10 Horror Films Set At Halloween To Scare You Perfectly In The Mood

Life's no fun without a good scare.

By Brendan Morrow /

October is here once again, and that means one thing: it's time to turn out the lights, get the popcorn out and break into the horror films that propel you into the right festive mood. A run-down of great Halloween movies isn't simply a list of the all time best horror movies, though. To really get into the spirit of the season, you'll need something a bit more specific. 

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You'll need the A Christmas Story, Christmas Vacation and Home Alone of Halloween.

Horror movies like The Exorcist and The Shining can be watched any time of year, but then there are films where Halloween plays a major role in the story. They're packed to the brim with orange lights, spooky skeletons, pumpkins, trick or treaters, and cheesy masks, meaning the only real time to view them is during October. Throwing on one of these throughout the month is like hanging a moving slideshow of cool Halloween decorations on your wall. Thankfully, they happen to be good movies, too.

Many of these films simply use Halloween as a fun backdrop, while others are actually about Halloween and what it means. Regardless of how it factors in, if you're counting down the days until October 31st, these are the movies for you. 

10. Satan's Little Helper

Satan's Little Helper is easily one of the best horror movie titles of all time, and while the film doesn't quite live up to it and has a distinct direct-to-video feel, it's still a goofy little October ride. Halloween is a time when everyone's wearing masks, and for that reason, it's the perfect occasion for an actual monster or psychopath to slip by unnoticed. 

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Satan's Little Helper plays on that fear, asking who that guy really is walking through your neighborhood in costume.

The movie follows a kid named Dougie who, while out on Halloween, befriends a man dressed as Satan from his favorite video game. As it turns out, the man is actually a serial killer who is soon sent after Alex, the boyfriend of Dougie's sister. Dougie doesn't seem to understand how dangerous this guy is, thinking all the dead bodies he has are just decorations. Halloween truly is the perfect cover.

It's pretty ridiculous at times, as with an extended gag where everyone believes Satan is actually Alex wearing a mask. What, they don't notice that this dude has a completely different body type than their friend? They don't find it weird that he's remaining silent the whole time? Still, this all just adds to the charm, and it has all the makings of a cult hit that's great for this time of year.

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