Entertainment
These Cheesy Halloween Movies Are Perfect For The Coward In All Of Us
Halloween is upon us, and there's no better way to celebrate the holiday than by watching Halloween movies — which, incidentally, don't have to be scary. There are plenty of cheesy horror movies on Netflix that will touch upon the dark themes that you associate with the holiday without necessarily giving you nightmares. That may sound counterintuitive, considering most people probably associate horror with surprising ghosts and maniacal serial killers, but horror movies aren't always scary. In fact, some of them are downright funny.
It's understandable that so many Halloween movies end up being incredibly over-the-top and even just lame. After all, the subject matter lends itself to garishness, since, for Halloween, people usually dress in ways that would prevent them from being taken seriously on any other day. Similarly, horror movies venture into the absurd and provocative, and because of this they often seem like they're "trying too hard." The fact that moviegoers are often made aware of the amount of effort put into these movies is probably what makes them so cheesy and fun — and sometimes, just sometimes, scary too.
If you're hoping to get your spooky with a side of silly, these are some of the movies you should watch on Netflix this Halloween season:
1'It Follows'
It Follows is basically the kind of story the abstinence-only health teacher from Mean Girls might tell his students to scare them out of ever having sex. It's about a supernatural STI, and it's both laughably absurd and a little bit scary.
2'Scooby-Doo'
The 2002 live-action version of the cartoon is just about as cheesy as you might expect, and therefore so much fun to watch. Freddie Prinze Jr. and Sarah Michelle Gellar are in it together, too, so it's pretty momentous in '90s/early-2000s pop culture.
3'The Addams Family'
No pre-Halloween Netflix session is complete without this movie. The theme song says it best: "They're creepy and they're kooky, mysterious and spooky, they're altogether ooky." (Try saying those words without singing "The Addams Family" at the end. You can't.)
4'Halloweed'
Two stoners set on solving a murder mystery? Yeah, it's basically Pineapple Express, but with pumpkins carefully placed in every scene.
5'Goosebumps'
The 2015 remake of the classic children's show stars Jack Black, so you can tell just from that that it's an over-the-top Halloween movie. If you're not so into being scared and need a silly face to get you through it, this one's perfect for you.
6'The Craft'
Scary? Not so much. Cheesy? Definitely. Totally and completely incredible? Yes. This movie is everything you'd ever want from a high school film about teen girls who want to be witches.
7'Practical Magic'
Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman star as sisters who tried to avoid their magical heritage only to then turn to it when they need to resurrect one of their boyfriends. Sigh, anything for love.
8'The Nightmare Before Christmas'
Jack Skellington is the most melodramatic protagonist in any Halloween movie, and he's also the backbone (no pun intended) of this cult-classic for a reason. Sure, it's kind of dorky and lame at times, but that's partly why everyone loves it so much.
9'Most Likely to Die'
The killer in this film is dressed up in a graduation cap and gown because, well, he's haunting a group of high school friends. Perez Hilton stars in it, too, securing its status as Netflix gold.
10'Gremlins'
This movie probably terrified you as a child — and for good reason. But if you watch it now, you'll likely be more amused than anything, because it's such an '80s cornball.
11'John Dies At The End'
Any film that seems to give away its ending in its title is destined to be watched ironically. This horror movie takes some surprising twists, and it revolves around a mystery drug called "soy sauce," so the cheese-factor is strong.
12'Jaws'
Jaws is a cult favorite, but that doesn't mean it's not flawed. In fact, the outdated effects of the 1975 blockbuster are exactly what make this film cheese and fun to watch all these years later.
13'Creep'
This Mark Duplass-starring film has a similar style to The Blair Witch Project, in that it's extremely low-budget and it's filmed by the main characters themselves.
14'Young Frankenstein'
This film is the perfect evidence in the case for why cheesy movies are the greatest movies. Gene Wilder is amazing in this hilariously self-aware horror movie, and it should definitely be watched at least once every Halloween season.
Enjoy these movies, from the harmless to the baseless. They're each great in their own silly way.
