October is always a struggle for me — I love it, and at the same time, I love it. I love it because it's my birthday month, the leaves are finally starting to change color, and, of course, Halloween. However, that last point can be a problem. To be frank, I am a total wimp when it comes to scary things. I cannot sit through a movie that has the slightest bit of horror or gore, and I get so jumpy around those hyper-realistic outdoor decorations. I can barely even watch a single playthrough of a "Five Nights at Freddy's" game without having trouble sleeping at night. So how can a nervous little wreck like me handle the spookiest of months? Well, it all comes down to finding my own way of celebrating—- with plenty of my favorite Halloween movies that don't need murders and jumpscares to get into the spirit of the season.
1. "The Nightmare Before Christmas"
The best part about this movie, honestly, is that it can technically count as a Halloween and Christmas movie — so you can get a lot of mileage out of it! Not only is this movie a great lesson about cultural appropriation (someone taking the customs of a foreign land and trying to make it into their own... sound familiar?), but the stop motion is absolutely beautiful. And Danny Elfman's score is always a treat to listen to!
2. "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown"
Don't look at me like that; this one is a classic! Any Peanuts special is just as good now as it was when you were a kid. And the scene where — spoilers! — he rises out of the pumpkin patch is a twist for the ages.
3. "Ghostbusters"
At the risk of sounding like a philistine, I have to say I have not seen the original 1984 film, at least not in a super long time. I personally recommend the 2016 version of the film. I'm a sucker for awesome leading ladies. But watching both would be fun too, to see how many easter eggs the 2016 version sneaks in.
4. ANY Scooby Doo movie!
Honestly, Scooby Doo has anything you could want in a non-scary Halloween film — lots of food, atmospheric locations, and fake monsters. I personally recommend "Scooby Doo on Zombie Island." It has tone and animation quality unlike anything you would expect from a Scooby Doo movie.
5. Disney's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow"
This one is kind of cheating, since it's not exactly a movie. It's actually the second half of a package Disney film, "The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad." It is only about half an hour long, but this segment has one of the best Halloween villains of all time: The Headless Horseman. His evil laugh is literally iconic, and you will spend days trying to recreate it. This is speaking from personal experience.
So grab a bowl of candy corn and have some non-nightmare-inducing fun this Halloween!
