Welcome to October, Dukes! Looking for a spooky season movie to watch this month? Look no further, The Duke editorial staff has you covered with a comprehensive list of our favorite movies to watch this month.

Charlotte Shields-Rossi:
“Scary Movie”

More comedy than horror, “Scary Movie” probably won’t scare you, but it’s sure to make you laugh. If you like the first one, the film series has four more for you to binge. The films spoof popular horror movies like “Scream,” “Halloween” and “The Shining” by adding a comical twist. If you can overlook the bad special effects and occasional tasteless jokes, the movies are actually very enjoyable. The film definitely has some surprising and seemingly random cameos, such as Dr. Phil and Shaquille O’Neal being chained up in a bathroom together, parodying the movie “Saw” — something nobody asked for, but something you appreciate none the less.

Eliyahu Gasson:
“Threads”

I don’t typically go in for horror movies. For religious reasons my family didn’t celebrate Halloween when I was growing up. I also loathe jumpscares, which seem inevitable with horror. But the 1984 television movie “Threads” doesn’t need Halloween and thank God it doesn’t rely on jumpscares to be scary. Set in Britain during the height of the Cold War between NATO and Warsaw Pact countries, “Threads” imagines what life would be like during and shortly after a nuclear war. It’s terrifying but not startling. It’s smart and measured in the way it presents nuclear fallout and the possible degradation of civilization afterward. It’s anti-nuclear war propaganda at its finest.

Ben Deihl:
“Ghostbusters”

When I think of Halloween, my mind immediately goes to ghosts and the supernatural. The 1984 movie “Ghostbusters” has something for all to enjoy, with a good sense of humor and some quality scares as well. The movie follows a group of scientists who lose their jobs and decide to become supernatural bounty hunters, fighting and trapping ghosts for money. As their fight continues to intensify, the team must save New York City from supernatural destruction. “Ghostbusters” effortlessly mixes comedy and Halloween horror, making it a favorite during the fall season.

Kaitlyn Hughes:
“Coco”

Although not a traditional Halloween film, “Coco” details the experience of the Mexican holiday Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead), which is celebrated on the days following Halloween each year. An escape from the usual spookiness of the season, this Disney film is a heart-felt tale of a boy who accidentally finds himself in the Land of the Dead and is on a mission to return to the land of the living and undo his family’s ban on music that was set up by his ancestors. Between the colorful animation and catchy songs, “Coco” is a fun change of pace from the ghostly essence of the month.

Josh Imhof:
“It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!”

For most of my life, there have been two certainties: death, and the Charlie Brown holiday specials. Each year, I watch as Lucy mercilessly tricks Charlie Brown into whiffing a football, and each year, it makes me laugh. I sit in anticipation with Linus as he waits for the Great Pumpkin to rise from the patch, even though I know it won’t ever come. I rush to the remote to turn my TV down every time Snoopy fights the Red Baron. Part nostalgia and part entertainment, “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!” continues to touch me in a way that nothing else ever has, and I don’t think it ever will.

Diva KC:
“The Babadook”

My childhood consisted of peeking through my fingers, watching scary movie after scary movie that left me shaken for days. With time, the world of horror became not only about movies. “The Babadook” intertwines childhood nightmares with the adult world as a single mother and her son struggle to cope with their increasing paranoia brought on by a mysterious children’s book. This film keeps you on the edge and transports you to the times when you were scared of your own shadow.

Naomi Girson:
“Donnie Darko”

I didn’t “do” horror movies for a long time, but I made an exception for the Gyllenhaals. In Seth Rogan’s breakout movie (it’s true, look it up) Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal play Donnie Darko siblings in a suburban town in Middlesex, Virginia. The entity (I wouldn’t exactly call him a villain) that spans the movie opposite Jake’s Donnie, is genuinely one of the scariest creatures I’ve seen to date (in a movie). Frank, the giant zombie-like bunny, essentially haunts Donnie through the course of the movie, beginning with a precise countdown that happens to fall on Halloween. The movie is notoriously known for its ambiguous ending, and “what is reality?” plot.

Rebecca Jozwiak:
“Ma”

While this film isn’t your textbook Halloween film, “Ma” checks all the boxes for a good thrill. The 2019 release, spearheaded by the iconic, Academy Award winning Octavia Spencer. She plays a disgruntled veteran nurse who allows teenagers to use her basement as a party haven. Popularized on social media through memes and the movie’s marketing, the movie unironically humors the audience while keeping them on the edge of their seat. From the unexpected escalation between Ma and the teenagers to her connection with the teen’s parents, the climax and ending of the film will leave you gobsmacked.