sense of panic in the minds of audiences even today. Halloween is a sort of equilibrium point between older horror films. It’s not too outlandishly silly, but it also does not take itself too literally. Many horror fans will agree that this is the definitive horror movie for the Halloween season. Watch the story unfold on the night Myers came home.

(R/PLEX)

Honorable mentions: A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), Scary Movie (2000), Halloween (2018), Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) and Coraline (2009)