The best part of Halloween isn’t the costumes or the candy. Halloween means being able to watch movies that just don’t feel right during any other part of the year. From fun and festive films to horror classics, spooky movies aren’t hard to find during October.
All movies listed below are available both in the campus library and for download on iTunes and Amazon.

1. “The Shining” (1980)
Stanley Kubrick isn’t known for being a master of horror like Stephen King is, but this movie solidifies his legacy as one of the most prolific directors of the 20th century. “The Shining” will leave new viewers disturbed by Jack Nicholson’s mind-blowing performance.

2. “Paranormal Activity” (2007)This popular footage film was  almost never released. After Stephen Spielberg saw it, Dreamworks bought the rights to this terrifying flick. “Paranormal Activity” starts out as your typical “monster-in-house” movie, but quickly escalates into something much more sinister.

3. “Children of the Corn” (1984)
This movie, based on his short story of the same name, lets Stephen King live up to his title. Creepy children are perhaps the scariest horror cliche, and “Children of the Corn” is filled with them.

4. “Hocus Pocus” (1993)
This Halloween night tale focuses on three Salem witches who come back after 300 years of imprisonment to try and stay young forever. It’s up to two children, Max and Dani, to stop the witches before every adult in Salem dances to their death. App State senior Matt Splawn loves “Hocus Pocus” because it makes him feel nostalgic.

“‘Hocus Pocus’ reminds me of Halloween as a kid, and Bette Midler’s performance is to die for,” Splawn said

5. “Beetlejuice” (1988)
Tim Burton is the master of creepy, fun films, and “Beetlejuice” is exactly that. After a pair of newlyweds, played by Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin, die in their new home, it’s up to them and the new owners to stop a mischievous spirit only known as Beetlejuice from wreaking havoc in their new home.

Story: Brennan Mullin, Contributor