Halloween movie night

Launch-ready templates

Each template is a curated movie list. Click Use This Template to start a poll with these movies pre-loaded — edit, share, and let your group vote.

Tips for the night

• •Pick a tier (family, classic, horror-comedy, or new horror) before adding options — mixed tiers split the room.
• •Cap each poll at 5–7 movies. More than that and voters skim instead of considering.
• •Lock voting before the night so you're not picking at 9pm with chips already on the table.
• •Run separate polls for kids and adults if your guest list mixes both.

FAQ

What are the best Halloween movies for kids?

For the youngest, It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is rated G and runs just 25 minutes. Hocus Pocus, Hotel Transylvania, Casper and The Nightmare Before Christmas are all PG and work for most ages. ParaNorman is PG too but has some genuinely creepy moments, so it suits slightly older kids.

What's a good scary-but-not-too-scary movie for a Halloween party?

Horror-comedies are the safe bet for a mixed crowd: Shaun of the Dead, What We Do in the Shadows, Tucker and Dale vs. Evil and Ready or Not all have real scares but keep the room laughing. Trick 'r Treat is an anthology set on Halloween night, so it plays well with people drifting in and out. Note these are rated R — Beetlejuice (PG) is the pick if there are kids around.

How many movies fit in a Halloween movie marathon?

Three is the sweet spot. The slasher classics are short — Halloween and A Nightmare on Elm Street are both 91 minutes, and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is 83 — so that triple bill is about four and a half hours of screen time. Save the long ones (The Shining at 144 minutes, Midsommar at 147) for a single-feature night.

Is The Nightmare Before Christmas a Halloween movie?

It's both — it opened in October 1993 and spends most of its runtime in Halloween Town, but the plot is about Jack taking over Christmas. That's why it shows up in both our Halloween and Christmas lineups. If your group can't agree, put it in the poll and let the vote decide.

How do I run a Halloween movie poll?

Pick a template above and tap Use This Template — the movies and title come pre-filled, and you can add or swap films before you launch. Share the link in your group chat; voters don't need an account. Halloween falls on a Saturday in 2026, so close the vote on Friday and everyone knows what's playing before the night.

Other movie nights

• 🎄
  The ultimate Christmas movie night

  100 Christmas movies sorted by vibe, from It's a Wonderful Life to Krampus, with runtimes, ratings and where to stream each one. Pick a vibe and let your group vote.

• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦
  Family movie night

  Pick a template the whole family will fight about. Everyone votes, the winner wins, snack time saved.

• Horror movies trending right now

  The horror movies everyone's watching this week. Turn what's trending into a movie-night poll and let your group vote on what to watch.

• Hidden gem horror movies

  Underrated horror movies worth discovering — highly rated films that flew under the radar. Turn the list into a poll and find your group's next favorite.

• The best family movies

  The best family movies of all time, ranked by a weighted score that balances rating and vote count. Turn the list into a poll and let your group vote.

• 🛌
  Sleepover movie night

  Pick the tier (giggling, mildly spooky, or peak teen) and let the sleepover settle it.

• 📼
  80s throwback night

  VHS energy, neon poster art, peak Spielberg. Pick a vibe and let the group rewind.

• 🛏️
  Dorm movie nights the floor actually shows up to

  Hand the floor a poll, get a real read on what people want to watch, and skip the hour of debate in the lounge. Anonymous voting, no accounts.