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With the spooky season upon us, many people are starting to think about horror movies, but Halloween is not. only Create the right atmosphere for watching something scary. The special nature of the holiday and the changing seasons in much of the surrounding world means that films set on Halloween can often use its special feel to great effect in everything from aesthetics to plot. The overall atmosphere of Halloween—cold days, dark nights, bare, jagged trees, glowing jack-o’-lanterns lighting up the streets, hordes of marauding children or other things with nefarious intentions—is usually more than just a horror movie The perfect backdrop for a movie, but suitable for a variety of stories.
The truth is, Halloween is a very strange time—kids are dressing up and hanging out in neighborhoods, the darkness is earlier and deeper than it has been in months, and everything feels more ominous. Below, you’ll find 20 of the best Halloween movies that are set on Halloween, drawing on different elements of that time of year when the veil is said to be thinnest. Some movies exploit the inherent fear of Halloween to attract ghosts, but others find inherent comedy in the idea of wandering around town, begging for candy and trying to scare each other. No matter what specific aspect of Halloween you want to experience, there’s a movie to suit your needs.
Again, if you’re looking for strictly horror movies, be sure to check out our curated collection of GameSpot’s Best Horror Movies.
