15 ghoulishly good '90s films to watch this Halloween

Starring Anjelica Huston as the Grand High Witch, the film is based on the 1983 Roald Dahl novel of the same name and tells the story of evil witches who masquerade as ordinary women. While this is a family-friendly film, I find the witches in it seriously creepy.

The Addams Family are an eccentric, bizarre family who love anything grotesque. When a man claiming to be Fester, the long-lost brother of Gomez Addams, arrives at the family home, Morticia (Anjelica Huston) suspects he may be a fraud — and that the Addams fortune could be at risk.

This film was based on the cartoon of the same name, which first premiered in 1964. The franchise has been adapted in different ways since the original ’90s film – including a live musical adaptation – and is still a huge success today. The cast also includes familiar Halloween film faces such as Anjelica Huston and Christina Ricci who plays Wednesday Adams. 

The Addams Family spin-off, Wednesday, which premiered on Netflix in 2022 starring Jenna Ortega, holds the title of one of the most popular Netflix shows of all time.

Frequently described as one of the greatest films of all time, Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) plays an FBI trainee recruited to interview Dr Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) – a cannibalistic psychiatrist who has been imprisoned. Her aim is to gain information from the convict to apprehend another killer who has been targeting young women. 

HELLO!s' TV and Film writer Abby Allen is also a fan: ''The Silence of the Lambs is without a doubt one of the most bone-chilling films in screen history so is an especially great watch for Halloween. Anthony Hopkins’ performance as psychopathic killer Hannibal Lecter will get your heart racing, and I challenge you not to be thinking about it for days after the credits roll.''

Meryl Streep, Goldie Hawn and Bruce Willis all star in this dark comedy...

When a fading actress, Madeline Ashton (played by Meryl Streep), learns of an immortality treatment, she will stop at nothing to outlive her rival, Helen Sharp (Goldie Hawn).

The film received widespread praise for its visual effects and even won an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects in 1993 for its mix of CGI, puppetry, and body doubles.

Three witches, played by Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy, are resurrected in Salem after 300 years to reclaim their youth. However, in their pursuit, they terrorise the new kid on the block, Max, who accidentally brought them back to life when he lit the Cursed Candle of the Black Flame. 

The cult success of this film even led to Hocus Pocus 2 in 2022, featuring the same trio of witches — but let’s face it, it can never beat the original.

While there is ''Christmas'' in the title, this makes the list due to its macabre aesthetic – and, of course, anything Tim Burton says Halloween to me. 

When Jack Skellington, from Halloween Town, finds Christmas Town, he becomes enchanted – and the situation takes a turn when his festive obsession leads him to abduct Santa Claus in this classic stop-motion animated film.

This wholesome film tells the story of Casper, a friendly ghost who haunts a mansion in Maine. When paranormal expert Dr James Harvey (Bill Pullman) attempts to exorcise the ghosts, an unlikely friendship develops between Harvey’s daughter (played by Christina Ricci) and Casper.

This was one of the first films to feature a fully CGI character in the lead role and marked a major breakthrough in visual effects at the time. It’s a rewatch for me every Halloween…

This American slasher film centres on high school student Sidney Prescott and her friends, who become the targets of a masked murderer on the anniversary of her mother’s death.

The franchise went on to produce six more films with a seventh on the way. The series is particularly praised for its jump scares and its satirical deconstruction of horror film tropes — and it currently holds a 76 per cent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

If you enjoy this film, there are five more to watch, and Scream 7 is set to arrive in 2026…

If Gossip Girl were a Halloween film, then this would be the result: three teenage students at a Catholic school who practise witchcraft against anyone who annoys them –  and when a new student befriends the group, she fast comes to regret the alliance. The cast includes Scream's Neve Campbell.

Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman are a witchy pairing in this film, where they play sisters Sally and Gillian who use 'practical magic' inherited from their deceased parents to overcome life’s challenges. One of the unfortunate family curses is that any man who falls in love with them is doomed – and they must fight the curse. This film has some stunning visuals and embodies ’90s horror charm in a Bewitched-esque way. 

Practical Magic 2 is rumoured to be released in September 2026, re-starring Sandra and Nicole.

This is the seventh instalment in the Halloween franchise, with a line-up including Jamie Lee Curtis and Michelle Williams. 

The American slasher film follows the dark story of Laurie Strode, who faked her death to go into hiding from her murderous brother, Michael Myers – who, of course, ends up finding where she is. She works under the alias "Keri Tate" as the headmistress of a private school in California with her son, John. When her brother appears, she must be prepared to confront her past.

For Scream fans, this movie is similar in style, so is worth adding to your list.

If you want more of a bonkers Halloween film, then the Disney Channel Original Halloweentown has all the ingredients.

When Grandma Aggie (played by Debbie Reynolds) comes to visit, Marnie learns she is a witch on her 13th Halloween and is transported to Halloweentown which is a magical (slightly bizarre) place full of werewolves, warlocks and curses.

This is one of my favourite films to rewatch at Halloween as visually it’s such an interesting watch given its pseudo-documentary style. It follows three students who are shooting a documentary about the Blair Witch so they hike into the Appalachian Mountains (you can predict how this ends) to seek out if the legendary tale is true. 

It's consistently listed as one of the scariest horrors of all time – and it truly is a staple on my watch list.

For any gothic horror lovers, Sleepy Hollow is on my watch list as I am a huge fan of Tim Burton's work. The film is set in the eponymous Sleepy Hollow where police constable Ichabod Crane is sent from New York City to investigate a set of mysterious murders by a headless horseman. The film is based on the legend of Sleepy Hollow which is one of America's most infamous ghost stories…

Nine-year-old Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment) has the ability to communicate with the dead. He then consults a psychologist called Dr Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis) to help him with his strange problem in this psychological thriller. The film was nominated for six Academy Awards and helped establish horror filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan.