The Top 10 Halloween Movies from the ’90s

Happy Halloween, my spooky babies! I’ve said it once, but it bears repeating (and repeating): It’s the most wonderful time of the year. I’m here for the colder weather, the crunchy leaves, the cozy sweaters, all the pumpkin-flavored goodness (I’m basic), and the Halloween movies. Oh, the Halloween movies.

In my humble opinion, the 1990s churned out a plethora of solid Halloween films. It’s a great decade for the genre. To revel in all things spine-tingling and hair-raising, here’s a list of the top 10 ’90s Halloween movies.

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Addams Family Values (1993)

“Dun-dun-dun-dun … snap-snap.” If you sang that bit in your head, you probably devoured The Addams Family films (or 1960s sitcom) in the ’90s. I’m quite partial to Addams Family Values myself. The 1993 sequel is a creepy and kooky blend of dark comedy and macabre fun. It’s not too mysterious and spooky, but it boasts just enough Halloween vibes (and a smattering of “ooky”) to make for a delightful watch.

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Hocus Pocus (1993)

“Oh, look, another glorious morning. Makes me sick!” Is there a better quote that encapsulates adulthood? The older I get, the more the Sanderson Sisters in Hocus Pocus profoundly resonate with me. Anyway, this Disney flick is perfect for those who can’t stomach intense gore. However, it scratches that witchy itch and has a toe-tapping cover of “I Put a Spell on You.” Plus, Bette Midler as Winifred is iconic.

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Halloweentown (1998)

Listen, I’m a ’90s kid, and Disney produced some Halloween-themed bangers throughout this decade. Ergo, I’m slightly biased (and perhaps wearing nostalgia-colored glasses). That aside, I watched Halloweentown with my sisters a few years back, and it still holds up. The 1998 film makes me wish I could discover I had latent magical abilities and had to move to a mystical realm where it’s Halloween every day. If only. Side note: There’s a real-life Halloweentown in St. Helens, Oregon! Don’t worry; it’s on my bucket list.

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The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

1993 was a banner year for Halloween movies. Yes, I’m putting the kibosh on the great debate here and now: The Nightmare Before Christmas is a Halloween and a Christmas film. This one is easily in my top five favorite Spooky Season flicks of all time. It’s required annual viewing for me. The stop-motion animation is stunning (especially for its time), the songs are catchy, and the vibes epitomize every 2000s emo kid with an ardent love for Tim Burton.

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Sleepy Hollow (1999)

Speaking of Tim Burton, he produced top-tier work in the ’90s. Exhibit A: Sleepy Hollow. His trademark style is on full display in this loose adaptation of Washington Irving’s 1820 short story, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” from the gothic-esque visuals to the slasher elements and the gorgeous period costumes. There’s also a smidgen of Burton’s penchant for dark humor because you have to laugh when the Headless Horseman is on the loose. What else can you do?

If anything, Sleepy Hollow proves that heads do, in fact, roll.

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Edward Scissorhands (1990)

Another Burton entry here, and a necessary one, at that. 1990’s Edward Scissorhands is all about what happens when a man with scissors for hands becomes an avant-garde barber and falls in love with a blonde Winona Ryder. While it’s not blatantly Halloween-like, it’s Tim Burton in full force, which means it’s inherently eerie and comedic.

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The Craft (1996)

Who hasn’t been a newcomer at a Catholic prep school and fallen in with a coven of teenage witches who become an unstoppable force of nature? The Craft boasts an immaculate goth aura and a killer soundtrack. It’s pure ’90s dark fantasy but also a teen movie. This melding of elements makes for a fun time during Spooky Season.

If this flick (and the equally stellar Practical Magic) doesn’t make you want to join a coven, I don’t know what will.

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Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)

Gary Oldman is the perfect Dracula — I won’t accept any statements to the contrary at this time. Bram Stoker’s Dracula is a solid adaptation of the legendary author’s seminal horror novel, featuring hot Keanu Reeves, hot Cary Elwes, hot Winona Ryder — really, everyone’s hot. Superficiality aside, the film is an entertaining amalgam of gothic horror, fantasy, and romance — perfect viewing for a dark and stormy night.

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Interview With the Vampire (1994)

While the Interview With the Vampire TV series is incredible, the 1994 film of the same name (both based on Anne Rice’s novel) is no slouch, either. Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Antonio Banderas, and Kirsten Dunst knock their respective roles out of the park. Dunst, in particular, really shines in her breakout role as Claudia. Side note: She also starred in Little Women that same year with Winona Ryder. See? Like the MCU, it’s all connected.

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Scream (1996)

It’s the film that launched a legendary slasher horror franchise: 1996’s Scream. Drew Barrymore dies within minutes of the movie’s first act, Neve Campbell emerges as a scream queen, and Skeet Ulrich proves that fictional killers should be as attractive as they are unhinged. Sidney Prescott is one of the best heroines in the genre, too.

Scream is a blast and a half, from the gory kills to its campier aspects. I love the franchise as a whole, but nothing beats the first one.

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What are your favorite ’90s Halloween movies? Join the conversation with other fans over at Sideshow Social Network or in side.show/geekgroup, and don’t forget to Let Your Geek Sideshow!

Do you have a taste for terror? Are you ready to party like a vampire and wake up screaming? Run while you can … Spooktacular has come home!

Kiss your nerves goodbye during Sideshow’s Spooktacular 2024, a celebration with ghastly giveaways, deathly deals, eerie exclusive perks, and more. Join us from October 21 – October 31 by visiting side.show/spooktacular and don’t forget — sleep is for the weak!