Halloween calls for nostalgia—it is a time of year where people can dress up as anything they want to be. It is a time that calls for special traditions, pumpkin carving, apple picking, and creepy decorations that bring out the child in all of us. In celebration of this nostalgia-ridden holiday, I thought I’d compile a list of Halloween classics that Millennials could appreciate. I can only hope that these picks take you back to memories of trick-or-treating and watching the Family Channel.
Halloweentown
Who doesn’t remember going on an adventure with Marnie Cromwell on Halloween? This film is a childhood classic—most people have seen it, and probably enjoyed it, whether they want to admit it or not. When she finds out that she is destined to be a powerful witch, Marnie explores her new powers and enters the world of Halloweentown. What child doesn’t wish that they possess secret magic powers?
The Nightmare Before Christmas
One of Tim Burton’s finest, this is a film that is both family-friendly and utterly creepy. This film birthed the classic love story of Jack and Sally. Also set in Halloweentown, Jack, the Pumpkin King, sets out to find more to life than just the same routine of scaring people every year on Halloween. He finds Christmastown, and plans to kidnap Santa Claus in order to rule Christmas. Both a Christmas classic and a Halloween classic, this film is must-see for the child in all of us.
It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
I have yet to meet someone who outwardly admits that they do not like this television special. Linus, set on proving to everyone that the Great Pumpkin exists, convinces Sally to spend Halloween night in a pumpkin patch, waiting for the Great Pumpkin to emerge. Meanwhile, Charlie Brown and the gang go trick-or-treating, and Charlie receives a rock from every house instead of candy because his costume is an utter failure.
Casper
When Kat (Christina Ricci) moves into a new home with her dad after her mom dies, she falls in love with the house’s friendly ghost, Casper. The house is also plagued by Casper’s mean uncles, who terrorize Kat and her father (Bill Pullman). This film can probably be found in most people’s VHS collections. It is a story that pulls on its viewers heartstrings, offering a doomed romance, a strong father-daughter bond, and the story of two young characters dealing with the loss of their loved ones.
Hocus Pocus
Three teenagers accidentally free three evil witches in an abandoned house in their neighbourhood. Max (Omri Katz), Dani (Thora Birch), and Allison (Vanessa Shaw) then set out to stop the witches before they can become immortal. Played by Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy, and Bette Midler, the witches terrorize the children, though their ridiculous antics and bickering humour the audience. The film was a Blockbuster classic—I mean, it was literally rented from Blockbuster by most of our generation.
Beetlejuice
Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! Another Tim Burton masterpiece, a young girl named Lydia (Winona Ryder) moves into a haunted house with her family. Ghosts Barbara (Geena Davis) and Adam (Alec Baldwin) are a couple that died in a car accident and were cursed to be stuck in their home. In an attempt to make Lydia and her family leave the house, they release Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton) for help—though he turns out to be trouble.